One of the biggest mistakes that I see new contractors on oDesk fall into is, sadly, letting themselves be new. That is to say that they're waiting too long to learn how oDesk works.
Don't get me wrong. Every contractor at oDesk was new at one point in time or another. But I don't know what's going on with this latest wave of contractors. When I was new, the first thing I did was start reading the help section, checking out the forums, contacting support with stupid questions, and even watching the learning center videos. But now... not so much. There has suddenly been a flood of posts cluttering up the community forums asking for the same pieces of advice or complaining about having fallen victim to a scam.
And why are they falling victim? Because they aren't reading.
oDesk has an entire section of their web site dedicated to helping new contractors with advice, policies, examples, How Tos and Do Nots.
And what happens? At least half a dozen contractors today got sucked into working for free because a potential client emailed them, asked them to begin working, and then never bothered to hire them or start the contract. Half a dozen.
I love oDesk. And one of the reasons I like oDesk so much is because of the amount of help that it gives newcomers. But, my word, that advice isn't going to do you any good if you don't read it.
For goodness, sake... if you're a new contractor at oDesk, read the help section. Get to know how oDesk works and you won't fall victim to scams. If you have questions, ask the community, contact customer support or start reading. Or even ask questions here. Sure, it may look like I write this for my own entertainment, and in part, I do. But I would still be happy to answer any questions you have if it means I can help keep you away from the scams before it's too late.
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