Going, going, gone!

Entrepreneur, Feb, 2005 by Joshua Kurlantzick

For decades, entrepreneurs have used relatively unchanging methods of finding employees: word-of-mouth, family connections and, more recently, online job boards. But now, entrepreneurs can find employees the same way they would find an old Sinatra record on eBay: by auction.

Over the past two years, talented employees with specialized skills have started auctioning their services online. Websites like www.elanceonline.com have sprung up to sponsor online talent auctions. In these auctions, different employers bid for employees' services; alternatively, employers put projects online and take the lowest bids from contractors all over the globe.

At first, the auctions were largely restricted to the IT field. But now, the practice is moving outside IT. In New York, for example, nurses have started auctioning their services online to hospitals. And Elance Online founder and vice president of marketing Beerud Sheth says not only technology workers, but also graphic designers and copywriters are increasingly using his site to peddle their services. He says, "We've seen huge growth in these areas; especially in people doing writing and publishing for entrepreneurs."

JOSHUA KURLANTZICK is a writer in Washington, DC