With the reality of the Philippines having the slowest Internet service in the whole of Southeast Asia, it is amazing to know that Filipinos were able to get the biggest bulk of paid work from Upwork. For those who are not yet aware, Elance-oDesk was recently relaunched as Upwork. This development is seen as a move towards innovating online work to make hiring faster and facilitate real-time group collaboration.

upwork1

What is Upwork?

Upwork is the world’s largest freelance talent marketplace. It is a place where businesses and freelancers meet to provide work opportunities that will benefit both. The former gains access to a pool of professionals with specific knowledge and skills while the latter gets more work opportunities that do not tie them to a set time and place. The workforce is obviously shifting to the online mode thereby totally destroying the myth that employers and employees need to follow the traditional hiring model to create a professional relationship.

The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in San Francisco, and Oslo, Norway. It is headed by Stephane Kasriel as the CEO as supported by Ryan Johnson as Categories Director. Ron Cirujano is the country manager here in the Philippines.

What is Upwork Offering?

It is acknowledged that there is an immense pool of professional freelancers located all over the world. It has also been established that businesses would like to be able to hire the perfect candidate in the shortest possible time. Hiring is the hardest and most time-consuming of all tasks that businesses do. Upwork, through its platform, is offering to make this process easier for businesses and freelancers alike. This is especially so now that Upwork has created an exclusive, private group of vetted customer service professionals.

Home as the New Call Center

Many people are now realizing that they need to make certain adjustments in their work and schedule to be able to spend more time with the family. To be able to work from home without sacrificing getting regular pay is something that most 8-5 employees can only dream about. With the introduction of the Upwork Pro Customer Service, the homes of qualified personnel may yet become the new call centers.

This set-up clearly eliminates constant concerns with commuting to work and not having enough time to attend to personal needs due to time constraints dictated by work. Dreams of being your own boss can be a reality. However, you would need to be admitted to the Pro Customer Service Group to enjoy the perks.

How to Join Upwork Pro Customer Service

Both new and existing Upwork freelancers can apply. Minimum requirements are experience in Customer Service/Support and capability to speak English well without discernible accent. Application can be done at http://bit.ly/pro-cs. Invitation will be sent to applicants who Upwork thinks have what it takes to be a Pro.

My Say

Based on experience with oDesk before, I can say that were certain loopholes that needed to be better addressed such as having to battle it out with bids that are too low for one’s self worth or having to contend with customers who do not pay as agreed upon or worse do not pay at all. However, with the vetting process being done specifically for the Upwork Pro Customer Service Group, the main factor for getting the job lies on capabilities. This presents exceptional opportunities to those who are currently working at call centers. Ryan Johnson and Ron Cirujano, who were both present in the small gathering with bloggers assured that there are more stringent safeguards against erring employers currently in place.

Filipino applicants would do well to create a great profile and set aside our natural tendency to downplay our capabilities because of “hiya” or shyness. This has to be supported however with actual knowledge and skills.  As mentioned above, Filipino online professionals have been getting the bulk of work from Upwork. This just proves that our local talent is highly competitive. Upwork is just a way to gain access to opportunities. The rest depends on our determination to create our own success stories for online work.

upwork event