Google Set To Launch Its Own Jobs Portal - Google Hire

Google is set to launch its own job marketplace service, Google Hire. The new project of Google seems to put the company into a market that is already filled with a number of established players.

Google Hire

Google Hire is a job listing portal where applicants can upload their resumes for potential employers or recruiters to check. It will also allow individuals to check for jobs posted by employers. Google Hire is supposed to be a job applicant tracking system that is similar to Lever and Greenhouse, according to axios.com. Aside from posting job openings, employers can also accept and manage job applications through the site.

Full Disclosure

Since users have the option to use their personal Google accounts, speculations emerged on the possibility that the new recruitment tool will give employers and recruiters access to the browsing history of applicants. But these fears were disproved by a Google spokesperson who said the online search giant will only provide information that were “voluntarily” provided by candidates. The spokesperson revealed to rt.com that Google will not share “private information such as search or viewing history” to employers or recruiters. The spokesperson added only “information that applicants input into Google Hire will be shared.” So, if are planning to apply for a job on Google Hire you won’t have to worry about a potential employer looking at what you have been searching online. Well, that is, if it will become fully launched and available in the Pearl of the Orient,

Google Hire

Job Recruitment Market

The entry of Google into the job recruitment market may provide employers another venue to look for applicants. But the market is currently quite competitive with companies such as LinkedIn, Monster and Glassdoor already leading the market. Facebook also rolled out its job listings support near the start of the year. Due to this, it will be necessary for Google to offer something new to the market. A number of tech companies appear to have started to use the job portal, including SingleHop, CoreOS, DramaFever, and Medisas.

Google Hire

Google Hire is the latest innovation offered by the online search giant through its enterprise and cloud division. The new innovation also features an email that refers to “Bebop,” which was a company started by Diane Greene before it was acquired by Google in 2015. Greene is currently running the enterprise and cloud division of Google.

By Invitation

For the moment, signing up for Google Hire is by invitation only.  If you try to sign up without an invitation, you will see a notification indicating that your Google account is not associated with any account on Google Hire.

Google Hire

What are your thoughts about Google Hire if it becomes available here in the Philippines? Tell me about it on the comments section below.

Jump Start Your Career As An Online Freelance Worker

One thing you should keep in mind if you want to become an online freelance worker is that it is necessary for you to persevere. Similar to regular day jobs, online freelance workers have to send in their application and sell themselves to their clients. While thousands upon thousands of jobs are available on different job sites, you still have to apply for them. If the client likes your profile, you may go through a Skype interview or an interview through email.

Jump start Your Career As An Online Freelance Worker

For instance it took me 40. . . yup, you read that right . . . four-zero applications before I landed my first online job. I had to keep on applying for a job until I was able to find a client who was interested in what I had to offer.

Online job sites are good places to look for jobs

And the first job I landed was researching products on eBay.  The thing is, I had no idea on what the job was all about. I had to research and watch videos to know what to do. Good thing the client also gave me instructions on how to do it and hired me.

My first job was to research products on eBay

While my next few jobs were writing jobs, I still had to go through the same process of applying and selling myself to potential clients. But you do not need to go through everything I went through. Use what I experience as a lesson if you want to start your online freelance career.

Jobs available on Upwork

Taskmasters.io

There is one website that I can refer you, that is if you are a writer. I actually found this site through one of the Facebook groups I joined. The website . . .taskmasters.io

Taskmasters.io

The website actually has a list of projects you can work on without having to send in an application and waiting for a response from the client. All you need to do is to grab the project and work on it. But you should make sure you finish the writing project within the allotted time or before the deadline.

Always meet the deadlines

Starting

When you sign up on the website, you will have to go through a series of tests to ensure you are up to the task, so to say. But you do not have to worry if your grammar, spelling and sentence construction are good enough since you will breeze through these tests without a sweat.

Passing the tests is your first step

Some of the tests delve into the features available on the website along with the processes you have to go through before you can grab a project. When you pass through these tests, you can already start working on the projects. The more projects you finish, the more you earn. In addition, you also reach some milestones that open up more features on the website.

More projects, more money

Aside from working on writing projects, taskmasters.io also features an eLearning portal where you can enhance your writing skills. While you will have limited access to the eLearning courses at the start, you will eventually open up more courses as you complete more projects on the website.

Learning never stops

Rates

Even as the rate for each writing project is not as high compared to some projects you can find on Upwork and other online job sites, they are still higher than what you would normally get from an office-based writing job. Heck, you can even earn twice or three times the income you get from the projects through the website compared to what you get from an office-based job. You also would not have to apply for the projects since the people behind the website are handling this.

Earn online

While veteran writers may not find the rates appealing, it is more than enough for newbies or people who want to jump start their career as an online freelance worker.

Become an online freelance worker

Ranking

In addition to the cash, you also have the opportunity to rise in the ranks of the website. The higher your rank, the more projects become available for you to work on. It also opens up more eLearning courses as well as other features offered on the website.

Earn as an online freelance writer

Working as an online freelance worker is similar to working as an employee. In fact, the process of getting a client is also similar to applying for a job. But there are some ways to allow you to take out a number of steps in the process and fast-forward your way to earning money online. One way to do this is by signing up on taskmasters.io.  Sign up today and start your career as an online freelance worker.

Disclaimer: some of the links provided are referral links.

P.S. You can send me a private message on my Facebook Page or write on the comments section if you have any questions about the website.

5 Good Places To Look For An Online Job

Around a month ago, I asked a fellow freelancer working here at The Tide to critique my work and give suggestions on the things I can do to improve my blog. I provided links to some of my posts and I received some good insights on the things I can work on. One of the things she suggested was to create a list of free online job sites where an aspiring online freelance worker can find good jobs to start his or her online freelance career.

The online jobs sites I will list down are the ones I am familiar with or have signed up for.  It is essential to sign up for more than one online job site since there may be instances when changes happen in one site and an online freelance worker may end up holding an empty bag. Whenever contracts end, it is not always easy to find a job particularly for those who have just started their career. Anyway here’s the list:

Essays.ph

Essay.ph

Essays.ph is a Filipino-owned job site for freelance writers. It was established in 2008 by Paul Agabin, a blogger and reverse internet marketer. Essays.ph is headquartered somewhere in Makati. While I signed up for this site way back in 2010, I never tried getting a job through the site. I first heard about the site while searching the net for a good online job site. I came across a blog reviewing the site. What piqued my interest in the blog (aside from the fact that it was another online job site I can use) was the fact that she learned how to create SEO-friendly articles by writing for the company. After signing up, they asked me to create an article incorporating some key words at least once. This was the first time I got acquainted to SEO writing.

Freelancers basically browse through the list of available jobs and “claim” the project they want to complete. After claiming the project, they were given 24 hours to complete it. Once the project is complete, they should send it back to editors, who check the work. If the project meets the standard of the company, freelancers get paid. It is important to take note that the funds are kept within the company. Freelancers can have the funds sent to their bank accounts anytime. Even as the company had a list of banks they can send the fund to during the time when I signed up, I am not sure if they still have the same policy up to this date. Each project normally requires writers to finish at least ten 500-word articles. If they feel they are unable to pass the project within the 24-hour period, the company allows them to ask for a 24-hour extension. But, I online freelance writers can only ask for the 24-hour extension once a month. Writers also have the opportunity to accumulate points. The more points they accumulate, the wider the range of projects they can select from.

I basically used the site as a learning tool since it had a forum where members shared their experiences while working. The site also provided tutorials on how to write SEO-friendly articles. One thing I noted was that since the site accepts all kinds of projects, all members working on at least one article had to accept at least one project for “sex enhancing tools.” But, I’m not sure if this still holds until today. So for any holier-than-thou online freelance workers, it may be advisable for them to proceed with some caution. A number of writers use the site as a source of funds for luxury expenses, but some also use the site as their main source of income. The rates are not quite high compared to other online job sites. I think their rate was P300 for ten original articles and P150 for ten rewritten articles. In my opinion, Essays .ph is a good site for budding online freelance workers to start off their online careers. You can sign up for an Essays.ph account by clicking on the following link.

Staff.com

Staff.com

One of the newcomers in the online freelance world is Staff.com.  Staff.com is an Australian-owned company established in 2012. Its job list includes writing jobs, web development jobs, programming job and marketing jobs, among others. Its clients come from numerous companies around the world, particularly from the US, Canada, the UK and of course, Australia. I became acquainted with the site after I received an email invitation for the official launch of the company here in the Queen City of the South last May 23. The event was held at the function room of the Castle Peak Hotel and was attended by a good number of the successful online freelance workers based in the city. Aside from promoting the site, the managing director of the company also introduced another product of the company, timedoctor.com.

For the moment, I have yet to apply for a job through the site. Since it was established only three years ago, it is understandable for the site to have a limited number of available jobs listed.  In fact, at the time this post was written, the site only had a total of 113 active jobs.  For online freelance workers based in the Queen City of the South, this site is a good site to look for jobs since the managing director is lives here. She is quite friendly and approachable, and if you encounter any issues that cannot be resolved through the customer support personnel on the site, you can actually text her and ask for her assistance.  Online freelance workers have the option of choosing full-time, part-time or occasional jobs and salaries can go up to US$4,000 per month depending, of course, on the type of job required. According to the site, the companies that post jobs on the site are evaluated and it is extremely rare for online freelance workers not to receive their salary.

Since I have not yet applied for a job on Staff.com, I may not be able to give a more thorough review of the site. But, I think this is still a good place for online freelance workers to look for their first job, especially those based in the Queen City of the South. One thing to remember, though, the company evaluates everyone who signs up on the site, so it is important to provide all the necessary information in order for your account to be activated. You can sign up for an account by clicking on the following link.

Freelancer.com

Freelancer.com

When I started my career as an online freelance worker, Freelancer.com was one of the sites I signed up for in 2009. It was called getafreelancer.com back then. During this time, the site appeared quite basic without much images on the site itself. Due to this, I did not really get to explore the site itself since I did not feel comfortable getting jobs through a site that did not give much attention on how it looked. However, after it was acquired by Freelancer.com, it went through a drastic transformation and now it looks way much better when I signed up in 2009.

The rates offered through Freelancer.com during that time were quite low, and other freelancers would try to outbid others by lowering their bids. With the cost of living here at the Pearl of the Orient, it will not be easy to go up against online freelance workers from other countries, particularly from countries with a low cost of living. Recently I got wind of some bad experiences from other online freelance workers from one of the Facebook groups I joined. One online freelance worker was paid by the client but he could not withdraw his earnings since his account was suspended for no apparent reason. But, I’ll give the site the benefit of the doubt since it may be possible that the online freelance worker may have inadvertently violated a policy of the site. This is normally reason why accounts are suspended.

Aside from jobs, the site also conducts contests for online freelance workers. Anyone registered at the site can join these contests, and prizes can range from $10 to $100 depending on the type of contest they will join. You can sign up for an account by clicking on the following link.

Elance.com

Elance.com

During the course of my career as an online freelance worker, I got wind of Elance.com from one of the freelancer Facebook groups I joined.

I did some research on the job site and found out that there was a representative or sorts based in the Queen City of the South.  I contacted him and set up a meeting. After a couple of hours, I learned that Elance.com was similar to Odesk/Upwork but offered higher rates. I signed up for the site and started applying for jobs. It did not take me long to find a job on Elance, and it did offer higher rates compared to Odesk.

The only thing I noted on the job site was the fact that it did not have as many jobs listed as Odesk. Online freelance workers also are also limited to two specializations, which further limits the jobs they can apply for. Despite this, it should be noted that the rates are actually higher compared to Odesk. I think I was able to get my first job on my fifth or sixth application, which is actually faster compared to when I applied for a job at Odesk. However, I did not concentrate on this job site due to the limited number of available jobs. Despite this, this job site is a good place to look for high-paying jobs, that is, if you already have a good amount of experience with working as an online freelance worker. It should be noted though that Elance already merged with Odesk.com to form Upwork.com. So when you log into your Elance account, it will direct you to Upwork.com.

There are two types of jobs on Elance.com – Hourly and Fixed Price. Hourly job rates start at $3 per hour and can go up to $25 or higher depending on the kind of work you can offer to the client. On the other hand, Fixed Price jobs start at $5 and can go up to $1,000 depending on the project you will work on for the client. You can sign up for an Elance.com account by clicking on the following link.

Upwork.com

Upwork.com

Upwork.com (formerly Odesk.com) is the online job site I got most of my jobs from. When I first signed up for the site, it was still Odesk.com. It was established by Odysseas Tsatalos and Stratis Karamanlakis in 2003. Odysseas came with the idea of starting the site and got in touch with Stratis to set it up. Former Odesk CEO Gary Swart came in nearly two years after the site was established and was able to raise $6 million in funding from venture capitalists. In June 2015, Upwork was formed after Odesk merged with Elance.com, another online job site, making it the biggest online workplace in the world.

I actually got the idea of working online after catching the interview of a lady online freelance worker in one of the local TV channels. The lady was actually an SEO expert and was making more than enough to allow her to go on trips every month or so around the country. In fact, her earnings were more than enough to allow her to go on trips around the world. After watching the program, I searched for the site where she gets her projects and signed for it. At the start, I was working part-time since I still had a day job as a teacher in one of the most exclusive schools here in the Queen City of the South. My income from my part-time job nearly equaled my salary as a teacher, and three years after I decided to become a full-time online freelance worker.

One thing I can advise aspiring online freelance workers is that they should be patient when they try to land their first job at Upwork. I was able to land my first job on my 40th, yes, that’s FORTIETH application. The job was quite easy to do after I was able to get the hang of it. The rate was not that high, but it was more than twice the minimum wage at that time.

Since Upwork .com is the product of the merger between Odesk and Elance, the rates at Upwork are the same as the ones found on Elance.com.  There are two types of jobs on Upwork.com – Hourly and Fixed Price. Hourly job rates start at $3 per hour and can go up to $25 or higher depending on the kind of work you can offer to the client. On the other hand, Fixed Price jobs start at $5 and can go up to $1,000 depending on the project you will work on for the client. You can sign up for an Upwork.com account by clicking on the following link.

These are just five of the online job sites aspiring online freelance workers can look into when they want to start their career.  I am hoping that this review will help you, yes YOU, when you want to start a career as an online freelance worker.

Hole-In-The Wall

Working online does have its perks. I can get to work anywhere just as long as the internet connection is reliable. There are actually a number of places within the city with a reliable internet connection, and not all of them are coffee shops. 

In fact, one of places I found that has a good enough internet connection is a watering hole along one of the major arteries in the Queen City of the South. I normally come here late in the afternoon when people start to pour into my favorite coffee shop. I normally work on one of my blogs here since it allows me to become a bit more "creative" than usual. When the sun sets, they usually have a band or two to entertain the patrons of the place.

However, recently the place started to become a bit crowded, especially during the weekends. People start to pour in up to a point wherein they actually have no tables available for their growing list of regulars. Ever since I "discovered" this place late last year, I have been frequenting it at least once a week. Sometimes I would come here twice or three times a week. While the place can be considered a hole-in-the-wall place, a good number of backpackers come here since it houses a one- or two-star hotel. 

The prices of the food and drinks are rather reasonable. The people who work in the place are quite friendly. Whenever I come here, I typically pass by the counter and hold up one finger (not that finger) and they already know what I want to order. And of course, the internet connection is reliable. In fact, as I am writing this entry at this not-quite-hole-in-the-wall place in the middle of the Queen City of the South.

The place has started to become more popular among the twenty-something age group (I am also a part of this twenty-something group although don't ask me what that something is). It has started to become a bit crowded. Due to this, its either I finish my work earlier or I try to find another place where i can work in peace.

There may be a number of other places in the city that are waiting to be discovered. Places where the internet is reliable and the prices are reasonable. Places that have yet to be discovered by the BPO employees who basically have more money than time to spend. Places where an online freelance worker like me can be productive while having a great time.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Being an Online Freelance Worker

Online Freelance Work

All jobs have their own advantages and disadvantages. Online freelance work is no exception. Yes, you get to be your own boss and basically work just about anywhere. However you have to look for your own HMO, take care of your taxes and social security payments, and you have no job security. I have been working as a full-time online freelancer for the past seven months and although it does not seem that long compared to people I know, the experience has been quite an eye-opener for me. I decided to write about the advantages and disadvantages of freelancing before people take a leap of faith and enter the world of online freelancing. I hope that this article will serve as an eye-opener as well for people who want to get away from the corporate world and try their luck as an online freelance worker.

Advantages

One of the biggest advantage of freelancing is that you are your own boss. No one will look over your shoulder while working, you work at your own time, and you take your break anytime you want to. The only semblance of a supervisor is the client whom you work for, but if you find a client who is more concerned about your output rather than how you work, then you have it made (that is if you produce something that is up or not beyond the standards of your client). This is one of the advantages that encouraged me to enter the world of online freelancing.

Another advantage of online freelancing is the fact that you can work just about anywhere you want. I normally work at a coffee shop that has a good Wi-Fi connection although I also work at home. Working in a coffee shop will require you to pay for your coffee but you can stay at the coffee for as long as you want. I work in a coffee shop since I still get to work with some people around and I think some of them also do online freelance work. I normally stay in a coffee shop for three to four hours and one large cup of mocha latte is good enough for me to take away the feeling of being alone while working. In fact, the coffee shop where I do my online freelance work already know me by name and what I usually order. I also know some people who are actually travelling while working as an online freelancer. Talk about mixing business with pleasure. However, most online freelancers normally work at home to reduce their expenses.

Online freelancing also allow you to decide what time you want to take a break from working. Since most of my work is output-based, I can work at any time I want to. Although some online jobs that require you to log-in while working, you can simply log-off if you want to take a break.

You have a wide selection of freelance jobs to choose from on the net and all you have to do is to select the one that you are comfortable with. This is another advantage in online freelance work, you can choose which job to apply for. There are actually a number of online job sites that look for writers, virtual assistants, graphic designers, web designers and the like. For me, the best online freelance job site is oDesk simply because I find the site user-friendly and I got my first online freelance job in this site.

Working online also allows you to earn good money, that is if you have enough experience for that job that you choose to apply for. There are a number of online freelance workers who earn more than a bank manager, some even earn more than the CEO of a small company. Short-term projects may allow you to earn more since the earlier you finish each job, the more jobs you can apply for. Long-term projects may not offer a huge amount but it does allow you to demonstrate your loyalty to your client, who may recommend you to people they know once the contract ends.

Online freelance work also does away with office politics. No more back-stabbers, gossipers, or people who basically suck up to the boss. You do not have to deal with people you love to hate.

Disadvantages

NonProfessional Blogger

Ironically, one of the biggest disadvantages of online freelance work is actually the biggest advantage of working as an online freelancer, you are your own boss. Since no one is looking over your shoulder all the time, you have to learn to motivate yourself. You have to make sure that you stay disciplined and free yourself from any distraction while working. You also have to take care of paying your own taxes and social security as well as find a good HMO to take care of your medical expenses if you get sick. You also have to market yourself to your potential clients in order to get the job that you want. This makes it important to have a good online portfolio. If you are a writer, creating a blog is a good way to show off your writing style and skills to potential. You have to work hard in order to land a job online.

Online freelance work requires you to manage your time well. If you do not know how to manage your time well, you might not finish a project on time. This is a pitfall of a number of new online freelance workers. The thought of working at their own time may have resulted to more rest than work.

Another disadvantage of online freelance work for people living outside the US is a strong local currency. When I initially started out as a part-time online freelance worker, the dollar exchange rate was around P48 to $1. When I checked the exchange rate recently it was down to around P39 to $1. The strong currency in the Philippines is disadvantageous to online freelance workers since we are paid in dollars. Each time the Philippine peso strengthens, the buying power of an online freelance worker goes down.

Newcomers to the online freelance industry will not find it easy to land jobs. I learned this when I started to work part-time as an online freelance worker around three years ago. It took me a forty applications before I landed my first job. However, my client was great, in fact he was quite satisfied with my work that he gave a good feedback for the job that I did for him. 

The last but definitely not the least disadvantage in online freelance work is the lack of job security. Since online jobs are mainly contractual, you do not have the benefit of job security. Clients may end a contract anytime. Unlike office work where you become a regular employee after six months of continuous work, online freelance workers may work for years yet they may are not considered as regular employees of their clients. 

Although there may be a number of advantages and disadvantages of online freelance work, these are just some that may give people who are taking the industry into consideration to think about. In the end, you will decide whether or not being an online freelance worker is a good career choice for you. I hope that you will think about these advantages and disadvantages before you take a leap of faith and become an online freelance worker.

Online Job Sites

Finding online freelance work is not quite difficult if you would know where to look for it. There are actually a good number of sites that offer jobs to online freelance workers like me.

The websites are as follows: