4 ms·

I have used Elance extensively over the last 5+ years for everything from Logo design to web programming. 1. Biggest challenge is finding contractors who are a

I have used Elance extensively over the last 5+ years for everything from Logo design to web programming. 1. Biggest challenge is finding contractors who are actually as good as their portfolios. I am not sure if this is a case of portfolio fraud or simply not a good enough interview process on my part, however, after working with some providers, I just can't believe all those 5 star ratings are real. 2. Too many contracts bid without actually reading or understanding the requirements. The best people I have found actually addressed each requirement point by point. 3. Too many contractors provide too little value. I expect them to manage everything they need to do on their side, and not just be the hands on the keyboard. Too many times have I had to put THEIR test plan together because they had no clue how to actually test their work. My approach has simply been to hire lots over the years and then rehire people proven to be good. It's a crap shoot initially though.

hackerboos 12y ago
Number 2 is easily solved by burying an instruction in the spec. Example - ask them to prepend the subject with a keyword or some other information only calculable by reading the job description.
- canterburry 12y ago
  That is exactly what I have been doing and it has worked up to a certain point. Contractors have gotten used to this trick and now just look for that one phrase and skip the rest. I just wish it wasn't necessary.
thejteam 12y ago
I do some work on Elance as a writer. The only item in my "portfolio" on Elance is a short 500 word piece on why looking at portfolios is worthless. A few reasons: 1)There is some portfolio fraud. Every once in awhile a job listing pops up from somebody who says they are looking to be a freelance writer and need samples for their portfolio. It probably happens even more often but I usually filter out listings from India, etc. 2)At least on the writing side, most Elance clients forbid you to use the work you do for them in your portfolio. This means the work you see is usually work they polished specifically for the portfolio and is not indicative of their normal work. 5 star ratings are a dime a dozen on Elance. At least on the writing side the convention is that anything less than 5 is a serious knock on them. If a person is merely competent then you usually don't leave feedback at all. And please don't take the advice of the person saying to ask the proposal writer to put a keyword in the proposal. A lot of good people take that as an insult. Do what you do and only look at proposals that address the requirements. That is what my portfolio piece says people should do instead. Look at the strength of the proposal and not the portfolio. By the way, if you are ever looking for a writer for any of your websites feel free to contact me at the email in my profile.

hackerboos 12y ago

Number 2 is easily solved by burying an instruction in the spec. Example - ask them to prepend the subject with a keyword or some other information only calculable by reading the job description.

canterburry 12y ago
That is exactly what I have been doing and it has worked up to a certain point. Contractors have gotten used to this trick and now just look for that one phrase and skip the rest. I just wish it wasn't necessary.

thejteam 12y ago

I do some work on Elance as a writer. The only item in my "portfolio" on Elance is a short 500 word piece on why looking at portfolios is worthless. A few reasons: 1)There is some portfolio fraud. Every once in awhile a job listing pops up from somebody who says they are looking to be a freelance writer and need samples for their portfolio. It probably happens even more often but I usually filter out listings from India, etc. 2)At least on the writing side, most Elance clients forbid you to use the work you do for them in your portfolio. This means the work you see is usually work they polished specifically for the portfolio and is not indicative of their normal work. 5 star ratings are a dime a dozen on Elance. At least on the writing side the convention is that anything less than 5 is a serious knock on them. If a person is merely competent then you usually don't leave feedback at all. And please don't take the advice of the person saying to ask the proposal writer to put a keyword in the proposal. A lot of good people take that as an insult. Do what you do and only look at proposals that address the requirements. That is what my portfolio piece says people should do instead. Look at the strength of the proposal and not the portfolio. By the way, if you are ever looking for a writer for any of your websites feel free to contact me at the email in my profile.