How to Get Your 1st Job on oDesk

I started oDesk in October 2011. Till now, I have completed over 130 Contracts and almost 3000 calculated oDesk hours. This wasn’t achieved in a day or a month. I had to struggle hard when I started my career as a freelancer, but I kept trying and kept learning new techniques and kept climbing up the ladder to reach where I am comfortably placed today.

There are thousands of talented people trying on oDesk, but are out of luck after months of struggle that’s why this article is going to be a major part of your escape route from this hard luck.

Following tips were written by a great fellow Hussain on oDesk forum and I am sharing them because these are the pretty much what the whole debate is all about, so let’s start.

1. The most important thing, after joining oDesk, is to carefully read the terms & conditions and policies. These are a great information resource for newbies. You will find them in their Help section.
2. Make a comprehensive profile. Provide true information about your Education, Work Experience, Skills & any Certificates you possess. Complete your profile 100%.
3. Know your skills & abilities. You should be well aware of what you can do and what is beyond your working capabilities.
4. Take oDesk Tests to prove your skills. The better you score in oDesk tests, the better you’ve chances to succeed. (First take oDesk Readiness Test).
5. Carefully read the Job Description. Usually clients clearly mention their requirements in the job description. You should read the job description twice, very carefully & then ask yourself. Can you do it? If you can offer the client, what he’s looking for, then apply on that job, if not, then don’t bother.
6. Cover Letter, in my opinion, is the BACK BONE of the hiring process. After profile, cover letter is the 2nd thing, which will make a client contact you. Write your cover letter in response to the job description. NEVER EVER USE THE SAME COVER LETTER FOR EVERY JOB.
7. In cover letter, explain your skills & abilities in short & to the point. Don’t write long paragraphs.
8. Rate Recommendation: Some contractors may not agree with me, but in my opinion, initially a contractor should start with low rates.
9. After applying to a job, be patient. If you’ve done it right & gave the client a reason to contact you, then you’ll definitely get a response, from the client. (Hopefully Positive)
10. Even if you’re rejected from a job, don’t lose hope. Keep trying & you’ll succeed.

 I am very hopeful that these Small Tips will surely help you to Get your First job on oDesk.

MS Word 2007 Test for oDesk 2

Questions: 41

How will you change the author name in an existing document? 

a. Click on the Microsoft Office Button, select Prepare, and then click Properties. Type the author name in the Author box.

b. Click on the Microsoft Office Button, click on Word Options, and click Popular. Under “Personalize your copy of Office,” type the author name in the “User name box.”

c. Right click on the customize status bar and select Author Name from the list and then type a new one.

d. All of the above

Question: 42

How will you insert text boxes for a printed form?

a. Select the insert tab, in the header & footer group select the Text box

b. Select the insert tab, In the text group, click on Text box and then select draw text box. 

c. Select the page layout tab, in the page setup group, select the Text box.

d. None of the above.

Question: 43

What steps should be followed to replace a shape with another shape? 

a. Select the shape to be changed. Select the Format tab; use the “Change Shape” button in the Shape Styles group. 

b. Select the shape to be changed. Right click on the mouse button and choose the “Change Shape” option.

c. Select the shape to be changed. Select the Insert tab and select “Another Shape” in the Illustrations group.

d. None of the above

Question: 44

Which feature(s) should be selected in order to find and remove hidden data and personal information on office documents? 

a. Blog.

b. Ballons.

c. Document inspector. 

d. All of the above.

Question:45

Which keyboard shortcut inserts a hyperlink? 

a. CTRL+H

b. CTRL+M

c. CTRL+P

d CTRL+K

Question:46

Which keyboard shortcut is used to make the text size smaller? 

a. ALT+SHIFT+X

b. CTRL+SHIFT+>

c. CTRL+SHIFT+<

d. ALT+SHIFT+I

Question: 47

Which among the following is a keyboard shortcut to cut a table? 

a. CTRL+A.

b. CTRL+V.

c. CTRL+C.

d. CTRL+X . 

Question:48

Which among the following is a keyboard shortcut to underline blank spaces for a form? 

a. Ctrl + Hyphen(-)

b. Shift + Hyphen(-)

c. Alt + Hyphen(-)

d. All of the above

Question: 49

Which keyboard shortcut could be used to switch to Draft View? 

a. ALT+CTRL+P

b. ALT+CTRL+O

c. ALT+CTRL+N

d. None of the above

Question: 50

Which keyboard shortcut could be used to check the spelling of a text file? 

a. F7

b. F6

c. F5

d. None of the above

Question: 51

Which of the following is not a Content Control

Ans: Chart

Question: 52

Which of the following options repeats a table heading on subsequent pages? 

a. Repeat Header Columns

b. Repeat Header Rows

c. Repeat Header

d. None of the above

Question: 53

Which among the following options would you choose to automatically enter the current date? 

a. Select the insert tab and then select date and time in the text group. Choose one of the available formats in the date and time dialog box. 

b. Type the first four characters of the current day of the week.

c. Select the home tab and then select date in the text group. Choose one of the available formats in

the date dialog box.

d. None of the above.

Question: 54

Which among the following options will be used to select a paragraph at once with the help of a mouse? 

a. Double-click anywhere on the word.

b. Triple-click anywhere in the paragraph. 

c. Click at the start of the selection.

d. None of the above

Question: 55

Which among the following options is not true regarding a macro? 

a. A macro is used to automate a complex series of tasks.

b. The macro recorder is used to record a sequence of actions, or to create a macro from scratch by entering a code in the Visual Basic Editor.

c. To work with macros in Word 2007, the Review tab needs to be opened. 

Question: 56

Which among the following options should be used to start a bulleted list automatically? 

a. Type * (asterisk) and then press spacebar or the Tab key. 

b. Type # and then press the spacebar key.

c. Type # and then press Enter.

d. None of the above

Question:57

Which among the following is an “Orientation” type of Page Layout? 

a. Image

b. Picture

c. Portrait

d. All of the above

Question: 58

Which among the following charts do not have axes? 

a. Bar charts

b. XY (Scatter) charts

c. Doughnut charts

d. Area charts

Question : 60

Which of the following charts display “Error bars” for x values, y values, or both? 

a. XY (Scatter) charts

b. Bubble charts

c. Both a and b

d. None of the above

Question: 61

Which among the following options will you use to add a command to the Quick Access Toolbar? 

a. Click on Customize Quick Access Toolbar and then click “More Commands” and choose the command from the list to be customized.

b. Click on the Microsoft Button and then select Word Options. Click on Customize.

c. On the Ribbon, click the appropriate tab or group to display the command that you want to add to the Quick Access Toolbar. Right-click on the command, and then click on “Add to Quick Access Toolbar” on the shortcut menu.

d. All of the above

Question: 62

Which of the following is/are true about phishing? 

a. Office 2007 has a feature to display a security alert about a suspicious Web address.

b. It is an online fraud technique used by criminals to lure users into disclosing their personal information.

c. It is an online help to check text errors.

d. All of the above

Question:63

Which of the following is not true about “Format Painter?” 

a. Format Painter is used to apply text formatting and some basic graphics formatting, such as borders and fills.

b. Format Painter works best with drawing objects, such as AutoShapes.

c. Format Painter can copy the font and font size on WordArt text. 

Question: 64

Which of the following is not correct regarding “Hyphenation Zone?” 

a. The hyphenation zone is the maximum amount of space that Word 2007 allows between a word and the right margin without hyphenating the word. 

b. The hyphenation zone cannot be changed to make it narrower.

c. The number of hyphens can be reduced by making the hyphenation zone wider.

d. None of the above

State whether true or false:

Question:65

A building block can be added to as many galleries as you want. 

a. True

b. False

Questions: 66

ASCII-formatted text contains no formatting information such as bold, italic, or fonts. 

a. True

b. False

Question: 67

Any changes that are saved to “Normal.dotm” will be applied to the documents that you create in the future. 

a. True

b. False

Question: 68

Changes that are made on the Worksheet are automatically updated in the chart. 

a. True

b. False

Question: 69

Gridlines do not print when a document is printed. 

a. True

b. False

Question: 70

In Microsoft Word, a diagram can be converted to individual shapes. 

a. True.

b. false. 

Question: 71

Microsoft Office programs store some additional information within the digital signature automatically that might not be visible in the current view document. 

a. True. 

b. false.

Question: 72

New text animation effects can be applied in Microsoft Word 2007. 

a. True

b. False

Question : 73

Once a macro is running, it is not possible to stop it. 

a. True.

b. false. 

Question: 74

Placeholder citations appear in the bibliography. 

a. True

b. False

Question: 75

Switches and parameters are not case-sensitive. 

a. True

b. False

Question : 76

The “Add Assistant” shape option in a SmartArt graphic is available only if an organization chart layout is chosen. 

a. True. 

b. false.

Question: 77

Unlike the other types of styles (paragraph, character, linked, and table), predefined list styles are available when you first create a document in Word 2007. 

a. True

b. False

Question : 78

When you save a document as a Web page, the textures and gradients are saved as JPEG files and the patterns are saved as GIF files. 

a. True. 

b. false.

Question : 79

Which of the following types of charts are not supported by either Lines or Bars, as shown in the picture? Or Which chart type does the given picture represent? 

a. Surface charts

b. Stock charts

c. XY(scatter) charts

d. Area chart

MS Word 2007 Test for oDesk 1

oDesk Tests usually have 40 questions Here are some of the Questions with answers that you might see while taking your oDesk MS Word 2007 test. All the Green ones are correct answers. I'm very hopeful that it can be beneficial for you.

Question:01

Microsoft named two styles that work in Word 2007 as both character and paragraph types as being ______ styles:

a.       combination

b.       list

c.       linked

d.      table

Question:02

You are editing a figure using the Drawing Tools > Format options. Which among the following Shape Fill options in the Shape Styles group adds a solid color and transparency to a shape?

a.       No Fill

b.       More Fill Colors…

c.       Background Color…

d.      Texture

Question:03

With the help of which view will the Watermark not be seen?

a.      Print Layout view

b.      Full Screen Reading view

c.      Web Layout view

d.      All of the above

Question:04

With which chart type(s) is/are the “Depth Gridlines” option available?

a.      Bubble chart
b.      Line chart

c.     True 3-D chart

d.     All of the above
Question:05

What is meant by Enhanced ScreenTips? 

a.       Enhanced ScreenTips are small windows that display descriptive text when the pointer is rested on a command or control.

b.      Enhanced ScreenTips are larger windows that display more descriptive text than a ScreenTip and can have a link to a Help topic.

c.      Enhanced ScreenTips are a type of Font Style that can be customized according to the requirements.
d.     None of the above

Question:06

What does the command “Winword.exe /f MyDocument.docx” mean? 

a.      This command instructs Word to run a macro which is stored in a file named Mydocument.docx.

b.      This command instructs Word to close a file named Mydocument.docx.

c.      This command instructs Word to start and immediately open a file named MyDocument.docx.

d.      This command instructs Word to start and shows the contents of a file named MyDocument.docx on the Web.
Question:07

Which view(s) could be used to view the Equation placeholders in the Document Views group? 

a.       Print Layout view

b.       Web Layout view
c.       Draft view

d.      All of the above

Question:08

Which command-line switch and parameter starts Word 2007 without displaying the Word splash screen? 

a.        /q

b.       /a
c.       /m

d.       /safe

Question:09

Which method determines the position of the “Envelope” while printing, in the Envelope options dialog box? 

a.        Rotation method

b.       Feed method

c.       Position method
d.       None of the above

Question:10

Which option(s) should you select to remove a chart or axis title from a chart? 

a.      To remove a chart title, select the Layout tab. In the Labels group, click on Chart Title and then click None.

b.      To remove a chart or axis title, click on the title and press Delete.

c.      To remove an axis title, select the Layout tab. In the Labels group, click on Axis Titles, click the type of axis title, and then click None.

d.      All of the above

Question:11

Which of the following line-spacing options sets fixed line spacing that Word does not adjust?

a.        Doubled
b.        Exactly
c.        At least
d.        Multiple

Question:12

Which of the following is not a type of “Section Breaks?” 

a.        First Page

b.       Next Page
c.       Continuous Page

d.       Even Page

Question:13

Which among the following options is the reason of text deletion at the insertion point when you type a document? 

a.       The “Mark Formatting inconsistencies” is unchecked in Word Options.

b.       The “Use the insert key for paste” is turned off in Word Options.

c.       The “Show add-in user interface errors” is turned on in Word Options.

d.       The “overtype mode” is turned on in Word options.

Question:14

Which among the following file types of templates allows macros to be enabled in the file?

a.         .dot
b.        .dotx

c.        .dotm

d.        .doc
Question:15

Which among the following is NOT true about content controls? 

a.       They are individual controls that can be used in templates, forms, and documents.

b.      They can be reused.

c.      Customized content controls cannot be distributed.

Question:16

Which among the following options could be used to turn off the Office Clipboard?

a.        In the Clipboard task pane, click the Close button.
b.        In the Clipboard task pane, click on the arrow, and then on the Menu, click Close.

c.        Press F6 to focus on the Clipboard task pane. Press Ctrl+Spacebar, and then, using the Down Arrow key, scroll to Close and press Enter.

d.       All of the above

Question:17

Which among the following is a correct way to make your file “Read-only?”

a.       Click on Open from the Microsoft Office Button. Click on Tools, select the Read-only recommended check box. Click OK.

b.       Select the text you have typed, right click on the mouse and select the “As Recommended” option and save it.

c.        Click “Save As” from the Microsoft Office Button. Click on Tools and then click General Options. Select the Read-only recommended check box. Click OK. Click on Save.

d.        None of the above
Question:18

Which among the following macro settings is meant for developers only? 

a.        Disable all macros without notification.

b.        Disable all macros with notification.

c.        Enable all macros.

d.       Trust access to the VBA project object model.

Question:19

Which among the following options should be used to number the cells in a table?

a.        Select the table cells that need to be numbered. Go to Layout and choose Numbering from Table Properties.
b.        Select the table cells that need to be numbered. Right click on the mouse and choose Numbering from Table Properties.

c.         Select the table cells that need to be numbered. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click on Numbering.

d.         None of the above
Question:20

Which among the following is the correct order to convert a table to text? 

a.         Select the table, right-click on it, and select “Convert to Text.”

b.         Under Table Tools, on the Insert tab, in the Tables group, click on “Convert to Text.”

c.         Select the table. Under Table Tools, on the Layout tab, in the Data group, click on “Convert to Text.”

d.         None of the above
Question:21

Which among the following wildcards should be used to select any single alphabetic character? 

a.         <

b.         >

c.          ?

d.          *
Question:22

Which among the following is not true regarding the use of a pie chart? 

a. A pie chart could be used when there is only one data series to be plotted.

b. A pie chart could be used when the data points in a pie chart are displayed as a percentage of the whole pie.

c. A pie chart could be used when none of the values that need to be plotted on the chart is negative.

d. A pie chart should be used when there are more than seven categories.

Question:23

Which among the following features could be used to create a connection to a Shared Network folder?

a. Web options

b. Save options

c. Accept

d. Map Network Drive

Question:24

Once a bullet is removed from the “Bullet Library” and it is no longer available in the “Document Bullets” area, the bullet cannot be added back to the Bullet Library.

a.        True

b.        False

Question:25

Changing the Author property in the Document Information Panel of an existing document has no effect on the User name setting in the Word Options dialog box.

a.          True

b.         False

Question:26

Just as in Word 2003 or prior Word versions, the default standard view for Word 2007 is the Draft view (and is still also called the Normal

view in Word 2007):

a.        True

b.        False

Question:27

An existing table cannot be copied and pasted into another table.

a.        True

b.        False

Question:28

Cover pages are always inserted at the beginning of a document, no matter where the cursor appears in the document.

a.         True

b.         False

Question:29

Which of the following is shown in the picture, denoted by A?

a.         Opacity Handle

b.         3-D Handle

c.         Rotation Handle

d.         None of the above

Question:30

Which feature has been used from the Picture Pane on Picture1 to achieve the same result as Picture2?

a.        Compress Picture

b.        Set contrast to −40%

c.        Set brightness to +40%

d.        Recolor

Question: 31
The default installation of Word 2007 includes several built-in character styles. Which of the following is NOT one of the default, built-in character style. 

a. Emphasis.

b. Special Emphasis. 

c. Subtle Emphasis.

d. Intense Emphasis.

Question: 32

Edit tracking changes are typically formatted in the following manner: (1) deletions—red strikethroughs, (2) additions—green and underlined, and (3) formatting changes are made bold in almost any other desired color. Where in Word 2007 could you set your own custom formatting options for tracking changes? 

a. Select the Office button and then select Word Options. In the Word Options dialog box, select Proofing and then set your formatting options.

b. Select the Review ribbon and then select the triangle by Track Changes. In the drop-down menu, select “Change Tracking Options” and then set your formatting options in the Track Changes Options dialog box. 

c. Select the Office button and then select Track Changes. Set your formatting options in the Track Changes Options dialog box.

d. Select the Office button and then select Word Options. In the Word Options dialog box, select Customize and then set your own customized formatting options.

Question: 33

Suppose you want to insert a cross reference at the current cursor position in the document to a heading (located elsewhere in the document). Which of the following methods would do this in Word 2007? 

a. Select the Add-Ins tab. In the Hyperlinks section, click Cross-reference. Select the desired heading among all those displayed in the dialog box. After you have made your selection, click Insert. Close the dialog box.

b. Select the Insert tab. In the Links section, click Cross-reference. Select Headings under Reference type. Select the appropriate heading from those displayed in the bottom pane. After you have made your selection, click Insert. Close the dialog box. 

c . Select the Add-Ins tab. In the Links section, click Hypertext. Select the desired heading among all those displayed in the dialog box. After you have made your selection, click Insert. Close the dialog box.

None of the above. Word 2007 cannot do cross references.

Question: 34

The Ribbon is a new feature for Microsoft Office 2007. There are several ways to turn off the Ribbon in order to save space on your computer. Which of the following can optionally turn off the Ribbon in Word 2007? 

a. Click the Down arrow to the right of the Quick Access toolbar button and select “Minimize the Ribbon.”

b. Select the View tab and select the “Document Map” check box option in the Show/Hide group.

c. Press Ctrl+F1. (Press Ctrl+F1 a second time to make it reappear again.)

d. Double-click the currently active tab (the tab that is in focus) above the Ribbon.

e. All of the above

Question: 35

The draft view was called the normal view in versions of word prior to word 2007. The draft view can help with setting the page and section breaks for the document. Which of the following could be used to select the draft view for a document? 

a.Open the view ribbon. Click draft in the document views group. 

b.Select the office button and then select word options. In the word options dialogue box, select display and check draft check box under page display options.

c. Click draft icon on the status bar

Question: 36

To enter a symbol or special character into your document (to where the cursor is located), which of the following method could you employ in word 2007? 

a. Open the home ribbon, click special characters in the symbol group ( open e menu displaying special characters). Choose the special character (or symbol) that you want and then click insert and click close.

b. Open the insert ribbon. Click special character in the text group (opens a menu displaying special characters) Choose the special character (or symbol) that you want and then click ok.

c. Open the insert ribbon, click symbol in the symbols group. A menu will appear with a small selection of symbols. If you don’t see the symbol or character you’d like to insert, click more symbols. Choose the special character (or symbol) that you want then click insert and click close. 

d. Open the home ribbon, click symbol in the text group. A menu will appear with a small selection of symbol. If you don’t see the symbol or character you’d like to insert, click more symbols. Choose the special character (or symbol) that you want and then click ok.

Question:37

To find the answer press CTRL+F in your keyboard and type the word(s) you want to find. Which feature(s) should be selected in order to find and remove hidden data and personal information on office documents

a. Blog.

b. Ballons.

c. Document inspector. 

d. All of the above.

Question : 38

How would you divide your word 2007 document into three columns? 

a. Position your cursor where you would like to insert the columns. Open the insert ribbon. In the pages group, click columns, select three.

b. Position your cursor where you would like to insert the columns. Open the insert ribbon. In the page group, click Page break. Select three.

c. Position your cursor where you would like to insert the columns. Open the page layout ribbon. In the arrange section, select three.

d. Position your cursor where you would like to insert the columns. Open the page layout ribbon. In the page setup section, click columns select three.

Questions: 39

How does the “Gutter margin” help while using Page Setup, as shown in the picture? 

a. It ensures that the text is not obscured by binding. 

b. It prevents the “Full Screen Reading” view from opening automatically.

c. It displays the field results instead of field codes.

d. All of the above.

Questions: 40

How will you set the default font so that every time you open Microsoft Word it will use the settings that you had selected? 

A. Click on the Microsoft Button and select Word options. Click on Display and then select “Default font settings.”

B. Select the Home tab, and then click the Font Dialog Box Launcher. Select the font style and size. Click on Default… and then click Yes. 

C. Both a and b

D. None of the above