Are folks with free memberships not eligible to apply for any job?

Hi Debra,

Those with basic accounts can apply for jobs, but there are certain criteria. In order to bid on a project, the skill category of your profile has to match the skills of the project. So someone in a particular area of computer programming can't bid on a data entry or graphic arts job, because they aren't qualified under their profile to do so. BUT, you can create multiple profiles that are in different categories which would allow you to bid in different skill areas.

There are a few other restrictions with basic memberships you need to be aware of as they could affect your ability to bid. From the help section of Guru:

The skill category of your profile must match the skill category of the project.
Your location must match the location preferences selected by the Employer for the project.
The project cannot be posted as a “Guru Vendor Only” project.
You must have bids available. (Basic users are limited to 10 bids every 30 days.)

You can set your search to only show those projects that you qualify for by doing the following:

On the top navigation bar, enter keywords or a Project ID in the Find Projects box and click “Go.”
Click “Settings” at the bottom of the left-hand column.
Select the “Show only projects I can apply for” check box.

HTH

:)