• Write a short project description that describes exactly what you want. Your project description should convey the objective of the project and the details that may be needed to receive an accurate and appropriate proposal. A well thought-out description will always receive more quality proposals. Depending on the project and your own style, you may want a very detailed description, enumerating every aspect of the work you want done. On the other hand, you may also get good results by including only those aspects that are non-negotiable and allowing the service provider to fill in the details.
• Indicate your timetables. Ask for proposals with milestones and weekly checkpoints to help you and the service provider stay on schedule. Elance allows you or the service provider to create milestones and attach project documents.
• Specify the payment terms, or let the bidders propose terms prior to awarding the project. Elance allows you to specify your budget or choose not to disclose it. Some employers disclose their budgets in order to receive more targeted proposals.
• Mention your communication preferences, suggesting what type of communication works for you (e.g., phone, email, instant message) and how often you want to get updates.  Remember to ask for at least one formal weekly status report through your Elance private message board to maintain an audit trail of the project.
• Communicate during the proposal review process. Communicating with the service provider will help you evaluate professional standards and receive more accurate proposals. Use the Elance Project Clarification Board to post new information about your project.
• Post your project only once.  There is no need to post your project in every Elance sub-category that applies. All the providers in a category can see all the projects there. If your project spans more than one category, post in the category that focuses on the key service or skill set.
• Evaluate the quality of the proposals and profiles. A quality provider will submit a well written proposal tailored to your specific project requirements. Provider profiles, portfolios, ratings and feedback will help you compare service providers. Web workers who are new to Elance will have less data in their profiles: ask them for samples and references that relate to their work prior to becoming Elancers.
• If your project is large, consider “auditioning” the provider first. If you have a big project that will require a large investment of time and money, think about auditioning providers by conducting a smaller test project first. Some employers will hire two or three providers for the first phase of work and then continue with who they like best.

You can also get started by reviewing the Buyer Guide or by contacting us.