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The global economic downturn has everyone nervous. Being an oDesk provider means that you’ve already extended your reach beyond your local market, and the amount of business passing through oDesk’s marketplace is growing exponentially. More businesses are discovering the value of remote workers, and you’re already here on oDesk, building your reputation.
There’s no better time than now to hone your competitive edge, both to increase your volume of business, and to make yourself worth more money to your next buyer. Here are 10 ways to boost your marketability — and your hourly rate — even in this economy:
1. Round up your rate so the buyer sees a flat number (consider the buyer’s markup: If your rate is $20, the buyer is charged $22.22. Raise your rate to $20.70, and the buyer sees $23).
2. Request feedback comments and recommendations from past buyers—sometimes happy buyers rush through the feedback process. Ask the buyers you’ve done the best work with for a quick update.
3. Study profiles of individuals who have similar skills to yours but charge higher rates: What do they have that you don’t, and how can you get it?
4. Expand your skills based on those with the highest demand — consult the oDesk Trends pages.
5. Take our free skill tests and get top industry certifications through our collaborators on the partners page.
6. Add your rarest skills to your profile. We’ve got more than 10,000 jobs posted at any time — you never know when someone is going to want your expertise at VAX Mainframe programming, or your Arabic-English translation skills.
7. Increase your visibility and reputation: Establish solid profiles not only on oDesk, but on LinkedIn and your professional website. Link your expanded portfolio to your oDesk profile, and link your oDesk profile back to your other sites.
8. Improve your oDesk profile, especially if you haven’t done so since you originally wrote it. Now you know how buyers think, so give them what they’re looking for.
9. Step up your job search: scour listings for things you know you’re qualified to do, write a great cover letter for each application and be responsive when you get the call.
10. Don’t undersell yourself and compromise your rate. It’s the buyer’s job to try to keep costs down, but it’s your job to politely stand firm on the rate you know you deserve.
There will always be someone with a cheaper rate than yours, and there’ll always be someone costlier. Buyers weigh costs against reputation, skill set, and experience. Set a rate that reflects your talent and your feedback score, and do everything you can to demonstrate you’re worth a that rate in your profile, cover letters and portfolio. Prove you’re worth your premium rate and you’ll keep busy even during difficult times.
Source:
http://www.odesk.com/blog/2008/10/the-odesk-perspective-10-ways-to-give-yourself-a-raise/
There’s no better time than now to hone your competitive edge, both to increase your volume of business, and to make yourself worth more money to your next buyer. Here are 10 ways to boost your marketability — and your hourly rate — even in this economy:
1. Round up your rate so the buyer sees a flat number (consider the buyer’s markup: If your rate is $20, the buyer is charged $22.22. Raise your rate to $20.70, and the buyer sees $23).
2. Request feedback comments and recommendations from past buyers—sometimes happy buyers rush through the feedback process. Ask the buyers you’ve done the best work with for a quick update.
3. Study profiles of individuals who have similar skills to yours but charge higher rates: What do they have that you don’t, and how can you get it?
4. Expand your skills based on those with the highest demand — consult the oDesk Trends pages.
5. Take our free skill tests and get top industry certifications through our collaborators on the partners page.
6. Add your rarest skills to your profile. We’ve got more than 10,000 jobs posted at any time — you never know when someone is going to want your expertise at VAX Mainframe programming, or your Arabic-English translation skills.
7. Increase your visibility and reputation: Establish solid profiles not only on oDesk, but on LinkedIn and your professional website. Link your expanded portfolio to your oDesk profile, and link your oDesk profile back to your other sites.
8. Improve your oDesk profile, especially if you haven’t done so since you originally wrote it. Now you know how buyers think, so give them what they’re looking for.
9. Step up your job search: scour listings for things you know you’re qualified to do, write a great cover letter for each application and be responsive when you get the call.
10. Don’t undersell yourself and compromise your rate. It’s the buyer’s job to try to keep costs down, but it’s your job to politely stand firm on the rate you know you deserve.
There will always be someone with a cheaper rate than yours, and there’ll always be someone costlier. Buyers weigh costs against reputation, skill set, and experience. Set a rate that reflects your talent and your feedback score, and do everything you can to demonstrate you’re worth a that rate in your profile, cover letters and portfolio. Prove you’re worth your premium rate and you’ll keep busy even during difficult times.
Source:
http://www.odesk.com/blog/2008/10/the-odesk-perspective-10-ways-to-give-yourself-a-raise/
