The truth is that oDesk isn’t the only freelance site out there. There are a lot of others, and chances are that you all know some of them. I know I do, I’ve even used some of them. Still when I’m looking for work, I always come back to oDesk first.

There is a reason for that. If you go to one of the other sites, chances are you’ll see in big bold letters that they don’t want any “abnormal” bids such as hourly rates. What they’re doing is flogging piece-work. You do a project, get your money and go on your way. A week later, you’re back on the site looking for more work.

oDesk is different.

Hourly paid jobs are the norm, and fixed price is still in beta.

I think there’s a reason for this. Where other sites are about getting work done, oDesk is also about building working relationships. On another site you’re in and out, judged purely on your output. On oDesk with the work-diary and hourly model the buyer can see how you work, not just the finished product.

The oDesk model also allows for hiring someone for a job rather than a project. This is probably where you say “Hey Dave, what’s the difference? They’re both the same thing!” Truth of the matter, they’re not. Projects are piece-work. Jobs can be open ended. Building a website is a project, maintaining it is a job. If you do a job well, you can continue to work for the same buyer almost indefinitely, and time spent working is much more profitable than time spent looking for work.

This is why I think oDesk is the best option for getting regular work, because it allows for a permanent sub-contracting position rather than having the relationship end at the end of one project.

As always, if you’ve got any comments or questions don’t hesitate to use the box down below.  We’d love to hear from you.

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