[JacobJans]

I don't have any experience with oDesk, or with hiring developers, but I do have a lot of experience hiring writers on such sites. I have had good successs, but it was a learning process. Here's a little bit of what I've learned.

You have to be very careful about the type of job you hire for. It needs to be highly structured, with very limited flexibility. The instructions I post are often as long as the document that needs to be written. Because my instructions are so explicit, there is little room for error. They know exactly what they need to do, and how to do it. If they screw up, I take it as a failure in my instructions, and tweak them for the next time.

The job details also include something about how they should write their bid. I usually ask them to write a sentence that indicates their understanding. This is usually specific, and relevant to the job, such as a list of topics they're able to write, based on the job description. You'd be surprised how many people don't do this. It's a quick and easy filter.

Once the freelancer has successfully completed an assignment with me, they've earned a little bit of trust. I'll hire them again. Eventually, I'll give them more flexibility, more pay, and more challenging work. Most freelancers won't get there, but that's OK. I've structured things so that it's hard to fail. It's also not particularly easy to get ahead. They've got to pass the filters.