Elance Employer Guide
POSTING JOBS
SELECTING SERVICE PROVIDERS
- Browsing Providers
- Inviting Elance Providers to Submit Proposals
- Inviting Providers Outside Elance to Submit Proposals
- Communicating with the Provider via Elance Chat
- Communicating with the Provider via Elance Call
- Communicating with the Provider via Private Messages
WORKING WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDER
- Choosing a Proposal
- Receiving and Evaluating Proposals
- Awarding the Job and Negotiating the Terms
- Receiving Services
- Communicating with the Provider Privately
- Receiving Progress Updates via Status Reports
- Receiving the Work
- Cancelling an Awarded Job
PAYING FOR SERVICES
- Receiving Invoices from Providers
- Making a Payment
- Using Escrow
- Providing Feedback
- Providing Confidential Feedback to Elance
SUPPORT
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To post jobs on Elance, simply click on the
button on the home page or the
button in the top navigation. If you already have an account, you may sign in with your existing username and password. If not, you will first sign up with Elance and create an account.
To sign up:
1. Click the Sign in or Register link in the top navigation.
2. Select the radio button I do not have an Elance account, enter your email address, then click Continue.
3. Select the radio button I want to hire professionals, then click Continue.
4. Enter your contact information, choose a deposit method and click Continue.
To activate your account, Elance requires a one-time $10 REFUNDABLE deposit that is automatically refunded in 10 days. This is to help ensure quality interactions in the Elance community. There is no charge for posting your job and no obligation to accept any of the proposals you receive. You control, when and how much to pay a service provider.
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1. Enter a title for your job.
2. Select the category and subcategory that best describe your job and skill set of the providers you want to submit proposals for your job.
3. You may select 5 relevant skills you are looking for in the provider you hire for your job. By selecting skills, your job will be tagged with these skill keywords so it will have better visibility to providers when they are searching our job index.
4. Enter a job description. Include specific information about the work needed and some background on your company and the job, including the size of the job and estimated start and finish dates.
5. You may attach up to 6 files (maximum size 5 MB per attachment) that you think will help clarify the job description and enable providers to understand your job and prepare more thorough, relevant proposals.
6. Select a work type. Choose between fixed fee or hourly for the type of proposals you will receive. Specify a budget range for your job.
Elance has proposal minimums based on a job's posted budget, and providers cannot submit proposals below these minimums regardless of category.
7. Elance Work System if enabled will set a requirement for weekly status reports and escrow as the form of funding for the project.
Escrow is recommended for organizing your payment schedule and minimizing financial risk. If you are a US-based employer, Escrow also allows you to choose US federal tax form 1099 to be filed on your behalf at no cost to you.
8. Set your job preferences, including response deadline, searchable outside of Elance, proposal amount visibility, and selecting the 1099 requirement. When you are finished, click the Continue button.
8. If this is your first time posting a job on Elance, you will be asked to provide a one-time $10 REFUNDABLE deposit to activate your account. This is automatically refunded in 10 days, and you will not be asked on subsequent postings. Enter your contact information, select a deposit method and click the Continue button.
9. Choose your posting type, Standard, Featured, or Business to Business. There is a $15 posting fee for Featured postings and a $50 posting fee for Business to Business postings, which appear highlighted in search results and category listings. NOTE: The Business to Business posting type is only available for jobs with a budget of $1000 or more.
10. Review your information on the Preview Your Posting page. To edit your posting, click the Edit Posting link. To save your job as a draft and post it later, click the Save & Post Later button. To post your job, click the Post Now button.
You will receive an email confirmation that your job has been successfully posted, and you can expect to receive proposals within a few hours. To review proposals and manage your jobs, simply follow the instructions in the email by clicking on the Workrooms link on the left panel.
11. If you have saved your job as a draft, expand the left panel by clicking the More link. Next, click the Draft Projects link. Click on the job title, and follow steps 2-6 of this section.
When posting jobs on Elance, you must abide by the rules defined in the site policies, or your job will be delisted from Elance. See Elance’s site policy.
Once you have posted a job, you cannot edit the original text. You can however, add more text to the job description and add file attachments.
To add more details to your job:
1. Click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. Click on the job title.
3. Click the Project Summary tab in the section to the right of the job name.
4. Click the Add to Project Description link.
5. Add in your updated description and click Submit.
SELECTING SERVICE PROVIDERS |
You may access service providers by browsing provider profiles or by inviting service providers to submit proposals on your job. Note: Inviting providers to your job is not required when you post a job following the steps in the previous section.
To browse provider profiles:
1. On the home page, select the Professionals radio button, type in what you're looking for and click the Search button.
2. You can browse providers by:
3. Click the provider name to view their services description, or to look at a provider's portfolio, click the Portfolio link.
Inviting Elance Providers to Submit Proposals
You can invite Elance providers from search results or from a specific provider's profile.
1. Inviting Elance providers from search results: You can invite one or more providers at a time by placing check mark(s) in the Invite to Bid column and then clicking on the Invite to Bid button at the top of the column. On the next page that appears, if you already have active postings, they will appear in this list. You can either choose an existing posting or create a new one. Each service provider you invite will receive an email invitation to submit their proposal for your job. If you are creating a new job, you may choose to either limit the proposals you receive to only the providers you have selected or receive proposals from any service provider. You are limited to 30 invitations per job.
2. Inviting Elance providers from profiles: Click the Contact Me button on the top right of the provider profile. You will see an Invite to Bid popup. If you already have active jobs, they will appear in this list. You can either choose an existing job or create a new one.
Inviting Providers Outside Elance to Submit Proposals
To invite providers outside Elance:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. Click on the name of the job for which you want to invite providers outside Elance to submit proposals.
3. On the Workroom page, click the Overview tab in the section to the right of the job name.
4. Click the Invites link.
5. Click the Invite Outside Providers link.
6. You can either copy and paste your job URL and send to your contacts via email or IM, or you can forward your job by entering up to 10 of your contacts' email addresses and clicking the Submit button. You can also choose to edit the personalized message and have a copy of the email sent to you.
7. When one of your contacts who is not currently a member joins Elance and spends or earns $1,000 on Elance, you will receive a $50 referral reward.
Communicating with the Provider via Elance Chat
Elance Chat enables you to instantly contact service providers via Instant Message. You can easily see whether the provider is online, and start a chat conversation with the provider that interests you without having to wait (as in other contact methods such as email.) This feature is free to all registered Elance buyers and providers with paid memberships. Because the chat connection is enabled through Elance, you do not need to use or disclose your personal instant messaging identities (e.g., Yahoo, MSN, AOL, etc.).
You can start an Elance Chat with any service provider from his or her provider profile or proposal.
1. If the provider is currently online, the word 'Online' will appear below the Contact Me button on the profile page. To start a conversation from the provider's profile, click the Contact Me button and select the Elance Chat tab. To start a conversation from the provider's proposal, click the Chat icon in the far right side of the proposal. If you have not logged in, you will be prompted to sign in before starting a conversation.
2. If you already have a job with the provider, and would like to keep a record of the conversation, cut and paste the text from the conversation into the Private Messages.
NOTE: Connecting with Elance providers requires you to be a registered user of Elance.
Communicating with the Provider via Elance Call
Elance Call is an easy and immediate way to talk with servicer providers on Elance. You can connect instantly with providers and conduct interviews, find out their availability and discuss your job needs. This feature is free to all registered Elance buyers, who have authenticated the credit card used in the $10 deposit or have made a payment to a provider, and providers with paid memberships. When the call is made with the provider, your phone number remains private and undisclosed. Whether you want to share your contact info with the provider is completely up to you.
You can start an Elance Call with any service provider from his or her provider profile or proposal.
1. To start a conversation from the provider's profile, click the Contact Me button and select the Elance Call tab. To start a conversation from the provider's proposal, click the Call icon in the far right side of the proposal. If you have not logged in, you will be prompted to sign in before starting a conversation.
2. Once signed in, instructions to start the call will be shown on the Elance Call tab. The call happens by connecting the phone numbers of the two parties.
3. Enter your phone number into the entry field and click the Call button. The system will call you first and then connect you with the provider. The call is made to the phone number specified by the provider on their profile.
NOTE: Connecting with Elance providers requires you to be a registered user of Elance.
Communicating with the Provider via Private Messages
After you post your job, a provider may open a Private Message with you to discuss the job in more detail. When this happens, you will receive an email notification and the Private Message icon
will appear in the far right of the proposal.
To respond to the provider’s Private Message, you can:
To reply to a Private Message or initiate a new one directly on Elance:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. Click the job name or the number of proposals received.
3. Scroll down the list of proposals, and click on the Private Message icon
on the far right of the provider's proposal with whom you want to communicate.
4. In the message dialog box, enter your reply and click Post Message.
WORKING WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDER |
Receiving & Evaluating Proposals
Before you hire a provider, you have the opportunity to compare the proposals and review their details, job milestones and job agreements from the provider.
To review proposals:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. Click the job name or the number of proposals received.
3. If you did not choose Escrow as a payment type when you posted the job, service providers can submit their proposal, choosing Escrow as their payment type. If you do choose a service provider whose proposal indicates Escrow, the job will be awarded with Escrow as the payment type.
4. You may sort your proposals by clicking on the headers, such as Submit Date, Location and Proposal Amount at the top of the list of propsals.
5. You may also filter proposals using the Filter By drop down menu. Select the drop down filter option, such as New Proposals, Feedback and Invited Providers, and click the Go button.
6. To narrow down your selection of proposals to a shorter list of providers you have already reviewed, you may privately rate your proposals. Click on the Rate This buttons for each proposal. To filter on the ratings, click the View buttons on the top of the list of proposals.
7. Review the provider’s comments and time to deliver the job after the proposal is accepted.
8. Review the provider’s service description by clicking on their username. This may include information about services offered, a summary of their feedback reviews, ratings and reported earnings, contact details, company history, standard terms, education and credentials.
9. View the provider’s portfolio by clicking on the Portfolio link to the left of the proposal amount.
10. View the provider’s detailed feedback, reviews and earnings in the last six months by clicking on the statistics in the Feedback | Earnings column.
11. Use the Private Message, Chat or Call links in the far right of the proposal to communicate with the providers and ask your interview questions.
12. To decline a proposal, click the Decline link to the right of the Rate This buttons of the proposal you are not interested in. On the Decline Proposal window, select a reason for declining the proposal from the drop down menu, then click Submit. The provider will receive a notification that you have declined their proposal, and the proposal will move to the Declined list.
13. Some providers may need you to clarify your job description with them before they place a proposal amount. When this happens, they will open a Private Message with you, and you will see their proposal status as a “Prebid". Once you clarify, the provider can type in a proposal amount. Note: You cannot award your job to a "Prebid."
14. If the period to accept new proposals has ended, you can extend it two times (up to 42 days from the time of your original posting date) to allow more providers to submit proposals on your job or allow existing providers to submit revised proposal amounts.
To extend the period to accept new proposals:
- Click the job name or the number of proposals received.
- Click the Extend Bidding button.
- Enter the date you want to extend the period to accept new proposals to and the reason for the extension, then click Submit.
To cancel a job:
- From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
- Click the job name or the number of proposals received.
- Click the Settings tab in the section to the right of the job name.
- If the job is still open for accept new proposals, click the End Bidding Now button. Enter a reason, then click Submit.
- Go back to the Settings tab and click the Cancel Project button.
Awarding the Job and Negotiating the Terms
To accept a proposal and hire a provider for your job:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. Click on the job name or on the number of proposals received.
3. Click the Award button on the far right of the provider's proposal you want to hire.
4. On the Review Terms and Award page, you have the option to submit initial business terms to the provider. The provider can choose to accept the terms or modify them for your acceptance. Before hiring the provider for the job, review the provider's name, proposal amount and the initial business terms, then click Award.
Elance requires service providers to invoice buyers via the Elance Billing and Payment system. By clicking the Award button, you agree to only pay invoices you receive from Elance.
Once you have accepted a proposal, you will be notified by email when the provider accepts and submits the business terms or declines the job, usually within 48 hours. Until the business terms on the job is initially accepted, the job status will read “Finalizing Terms” on the Workrooms page.
If the provider did not accept the default terms and sends you updated business terms:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. Click the link 'Provider Modified Terms' under the job name. (You may also click on the job name, then on the next page, click the Terms link on the top Workroom menu.)
3. Review the terms supplied by the provider, including the job milestones, total amount and job agreement. If you accept the terms as outlined on this page, click the Accept button. When you accept the business terms, they become active immediately and no further approval is required from the provider.
4. To make changes to the terms, click on the Edit button, then edit the milestones, delivery dates and/or scheduled payment amounts. Click Preview when you are finished. Click Submit to send your changes to the provider.
5. Your service provider will be notified by email, and can then accept, edit or decline the revised terms. You will be notified by email of the service provider’s decision.
6. Once both parties accept the business terms, the job is started, and the job status will read “Working” on the Workrooms page. (The provider will be notified that you accepted their proposal.)
Communicating with the Provider Privately (after hiring the provider for your job)
Once you have awarded the job, you may contact the provider directly to discuss the job and begin tracking the work. You can communicate in the following ways:
- Directly via email, phone, Instant Messenger, etc. (Always transcribe key elements of the discussion to the Private Message to maintain a record.)
Receiving Progress Updates via Status Reports
When working with your provider, you want to make sure you are kept up-to-date on the status of the job. With Status Reports, your provider is required to send you a weekly progress report with the overall status of the job, including tasks performed, hours worked, journal entries, attachments and plans for the upcoming week.
Each Monday, you will receive the Status Report the provider submitted for the previous week. To view and confirm the job's status on the Status Report:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the 'View Status Reports' Quick Links in the right margin.
2. Select the radio button to the left of the job name you want to view its Status Report for, and click the Next button.
(Alternatively, you may access a job's Status Reports from its individual Workroom.)
When the job is completed, you may receive your files or work product via the Elance Private Messages.
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. Click the Private Message icon (ie. the envelope) under the job name. (You may also click on the job name, then on the next page, click the Messages link on the top Workroom menu)
3. Download your work files and save them however you choose.
You may also receive files (up to 50 MB in size) from your service provider via the (shared) Files.
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. On the right side under the current job status, click Select Action > Files link. (You may also click the job name, then on the next page, click the Files link on the top Workroom menu.)
3. Click on the Shared folder.
4. Select the file you want to download, then click Download.
5. Use the Private Message to alert your provider with your comments on the upload items in the shard Files.
If you decide to cancel your job,
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. On the right side under the current job status, click Select Action > Cancel Job link. (You may also click the job name, then on the next page, click the More > Cancel Job link on the top Workroom menu.)
3. Fill in the cancellation details and click the Submit button.
4. The cancellation request will be sent to Elance who will confirm the cancellation with your provider. After the confirmation, the job status will reflect the cancellation.
PAYING FOR SERVICES |
Receiving Invoices from Providers
If you have a Standard Payment job, when a service provider completes a milestone, you will receive an email notification that you have been invoiced by the service provider. If you have an Escrow Payment job, when a service provider completes a milestone, you will receive an email notification that they have requested funding and/or release of that payment milestone.
Making Payment For non-Escrow Jobs
To make a payment on a Standard Payment job, if you have not yet authenticated your credit card (the process to verify that you are the account holder), follow steps 1-2. Otherwise, go to step 3.
To make a payment on a non-Escrow job:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the My Account > Account Details link.
2. Click the Confirm Authentication link next to the credit card or bank account you want to use and follow the instructions.
3. From the MyElance tab, click the 'Pay' Quick Links on the right margin. (Alternatively, you may also click the Payment icon
under the job name in your Workrooms page.)
4. Select the radio button to the left of the job name you want to make a payment for and click the Next button.
5. On the Project Payments page, click the View & Pay Invoice button in the Invoices, Payments and Receipts section next to the invoice you want to pay. Note: If the provider hasn't sent an invoice to you yet and you want to pay them, click the Pay Without Invoice button.
6. View the invoice details, and click the Pay button. If you disagree with any of the information, click the Reply With Comments button to send a message to your provider.
7. On the Pay Invoice page, enter a payment amount, select a payment method, and check the box stating that you have read Elance's Billing and Payment Service policy and that you authorize payment to your provider. Enter your Elance password and click Submit. Your provider will be notified that they have received a new payment.
8. You can also print out the payment you sent for your records. Click the Print Document link on the confirmation screen that appears when your invoice has been sent.
To make a payment on an Escrow Job, you need to:
• Fund the Escrow account for the job
• Release the milestone payment from the job's Escrow account to the service provider
To fund the Escrow amount for the job, if you have not yet authenticated your credit card, follow steps 1-2. Otherwise, go to step 3.
1. From the MyElance tab, click the My Account > Account Details link.
2. Click the Confirm Authentication link next to the credit card or bank account you want to use and follow the instructions.
3. From the MyElance tab, click the 'Pay' Quick Links on the right margin. (Alternatively, you may also click the Payment icon
4. Select the radio button to the left of the job name you want to fund a milestone for and click the Next button.
5. On the Payments page, you will see the Escrow Funding and Release section with two tabs. The Fund and Release tab lists the job milestones and the funding and release status of each milestone. The Documents tab lists the Escrow milestone funding and release requests you've received.
To fund a milestone, click the Fund button, in the Fund and Release tab.
Or if you have received a funding request, click the View & Fund button, in the Documents tab next to the appropriate milestone.
6. On the Fund Escrow Account page, review your payment details, select a payment method, and check the box stating that you have read Elance's Billing and Payment Service policy and that you authorize payment to your provider. Enter your Elance password and click the Fund Escrow button. The provider will receive an email notification that Escrow funds have been submitted, and the Fund Escrow column will change to the date you submitted the funds.
7. After you fund a milestone, the provider can request the release of that milestone payment amount.
To release milestone payments from the job's Escrow account:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the 'Pay' Quick Links on the right margin. (Alternatively, you may also click the Payment icon
2. Select the radio button to the left of the job name you want to release a payment for and click the Next button.
3. On the Payments page, you will see the Escrow Funding and Release section with two tabs. The Fund and Release tab lists the job milestones and the funding and release status of each milestone. The Documents tab lists the Escrow milestone funding and release requests you've received.
To release a milestone, click the Release button, in the Fund and Release tab.
Or if you have received a release request, click the View & Approve button in the Documents tab next to the appropriate milestone.
4. On the Release Funds in Escrow page, review the milestone you are releasing funds for, and check the box stating that you have read Elance's Billing and Payment Service policy and that you authorize release of payment to your provider. Enter your Elance password and click Submit.
5. If you are disputing the deliverable, use your Private Message to communicate details of the dispute with your service provider. If they are not responding, click on the Request Dispute Assistance link at the top right side of the Terms page.
The Leave Feedback link appears when the buyer makes their first payment on the job or the final milestone date is reached. Both parties will then have 60 days from the final milestone date to leave feedback for each other.
To submit feedback:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. Click the Leave Feedback link under the appropriate job name. (You may also use the 'Quick Links' in the right margin.)
3. On the Leave Feedback page, enter your feedback rating for the provider and any comments about your experience, then click Preview.
4. Review your feedback on the Feedback Preview page, then click Submit.
Providing Confidential Feedback to Elance
During your job's lifecycle, you may also leave private feedback about your provider and your job to Elance. Any private feedback you leave will be strictly confidential and not visible to the provider. Elance uses this data to ensure our providers are delivering consistent quality.
To leave private feedback:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. On the right side under the current job status, click Select Action > Leave Private Comments link. (You may also use the 'Quick Links' in the right margin.)
SUPPORT |
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• IE 7.0
• Fierfox 3.0.3
• Safari 3.1
Other things to do if you find issues:
- Ensure that Javascript is enabled in your browser
- Clear your browser cache and restart your browser
If you have the above settings and are having difficulty viewing any Elance pages, please click on the 'Contact Us' link above. Send us your browser type and version, PC or Mac, and the links or screens you were trying to access.
Additional information about using Elance may be obtained in the following ways:
-
Elance Help: http://www.elance.com/p/help/index.html. You may also click the Help link on the top right of any of our web pages to see our online help pages. Browse the top questions, find what you need in the help topics or type in what you're looking for in the Search field.
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Elance FAQ's: http://www.elance.com/p/help/overview/faq.html. Read the most Frequently Asked Questions to find your answer.
- Elance University: http://www.elance.com/p/elanceuniversity/index.html. Watch videos to help you learn more about our site.
- Elance Customer Service: Click the Contact us link on the top right of any of our web pages to send an email to Elance.
