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Elance - A Marketplace of Freelancers

Elance is a fantastic tool if you are looking to hire a freelancer. It has a broad range of freelancers ready to bid on your project. The skill sets range from web site developers, to virtual assistants, marketing managers, and everything in between. If you go to their site www.elance.com you will see a big long list of skill sets available. Depending on your needs you will be able to find professionals to help you with one off projects or on an ongoing basis.
The way they have structured their site and the hiring process is really easy and intuitive. A great feature on their site is the freelancer’s bio section where you can review not only the standard bio information but also the projects that the freelancer has worked on previously (projects they won through Elance) and the reviews their past clients have left. I really like this feature for a couple of reasons: 1 it keeps the freelancer somewhat honest because they know there are repercussions to their Elance reputation if they try to cut corners or not deliver and a lot of hiring decisions are made based on the Elance ranking. I know it is one of the big factors in my hiring decision. 2 you can see the projects they have actually worked on. I typically will only hire if the freelancer has worked on projects similar to the one I have posted.
Elance also has an effective payment system that integrates escrow accounts. Before the work begins you pay into the projects escrow account and then once the work has been completed to your satisfaction you release the funds to the provider. This way both sides are protected.
I have used Elance quite a bit and have been very pleased with the quality of work that I have received. Just make sure that you take the time upfront to review the proposals carefully and interview the providers. Investing this time upfront will save you an incredible amount of time and energy should you make a bad hiring decision. There are great providers on Elance but there are also some not so great ones so be careful. Another great trick is to use small test projects, this way you get a great sense of their abilities and what they are like to work with before you commit to moving forward with a larger more complex project.

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