If you’ve ever dreamt of paying someone else to do the things you hate like creating pointless spreadsheets for your boss, building cold calling lists for your business or deleting negative comments on your blog, the time to start outsourcing is now.
Millions of freelancers all over the world look for work online. I use the word “freelancer” loosely. Other than the usual graphic designers, copywriters and programmers, you can find virtual assistants and admin assistants willing to do just about any job you imagine, short of reaching through the screen and picking your nose for you. Here are four sites on which you can hire freelancers.
1. Elance
The oldest and biggest freelance outsourcing site by far, Elance has about 7 million members—more than the population of a small country. You can find freelancers willing to provide just about any service you can dream up, from helping you to do tasks you’ve been assigned in the course of your actual job to sorting out your holiday photos.
How much? Elance expects you to pay a fee equivalent to 8.75% of the cost of your project.
2. Odesk
Odesk looks cheery in comparison with Elance’s rather dour design and is more intuitive and user-friendly. However, at the end of the day, it’s more or less the same deal, and many freelancers are members of both Odesk and Elance.
How much? Odesk collects a fee of 10% of the cost of your project from the freelancer, not you. However, bear in mind that the average freelancer charges more on Odesk than on Elance to make up for it.
3. Freelancer
Freelancer is not as popular as Odesk or Elance and, um, we can see why. The interface is a lot more confusing than that of the above two sites, and with far fewer members, you have less to choose from.
How much? Fees are split between the hirer and the freelancer, with the hirer paying 3% of the invoiced amount or $3, whichever is higher, and the freelancer paying 10% of the invoice or $5, whichever is higher.
4. Fiverr
Once marketed as the place to get services at the bargain basement price of $5, Fiverr has now declared that $5 is the minimum sum, with jobs going for up to $500. Tasks, called “gigs”, can border on the ridiculous, so this is definitely the place to go to if you want someone to photoshop your dog’s face onto your body.
How much? If you pay $5 for a $5 gig, the freelancer pays $1 of that amount to Fiverr.
Have you used any of the above sites to get freelance services? Share your experiences in the comments!