Ah yes, Elance…

I was reminded this week how great a resource Elance is – we needed someone to do some fast turnaround graphics for us, and as always we got a really good response to our posting and found an excellent designer who did a great job.

It had been a really long time since i’d used Elance to find help – i’m not sure why exactly? I think I forgot that it was there to be quite honest, I tend to look for help within my network of VAs & OBMs first whenever I need help. And although I usually do find the help I need, being the busy bunch of pros that they are many times people aren’t available for those last minute projects that crop up from time to time.

Whereas Elance is a great resource to find people who are willing and able to start *now*. I’ve found it particularily great for finding help with graphics and audio/video editing… and we even found a great event manager there years ago (who later became a key part of our team.)

If you do a job posting at Elance a few tips:

• be as specific as possible about your needs – include examples/drafts if possible
• don’t forget to include your deadline, especially if it is urgent!
• include your budget info (which they require you do anyhow)
• ask people to include samples or a portfolio in their response (especially for graphic projects… as designers style will vary)
• when considering responses look for those who go the ‘extra mile’ – i.e. folks who actually go ahead and do a mock-up of your project, i love that!

So a reminder to myself really, and to you as well… when you need speedy help or if you are stuck trying to find help in other places don’t forget about Elance.