Elance is where people
work differently.
 |
| Elance |
It is an online work place
where business goes to find, hire and collaborate with skilled online
freelancers line yourself. Not a brag, but Elance has over 500,000 business
posting and 100,000 jobs each month.
On Elance
you’ll have the opportunity to work with businesses in more than 170 countries –
from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses and individual entrepreneurs.
How Elance works.
To work
at Elance, all you need is an internet connection and talent. You use Elance to
find jobs (they will help you, making it even
easier), then
you complete jobs in a secure Workroom. They also
take care
of all the paperwork, plus collect and pass-on your money-due (so you’re sure to
get paid). As a freelancer, working on Elance doesn’t have
to cost you
a penny. You have a choice of membership options, including a free plan. They
will take a nominal 8.75% service fee above and beyond your price. For example,
when you submit a $500 proposal, they add their fee to your quote and pass it on
(your client would see a quote of $543.75). When the work is delivered, they
will deduct their $43.75 and pass the remaining $500 on to you.
Quick Guide
Quick Guide
Step 1. Sign up:
- Click the blue Register Now (it’s free) button near the center of the Elance Home Page.
- Select I want to Work and click Continue OR sign up with your LinkedIn or Facebook details.
- Complete the registration fields by manually entering your information OR by choosing to use your LinkedIn or Facebook details. Click Register.
- Fill in your skills or areas of expertise. If you get stuck, click the Browse All Skills link to see a full list of available skills. When done, click I'm Finished. You may choose to Skip entering skills at this point; however, if you choose to Skip the Skills field must be blank.
- Before proceeding, check your registered email address and click on the link sent by Elance.
- After clicking the link from your email, it is now time to choose your Membership Plan. Remember your email must be verified before selecting a Membership.
Step 2. Create a profile:
- Go to the Find Work button in the top navigation bar of Elance and click on Freelancer Profile.
- Click the green Get Started button to begin on your profile.
- On the next page you will upload your thumbnail photo, create a tagline, enter in a minimum hourly rate, create a Freelancer overview and enter in your skills.
Step 3. Finding jobs:
- Go to Find Work on the top navigation bar and choose Search Jobs.
- You can browse jobs by a number of criteria: (like category, job type, payment verified etc.)
- Click the Down Arrow link or click on the job title to view the job description.
- For additional information about a Client, mouseover the Client's username.
Step 4. Submit
a proposal:
1. Click on the job name.
1. Click on the job name.
2. You will see a job details section on the top left of the page that quickly covers basics about the job, like when it was posted, how much time is left, where the client is located, start date, budget, job type (fixed or hourly) and more. This gives you a quick overview of the job.
3. Below the job details section is the job description.
Here you will also see some quick stats about the Client with the Client
activity icon. The green circles are a quick representation of how much
the Client has spent on Elance as well as payment readiness
status. After evaluating the job and skills required you can
submit a proposal.
4. Enter your detailed proposal description into the box on the right hand
side, including any attachments. You can expand the form to make it easier
to write, view and submit your proposal. In the Proposal Description area, you
can enter up to 4000 characters, and there are several rich text formatting
options for you to use to make your proposal stand out even more. In your
proposal description, describe your relevant experience, qualifications, and
what value you will bring to the job.
5. Below the Description you can set the proposed Terms &
Milestones for the job. If the client awards the job to you they will
have the option to accept these Terms or to propose changes to the Terms.
Once awarded you will have to confirm the Terms & Milestones to finalize
the job and enter Working status.
7. If you need clarification on the job details before completing your proposal, you may submit a bid without a price by selecting the Will Submit Amount Later. When selecting this option you will have to update your proposal with an amount at a later time in order to have the job awarded to you.
9. Click Preview to proceed.
At key Milestones or when you have completed the job, you will need to invoice the Client through Elance’s Billing and Payment system to receive payment for non-Escrow jobs. Once the Client receives your invoice, they will send payment via Elance’s Billing and Payment system. Learn how you can qualify for Work View Payment Protection using Tracker with Work View.
To invoice the Client:
1. Go to the Manage tab in the top navigation and click Billing in the drop-down menu.
2. Click Send Invoice from the menu on the left.
2. Select the job for which you want to send an invoice and click Next to proceed.
3. Click Request Release to request the release of funds for your completed Milestone.
5. Below the Description you can set the proposed Terms &
Milestones for the job. If the client awards the job to you they will
have the option to accept these Terms or to propose changes to the Terms.
Once awarded you will have to confirm the Terms & Milestones to finalize
the job and enter Working status.
6. On the bottom half of the proposal submission area is the Cost
& Timing section. In this section you will indicate your
cost and the estimated delivery date. There is a calculator here that
will help you determine your best proposal value for both Hourly and Fixed
Price jobs.
7. If you need clarification on the job details before completing your proposal, you may submit a bid without a price by selecting the Will Submit Amount Later. When selecting this option you will have to update your proposal with an amount at a later time in order to have the job awarded to you.
8. If you would like a Sponsored Placement for your proposal, check the box
labeled Place mine at the top of the list for... . Your
proposal will be highlighted and appear at the top of the Client's proposal
list. Only 3 sponsored placements are available per job (on a first-come,
first-served basis), and Sponsored Placement requires 4 Connects.
9. Click Preview to proceed.
10. Review your proposal, then click Submit Proposal.
Once you submit your proposal, you can view the job on
your My Jobs page, by filtering on the status 'Hiring Open' on
the Job Status bar. This link will shows all the jobs for which you have
submitted proposals, where the bidding period is still open.
Step 5. Working with the client:
If the Client selects your proposal and hires you for the job, the following will occur:
- You will receive an email notification informing you that you have been selected.
- The job can be found on your My Jobs page, by clicking on 'Finalizing Terms' link in the Job Status bar. This view will display all jobs that have been awarded to you, indicating you and the Client are negotiating the Terms.Your contact information on your profile becomes available to the Client.
- The job’s status will change to Finalizing Terms.
At key Milestones or when you have completed the job, you will need to invoice the Client through Elance’s Billing and Payment system to receive payment for non-Escrow jobs. Once the Client receives your invoice, they will send payment via Elance’s Billing and Payment system. Learn how you can qualify for Work View Payment Protection using Tracker with Work View.
To invoice the Client:
1. Go to the Manage tab in the top navigation and click Billing in the drop-down menu.
2. Click Send Invoice from the menu on the left.
2. Select the job for which you want to send an invoice and click Next to proceed.
3. Click Request Release to request the release of funds for your completed Milestone.
