New Skills, More Work!

A few years ago, I wrote about my joining oDesk with only a handful of skills BUT I found a way to change that. I applied for jobs that required me to do more digging on the Internet, jobs that required me to watch videos, gather information from different websites, and interact with my bosses more often. Because of these projects, I've learned new things! I've improved my grammar and have learned to write better. I've become more efficient and more resourceful as a researcher. I have grown more confident of what I can do and I became a person of value to my employers. You know what else I've gained from having such a desire to learn? I have gotten a LOT more work both from previous and current clients.

That said, I would like to do a new blog series some time soon, one that would tackle the issue of newbies not being able to compete with other oDesk freelancers. Why? Because they don't have work history and having no work history means lesser chances of getting hired!

Keep checking my blog! I'll see to it that you get firsthand tips from who else but the freelancers themselves. I've met some really friendly folks both online and offline who would be more than happy to share their oDesk experiences.

More about this soon! 

Top 5 Qualities of a Good VA

One of the most flexible jobs available online is that of a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant is like an office secretary, only much, much better. Why? Virtual assistants get to work from home in their pajamas. They don't have to drive to work and get stuck in the traffic. They don't have to spend money on gas. Because a virtual assistant's work is online, the people who often gets hired for this type of work are those who are techie and are very good with computers. Working as a virtual assistant also requires good organizational skills. You have to be quick to think on your feet. You have to be efficient. 

You remember Ana? Ana is one heck of a virtual assistant. You should check out her oDesk profile. She has consistently received 5 stars from her previous clients. If you have been following my blog, you'll know what I mean. Click this link to read about Ana's VA experiences. 

What makes a good Virtual Assistant? 

A good virtual assistant communicates effectively. I cannot stress enough how important it is for a virtual assistant to have an excellent command of the English language. This means YOU can converse with native English speakers with ease and confidence.

Being an excellent communicator does not only mean having a high level of English proficiency, it also means being reliable and efficient. You have the initiative to email your boss and update him about the progress of your work. You reply back the minute you read his emails. You don't make him wait. You understand that people's time are valuable. This brings us to the second most important quality that I think virtual assistants should possess.

A good virtual assistant knows how to value time. With some people, being on time is as natural as breathing. Meeting deadlines is a mantra they follow to a tee. With some, it is an everyday struggle. Getting tasks done on time is a hit-and-miss thing. If you belong to the first group then you won't have any problem. You'll do great as a VA. But if you are with the latter, I'm discouraging you from applying as one until you've learned how to value time. Get yourself organized for starters. Find out what keeps you from completing tasks. Find out why you put off things when you can do them straight away. Procrastination should never be in your vocabulary.

A good virtual assistant asks questions. If you're not sure about something, ASK. Don't make assumptions. There is no such thing as a stupid question. The only thing that is outright stupid is asking your boss questions that are not in any way related to work.

A good virtual assistant takes down notes. You either do it with the traditional pen-and-paper or with the many apps and freewares available online. I do my note-taking with the use of Evernote Web Clipper. I also use Awesome Screenshots and Google Docs. Taking down notes keeps me organized. It keeps me focused especially when there are many tasks needing done.

A good virtual assistant is proactive. Being proactive means you think ahead. You anticipate problems. You think of solutions in advance. You get to the bottom of things before it becomes a problem. You troubleshoot. You don't just sit around and wait for something that needs fixing to get fixed. You think of ways and you make things easy for everyone. You are a problem-solver.

Do you have these qualities?

(Updated 5/10/2014)

Getting Paid via LFT

If you've been considering oDesk for a while now and wanting to give it a try, one of the many things that you probably want to know more about is how you will get paid once you get hired. It's EASY. If you have an existing bank account, you can get paid via LFT.

Local Fund Transfer (LFT) is a recent addition to the many different pay methods available to oDesk freelancers and is one of the easiest to set up.

You can get paid via PayPal, too, if you like or you can apply for Payoneer and get paid that way. Because I feel a little lazy right now and I just love, love, love using Awesome Screenshot, I took a shot of the available payment methods from oDesk's website, wrote a short summary at the bottom and inserted links pointing you to websites where the pay method is explained more clearly.

Here goes:

Skrill used to be Moneybookers. I've set up an account there once but their verification takes too long to complete, I'm not even sure it's worth it.

Direct Deposit is FREE to US banks. No charges whatsoever so if you have a US account in any of the 50 states, by all means, use it.

Wire Transfer, I think, is not something you want to be using either. $30 is too expensive a fee, you agree? You cannot afford to be throwing that kind of money everytime you make a withdrawal.

The last one that I will try to explain in the simplest, clearest way possible is payment via Local Fund Transfer using Unionbank's EON card. I have not tried any other banks for LFT but I am sure if you do a search, Google would be able to point you to other blogs detailing their experience with their bank of choice.

The good thing about Unionbank's EON card is the fact that it is both a bank account and a debit card. That's what makes receiving and withdrawing money easy. Plus it only charges Php350.00 for its annual fee with no maintaining balance.

Follow these 6 EASY STEPS if you're happy to try EON and use it for LFT:

1 Go to the nearest Unionbank branch. Bring two valid IDs. Fill out whatever form the bank peeps give you and then go to the next available counter to pay for the Php350 fee.

2 Return to the bank in 7 banking days and get your card.

3 Open your oDesk account, click 'Settings' on the upper right and then select 'Get Paid' on the left sidebar.

4 Click the green 'Set Up Payments' button and choose Local Fund Transfer as your payment method.

5 Next, enter Unionbank's BRSTN code which is 010419995. It is important that you enter this accurately. Double check the number before hitting 'Next'.

6 The last step is this form. Fill it out carefully. Like it says on the website: Entering the incorrect or mismatched account name and number can result in withdrawal delays and fees.

So, that's it. If you have questions, leave a comment or message me on Facebook.

Bye for now.

Question of the Week: Can I Join oDesk and Work Part Time?

I have an office job, can I join oDesk and do some freelance admin work part time?

I get this question a lot. The answer? Yes, you can. That is what some people are doing. They have an outside job that they love, a job they're just not ready to give up. That's where oDesk comes in. oDesk for them is a means to earn extra money on the side. If you check out oDesk's job feed, you will see that some of the jobs posted are short term projects you can finish in less than a week's time. There are also projects that require only one or two hours which you can do at any time.

Like what sort of tasks for instance? Here are some of the short term projects I've worked on from what I can remember:

1) Write 10-20 tweets and schedule them ahead of time. Make sure they are posted only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Maximum hours allocated for the task is 2 hours.

2) Please let me know you are available for at least 2 hours everyday. I will need you to clean up my inbox and stay organized. I receive around 200-300 emails daily but most of them are spam. Delete the spammy ones and move the important emails to my Personal folder. Can you do that?

3) I will send you an Excel file containing 1000 pre-written quotes for my Twitter account. I need you to read each one and make sure the words are spelled correctly. Correct any grammatical errors and typhos and send the file back to me by end of the week.

4) Are you proficient in Excel? I have an Excel file with a record of names and addresses. I need you to delete the duplicates and remove any blank rows you find. Excellent attention to detail is a must.

5) Can you transcribe this video and send it back to me by Sunday night? You have two days to do the transcription. How much do you charge for one hour of video time?

These are just examples. There are hundreds of other jobs posted everyday. Choosing one that fits your skill set is the easy part. The real challenge is getting an interview and getting yourself hired. Ask yourself. Is this opportunity a good fit for you? What does it take to be an oDesk freelancer? What are the pros and cons?

oDesk Changed My Life

This wonderful lady here is Ana Marie Barrieses. She got married last October 2012 and is a hands-on mommy to the cutest little boy ever. We graduated from the same university and had the pleasure of working together as a web content provider for a private company. I contacted her a couple of years ago so I can feature her on my blog. Unfortunately, I got sidetracked and the interview never got published. Now that I finally found the time to write again, I got in touch with Ana so I can finally feature her success story here. Read about how she started and where she is now with her freelancing.


Name: Ana Marie Barrieses
Location: Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
Odesk Member Since: June 17, 2008

What was your previous job before you joined oDesk? I was working as a telecollector.

Where did you first hear about oDesk? From a friend, she was my classmate in college.

What made you decide to become a member of the site?

I wasn't all that interested at first but I keep hearing good things about being a member and about working online so I went ahead and tried it. Luckily, it did not take me long to get hired. I landed my first oDesk job and was given the chance to show what I am capable of doing.

What was the first project you worked on? 

It was a VA job which lasted for more than 6 months.

That's great! Was it full time? 

No, just part time at first. I was required to work 4-6 hours a day. It went very well and after a few months, I took on more jobs and then went full time.

What obstacles have you encountered when you were still starting?

I had a pretty hard time dealing with some clients. The know-it-all types make it harder for me to share my ideas. The overly demanding ones, too, made my work a lot harder. I also had problem with my work schedule but thankfully things are so much better now.

What top three lessons have you learned as an oDesk freelancer? 

I learned that no matter how skilled or talented you are, you won't last long if you are not willing to learn, if you don't have patience and determination. It is also important to have good work ethics. Second, you have to be open to criticisms and third, you have to love your job!

What new skills have you acquired from the many different projects you worked on?

I learned social media marketing from my clients. I met different types of people online and learned how to deal with them especially the bosses. I had the opportunity to work on some WordPress sites and that really improved my marketability as a Virtual Assistant. I also learned a bit of SEO and have improved my English skills big time!

What jobs do you often get hired for?

Virtual/Executive Assistant (VA), Social Media Marketing, Data entry, Research, Customer Chat Support, Transcriptionist

Your story is awe-inspiring. What do you have to say to people who thinks oDesk is a SCAM?

No, it's not a scam! It is a legitimate freelancing site and there are so many projects to choose from. As long as you work hard and deliver what you promised to your clients, it can be a steady source of income. If you are good, you'll have greater chances of getting hired long term. 

I am very happy working from home. There is less pressure as compared to working in an office. I am also earning more than what I need and learning a lot from people both offline and online.

You must be really good at what you do then. Do you like being an oDesk freelancer?

Yes I do, without a doubt!

There you go, guys. I hope you enjoyed reading about Ana's oDesk experiences. Here are three other oDesk Success Stories I published if you feel like checking them out:

oDesk Success Story: Ellen Nor Sarabia

oDesk Success Story: JoAnn Del Castillo

Leslie Ann Macapagal, Another oDesk Freelancer Earned Ph71,000 Month of April

If you are an oDesk freelancer and would also like to be featured on my blog, feel free to send me a message on Facebook or to drop me an email at gentm128ATgmailDOTcom.

Ciao!

I'm on Linkedin!

I've just updated my Linkedin profile! I hope to connect with the people I've worked with since 2010 and so far, only 12 of them have accepted my invitation. Twitter is next on my list. I already have over 100 followers there but would like more in the next few weeks.

If you are wondering why I updated my profile out of the blue and even posted about it here, the answer is simple. Having a social media presence is a MUST if you are looking to spread the word about your potential as an outsourced worker. I do a lot of research and lead generation. I also do a lot of admin support work. And having a profile on Linkedin will I was told will get me more work.

Mom on Admin Support Role

When it comes to work, I'm never picky. A job is a job. Money is money and I need a LOT especially now that I'm a mother and have my 2-year old to look after.

I crave for security. My need to secure a future for my family is my topmost priority. I cannot really work full time right now but I am trying my hardest to manage my time and save what I can.

I have a current contract with a small online training company. They hired me September for admin support and so far, working with them has been very rewarding. The couple (No naming names to protect their privacy) operate their business from home.They provided me with training, gave me room to grow and even gave me bonuses when I least expect it. I do hope they will need me around for a long time. I love working for them and I love that they know I'm a stay-at-home mom and have a toddler.

Hourly vs Fixed Price Jobs

Which do you prefer? Hourly paid jobs or fixed price ones? I prefer getting paid by the hour over fixed price projects for a whole lot of reason. Getting paid by the hour means payment is guaranteed (oDesk guarantees payment so long as the screen shots are good and you've taken the time to fill out your work memo)...then there's this thing about motivation. When I work and I see screen shots being taken, it motivates me and makes me want to work more. You get the picture?

Now with fixed price jobs, it's different. There is no dispute policy and no payment guarantee. You just have to trust that the employer who hired you to do the project is going to pay you and not walk away with your money. That's where checking for feedback comes in handy. Before you apply for fixed price projects, check out your would-be employer's profile and feedback. How many contractors have been hired? How much has been paid?

Meeting Deadlines

I've never had any problem meeting deadlines at work but with the weather as freaky and as unpredictable like it has been lately, I'm a loss about what to do to make sure I meet deadlines and not get in trouble with the bosses. One option is to keep the employer informed, of course, but then not all employers are the same. Know what I mean? Thankfully, I have not been hired to do any time-sensitive projects. All my current ones are pretty flexible. Big sigh of relief here.

What about you guys? Any problem meeting deadlines lately? We've all had one hell of a week I know! With the storms coming in one after the other, the flood and landslide reports, etc. I'm sure you've experienced frequent power interruptions and seen a decline in your Internet speed just like I have. Should be pretty understandable if you were not able to meet deadlines, right? What's your story?