| Company | oDesk |
| Website | odesk.com |
| Blog | blog.odesk.com |
| @oDesk | |
| Stage | Live |
| Launched | 2005 |
oDesk’s online workplace has three main areas of functionality: hiring, management and payment.
1) Hiring • Large Talent Pool: With millions of workers to choose from, businesses can find the best worker with the specific skills and knowledge they need – more easily and quickly than by searching locally. • Advanced Search Algorithm: oDesk’s proprietary search algorithm helps businesses find the workers that are best matched for their projects, and helps workers find the best jobs for their skills. • Detailed Profiles with Reviews and Work History: To assess fit when reviewing candidate search results, a full profile for each worker is provided, including a portfolio of past work, ratings and reviews from previous oDesk clients, and skills test scores. • Message Center and Applicant Tracking System: A proprietary email messaging platform and applicant tracking system also help businesses set up interviews and negotiate contract offers.
2) Management • Team Room: Through the Team Room feature, workers log into each project and the software automatically tracks their time, also allowing them to add a “status note” about what specific tasks they’re working on. • Work Diary: The activity from the Team Room is aggregated into a Work Diary, which both businesses and workers can view to see more information about how their active working time was spent. This visibility also allows oDesk to guarantee work to clients and payment to contractors.
3) Payment • Global Payment System: oDesk’s global payment system enables businesses to pay their entire team of contractors easily, no matter where in the world they are located — giving them a review period to look over contractors’ work diaries and allowing them to pay all of their contractors in one lump sum, automatically, with their credit card. • International Withdrawal Options: oDesk offers a variety of international withdrawal options for contractors, including PayPal, MasterCard prepaid debit cards, local funds transfer, and wire transfer.
