If you want to pick and choose your writing jobs, and bid for the ones that you want, then this article is for you. Today, we’re going in-depth, and showing you how to succeed with getting writing jobs at Guru dot com.

This is one of the better writing sites but it can be tough to figure out the best way to approach it. It’s a very involved site with a lot of different facets and ways of working with it. This is going to be a bit involved so you might want to grab a snack.

If you have ever wanted to try more than the basic Guru site but you were unsure what the best approach would be to at least breaking even on the cost, this is absolutely the article you need to read. You don’t need more than the basic account to make a good living here by any means but if you have been considering trying the upgrade for a month then time would be a good time. There is only one difference between a Basic and upgraded account and that is that the top dollar jobs are only open to those with an upgraded account. Considering what is available on the Basic account that is pretty impressive.

Getting setup

If you don’t already have a basic account please read this Guru review. It gives you all the information you need on setting up and completing your profile. There is no need to detail that further here.

Once you have your account set up and have looked around the site and examined your Dashboard it’s time to get started. My advice if you are going to upgrade is to finish everything before doing so. You want to be completely set up and familiar with the site so you can be sure you get your money’s worth.

Showcase your skills

Guru has an incredible variety of skill tests. At the bottom of your Dashboard you will see a footer that says “Take Action” select the option for skill tests. Click on the link for skill tests and choose the following options, in any order:

• English Language
• Writing
• International Languages
• Translation

Obviously if you write only in English you can omit the last two skill test categories. Take every skill test that is applicable to you in the categories you have selected. You will notice that there are many skill tests for categories outside of writing and publishing. That is because Guru is designed for Freelancers of all industries. If you see something that fit then take that test as well.

As of this writing the skill tests are free for a limited time. I strongly encourage you to log into your account a “buy” these tests. They are completely free and there is no credit card validation or anything like that. They will save to your account and you can take them at a later time. If you want to succeed at Guru you need these tests. If nothing else you simply must pass the English tests. I’ll explain why in a minute.

Know your markets

I’m not going to delve into politics, international finance or any of the thousand reasons that the following is true. It is what it is. The jobs with the highest rates are going to come from the United States, Canada, Australian, New Zealand, European and Asian markets. That is a fact of life for writers.

Before those of you who speak English and no other language decide to discount most of Asia and Europe you need to be aware that most businesses market to English speaker and most of those clients are specifically looking for a native English speaker so that their company can effectively market to their foreign consumers.

Finding great clients

Finding great clients is where the skill tests are so important to success at Guru. When a potential client puts his project out for pitches, he specifies certain criteria for the potential writer. If they are looking for work done in English they always click the box for the English skill tests. I have yet to see an exception to this in over 5 years.

For those who don’t know, there has long been a problem with people that barely speak English placing bids or taking jobs that they did not have the language skills to complete. This became such a problem that many, if not most, sites have instituted Skill tests for English language proficiency. These tests weed out many people by not allowing them to bid, or in the case of Guru, pitch for the job.

Guru took it a step further and all of the skill tests you will see are also available as option for the potential client. He can look at the list and specify he wants someone who has passed the English skill test and the social media skill test. The only people who can apply are those who have passed those tests.

This works for the Freelancer as well. You can also select the specific types of jobs you are looking for on Guru through their search engine. Once you look and decide to pass on a job it will be hidden from view unless you specifically unhide it.

You will see some extremely low offers and budgets. Ignore those and move to another job.

Pitching a winning proposal

Once you find a job you want to apply for just click the “Apply” button and a drop down menu will show up. Write your proposal in the text box and specify your proposal amount. If the client accepts it then you have a new job. If they don’t then you will move on to another job. It’s a quick and painless process.

One thing you will notice when you are writing your proposal is that it links to your skills. This is both the skills needed in previous jobs you have successfully completed as well as those of the tests that you have passed. You absolutely must have your profile completed and skill tests passed before applying for jobs.

The devil is in the details

One thing that you need to determine as soon as you are awarded a job is what format the client want’s the project to be completed in for delivery. There is no writing platform here so you will complete the project in your word processor and submit it as an uploaded file to Guru. There is also no editing so you will need to self-edit here.

Payments and protection

When you upload your completed project to Guru, Guru informs the client. While you have unrestricted access to the client and can communicate as will, the finished project is held by Guru until payment has been received by them. In some cases you can request that Guru receive payment upfront and hold it until the project is complete. It largely depends on your interactions with the client, the amount of money and the amount of time involved.

That is Guru in a successful nutshell. The skill tests are the most important factor. The more of them that you complete, the more money you are going to make.