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FOR FREELANCERS

A Guide to Crowdsourcing

Welcome to Workshift Solutions! If you are a new user, this page will explain the basic concepts of how crowdsourcing works for a freelancer. If you are an existing user, please look at this page if you have any confusion.

Freelancer Research:

In this day and age, Online Work is becoming the norm. People have more than one job…

You may be thinking, I really want to use my extra time away from work, doing something productive/efficient. Do you want to showcase your competitive skill set? With online crowdsourcing, you’re able to choose what jobs you want to do and better yet, choose when to work. Again you may be thinking, I already have a very busy day job, where I don’t have so much time outside to work. Maybe you’re thinking that you’re currently living in a developing country, where it’s difficult to find a steady job. The thing about crowdsourcing websites however, is the idea that a lot of the clients who are posting jobs consist of companies in well-developed countries. Also, The best part about joining an online crowdsourcing website is how you can keep your day job, while still earning pay as you complete online jobs.

1. Make money during your free time
2. Work with large corporations from home
3. Only do the jobs that interest you, when you want to

Jobs won’t be piling up for you to do. In addition to this, many of the jobs are a one-time request, like translation jobs or designing something online. For people who have a specific set of skills and are extremely qualified, there are highly challenging jobs also. The best part about all of this is how the individual jobs pay well for the degree of difficulty and you can work within the comfort of your home. Below is a list of some basic points of how crowdsourcing is extremely beneficial to anyone looking for work outside of their normal job.

Pros of Crowdsourcing from a Freelancer POV:

1. Working from home
2. Maximizing your talent
3. Working when you have free time
4. High pay, No commuting
5. Using the competitive skills you have
6. Make extra money while continuing day job
7. The list continues…


As we have mentioned all positive info about crowdsourcing, I’m sure some of you have some doubts and concerns. Do not worry! We debug your doubts and concerns here.

Top 3 concerns from freelancers and their solutions

1. How does the payment system work?

Answer: The payment system is very easy to understand. If a client posts a job for a certain price, you can always negotiate how much to actually work for. It’s completely free to work and post jobs. As a freelancer, you don't have to worry about the processing fees at all, so the price that you and the client decide is final. On top of this, some freelancers may have the concern that although they completed the job, the payment didn’t come through. This concern can be completely forgotten. Here at Workshift Solutions, we make sure the client transfers the payment beforehand to us, so the payment will always go through to the freelancer once the job is completed. This is called the escrow payment, where before hiring you, the client will submit the job payment to us. Once we have received the payment from the client, a message will arrive for you to start working.

2. What if I don’t get selected for any jobs?

Answer: Being selected for a job will depend on your specific skills for that certain job and if your profile is filled out. Clients will look at your profile first when making a decision to hire you or not. In this case, if your profile is not filled out or does not have a detailed description of your academic background/skills, it makes it very hard for the client to hire you. Price negotiation is important also. Some clients may not have tons of funding to pay you large sums of money. Jobs will surely come your way if you negotiate a price that both parties are happy about. Make sure to do the ID verification too, which will signify to the client that you have gone the extra step to verify yourself!

3. What should I do if I have a problem with the client/job?

Answer: Communication is key! It's important to always set rules and boundaries before you apply for a job or start working on that specific job. Talk about pricing, when to submit your work, how the product will look, etc all before starting the job. With this in mind, if there are any other problems/troubles, don’t hesitate to shoot us an email and we’ll do our best to resolve the problem.

Points to getting seen as a Freelancer:

Setting up your profile

To all existing and new users, this step is absolutely ESSENTIAL to receiving jobs in the future. The better your profile is, the more attention you will receive. Clients and people posting jobs will obviously want to ask freelancers who are well qualified for their specific job, meaning that they’ll always look at your profile first. Comparing a freelancer who has a well-detailed profile about their academic history, work experience, specific skills will have an overall better impression rather that someone who doesn’t have anything on their profile. Always remember: The clients are looking for strict business individuals who will do an adequate job. If you are qualified to do the work, make sure you show it!

Getting ID verified

Once again, this step is optimal. By submitting ID and getting verified as an official user, clients will be able to see that you have completed this extra step. Sometimes, clients will post jobs and make the requirement of the applicants to be ID verified. Now, in order to be verified, you must submit a passport or driver’s license photo that clearly shows your picture and birth date. Completing this step will get you closer to a perfect profile!

Finding work

Under the “Find Work” tab, the most recent jobs will be lined up for you to see. Searching and clicking on the individual jobs will direct you to a more detailed job description/monetary rewards page. If you like what you see and think you’re qualified to complete the job, go ahead and send an application. . The client can post a job either as a competition or an individual hire, meaning that during a competition, the client will choose the best piece of work, while an individual hire is chosen before any work is completed. Usually the client will have a deadline for when they have to hire an applicant. Another point about finding work is being proactive and checking the website frequently. As it’s extremely hard to cater to every freelancer’s specific wants, we cannot send individual freelancers emails about job posting. The key here is to always be checking the newsletters and front page for any job postings that seem interesting!

One final point as a freelancer on this page

When you start out as a freelancer, you will obviously have no prior work experience on the site. It will be hard to apply for large payment jobs, because clients will not be able to see reviews from other clients you have worked for. So, in order to increase your rating on the site, freelancers usually have to start out with small payment jobs. While completing these easy jobs and getting evaluated for your work, freelancers receive stars from clients. The more stars you have, the better your profile will look. Remember, each job must be taken seriously because it will affect your future job possibilities also. Following these points, you’re surely on your way to becoming the best freelancer on the site!

Websites for basic crowdsourcing info and impacts on society
Basic crowdsourcing explanation
http://dailycrowdsource.com/training/crowdsourcing/what-is-crowdsourcing
An interesting article from Wired on how crowdsourcing is impacting society
http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/crowds.html