Making Your Project a Success at vWorker.com
By Michael Sharp
vWorker.com Top 10 Worker

vWorker.com offers an exceptionally diverse pool of talent for you to choose from: workers from every walk of life, working in virtually every industry are available to work closely with you on your project. Combine that with vWorker.com's secure, escrow based transactions and project management tools and you have a formula for success that's second to none!

Whether you're a first time employer or a veteran at vWorker.com, I would like to share some tips and strategies with you to help you make your new project a resounding success!

Preparing Your Project

Your project is the single most important step you'll take here at vWorker.com. While preparing it, always keep in mind that the successful bidder you choose is bidding on what he or she reads here.

State your project's objective clearly and in plain language. If you're unsure of the terminology, don't worry : the workers will most likely understand the gist of it and ask for clarification where needed. Also remember that not everyone is a native speaker of English, so try to avoid using obscure phrases or slang that might be misunderstood or misinterpreted by a worker.

It's easy to include attachments, so if you have a sketch of what the final interface should look like or other related project files : upload them with your bid. This helps expedite the bid process and saves you the effort of sending them individually to every bidder.

It's also helpful to prepare more detailed specifications beforehand. Usually, if this is done is done in MS Word and attached to the project, you can avoid having to answer a lot of redundant questions about your project.

Next, state your deliverables as clearly as possible : these are what you expect to receive from the successful bidder. For example, if you need a setup program, then this is the place to mention it.

Choose a realistic project completion date : in many cases employers are in a hurry to get their project finished, but you may want to consider this - 'am I rushing the project unnecessarily?' Quite honestly, a worker can only deliver top quality work if you give him or her the time to do it. The deadline can also affect the cost of the project : if you need it in the next 24 hours, it may cost more for the extra effort.

If you have any special conditions be sure to list them clearly. For example, if you need a Non-Disclosure Agreement signed, then tell the workers now.

Be sure to set a maximum price for your project. This tells workers exactly what your upper limit is and avoids a lot of misunderstandings later on.

One last thought on bid preparation : depending on your project you may want to consider breaking up into smaller pieces and hiring several different workers. For instance, if you want a website built in ASP with high end graphics, you may want to post one project for the ASP work and one for the graphics. Not every worker can deliver high-end graphics, just as not every graphics artist can deliver top quality ASP work : although this may take slightly more work on your part, it allows you to obtain the best of both worlds!

Selecting a Worker

Now that your bid has been posted, you're no doubt being inundated with bids from all over the world. How you choose a worker is of course entirely up to you, but before making a worker selection, it's time to do a little background research on the bids you're considering.

Use the tools at vWorker.com to help you make your final decision. For example, vWorker.com offers an online chat area for every project. Here's your chance to meet prospective workers and discuss your project in greater detail. It's also an opportunity to 'get a feel' for who you'll be working with.

While reviewing the replies to your project, take the time necessary to review the worker's profile. vWorker.com provides an excellent system of worker profiles and performance appraisals to help you make your decision. Past clients rate workers, so you'll have an opportunity to review their projects, performance (including how long a project took) as well as a variety of other factors.

Don't automatically reject a worker who doesn't have a rating. This only means that the worker is new to vWorker.com and hasn't started/completed a project yet. If an un-rated worker is in your price range, you can bet that he or she is anxious to do the best possible job in the hopes of getting that first rating from you!

Occasionally, I'll see a project that restricts bids to workers from a certain region. Consider this carefully : are you missing out on better quality or price for the project because you restricted the work geographically? Thanks to the Internet, this has never been a problem for me. Although I reside in Greece, I've had clients all over the world and have never had difficulty communicating with them despite the time differences. In most cases, it actually pretty interesting to make friends from different cultures : makes for some fascinating email!

Still undecided? If all else fails, you can turn to a vWorker.com Facilitator for help in selecting a worker. They will help you make a decision on a worker with a proven track record.

I've Awarded the Bid : Now What?

Once you've awarded the bid to a worker, you will have access to the worker's email address and vice-versa. Hopefully, the worker will contact you within 24 hours to discuss the project, but just in case, feel free to contact the worker directly.

Depending on the size of the project, it may be completed in an hour or take several months. As your project progresses keep communications open with the worker. I prefer to email my clients at least daily with progress reports. I also like to hear from my clients with their feedback as it helps the project move forward smoothly. In any case, this is your project, so you should decide how you want to proceed and communicate this to the worker.

At this point about the only crucial issue that may come up are changes to the scope of work. In my experience most workers are pretty flexible and accommodating : but, if you need a major change to the original project, you may need to renegotiate the price. This is why preparing the project is so important.

This Isn't Working Out : What can I do?

Most workers will work diligently to complete your project as rapidly as possible, but unfortunately sometimes things just don't work out the way an employer or worker thought they would.

Remember the vWorker.com tools I mentioned earlier? Another tool to use is the private messaging system. Make every effort to communicate the problems or your concerns to the worker through the original project 'private message' area. This documents your efforts to resolve the difficulty before turning to vWorker.com for assistance.

If you feel that the worker is not being responsive or meeting the project's objectives, you can involve the vWorker.com facilitators to step in and arbitrate a solution to the problem. The vWorker.com Facilitators will make a conscientious, unbiased effort to resolve the problem to everyone's satisfaction.   They can be reached using the feedback link on the site.

The Project's Finished : Where do we go from here?

Terrific : if you're like any of the thousands of satisfied employers at vWorker.com, you're no doubt thrilled with the finished project!

The last couple of things to do are easy : you need to return to vWorker.com and accept the project as completed. The worker can't get paid until you do, so please attend to this promptly : you'll have a very happy worker on your hands!

Don't forget to rate the worker on his or her performance on your project. This is very, very, important to the worker because it affects the future projects they receive. A few kind words here will really make the worker's day!

Did the worker exceed your expectations on the project? One great way to reward workers for exceptional work is to send them a bonus : you can do this from the worker's profile page.


I've Got Another Project : Can I use the same worker?

If you've established a good working relationship with a worker, you can set up a private project for him or her through their profile page. If the worker isn't available, you can always set up another public bid on your project.

One last tip 'To protect your own interests, it's always a good idea to let vWorker.com handle the transaction in escrow. Although you may be tempted to work directly with the worker, you'll have no recourse if something goes wrong! With vWorker.com's secure, escrow-based transactions, you can proceed with your project comfortably, knowing that your project fee is safe in escrow until you decide the project is completed.

I hope you find these tips helpful for creating your own projects and I want to wish you the very best of luck on your own project!