Hi there,

I'm just curious why you only bid on companies that were only looking for people in the US?

I always leave it open since you never know where we may find really good talent.

Thanks


Michelle

Hi Michelle,

I failed to mention that when I first started on Guru, I did bid on jobs from everyone. My quotes were fair to low just to get work.

After speaking to a few Employers that accepted my more reasonable bids, they informed me that the quality of work from outside the US was less than desirable and had difficulty communicating the scope of each project to folks across the pond.

My conclusion is this... if an Employer has a qaulity product, they probaly want quality Employees. I'm not trying to dis anyone overseas, I have seen the mess/results first hand that Employers get into when they take the lowest bid. Lifes lessons.

If an Employer is serious, they will appreciate the fact that my Adobe CS3 software and current hardware are not cheap, not to mention my expert skill set. If anyone can layout/design over 100 pages of a chapter of a Medical book within 2-3 days like myself for less than $7 per page, more power to them. That includes proofing and clean ready for PDF pages.

Have a great night and thank you for the comment,
Margaret

Hi Margaret,

Well that's a shame really to judge a company based on the fact that they are willing to hire from anywhere worldwide.

It never ceases to amaze me that ICs don't quite understand how a biz works. If a company is really small, they may not have a lot of money to pay top dollar. That DOESN'T mean they are cheap or trying to get the cheapest price. It also doesn't mean they aren't serious.

Seriousness is dependent on the character & vision of the owner, not the amount of revenue they make per year. Even the amount of revenue they make per year doesn't determine whether they are a cheap or giving company when it comes to salary.

There are many very large companies who hire overseas, I mean come on, some of the largest corporations hire from India & almost all of us dislike dealing with the overseas call centers, yet if they were to post an ad hiring for your skillset, I'm sure you & everyone else would rush to try & get that project.

As a biz owner, I don't discount that you have expenses, we ALL do, that's the cost of doing business.

I will agree with you when it comes to communication, it is one of the most challenging things to try & communicate with some of the overseas ICs or companies, but there are tons of countries overseas & not all of their people are the same.

I've had just as much difficulty communicating with Americans as people overseas because communication is way more then "do you understand me, & do I understand you", although that's the first part of healthy communication.

I've had North Americans not understand me & I've had to repeat myself several times, they have disappear (which to me equals disrespect), throw temper tantrums, talk to me like they were the boss & I was the employee or IC, etc., so communication is much more then understanding the English language.

Take care & hopefully you have learned something from what I have said, as it wasn't just directed at you, but all ICs who judge companies in what I consider to be an unfair manner.

Thank you for listening.


Michelle

Good for you Michelle.

I don't do charity here and Kudos, I'm impressed with your translator, well done.

I don't deny that folks across the pond can do the job. I just have seen
backfires.

Yes, I'm probably not the best reference.

Thanks,MS

Margaret,

As a copywriter, I've dealt with clients from Guru who had gone the cheap, overseas route, only to have to come back to people like me who are able to do it right.

My father used to say there's nothing more expensive than a cheap tool. It either doesn't work, or it soon breaks, and you have to replace it.

Art

Hi Mstoner- I like positive people with one blind eye. I am currently on Elance and like it alot for the user-friend website and free awesome tests. Went on Guru to check it out and my first impression was (compared to Elance) dang I have to pay and look at this bill gates-friendly website!

I currently have a terrible feedback rate @ 67% due to a Scammer and lost interest or just simply shut down because I worked hard for 9 months to build my profile and credibility and just 5 months ago I had my first project....... any advice or comparisons between Elance and Mr. Guru or any sharing of your new beginnings?!? THANKS

I have worked for GURU for 8 months and have earned $14K - but I should have earned double that - you can not earn a living on guru - my experience as been that the employers simply ask for work samples on their topics and then let the bids expiore with 20+ freelancers writing samples on related subject and then they do it themselves - they only way to win is to negotiate such a low bid that they can not afford to do it themselves.

It is horrible because no one I have ever been offered to work with would pay the whole project in escrow. I am a ghostwriter have been for 22 years, published 82 educational and self-help book projects - and every single project has simply refused to pay the final bill and they disappear I have only had 17 projects which I completed and the employer disappeared without paying (changing their account name and id) to avoid collections. I finally hired a PI and went after them for collections which took months to resolve. It was sad, I was offered no real help, but Guru sure loved to tell me how they couldnt help me without a full escrow - well guess what - on $5,000 grand projects not one employer has ever agreed to pay the full amount - and they know it so their offer to help is worthless because the employers just use the freelancers and don't pay in full and no one keeps them from re-signing in.