Online Work Tips & Best Practices Posts
Best of Tip Tuesday: Motivation
When you're a freelancer or entrepreneur, buckling down and
getting work done day after day can be difficult. Ever wondered how
oDesk freelancers do it so well? We did too, so we asked the oDesk
Facebook community how they motivated themselves on days when they felt
low on energy. Here are our favorite answers. Read Full Article
How Composers Work Virtually To Hit the Right Notes
Composers are the artists who create the auditory landscape — the
musical score specifically — of the app you’re developing, the promo
you’re producing, or the game you’re designing. We recently talked to
two of them about the process of working virtually, how they collaborate
with clients, and what it takes to create beautiful sound. Read Full Article
A How-To Guide for Your Perfect Profile Picture
Your profile is how you present yourself to the world, telling
prospective clients about your skills and experience. But what does
your profile picture — and the image it conveys — say about YOU? Here
are a few tips to help you make a great first impression. Read Full Article
5 Sales Tools Freelancers Should Be Using, Too
Do you dismiss out of hand some crucial business practices simply
because you don’t think of yourself as a "sales person?" If you're a
freelancer, you are your own sales team. Why not use the same tools that
successful sales teams use to power their work? Christy Delehanty of
PandaDoc shares five programs you should consider adding to your
freelance routine. Read Full Article
5 Best Online Swift Courses for Developers
The newly launched Apple Watch isn't the only thing set to change
app development. Swift is a new programming language from Apple — one
that could quickly replace Objective-C as the OS X and iOS coding
language of choice. How can you add this new language to your
programming toolbox? Here are five great courses that are already up and
running. Read Full Article
10 Time-Saving Apps for Freelancers
For freelancers, the expression "time is money" holds
considerable significance: the more we procrastinate, the fewer jobs we
get done, the less we get paid. Luckily, there's a wide selection of
handy apps and online tools to help keep us focussed, save time and be
more productive versions of our fabulous selves. Here's a look at 10
popular apps — many of them free — that can help pull your freelance
work together. Read Full Article
Perspectives on the Future of Work: August 26th
oDesk's weekly column brings you the latest news on hiring and
managing teams, freelancing and the future of work. In this week's
column, we highlight the latest on how to keep your business going, even
when you're not around; what it takes to successfully manage
senior-level professionals; lessons on promoting gender equality in the
workplace; and tips to help you achieve work-life balance Read Full Article
Best of Tip Tuesday: Advice on Freelancing & Remote Work
On Tip Tuesdays, we ask the oDesk Facebook community about their
experiences with freelancing. See their advice about starting to work on
oDesk, the best way to handle disputes, what makes a good profile photo
and ways to prevent feelings of loneliness when you work on your own. Read Full Article
Hiring for Scale: How Freelancers Help PortMA Grow
As your business grows, how will you know when it's the right
time to hire? Chris Clegg, owner and senior research manager at PortMA,
a marketing analytics firm, recently shared how he's been able to grow
upward and outward with help from a team of freelancers. Read Full Article
5 Bookkeeping Tips For DIY Freelancers
It's tough to get excited about the nitty gritty bits of admin
that come with being an independent professional, but good bookkeeping
is important for freelancers. Unless you're doing well enough to afford
help, you have to learn to do it right by yourself. In this post, Nick
Chowdrey offers five tips to help keep your bookkeeping on track.
Here are five bookkeeping tips to help you free the boring and neglected
number cruncher we all have living inside of us. Read Full Article
6 Ways To Boost Your Business During Your Getaway
For many people, July and August are a good time for a getaway,
but going away can be hard when you run your own business. Before you
grab your sunscreen and hit the road for a much-deserved break, consider
giving your business a boost while you’re away kicking your feet up.
How? Hire experienced freelancers to keep your business moving forward
while you relax. Read Full Article
Dodging Social Media For Your SMB? You’re Not Alone
When I asked the owner of a new neighborhood coffee shop which
social network I could find her on, she shook her head. She didn’t have
time to deal with social media, she said; there are too many other
pressing matters to take care of.
It's tough for the owner of a small or midsize business (SMB) to keep up
with social media demands. We talked to Melanie Feltham, oDesk's
community manager, for her advice about taking a strategic approach to
social media so you can make the most of your time. Read Full Article
How Working From Home Might Be Getting You Down
Even with the perks that come from working at home, there are
issues that can stack up and lead to frustration, depression — even
burnout. Psychologist Dr. Michael Britt of "The Psyche Files," a popular
podcast, recently discussed some of those pressures with the oDesk blog
and offered his recommendations to help keep them at bay. Read Full Article
8 Skills You Need to Stay Competitive
When it comes to landing new clients and projects, the
competition can be fierce. What skills should you have to stay
competitive? While your specific needs may vary depending on your
industry, here are eight of the basics you should understand in order to
get — and keep — your edge. Read Full Article
10 Minutes That Can Transform Your Remote Projects
What's the difference between a successful project and an
unsuccessful one? Toby Jenkins of Bluewire Media says he knows the
answer, and shares his approach to managing remote projects in this
guest post. Read Full Article
Tip Tuesday: How To Stand Out, Work On Vacation, and Price Your Work
Every other Tuesday, we ask the oDesk Facebook Community about
their experiences with freelancing. This gives new freelancers a chance
to learn about working and hiring on oDesk from our veterans. Here are
our favorite Tip Tuesday answers so far for 2014. They feature advice
for standing out, balancing fun and work while traveling, and the best
ways to price your services. Read Full Article
Tip Tuesday: Top oDesk Tips For Freelancer ‘Newbies’
Every other Tuesday, we ask the oDesk Facebook community for
their freelance advice. Here are our featured oDesk tips for oDesk
"newbies". Read Full Article
How to Hire the Right Freelance Graphic Designer
Your company’s visual brand—its logo, website, marketing
materials and overall visual presence—is what your customers or clients
will mentally associate your business with. It’s often the first
impression you’ll give, so it’s crucial that you make a good one! This
makes hiring the right freelance graphic designer an all-important task.
Making the right choice now will benefit your business and save you
both time and money in the long run. Here are a few simple steps that
you can follow to ensure you are choosing the perfect designer from the
start. Read Full Article
10 Steps to Writing an eBook & Building an Expert Brand
In three months, Bjarne Viken used a team of freelancers to
publish an eBook that has garnered more than 1,000 new subscribers for
his business, Digital Mined. For anyone looking to build their own
thought leadership profile or professional brand, this is how they did
it. Read Full Article
How to Make Money on oDesk in 7 Steps
Are you struggling to find enough work on oDesk? What you may be
lacking is not necessarily the skills to do the work, but the skills to
get the job. If that's the case, you're actually in a good position,
because it's easier and faster to learn how to get work on oDesk than it
is to learn new professional skills. After that, it is just a matter of
determining how to apply these methods to your circumstances. As you do
so, you will increase your chances of getting hired, and get more
opportunities to deliver high-quality work that clients will give you
good testimonials for—thus creating a virtuous cycle of more hiring. Read Full Article
Best of Tip Tuesday: Interviews, Skills & Profiles
Every other Tuesday, we ask the oDesk Facebook community for
their freelance advice. Here are our featured tips for getting
interviews, keeping skills sharp, and the best ways to use skill tests
to build your profile. Read Full Article
How To Hire An Awesome Developer on oDesk: Part II
Yesterday I shared tips 1 through 3 of how to hire an awesome
developer on oDesk. But I’m not done yet! Here are the other three tips
I’ve learned from my experience hiring on oDesk. Read Full Article
How to Hire an Awesome Developer on oDesk: Part I
I've been using oDesk for almost two years now—hiring for various
types of profiles and skills, from multiple locations around the
world—and it's been filled with a lot of ups and a few downs. When I was
new to oDesk, I didn’t really know how to properly evaluate
freelancers. What's more, it's always difficult to evaluate a skill you
don’t have yourself. As a result, my turnover rate was pretty high.
After a lot of trial and error, I fixed my process. I can now say
confidently that most of the freelancers I'm hiring are awesome, and I
believe they enjoy collaborating with me. After all, hiring the right
people and managing them well are skills that only become more important
when hiring online. So how can you have the same result? Check out the
steps below for guidance on how to hire an awesome developer on oDesk.
Today I'll go through the first three tips, and stay tuned tomorrow for
the next three. Read Full Article
Making the Leap From Freelancers to Digital Agency
How can a few entrepreneurial friends—each doing their own
thing—take a leap and launch a digital agency together? Making such a
big change is a lot easier when you already have paying clients and a
full pipeline of leads. When it came to getting Matchnode, our
Chicago-based digital marketing agency, off the ground, we already had
both—thanks in large part to oDesk. Learn how Matchnode evolved from an
idea among friends to a viable business. Read Full Article
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