In the modern gig economy, most people are searching for a side hustle that will help them earn extra cash to supplement their income. One of the most popular platforms for freelancers is Upwork. It allows remote workers to connect with clients and turn their talent into a reliable income that helps themselves or their families.
Unfortunately, getting a job on Upwork can be challenging. In this guide, we’ll teach first-time Upwork users how to land their first assignment on the site.
What is Upwork?
Upwork, formerly called Elance-oDesk, is a Santa Clara, Calif.-based company that connects freelancers with enterprises who need independent contractors to complete projects. The remote talent platform allows companies to scale their workforce using proven professionals as necessary. Five million businesses use this platform, including Microsoft, Airbnb, General Electric, Automattic, and Bissell.
The platform allows businesses to access a reliable pool of talent while allowing workers to enjoy freedom and flexibility to find jobs online. If you sign up for Upwork, create a profile with a photograph, a list of your skills, and work samples. The tech company has over 70 categories of work for freelancers.
Eight Tips for Freelancers Searching for Work on Upwork
If you’re searching for work on Upwork for the first time, here are eight tips you should keep in mind when searching for work on their website.
1. Upload Professional Profile Picture
Your profile picture is the first thing that your potential Upwork clients will see. Whether it’s fair, your appearance is your initial introduction to your client and your work. These photos help clients know who you are. Showing your profile picture also helps them see you as a human being and a professional.
When selecting an image for your profile, use clear, high-resolution headshots (300 dpi and higher). Don’t use blurry, grainy, or poor quality photographs. Potential clients may assume it reflects of your work quality. Dress professionally for your photograph and avoid wearing pieces that show too much skin. You don’t need clothing that’s too formal; instead, opt for business casual attire.
Another tip when choosing a photograph: select an image that makes you appear friendly, so your expression also matters. When you’re smiling and have a confident posture, it affects how your clients perceive you. Most customers prefer working with people who have a pleasant demeanor, so smile for your professional shots.
2. Highlight the Benefits You’ll Provide to Clients
When seeking freelance jobs on Upwork, make sure your writing is compelling, professional, polished, and powerful. Your profile should have a comprehensive overview of your skillset, including relevant keywords that will help clients find your profile. Don’t brag about your talents; talk about the results your skills will produce for your potential clients if they hire you.
Since competition is fierce on Upwork, consider how to widen your expertise that can help you earn more clients and improve your rates. For instance, if you have worked with several tech companies and have search engine optimization experience, highlight this in your profile.
Next, proof your profile to ensure you catch minor mistakes that can cost you jobs. Your clients will pay attention to your writing in every proposal you present. They will also evaluate your skills and profile for any issues. Clients may skip your proposal if it contains multiple misspellings, texting acronyms, grammatical errors, and missing words.
Before turning in your proposals or other work, you can use a grammar checker to search for errors. Read your work aloud before you turn it in. Three great tools for this are ProWritingAid, LanguageTool, and Grammarly.
3. Create Professional Samples for Clients
Do you have lack work experience with clients in the real world? You can create profile samples to showcase your work. This step will show clients you have initiative and possess the talent and skills to finish business projects.
Upwork doesn’t have rules saying that freelancers should only include paid work samples for their work portfolio. You can create these projects from scratch and place them online. For instance, if you’re a freelance designer that wants to create emojis for companies, you can create sample icons online and publish them to an online site. You can also contribute guest blogs for other sites. You can use this same strategy for other fields.
4. Use Low-Paying Jobs to Earn Reviews and Build Your Reputation
If you’re starting on Upwork, you may believe that lower-paying jobs are not worth your time or energy. You may think you’ll spend a lot of time with little compensation for the work you finish. However, many larger contracts arise from low-pay jobs, including big business and long-term contracts. Very few companies will award $20,000 contracts to companies that have little experience.
Making your services cheaper to other freelancers is a brilliant strategy to help clients give you a chance. It’s better to complete minor projects that you can finish quickly instead of longer jobs that net smaller returns. It also limits your exposure to exploitation and helps you get more reviews from clients.
5. Add Relevant Work Experience and Education
Clients want to see your work experience, so it’s a great idea to include your work experience, especially when you’re starting on this platform. If you have a long work history, you don’t have to include every job: the last four jobs are sufficient. If you don’t have a lot of work experience, include as many of your past jobs, even if they weren’t relevant to your present project.
6. Supplement Your Profile by Taking Upwork’s Online Skills Test
If you don’t have a job history, you can take Upwork’s online tests to prove to potential clients that you have the skills necessary to complete their jobs. It’s not a requirement for freelancers, but it can help you make a better impression.
7. Write Engaging, Customized Proposals
Read the entire proposal on Upwork. Most are straightforward, while others are long and involved. You only want to search for jobs that you’re qualified for and work you want to complete. When writing a proposal, customize each one for your clients’ project.
If possible, provide social proof with your proposal. For instance, provide a link to your LinkedIn site that shows you are active on social media and have an online professional presence.
Next, provide links to work you’ve completed similar to your proposal. One mistake that applicants make is they send samples that are unrelated to the client’s project. For instance, if you’re writing about search engine optimization, you don’t want to send in samples related to music, wedding photography, or another project.
When closing out your proposal, suggest an actionable step about what you want to happen next. For instance, suggest a video call or chat to discuss the project.
8. Ignore the Number of Declines You Receive
Continue to submit proposals to new jobs, even if you get a significant number of declines. Although this may feel disappointing at first, if you keep going, you will eventually get jobs on the site. Keep researching for additional ways to improve your portfolio and samples to get hired.
