I got my first job in May 2011. Getting a new job in freelance marketplace
was not easy for me. After sign up on February 2011 I've to wait four
months to get the first job. During my first four months I was so
disappointed of not
getting any interviews for the numerous jobs that I applied for. It was
very
discouraging and thought of quitting at oDesk. I decided not to quit but
did a
lot of things that brought me to where I am now and these are the thing
that I
want to share with my fellow newbies to wit:
1. Change the title of your profile:
I started my profile
with the title Personal Assistant/Market Researcher/Technical Writer obviously
it didn’t work for me since as mentioned I didn’t get a single interview for
almost a month that I have been applying. I changed the title to Topnotch
Researcher/Fast and Detail-oriented/Trustworthy. Why did I choose this title –
if you may have noticed adjectives such as fast, detail-oriented,
trustworthy/dependable are the most frequently mentioned qualities that any
employers are looking for. If you were the employer would you not prefer a
contractor with such qualities?
2. Continue taking oDesk tests:
Being a newbie your job experience outside of oDesk is not
attractive enough, prospective employers would want something more recent in
your profile.
Likewise, being a newbie you got no feedback rating to speak of. Taking oDesk
tests can spice up your profile. Even if you have already passed a particular
test, retake it till you belong to at least top 20.
3. Make an impressive cover letter:
Your cover letter is your forefront and very invaluable tool
that will catch the attention of any prospective client. Address the posted
specific job requirements of the employer in the first three lines of your
cover letter – this will make him/her read through your entire cover letter.
Never use a generic cover letter – smart employers are turned off when they see
one and able to detect if it’s a generic cover letter.
4. Narrow down your job applications to 2-3 job
categories:
After signing up as oDesk contractor on February 2011 in my
desire to get a job outright I applied to almost 8-10 job categories. I learned
that it was not a good approach since I got declined most of the time. I guess
you will agree with me that it’s not a good feeling that every time you sign in
at oDesk what you see or get is a notification that your application was
declined. Evaluate your skills, try to determine where you’re really good at
and apply only to jobs where you honestly believe you are a good fit.
5. Give your best
shot on your very first contract:
When I got my first contract I carefully read the job
assignment and instructions, I read it several times and made sure that I
understand it very well. I did not jump in and log in my hours right away at
oDesk. I did some initial off-hours web research first to get an idea how to
best approach the assignment. Only when I was confident enough that I can
deliver the desired output of my employer only then that I started logging in
my hours. I submitted a final report that included additional info which I
believe is very relevant to the assignment which was probably missed out by my
employer. The additional info made an impact to my employer. He gave me an
outstanding rating of 5 and great commendations. Just two weeks after my first
contract I got another one and also got a perfect feedback score of 5 and even
received a bonus.
Finally I want to say try these tips and hope you will get your first job soon.
Best of luck.
