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New Upwork Skill Certifications

lenaellis
Community Member

We have launched a new initiative to help freelancers showcase their expertise by earning an Upwork Skill Certification. These skill certifications highlight talent that has demonstrated competency in their field by passing a rigorous skill assessment or sample work review, evaluated by domain experts in their field.

 

Currently, Upwork Skill Certifications are available for certain skills in the Web & Mobile Software Development (WMSD) and Design & Creative fields. For WMSD, certification is a two-step process that takes 2 to 3 hours. Participants must achieve a passing score on two timed and proctored coding tests. Design & Creative talent must achieve a passing score on their Upwork portfolio, which is evaluated by a panel of third-party domain experts. You can learn more about Upwork Skill Certifications here. Given the intricacy of having skills assessed, these certifications are exclusively invite-only at this time.  

 

Upwork Skill Certifications will display on your Upwork profile in the certifications area.

 

Here is an example of a Microsoft certification on a profile. Upwork Skills Certifications will appear in a similar format but with an Upwork badge for the specialized certification. 

Sample existing certification

MS Certifications.png

Sample Upwork Skills Certification Badge

Skill Certification.png

Upwork Skill Certifications are currently available in 10 software development languages and 16 design and creative skills. 

 

Upwork Skill Certifications in Web & Mobile Software Development test for individual proficiency in a particular language or technology. Assessment methodology varies by skill, using a combination of timed, proctored tests and in some cases, technical interviews. 

 

  • Android, Java
  • Android, Kotlin
  • iOS, Objective-C
  • iOS, Swift
  • C#, Desktop Software Development
  • C++, Desktop Software Development
  • Java Back-end Development
  • JavaScript Back-end Development
  • JavaScript Front-end Development
  • PHP Back-end Development
  • Python Back-end Development
  • Ruby on Rails Back-end Development

 

Upwork Skill Certifications in Design & Creative test for an individual’s or agency’s demonstrated competency in current design best practices. A panel of 2 or more domain experts evaluates a freelancer or agency Upwork portfolio based upon several dimensions depending upon the skill. 

 

  • 2D Animation
  • 3D Animation
  • 3D Modeling *NEW*
  • Art Direction
  • Brand Identity
  • Cartooning
  • Creative Direction
  • Editorial Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Illustration
  • Image Editing
  • Motion Graphics
  • Presentation Design
  • User Experience Design
  • User Interface Design
  • Video Editing
  • Videography

 

We plan to grow the program and offer the skill assessments to more talent and in additional skill areas. You do not need to have earned a talent tier such as Top Rated or Expert-Vetted to receive an invitation. These are signals of having expertise in your field and do increase your chances of being invited, though. For the best chance of being invited, achieve and maintain a solid reputation, complete identity verification, maintain a complete and up-to-date profile that is not set to private, and have an active Upwork account in good standing. 

348 Comments
f7b8af5e
Community Member

Did anyone get an email like this from Upwork? 

They emailed me about a week ago and invited me to take a skills test to get a badge. It said please let us know if you are interested, which I did. And now apparently that invitation is being revoked.

Why?

**Edited for community guidelines**

 

JoanneP
Moderator

Hi Benjamin,

 

Sorry for the inconvenience that this may have caused you. The email you received was to inform you of our new Skill Certifications program. We are inviting freelancers to share if they’re interested in completing one of the assessments we have available. You can find more information about the certification program and process in this Help article. If there isn’t an assessment that relates to your skill then we don’t have a certification that would be suitable for you at this time. We'll follow up in the Community with an update as we continue to assess and expand the program.

iradani
Community Member

Hello! I received an invitation for certification, it got lost in the mail. I found out about this when a letter came from Upwork today, stating that I shouldn't have gone through it. How can I get another invitation? I think any tests are a good opportunity to show my skills and I would gladly do it. I'm sorry that I missed the invitation letter.

scribblingvee
Community Member
Hi Lena,

This is a welcome development. I received an invite last week or so, but I've been made to understand it's an error. I'm primarily a writer on Upwork, but I've taken advantage of specialized profile to offer my graphic design skill. I have my portfolio session filled. I've gotten a few jobs there. Do I get a chance of being invited, or it's for those who are mainly into these creative niches?
NikolaS
Moderator

Hi Iryna,

 

Thanks for your question. At this time you cannot request to be invited. For the best chance of being invited in the future, we suggest freelancers achieve a solid reputation, keep a complete and up-to-date profile that is not set to private, and maintain an active Upwork account in good standing.

 

Thank you,

NikolaS
Moderator

Hi James,

 

Please note that Upwork Skill Certifications indicate proficiency in one or more skills on your Upwork profile. Currently, these certifications are only available for certain skills in Web & Mobile Software Development and Design & Creative fields. You can find more information in this help article

 

iradani
Community Member

Hi Nikola S ,  sorry to hear that. If I didn’t respond to the invitation, does it mean that I have lost my chance?

scribblingvee
Community Member
Hi Nikolas,

Thanks for your response. However, my question is, will a freelancer who is active in two categories (writing and graphic design) be considered for invitation, since graphic design is one of the qualified skills at this time. I don't want to presume. I'm a writer, but I also have a specialized profile in graphic design category. I hope my question is clearer now.
f7b8af5e
Community Member

Hi Joanne,


Thank you for getting back to me. I appreciate your providing a link to the Help article. Looking at it, I do have a number of skills that are included on this list and that I would be happy to be tested on. These include: JavaScript Front-end Development, Brand Identity, Graphic Design, User Experience Design and User Interface Design. 

 

I do not understand the part of the email I received that said the email was sent to me by mistake because there are multiple certifications you are currently offering for which I have relevant skills. No one reached out to me to follow up on what skill I might want to be tested for. I believe the revocation of my invitation was in error.

 

Thank you,

Ben

VladimirG
Community Manager

Hi Iryna, James and Benjamin,

 

Congrats on receiving the initial email! This means that you possess the skills that we're looking for in your category for our skills certifications. I know that we received a lot of responses already so it will take the team some time to go through them. I want to clarify that, in Benjamin's case, when clicking the link and selecting the certification you were interested in being invited to, this was to reflect your interest in receiving an invite and does not guarantee you will receive an invite. The next step is for the team to review your profile and experience and if deemed appropriate you will be sent the invite to complete the certification. 

 

Iryna,

 
Not at all! We don't have a timeframe for opening up the program to new requests at the moment. We'll follow up in the Community with an update as we continue to assess and expand the program. If you are invited to future assessments you will be notified via email. Thank you.