All New CommentMILK Version 1.0Outsource Using oDesk - So Far A Thumbs Up!
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About three months ago I was directed to a service called oDesk.com by my friend Jerry West but I have to admit that I paid little attention to it for the simple reason that it looked pretty much like all the other outsourcing systems (Elance, Rent a Coder, etc).
Well last week I finally gave it a shot and tested it out and I have to admit I am impressed.
Now the results are still in the early stages, but this is what I did.
Step1: I created a list of jobs that I feel the average person could complete in 8 hours. I put the list into a detailed step by step process for the person to be able to follow along with.
Step 2: I created a detailed job description that mentioned what I was looking for but at the same time I did not go into specifics. I have found through past experiences that if you get too detailed then it intimidates some people from applying.
Step 3: I waited 24 hours and then started to filter through the applicants. As I came across potential candidates I requested interviews. The interviews can be done via chat, phone or email and the interview was simply to ensure that they could dedicate the time to the job that I required and to also get more samples of work that they may have done (if there was any).
If I was happy with the interview I then sent them an offer of a trial job. What this means is they would be hired and given the initial job but this would be a test that would be used in deciding on the best candidates. I made it very clear that they were competing against others.
The cool thing about oDesk is that you do not have to agree on a price for the entire project… you can choose to pay per hour and then you only pay for the time they are logged into the system. It takes screenshots and shows you exactly what they are doing, so you can see if they are being honest or not.
Step 4: I have now given the tasks to four people and have received three of the four back. The fourth person has until tomorrow morning and I will then cross check the cost per hour, quality and time to come up with my best candidate.
$/hour + Quality + Time to Complete Task
By using this formula I am able to ensure I get the best ROI. The winner may not be the cheapest or fastest but instead they will be the person that has the best balance of all three.
The other cool thing is I am able to keep the project open to new applicants while I am interviewing. This way I can continue testing new people and if I am not satisfied with any of the current four, then I have more to choose from.
Next week I will update you with who I selected, how we arranged to move forward with scheduling hours and what the results are so far.
So far I am loving oDesk… but it is too early to be certain. Click Here to check it out for yourself!
So what are your thoughts of oDesk… have you used or will you try it?
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Nice thanks for this.
Its nice to know that you are giving us a detail explaination on how you are using this service.
Bruno Augers last blog post..How to Make your Blog a Success
Glad you liked it
Ive used oDesk a few times, also the other more traditional ones like scriptlance.com etc. I think elance and oDesk have good quality providers.
Colin Klinkerts last blog post..Case Study: John Chow Effect?
It really does look promising. And I love the fact that you can pay by the hour, and that they check that they actually do work. Are there some kind of minimum hour payment?
Vikingbloggers last blog post..Adsense For Games Are Looking For Beta Publisher
No minimum that I saw… I got bids from 3.33 an hour all the way up to 53.00 an hour.
Great find, I’ve always been worried if the guy who’s working for me is really doing stuff or just playing the Wii all day
Sadly that is not something uncommon. I have fired many people because of that… with oDesk you can actually see.
I saw the banners everywhere but never checked it out for basically the same reasons.
What do you man by “it shows you exactly what they’re doing”? Can you see how much they’ve done so far, mid-project?
If you give them 8 hours to do a job, what if they go over that time and have not finished? Are they obligated to still finish “asap” without extra pay past the initial agreed 8 hours?
Is it only “programmers”, or writers, designers, etc as well?
Should I have just gone to the site instead of asking you all these questions? lol
Cheers!
Jay
SuiteJs last blog post..What’s On Your Desk… And What Does That Say About You?
You can indicate the maximum amount of hours you will allow them to bill you for per week if you want. How the system works is they have to be logged in to oDesk when they are working and it will take a screen sot every few minutes. This tracks so you can see that they are working. I fully expected some of them to go over the 8 hours, especially since there was a few special items they had to do. For this part, I am testing to see who does the best job all together. That person might not be the fastest but if they are pretty fast and the quality is good and they cost less then that is a good total package.
That screenshot/timer thing is really great. I mean, you can really see the progress and how much work the person really gets done in a certain amount of time. That’s always an issue when outsourcing, is the person really working? Good stuff…
Ben - frogstr.coms last blog post..Your titles as traffic generators (I ate chicken)
Very interesting man! I’m not at that stage where I need programmers just yet, but it seems like a pretty good setup they got going on. Especially the hourly pay!
Normal Joes last blog post..Optimize Your Time Online By Using A Schedule
it is not just for programmers. Writers, data entry, bookkeepers, graphics and all that good stuff.
Wow, this is a really great idea!
Both for those looking for work and wanting to work. I am definitely going to be signing myself up for this and seeing if I can get any extra work.
Thanks for the post Jason, looking forward to hearing how the actual job went and the results
Jarrets last blog post..Adding Widgets To Your Sidebar
I’ve used oDesk a couple of times and had a good experience on both occasions. Easy to post a job, interview, and pay. All in all I’d recommend it.
Matt
Matt | Small Business Entrepreneurs last blog post..Steps to Success with Small Business Marketing
I like the screen shot while they are working you only having to pay while they are logged into the system. Would be nice it it was a streaming video so you could see in real time, but maybe that is overkill.
Thanks for the idea of having trial competitions and constantly building this administrative position.
Seems like you are building solid operation over in that farm of yours Cow.
Any chance I could get a peek at that list of what you think could be done in 8 hours? And what is a range of prices one could expect?
Good stuff, Cow!
Freddies last blog post..Around the Blogosphere: October 8th, 2008
that sounds like a great formula! i should try that one out for myself.
Investments last blog post..Forex Trading Strategy - Three Steps of Development
I’ve used Elance and GetAFreelancer a couple of times but oDesk seems to be quite a different animal. I like the fact that you can check up on the people doing the work and leave projects open in case you lose a worker. Gonna have to take a closer look at oDesk now, thanks!
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Cow,
Thanks so much for the warm words. We do believe we have a unique model. Think if it as the best business model for remote work.
I saw a few great comments of your readers and would like to pick a couple to respond to.
Screen-shots are typically used both as a collaboration tool and for verifying work (so you are charged only for work done on your behalf). This is why we can guarantee payments for hourly work done, and also one of the reasons for talented providers to be attracted to oDesk; who wants to spend half their time chasing clients to pay them?
Another question was around limiting your “test-drive” to 8 hours only. When you set your weekly limit (say, to 8 hours) your providers know how much time they have left to work and get an indication when they reach the limit. You, the buyer, are not automatically billed for time beyond that weekly limit. If you and your provider agree to it, the provider can add the extra time to their offline work diary. You then have to approve it before it’s added to your bill. If you communicated ahead of time that the provider is expected to spend no more than 8 hours, there is absolutely no obligation to pay for any unauthorized extra time.
Keep on the good work!!!
Orie from oDesk
What a great resource! I’ve heard of Elance, but I had no idea something like that existed. I bet this can turn into something very beneficial for bloggers and website owners. I like the fact that you can interview the person online, and can track time logged for payment purposes. Thanks for posting!
Someone referred me oDesk in the past but haven’t tried it a full-scale. I think it is an awesome site.
charless last blog post..Webmaster Central - Google’s tool for bloggers
I’ve used oDesk for two projects, now. With the first, I’ve kept the coder on as part of my team. That means I don’t have to go through the job posting again when I need another couple of things done. I just contact my coder with my request and she gets to it!
This is the feature I really like.
With the second job, was a design one. I closed it when the designer finished the job, because I doubt I’ll need his services again.
I’ve also used Rent-a-coder. Both have pros and cons, but I have been very pleased with oDesk, too.
Rubys last blog post..9 Steps Before You Hire
I’ve used both Elance and Odesk to outsource a few projects.
Elance = lost money
Odesk = production and control
I am 0 for 2 on elance projects and I was so mad that I blogged about it ( http://tinyurl.com/4awacy ). I wont do business there again.
I’ve been very happy with oDesk and I really like the fact that you can see screenshots from the desk of your contractor. The hourly rate work is perfect for ongoing projects.
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I reviewed oDesk awhile ago, rather favorably. Since that time, a number of people have complained that the sellers on oDesk are able to abuse the system by running up hours without delivering usable code.
Personally I think it is a matter of close supervision.
Which in a sense defeats the purpose of oDesk. For it to be efficient, you need to stay right on top of your coders at all times.
With Rent-A-Coder (I wish they’d improve their CSS file, what a hideous monstrosity to look at), if the code is no good, the buyer doesn’t have to pay and the seller gets negative marks. So you don’t have to supervise but just answer questions. A rent-a-coder brief is a little bit more up front work but less hassle during the process.
In my case, I decided to set up a proper office and put coders and designers in it. Lots of maintenance in this solution as well though!
The oDesk model is quite unique and does give you access to a lot of talented people around the world. But you do have to be prepared to supervise your projects in a hands-on way.
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I have been using oDesk for a while (almost a year or so) and I am pretty impressed with it if I may say so myself. Good luck with your project.
This does look like a very useful service. I hope it takes off.
Wow, thanks for the information. it seems like a place you can go if your looking for fresh content for your site huh? I’m not ready for that right now, but its nice that someone is giving out a rating of sorts, so we know where the best place to look might be.
can you tell some tips about getting jobs at odesk?