Any luck with Guru.com?

October 10, 2005 2:01 PM

JobFilter: Anyone out there had success landing work as a freelancer through Guru.com? I can't tell how big this operation is (how many freelancers registered or jobs placed since inception), so I'm hesitant. Any insights or experiences would be appreciated.
posted by nancoix to work & money (4 comments total)

I haven't freelanced on Guru.com, but I've hired 3 freelancers through it, and they've all been great. All 3 were for illustration on jobs averaging $700.
posted by picopebbles at 2:46 PM on October 10, 2005

You might also want to check out eLance.com. They do kinda the same thing.
posted by curtm at 3:09 PM on October 10, 2005

About 4 years ago I signed up on some freelance site, which ended up being sold several times and I eventually ended up with a Guru account.

For programming jobs it's pretty wretched. People with no budget who don't understand (or care about) the scope of what they're asking for. Here's a bit of a recent job description.

Bids up to $50 flat-rate will be honored; up to $75 if includes redesign of this simple, ONE PAGE job. Hourly bids or bids exceeding this range will be uniformly declined.**

I've heard it's a bit better for design/layout/branding work, but just remember someone's coming to Guru, eLance etc. because they're looking to farm things out to the lowest bidder, not because they're interested in quality work.

awaits the filthy hordes of Guru employers who will say this post proves they made the right choice in picking Guru
posted by alan at 9:21 PM on October 10, 2005

I made $80 one time through Guru about a year ago, but it wasn't worth it. The client took weeks to respond to emails. I've landed other work, but it's been more of same--clients are slow, possibly because it's easier for them to ignore emails with questions. Many potential clients have been reluctant to send me a contract, and they often price their projects ridiculously low ($0.10 a page for original copy, for example).
posted by hamster at 7:50 AM on October 11, 2005