You need to write lots of content for your website, blogs or other documents. Why not hire a freelancer to write the text. This article will show you how to hire a freelance writer. It will also show writers how to offer their creative talent to clients online.
Introduction to Guru website
Guru was born in Pittsburg, PA in the United States of America. It is a platform where employers and freelancers from all over the World meet and collaborate. It gives employers access to numerous talented people willing to work on their projects. It offers a platform where freelancers can apply for jobs that they can perform at home for a salary negotiated with the employers.
Guru interface is very similar to UpWork. Click here to read about UpWork. Read on to learn how to hire a freelance writer using Guru.
How it works for clients
The splash screen will let you either search for a freelancer or post a job. You must join to initiate a project.
The system will automatically find gurus (freelancers) when you post a job with specific terms (keywords). You can choose one or many of the suggested gurus or select someone you find yourself.
Finding a guru. Log in and click on “Find a guru”. Type in the search criteria for example Blog Writer. You can also refine your search by using filters located on the left side of the screen.
Inviting selected gurus. Click on “Get a quote” beside his/her name. Select a job type or create a brand new job. Send a message if desired. Click on”Get a quote”.
Selecting the best quote. When you receive numerous quotes, you can click on “Best Match”. This function will put all the quotes in order listing the best match for the requirements of your job (skill, type, location and more).
Hiring a guru. After analyzing the quotes, select the guru you want to award the job to. Click on “Hire”. You can cancel this hiring only in the period before the freelancer accepts the award.
Types of agreement. The payment agreement can be fixed price, hourly, recurring or task based.
Payment. Guru has a payment & invoicing system. You can pay directly an invoice or you can use the SafePay tool where the payment is protected through the Negotiation and Arbitration system.
How it works for freelancers
Joining the program is free for the Basic profile. Four other profile levels are available for fees ranging from $8.95 to 39.95 per month paid annually: Basic+, Professional, Business and Executive. Each level offers different advantages.
Guru charges a fee on every job. The percentage depends on the profile level as follows.
- Basic: 8.95%
- Basic+: 8.95%
- Professional: 6.95%
- Business: 5.95%
- Executive: 4.95%
When joining, you will have an opportunity to present your know how. Choose a catchy title, a great description and select the category your service falls into. Guru lets you add video or audio media to better market your talent. The profile will also include skills, portfolio, rate/hour and minimum budget.
Skill tests. Skill tests are a reliable way to showcase your knowledge. These tests are available on the Guru website. Basic and Basic+ freelancers must pay respectively $4.95 and $2.95 per test.
Finding jobs. You can search for jobs using keywords. Quotation marks will show more specific results. Blog in French search will be broader than “Blog in French”. You can then refine the findings using filters. When you find work you are interested in, you will be able to submit a quote.
Bidding on jobs. To submit a quote, you will be using the bids from your bid bank. Basic freelancers have access to10 bids a month. Basic+ and other levels have 50 bids per month (600 per year). Professional, Business and Executive can also buy premium quotes that will place their bids above all others.
Workroom. The workroom is a platform where the client and the freelancer communicate using the “Discussion” tool. The guru will also provide the agreement and any project related files through the workroom. The agreement will define the payment method and the job timeline. Depending on the type of work, the final product can be delivered to the client in the workroom.
Time Tracker. When working on an hourly job, you need to install the time tracker tool on your local computer. The tool takes random screenshots within 10 minute periods while you are working on your computer. The screenshots are uploaded automatically to the workroom for review by the employer.
Getting paid. To get paid, you will need to submit an invoice. The client can pay the invoice directly or through the SafePay tool. The SafePay tool will better protect you against unpaid invoices. You can transfer the cash accumulated into your account by direct deposit, PayPal, prepaid MasterCard or wire transfer.
Feedback. Employers and freelancers have 60 days after payment to rate each other. When favorable, this rating will improve your freelancer ranking among all the gurus.
Available service categories
Writing projects are one of the types of services offered by the freelance membership. Clients have many choices and can determine specific work to be done. See the list below.
- Web, Software & IT
- Design, Art & Multimedia
- Writing & Translation
- Sales & Marketing
- Admin Support
- Management & Finance
- Legal
- Engineering & Architecture
- Any Category
Recommended
I have not worked or posted projects using Guru.com myself but I did explore the platform and it has the look and feel of UpWork. The guru presentations are similar to the Fiverr gigs. During my review, I did find some differences from the platforms I have used mainly on job fees and knowledge test. Reviews from users are positive and this service can be trusted.
As a client this site appears easy to use in order to hire a freelance writer. Being a writer, the site lets you showcase your writing talent to a community of possible employers.
If you have questions or comments about Guru, please feel free to use the comment area below. I will give you more information with pleasure.
I have reviewed other programs. Click here to read information on another great website.
– Nicole