Love Your Profile: It's What Helps You Get A Job

Before buyers hire you on oDesk, they will have to look at your profile to see what capabilities you have in order to do the job well.  A bad or incomplete profile will easily put off any potential buyers from hiring you, regardless  of the fact that you are more than qualified for any candidacy that they have in mind.

• Your picture - see if your picture is clear enough to give your buyers a good image on what you look like.  Some go for looks as an initial check to see if the person is trust-worthy enough to be given a task that requires special attention. Are you smiling or sneering?  Do you look serious or scowling?  It would be best to have a profile picture that is clear and up-to-date. 
• Your skills - be sure that you showcase skills that you really do have, and are appropriate for the job you are looking for.  You cannot brag about your grand abilities on creating a website when you are applying for a job as a writer or blogger.
• Portfolio - take the time to fill up your portfolio with the best projects that you have created.  This can be a problem if you were employed as a ghostwriter, with specific instructions that the article you submitted is now owned solely by your buyer. If that will be the case, then....
• Job experience - fill up your job experience and just give a brief but highly informative detail of the project/s you have done for your buyers.
• Feedback - this can be a problem for those who are new to oDesk, but can also be hard for those who are currently employed by a buyer.  You must go great lengths to both exceed and surpass the expectations of your buyer in order to come up with a good rating after the job is done.  Always communicate with your buyer if you encounter problems and always be willing to do some changes if necessary with a work that you have already submitted.  Good working relationship will result to great feedback.
• Certifications -  there are certain websites such as Brainbench that will give you third-party certification basing on whatever skills you want to market.  They can be costly, but they can be a great addition to your portfolio.
• oDesk certification tests - if you cannot afford third-party certifications, oDesk has several tests according to your category that will help give your buyers an unbiased assessment of your capabilities regarding the job that they have in mind.

Now, these areas may seem standard and highly elementary. But if you go and take a look at profiles of successful providers in oDesk, you will be amazed on how they have constructed their information in order to get the best job available in oDesk.