Elance Provider Guide
PROVIDER PROFILES
FINDING JOBS
- Searching the Jobs Index
- Getting Alerts
- Receiving New Email Job Alerts
- Receiving Invitations to Submit Proposals
- Screening Jobs
- Submitting Proposals
- Communicating with the Employer
WORKING WITH THE EMPLOYER
- Getting Hired
- Accepting the Job and Agreeing to Business Terms
- Providing Services
- Communicating with the Employer Privately
- Using Status Reports
- Delivering Your Work
GETTING PAID
VIEWING MEMBERSHIP & CONNECTS
SUPPORT
PROVIDER PROFILES |
To submit proposals on jobs that interest you, you must sign up for an Elance provider membership plan and create a provider profile. Your profile will represent all the categories for which you or your firm have membership plans.
Your profile allows you to promote your marketing message and samples of your work tailored to each category.
To sign up on Elance:
1. Click on the Find Work tab in the top navigation.
2. Click on the
button.
3. Review the membership plans and benefits, and choose which one is right for you. When you are ready to continue, click on the
button.
4. Choose your plan type, Individual or Business.
5. Choose your membership plan and category(ies) in which you would like to offer your services.
Paid membership plans offer several benefits, including the ability to purchase additional Connects and service categories, eligibility for the Premier Provider Program, and Elance Chat (IM) and Elance Call, which enable employers to contact you instantly.
6. If you have a promotional code, enter it and click the Apply button.
7. Review your selections, and click Continue when you are done.
8. Enter your account information and primary contact information, and click Continue when you are done.
Make sure that you check the box that states you have read and accept the Elance Terms of Service.
9. If you selected a paid membership plan, choose your payment type, enter the appropriate information and click the
button. The payment type that you choose in this step will become your default payment method and will be used to pay your monthly membership fee. Should your default payment method fail, your membership will be automatically downgraded to a free membership plan. To edit your payment method(s) at any time:
- From the MyElance tab, click the My Account > Account Details link on the left navigation panel.
- In the 'Default Payment Account' section, use the pulldown menu to select a different payment source.
- Click the Set Default button.
10. Start your profile by entering a tagline, keywords, summary description, and 'about us' section to describe your company and the services you offer.
11. Click on the
button when you are finished. You will be taken to the Edit View of your profile.
12. To take the Elance Admission Test, click on the Pass Elance Admission Test link.
13. Review the Elance University provider courses, the Terms of Service, Provider Guide and Help. When you are ready, click on the
button.
14. Review the test details and instructions, and click the button at the bottom of the page to start the test. When you have completed the test, you will be given your test results. If you passed the test, your provider profile will have the status "Passed". If you did not pass the test, your provider profile will reflect the status "Not Yet Passed", and you must wait 24 hours before retaking the Admissions test. You are given 3 chances to re-take and pass the Admissions test.
15. Click on the
button, and you will be returned to the Edit View of your profile.
16. You may also upload photos and videos to further distinguish your profile.
To upload a photo or video which will be displayed on your profile page:
- Click on the Edit link in the upper right sidebar of your profile page.
- Select the radio button to display either a photo or YouTube video on your profile.
- If you choose to display a YouTube video, copy and paste the YouTube URL in the text field provided. If you would like your video to play automatically when it loads, check the box labeled "Autoplay when video loads".
- Click the Save button when you are done.
To upload a search results image which will be displayed near your company name in search results listings:
- Click the Click here link in the Search Results Image section.
- Click on the Upload Thumbnail button to upload your image. Click the Save and Continue button when you are done.
17. You may also include links to your external profiles on LinkedIn or Facebook if you have a paid membership.
To add LinkedIn or Facebook URLs to your profile:
- Click the Edit link next to the External Profile Links section in the right sidebar of your profile page
- Type or copy and paste your LinkedIn and/or Facebook URLs in the appropriate fields.
18. You may update or add information to your profile at any time by:
- From the MyElance tab, click the More link to expand the left panel.
- Click the Provider Profile link.
- Click the Edit link in the section you with you update.
NOTE: If you do not have access to your Provider Profile, please see your company account administrator.
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Elance recommends that you upload samples of your work to the Portfolio section of your Service Provider Profile.
To create your portfolio:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the More link to expand the left panel.
2. Click the Provider Profile link.
3. Click the Portfolio link.
4. Click Edit Current Folder.
5. To add items to the current folder, click Add Items. Click the Browse button to navigate your computer for the file you want to upload. Double click on the file icon to select it. Enter a title and description. When you are finished uploading files, click the Add Items button. Thumbnails will automatically be created for image files and most popular applications.
6. To organize your files into folders, click Add Subfolders. Enter a subfolder title and description.
7. To arrange items within a folder, click Arrange Items. Click on an item you want to move, then click on its new location.
8. You may also arrange items within folders and delete, edit or move folders and items. More Info
Referring Your Profile to Friends
After you have completed your profile, you can refer your profile on Elance to friends.
To refer your profile to friends:
1. From your profile page, click the
Refer My Profile link.
2. You can either copy and paste your profile URL and send to your friends via email or IM, or you can forward your profile by entering up to 10 of your friends' 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.
3. When one of your friends who is not currently a member joins Elance and spends or earns $1,000 on Elance, you will receive a $50 referral reward.
FINDING JOBS |
After you have created your provider profile and passed the Elance Admission test, you can start submitting proposals to jobs. Access jobs by browsing the Elance site or by receiving invitations from employers to submit proposals on their jobs.
To browse jobs:
1. On the provider home page, click the Jobs radio button, type in what you're looking for and click the Search button.
2. You can browse jobs by:
3. Click the Details+ link to view the job description.
4. For additional information, mouseover the employer's username or the number of proposals received.
Receiving New Job Email Alerts
In addition to actively browsing Elance for jobs, you can also sign up to receive daily email notification of jobs in your categories of interest.
To sign up for New Job Alerts:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the More link to expand the left panel.
2. Click the Preferences > Email Notifications link.
3. Select the categories in which you want to submit proposals. You will receive a daily email containing links to jobs posted in the categories that you select. Hold down the CTRL key to select multiple categories. If you select a category by mistake, while still holding the CTRL key, click on it again to remove the highlighting and deselect it.
4. Click the Update Preferences button.
NOTE: If you do not have access to your Provider Preferences, please see your company account administrator.
You can use the Elance RSS feature to receive daily feeds on jobs based on your specified tags or keywords.
To receive an RSS feed:
1. Go to the Elance homepage.
2. Click on the Find Work tab in the top navigation.
3. Enter in your desired tags or keywords in the blank field, then click Search.
4. On the search results page, click on the RSS icon
located at the top of the page and, when prompted, click on the Subscribe Now button. At this step, you may also choose to have the RSS feed sent to your My Yahoo! portal.
5. When you return to the Elance site later, simply click on Bookmarks > Feeds.
Receiving Invitations to Submit Proposals
Employers may also invite you to submit proposals on their jobs. When this happens, the following will occur:
To review and submit a proposal on a job to which you are invited:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Invites link on the left panel.
2. Click the job name to view the description and any attachments related to the job.
When you find a job that interests you, Elance recommends that you review the employer’s Elance job history.
To review the employer's Elance history:
1. On the Project Description page, you can see the employer's name to see their job history and feedback:
2. Review the number of Elance jobs posted by the employer and the number of times they hired a provider. You may also click the employer's username to see more details on their job history.
Be wary of employers who have posted many jobs but have never hired anyone on Elance. They may not be serious about hiring a service provider.
For an employer to use Elance’s Billing and Payment system to pay you, they must first activate their Elance account. You will know if an employer has done this step if the Billing and Payment System confirmed icon
appears near their username. If an employer has chosen to pay for a job using Escrow, you will see the Escrow icon next to the job title.
After you have reviewed the job, you are ready to submit a proposal:
To submit a proposal:
1. Click on the job name.
2. Complete the proposal form on the right hand side, including your amount. In determining your proposal amount, remember to include the Elance’s Service Fees - 4% - 6% plus 2.75% to cover payment processing costs. Remember, if you have any confidential information you want to share with the employer, be sure to enter that information into the Private Message.
Elance has proposal minimums and you will not be able to submit a proposal below these minimums regardless of category.
In your proposal summary, describe your relevant experience, qualifications, and what value you will bring to the job.
3. The employer can choose to have service providers enter in their proposals based on a single fixed amount, or enter in an hourly rate and the closest approximation to the number of hours to complete the job. The system will then calculate the total proposal amount.
4. Click Attach Files to upload a more detailed proposal.
5. Indicate the amount of time you need to deliver the job.
6. If the employer has chosen Escrow as their payment preference, this is the only method they will use to pay a service provider. If the employer has not chosen Escrow as their Payment Preference, but you will only accept Escrow payments, click the checkbox to 'Use Elance Escrow'.
7. If you would like a sponsored placement for your proposal, check the box labeled "Yes! I want a sponsored placement for my proposal". Your proposal will be highlighted and appear at the top of the employer's proposal list. Only 2 sponsored placements are available per job (on a first-come, first-served basis). To see how many Connects are required for a sponsored placement, click here.
8. Click Continue when you are done.
9. Review your proposal, then click Confirm.
Once you submit your proposal, the job can be found in your Workrooms page, by filtering on the status 'Hiring Open'. You can also click on the Workrooms > Hiring Open link on the left panel to see all job you have submitted a proposal to, where the period to submit proposals is still open.
Communicating with the Employer
After you submit your proposal, the employer may contact you via the Private Messages to discuss the job in more detail. When this happens, you will receive an email notification.
To respond to the employer's Private Message questions, follow step 1 or steps 2-4.
1. Reply to the email notification you receive from Elance by following the instructions in the email, and your response will be posted directly to the Private Message.
2. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
3. Click the Private Message icon (i.e. the envelope) under the job name.
4. In the message dialog box, enter your reply and click Post Message.
WORKING WITH THE EMPLOYER |
If the employer selects your proposal and hires you for the job, the following will occur:
You must then accept the job selection on Elance before the job can begin.
Accepting the Job and Agreeing to the Terms
To accept the job:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms > Finalizing Terms link on the left panel.
2. Click the Review Terms link under the job name.
The employer may have submitted an initial set of terms with the award, which you may choose to accept or modify these terms or decline the job. If you accept the Terms presented, the job will start immediately. If you change any milestones in the appropriate fields and/or upload your job agreement contract document on the Terms page, these modification will be submitted to the employer for their review. Your employer will review and either accept, modify or decline your business terms. Until the the business terms are accepted, the job will not be fully awarded, and the job is not considered started.
3. Review the job and proposal details on the Accept Terms page. 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 employer.
4. If you would like to upload a job agreement specifying the requirements and deliverables or edit the job milestones, click the Modify Terms link.
- Define key milestones, delivery dates and related payment. The total amount field will automatically update to reflect the sum of all the milestone amounts. Click Preview when done.
5. Review your terms and then click Submit to send your business terms to the employer for approval.
When you submit your business terms, the employer will be notified by email and will either modify them, decline with comments or accept them as submitted. You can communicate via the Private Message to discuss the changes. If the employer modifies the business terms, you will be notified by email and can either accept the employer's changes, make further modifications or decline the job.
Once both parties accept the Terms, the following will occur:
6. If the employer has requested Elance's 1099 service on the job, you may need to submit your W9 information. (Typically, this step will only apply if both you and the employer are based in the United States.)
7. If you are a provider based in the United States, select the option "I am a US Person" and click Submit.
8. If you are a provider based outside of the United States, select "I am NOT a US Person" and click Submit.
9. Enter your information on the W-9 Request for Taxpayer Information page and click Submit.
10. Review your information on the W-9 Information Preview page and click Confirm when you are done.
11. Print out your W-9 form from the W-9 Information Print and Send page, sign it and send the signed copy to Elance. Click Continue.
Communicating with the Employer Privately (after job acceptance)
Once you have accepted the job, you can contact the employer directly to discuss the job and begin work. You can communicate in the following ways:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms > Working link on the left panel.
2. On the right side under the current job status, click the Select Action > Business Terms link. (You may also click the job name, then on the next page, click the Business Terms link on the top Workroom menu.)
3. Scroll down the page and click the Edit Businss Terms button.
4. Edit your milestones and click Submit. Your employer can then accept the changes or submit their own modifications for you to accept.
When working with your employer, you want to make sure you keep them up-to-date on the status of the job. With Status Reports, you can send weekly updates to your employer with the overall status of the job, including tasks performed, hours worked, journal entries, attachments and plans for the upcoming week.
When posting their job, employers have the option to state if weekly Status Reports are required for their job, but you can always still send one as a best practice and help manage the employer's expectations.
To submit a Status Report:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Status Reports link on the left panel.
2. Click the Create link to the far right for the particular job you want to create a weekly Status Report.
When submitting your Status Report, you have until Monday at 12 AM midnight ET of the following reporting week before your Status Report is considered overdue.
When you have completed the job, you may deliver your files or work product via the Elance Private Messages.
To access the Private Messages:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. Click the Private Messages icon (ie. the envelope) under the job name..
3. Click the Click to Upload Attachments button. Follow the steps in the dialog box to upload your completed work.
You may also share files (up to 50 MB in size) with your employer via the Elance Files. You may create, copy and download multiple files and folders in the shared Files (one file at a time).
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 project name, then on the next page, click the Files link on the top Workroom menu.)
3. Click on the Shared folder.
4. Click Upload.
5. Click the Browse button to locate the files you want to upload.
6. Click the Attach button to save your file to the shared Files.
7. Click the Add Comments button to leave a message.
8. Use the Private Message to alert your employer that you have uploaded a file to the shared Files.
GETTING PAID |
Invoicing the Employer for non-Escrow jobs
At key milestones or when you have completed the job, you will need to invoice the employer through Elance’s Billing and Payment system to receive payment for non-Escrow jobs. Once the employer receives your invoice, they will send payment via Elance’s Billing and Payment system.
To invoice the employer:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. On the right side, under the current job status, click the Select Action > Billing & Payment link. (You may also click the job name, then on the next page, click the Billing link on the top Workroom menu.)
3. Click the Create New Invoice link at the top of the page.
- From the MyElance tab, click the More link to expand the left panel.
- Click the Preferences > Billing & Payments link and enter in your details.
4. Enter the invoice details including payment terms, the item(s), description(s) and amount(s) you are invoicing for, invoice notes and optional provider reference. Click Continue when you are finished to preview your invoice.
5. Review the invoice details on the Preview Invoice page and click the Send Invoice button. If you need to make changes, click the Back to Edit Invoice button.
6. Enter your Elance password on the Send Invoice page and click the Send Invoice button. Your employer will be notified that they have received a new invoice.
7. You can also print out the invoice you sent for your records. Click the Print Invoice link on the confirmation screen that appears when your invoice has been sent, or click the Print button from the view invoice screen.
Requesting Payment for Escrow jobs.
To request payment on an Escrow job, you need to:
For Escrow jobs, once the employer and provider accept the business terms, the Elance system automatically requests funding for the first milestone from the employer. To request funding for subsequent Escrow milestones:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Workrooms link on the left panel.
2. On the right side, under the current job status, click the Select Action > Billing & Payment link. (You may also click the job name, then on the next page, click the Billing link on the top Workroom menu.)
3. On the Billing page, you will see a list of milestones, contract amounts and the funding and release status of each milestone under the Fund and Release tab. Click the
Request Not Sent link under the Fund Escrow column.
4. Review the information on the Enter Funding Request Details page. Click Continue to preview your funding request. When you are satisfied, click Submit, or click the Back button to make changes. The employer will receive an email notification to fund the specified milestone. When the employer funds the milestone, the Funding Status column will change to the date it was funded.
5. After the employer has funded a milestone, you can request release of that milestone amount.
6. On the Billing page, go to the Fund and Release tab and click the
7. Review the information on the Create Escrow Funds Release Request page. Click the Submit button to send your release request to the employer. The employer will receive an email notification to release the funds from Escrow. When the employer releases the funds, the Release Status column will change to the date it was released.
8. If the employer does not respond to your release request, contact them through the Private Messages. If they do not respond to the Private Message, click on the Request Dispute Assistance link at the top right side of the Business Terms page.
Confirming Payment and Reviewing Your Account Balance
Once the employer submits payment, you will receive an email notification.
1. You may confirm the payment by going to the individual job's Project Billing page to review the payment details.
2. To confirm your overall account balance:
NOTE: If you do not have access to your Account Details, please see your company account administrator.
You can withdraw funds from your Elance Account at any time.
- If you are in the United States, you can withdraw by Automated ClearingHouse (ACH) bank transfer, check, the Elance Prepaid MasterCard or PayPal. More Info
- If you are in Canada, you can withdraw via wire transfer, check, the Elance Prepaid MasterCard or PayPal.
- If you are outside the United States and Canada, you can withdraw by wire transfer, the Elance Prepaid MasterCard or PayPal. More Info
To withdraw funds:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the My Account > Account Details link on the left panel. In the section titled "Elance Account Summary", click the Withdraw Funds button.
2. Enter the amount you want to withdraw.
3. Select a withdrawal method, then click Continue.
NOTE: If you do not have access to your Account Details, please see your company account administrator.
VIEWING MEMBERSHIP & CONNECTS |
All Elance providers have monthly memberships. With each membership is a set of Connects to use for submitting proposals. At the start of each billing cycle, the monthly allotment of Connects with your plan is reset. Any unused Connects from the previous billing period is not rolled over to the new month.
Viewing Your Current Membership
To view your current membership details:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the More link to expand the left navigation menu.
2. Click the Membership Status link.
To upgrade your current membership:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the More link to expand the left navigation menu.
2. Click the Membership Status link
3. Click the Edit Membership Plan button on the right.
4. Update your plan details. (The monthly cost will update at the bottom of the page)
5. Click Continue
6. If appropriate, select if you wish to have the changes take effect immediately or at the next billing period.
7. Select your payment method and authorize the payment.
If you have a paid membership, you can purchase additional Connects to add to your monthly subscription or for the current month only. Remember, any unused Connects do not rollover to the next month.
To add Connects to your current membership plan:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the More link to expand the left panel.
2. Click the Add Connects link.
3. Select how many Connects to purchase.
4. If you are purchasing for the current month only, uncheck the 'Add these Connects to my monthly membership plan' box.
5. Click Continue
6. Select your payment method and authorize the payment.
NOTE: If you do not have access to your Membership Status, please see your company account administrator.
If you have multiple users at your company that need to access Elance as one group, you can sign up for a Team account. A Team account is available to those providers with a Small or Large Business membership. The original person who signed up with Elance is the account Owner. Any additional Team members are assigned the role of an Administrator, Manager or Consultant.
- The Owner has complete control of the account and cannot be deleted.
- An Administrator also has the same access as the Owner, except their accounts can be deleted and they are unable to update the company profile.
- The Manager role is designed for Team members who need access to jobs, but not to the company profile, Team administration or payment details such as credit card information and withdrawing funds.
- A Consultant works with the project leaders to submit the job deliverables to the employer. This role can only access the job Workroom, shared Files, Private Messages, Tracker and submit time via the Status Reports.
To create a Team account, you must first update your membership to a Small or Large Business membership.
To administer your Team account:
1. From the MyElance tab, click the Team link on the left panel.
2. To add users, click the Add Team Member link.
3. To edit or delete users, click the Edit or Delete links as needed.
Each Team member you add can also be assigned to be a Project Leader. For each job you are hired, a Project Leader is assigned to that job. By default, the Project Leader will be the person who had submitted the proposal.
The Project Leader is the point person for the employer on the job and will receive all the notifications about the job, including notifications for the Business Terms, Status Reports, payments made and Private Messages.
SUPPORT |
Elance supports the following browsers:
• IE 7.0
• Firefox 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.
- 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.
