mobcode

oDesk is better than RentACoder for small graphics projects

I use both oDesk and RentACoder (and occasionaly guru.com). I am trying to understand what kind of work is best suited to each. I have found a category that works much better on oDesk: small graphics projects.

Small graphics projects do not work well on RentACoder. You have to describe what you need in detail. You have to wait for your project to be approved by RentACoder. Work is hard to estimate so you end up with a wide range in bids. You look at many portfolios trying to determine who has the talents you need. You can only communicate with bidders through the RentACoder messaging system. Often you do not receive speedy responses. You are tempted to go with the low bids because you are a cheap. But even if you accept a low bid you still have your money tied up from the start of the project. If the project doesn’t turn out well then you will have to hassle with a RentACoder mediation process to try and get your money back. You would like to get multiple people working in parallel so you will have a better chance of getting results, but each person requires that you escrow enough money to fund the entire project. This adds up. Once a bidder is awarded the project, then their game is to spend as little time on the project as possible while still delivering enough to guarantee they get the money. So there is tension in the relationship from the beginning.

Small graphics projects work great on oDesk. Post a project describing what you need at a high level. Very quickly pick a promising candidate. Contact them via instant messenger. Determine if it is a fit and then they can start working. Your only exposure is the hourly rate they will charge. You can see their progress online via the oDesk tools. This works great for graphics because you can see what ideas the designer is experimenting with, even before they are comfortable presenting them to you. It is even economical to get multiple designers working in parallel. After a few hours you can pick the leading candidate and continue working with them.

I have recently worked on several small graphics projects on RentACoder and oDesk. There is no comparison, the oDesk results are far superior in every way: speed of hiring, speed of delivery, quality of work delivered, and lack of pain in the process.

Information leaks through oDesk screenshots

oDesk has a great system where they will take screenshots of developer’s screens as they work. Project sponsors can view the screens to see what developers are doing. “Seeing” what a developer is doing is very useful.

However, I noticed information leaking out through these screens. Some innocent information like what music they are listening to. Then information like who else the developer is interviewing with. And then startling information like logins and passwords to systems.

It is startling to see a login and password to your system on a screenshot on the web. It is slightly more startling to see the login to someone else’s system. This is especially true, when you consider that other project sponsors might hire the developers from your project and then see your system logins through the screenshots.

So the lesson for oDesk developers is this: be very careful about opening another project’s emails when your time is being recorded by oDesk.

UPDATE: As oDesk notes, this is why the oDesk logging program allows the users to supend or terminate the screen logging when they are not working on a client’s project.

Ways to not get a job on oDesk

Here are a few more ways to not get a job on oDesk:

1. Say nothing when you apply for a position. A typical flow in oDesk is that project sponsor posts a project. Developers see the project and submit their names for consideration. When applying for a position the developer has a chance to say something. It could be “please hire me”. Or it could be: “I have reviewed your position and I am qualified to fill it for these reasons…”. But you have to say something. If you just submit your name and say nothing then you will find it very hard to get the sponsor’s attention. This is your first chance to make an impression and you choose to just sit there and say nothing.
2. Provide a canned response. Some people will say something when they apply for a job. But it’s the same something they always say. And it is so obvious: “Our firm has 35 great developers we do web, J2EE, C++, yada yada”. This is no good. It doesn’t show at all that you have understood what the position is about. It is basically spam.
3. Don’t respond to requests for an interview. After a developer submits their name for a position, then if the developer looks appealing to the sponsor then they will be selected for an interview. The expected next step is for the developer to contact the sponsor to conduct the interview. It amazes me how many developers never respond to the request for an interview. Maybe they are expecting the sponsor to keep sending them emails asking them to please come interview? I don’t know. But it is sure hard to get a job that way.
4. Close the door during the interview. So maybe you are able to respond to the interveiw request. You goal at this point is to lead everything towards having the sponsor decide to hire you. As much as it is in your power you want to do things that make it easy for the sponsor to hire you. That means you don’t say things like: “well, I need to go please let me know if you decide to hire me”. The sponsor doesn’t want to be on the hook to track you down again. If you need to leave during the interview, then tell the sponsor you will contact them again. And even better than not leaving: stay. Stay and say something like “I am ready to get started, can we start working together now”. This leads the sponsor down a path of hiring you. The sponsor wants to see that you will move forward to take the position.
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oDesk

oDesk is a site that connects software buyers with software providers around the world. Not only does it help the two find each other, it also provides tools that facilitate the process of working together.

Unlike many freelance development sites, oDesk offers the chance to find hourly work. This is good if you don’t like the risk involved with working on fixed bid projects.

Becoming a provider To become an oDesk provider you need to submit a request to the oDesk recruiters via their web site. You will need to submit a CV as well as rate expectations and language skills. In particular English language skills are important. If your application is accepted then you will be interviewed by an oDesk recruiter.

Assistance to developers After being accepted as a provider, oDesk has several offerings to help you as a developer:

• You will be provided an oDesk login for a virtual project. This is not a real project, it is merely a chance to learn the oDesk Team tool. This is the system oDesk uses to keep track of developer hours for billing. They also provide access to a Wiki with system documentation.
• oDesk organizes webinars for its providers. These provide information to developers to help them be successful. If you are not able to attend these live you can review the transcripts for helpful information.
• oDesk will notify developers when it is possible to obtain free Brainbench certifications.
• oDesk provides a rating system for buyers and providers. This helps the top providers.

Getting a job You need to monitor job posts on oDesk and submit yourself as a candidate for jobs that match your skills. If you are selected for an interview then you can expect to be asked to conduct an interview via IM.

Time tracking oDesk provides software to run on your machine that you use to log the time you spend working on a buyer’s project. It takes periodic screenshots of your screen and collects data on keyboard and mouse activity. It makes this data available to the buyer so they can check up on what you are doing. They even have an option to run a webcam that will record pictures of you working!

Getting paid Depending on what country you live in you can expect to be paid either via iKobo or moneybookers.com. You will be paid by oDesk and oDesk is responsible for getting paid by the buyer. You can expect to be paid once per month for all of your oDesk hours.

oDesk rate history

As a developer, when you are interviewing for a job on oDesk your rate history is visible. Keep this in mind when accepting jobs and when applying for jobs.

The project sponsor will be strongly inclined to pay not much more than you have made historically. So if you apply for a job at a much higher rate than you have received in the past you are likely to be asked to reduce it. And there does not appear to be an easy way to change the rate for a position after you have applied for it.

The other side of this issue is to be aware that as you accept projects, you are establishing your rate history. The decisions you make today affect your future rates.

Read bid requests

One of the keys when responding to bid requests on RentACoder, oDesk, or guru.com is to read the request in detail. Read it in-depth to try and understand:

• What are the main deliverables?
• What are the main skills needed?
• What parts are poorly specified or most difficult?

Then when you respond use this information to:

• Reiterate the most important points to show you understand
• Describe how you have the needed skills and reference specific experiences where you gained or demonstrated those skills.
• Ask questions about the poorly specified or difficult parts to understand them better.

Note that when you reiterate the main points do not think that you are redefining what needs to be done. Don’t think of it that way and don’t communicate it that way. The sponsor wants all of the features done. So when you reiterate the main points do not make it sound like that is all you will do.

Bid timing

Pay attention to the timing of your project bids. Projects posted to RentACoder, oDesk, or guru.com have a response curve that looks like a big mass of quick responses and then a long, tapering tail of a few responses.

• First responses. This is a good place to be. You are very likely to have your bid reviewed seriously if you are one of the first responders. The project sponsor is excited about the project and anxious to see who can work on it.
• First part of the mass. The project sponsor is probably still looking for a person. You have a reasonable chance of being looked at if you present yourself well in your bid, price, and profile
• Latter part of the mass. This is not a good place to be. The project sponsor has already started to zero in on a candidate and has so many applicants to look at that it is hard to distinguish them. It is hard to stand out in this area.
• Way out in the tail. This can turn out well. Even if the opening is quite stale there is a chance that the initial applicants did not work out. At least with a reduced flow of bids you have a better chance of being noticed.