Are there any real jobs on here?

a4fa153a · ‎03-03-2022

I've been using Upwork for just over a month now. I've submitted proposals to dozens of jobs. Sometimes I'll begin a conversation with the person, discussing the details of the job, or them asking me details about my skills. Then the person will stop responding, and I won't know if I've been hired. Other times I get accepted for proposals or invites to submit proposals from scam posts asking me to contact the person through Telegram for more information.

So again, are there even real jobs on this site? Do I bother continuing to apply? Or should I go to another, more reliable site? I'm currently living abroad and was hoping for some side work, but so far I've had no luck.

gilbert-phyllis · ‎03-03-2022

There's plenty of good work to be had through this platform but it takes a strong profile and a lot of persistence to get traction. I recommend you spend time browsing FLs in each of the categories you mention in your overview headline -- proofreading, editing, copywriting -- to get an idea of how competitive each one is and where you could find your niche within it. Study profiles of FLs who have built strong job histories and are earning steadily -- what are their credentials and qualifications, how do they position themselves to clients?

Rework your profile overview. It reads like a resume which is not what you want here. Again, look at profiles in your target category.

NikolaS · ‎03-03-2022

Hi Kevin,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Please know that sharing contact information before a contract has started is against Upwork’s Upwork's Terms of Service and that all communications prior to the contract starting must take place on Upwork. We also encourage you to let us know if a TOS violation has happened by using the Flag as Inappropriate option throughout the platform. You can learn more about user reporting here.

Please check this post for the freelancer resources and tips for avoiding questionable jobs that we put together to help freelancers make decisions whether to work with a client or not.

Additionally, you may want to check this help article for more information on how to stay safe on Upwork.

~ Nikola

bruce_dodds · ‎03-04-2022

Hi Kevin,

Keep trying. There is work here.

Phyllis had some good advice about looking at the profiles of successful freelancers in your line of work. Look at freelancers whom you honestly consider to be peers in ability. Look at their rates. You don't want yours to be too much higher or - importantly - too much lower than theirs. Of course, you may want to offer a slight discount to get traction.

Good luck!

Cheers,

Bruce

cassajoy · ‎03-04-2022

Look into what the previous replies mentioned - it is good information.

The thing that gets me that I've experienced a few times is when a client responds, and there is some discussion, and then they stop responding. But they stop responding at an odd place in the conversation if that makes sense. I even had someone confirm the video meeting then went silent.

There is definitely work here, but I didn't get hired right away. A month is a short time to be on here, actually. There are many resources around to help new freelancers. I've heard others talk about being client-focused in proposals and even your profile. While I shouldn't talk because I need to update my own, I learned the client sees the first couple lines of your profile before clicking to read further. I guess the other point to remember is that this isn't like a job board. Submit relevant proposals and keep going.

allpurposewriter · ‎03-05-2022

My thnking, Cassidy, is that people simply disappear in mid conversaton on the Internet, because it's the Internet. They have never met you formally. They live in another corner of the planet. They are short on time. You're not even just a number; you're a binomial in this universe. In so many words, people who would never think twice of being as inconsiderate in the organic universe think nothing of abruptly disappearing in the metaverse. It's the one superpower we all discover on line -- the power to be or pretend to be anonymous.

allpurposewriter · ‎03-05-2022

First of all a month is not that long for a newcomer to get their first contract. But you're right to reach out, because you can learn from all these pros who've been at it for a while.

Case in point: Phyliss is right: Your profile needs work. It reads like a resume, which is a lost opportunity when it comes to marketing yourself. And, it turns out, there are something like 17 million members of Upwork, which mean there could be quite a few competitors who are marketing themselves better than you.

Finally, it's an uphill battle to sell editing skills if the first thing a client sees is two or more glaring mistakes in your write up. The headlline or title (whatever it's called) says Editing, Proof reader, copywriter. That's inconsistent. It should be Editing, proof reading, copywriting or Editor, proof reader, copywriter. In addition, how do you come up with proof reader, copywriter? It should be proofreader, copywriter or proof reader, copy writer.

Final answer, it should be Editor, Proofreader, Copywriter for ultimate consistency -- with just Editor capitalized or all the words capitalized -- you get the idea.

If you are sending proposals with mistakes in them,. it's going to be tough going here. The common denominator in the freelance world is that you should be an expert in your niche. You have to up your game to compete here.

nataliebonge · ‎03-08-2022

Hi Anthony, I am sorry but I really have to disagree. I thought the same when I started. Quality over quantity, build your profile, write good proposals etc. But meanwhile I found profiles of competitors that are top rated, have high earnings and their work is the most horrible thing I have ever seen! They get tons of jobs by running a text through a machine translation tool and then proudly present that monstrosity on their profile page, together with their 5 star rating. And it works. They just get more and more jobs. It is so frustrating.

allpurposewriter · ‎03-08-2022

Rarely am I accused of not being cynical enough. In fact, I think that's a first. Now, I have to up my game, there's more acidic, cynical heights to aspire towards.

elastella · ‎03-09-2022

OK, I'll bite.

After reading your post about all those unscrupulous top-rated albeit untalented providers scamming clients with machine translations left, right and centre, I felt compelled to visit your profile, expecting nothing "less than perfect translations". And tons of experience plus a proven track record.

Alas, I couldn't find that perfection. Neither in your overview nor your portfolio samples.

It's also apparent that you're not a native or bilingual English speaker as you claim.

You'll find your attitude will do little to endear you to prospective clients.

Don't forget that everybody struggled to get their first job(s) at one point and build up from there.

ldrechsel60 · ‎03-05-2022

There are legit jobs on here. I've been with Upwork for over 7 years and working for a client for 4 1/2 years now and another one for almost a year.

I get annoyed with all the invitations to interview that are jobs that do not fit my skills. sometimes

they turn out to be scam jobs. Like I received an offer yesterday to be an Admin asst for a company that I knew nothing about. The person messaged me on Upwork and asked me to download the Signal App because I would be talking to a "Hiring Manager". I knew it was a scam job so I politely Declined the Offer and told him I cannot communicate off of Upwork.

I get these kinds of jobs frequently. I don't want to set my profile to private because I am still looking for another part time position. It's hard to know sometimes when they are scams because the job post reads well and the payment is verified.

So, don't give up. This is a good place to find the work you want. Sometimes it takes time to find the right client to fit your skill set. Good Luck!!

robric · ‎03-05-2022

I get all my decent jobs from invitations Kevin. In fact I hardly apply for jobs at all. Most employers don't advertise because they get a ton of replies they don't have time to plough through. So they search for freelancers instead usung filters like skills and feedback stores. My profile is private because I am happily underwhelmed. Keep it short and sweet and please do add a portfolio. If you are starting out create examples to show how good you are.

nataliebonge · ‎03-08-2022

Yes, if you are willing to deliver the project within one hour and for 1/10 of the avarage salary in your country. Then after 20 jobs like that, you might be able to get 1 medium one. But seriously, this is basically how it goes. There are a few good jobs, but it takes forever to get there. I don´t think it´s worth the effort TBH. Moreover, you are competing with people that shouldn´t work anywhere. That´s probably why they are here. Example? I checked some profiles of my competitors. Their translations were not only bad, they were in a state for which every normal company would sue you (I kid you not!). However, they were top rated with more than 10K earnings. What did I even study for??

marc_compte · ‎03-11-2022

Natalie, there are all kinds of jobs and all kinds of freelancers. You studied because you wanted to do better than automatic translations. There are always clients who value price over quality and there are always clients that prefer quality over price, it is legitimate.

They are two different niches, pick yours. If you think your niche is the kind of client who values quality, don't look at freelancers who offer automatic translations. They are not your competitors, you don't want to compete against them and you shouldn't use them as reference. If you want to look at profiles, pick those that are better than you.

Focus on your niche and use the advanced search feature to search for jobs of your rate and expectations and save the search, then in your feed you will see only those that match your saved searches. Keep trying and stay positive, if you are good at what you do you will get rewarded.

485003da · ‎03-08-2022

Hi Kevin. I am a new freelancer too and I have managed to get a few jobs. One really good one that is ongoing. A few one-offs. One that I just completed a trial to see if they want me to keep working ongoing. They are there, just keep sifting and just keep working. You do have to work for cheap while gaining traction. I so far am finding it worth it. Just keep going, you will get there!

godwins_okeyo · ‎03-09-2022

hey guys ,am also having the same challange infact for me ,i have been around for quite some time but i have never been lucky to get a single job , to add salt to the wound is that my account has resently been set to private by the admin simply because i have not been actively earning or gettin account visits and views from visitors .

so inshort ,i would like to have two requests guys ; i want you guys to visit my profile and help me pin point areas in my profile thats needs a re-touch interms of polishing and being articulate .

the second request i have to the communiyt is to just visit the profile even if you dont comment on the profile layout just to enamble get off the hook of [unavailable] that has caught up with me because my account has few visitors.

i will really appreciate if you guys do so

gilbert-phyllis · ‎03-09-2022

Godwins O wrote:
hey guys ,am also having the same challange infact for me ,i have been around for quite some time but i have never been lucky to get a single job , to add salt to the wound is that my account has resently been set to private by the admin simply because i have not been actively earning or gettin account visits and views from visitors .
so inshort ,i would like to have two requests guys ; i want you guys to visit my profile and help me pin point areas in my profile thats needs a re-touch interms of polishing and being articulate .
the second request i have to the communiyt is to just visit the profile even if you dont comment on the profile layout just to enamble get off the hook of [unavailable] that has caught up with me because my account has few visitors.
i will really appreciate if you guys do so

Visits or views of your profile have nothing to do with being set to private. That happens automatically when you go a certain length of time without earning anything. You can request that your visibility be set back to however you had it (public or Uw users only) and they will do that within a day or two, sometimes a few hours.

jennifervh · ‎03-09-2022

Hi Kevin, it takes some time and work.

I've been freelancing for about 4.5 years now through Upwork. I got lucky when I started and got one project really quickly, but winning new projects in general felt nearly impossible - work was sparse. I should go back and actually count some time, but I'm sure I sent close to 100 proposals early on with no reply or clients who wandered off after replying.

The projects I won in the early days seemed to be based on my portfolio (clients did mention that drew them in), but now I believe my projects are won mostly based on my reviews and solid history of work here.

It took at least a year and a half to build up history here and get a good flow of projects coming in, but I am so glad I stuck with it; I can't really imagine every having to conform to a normal 9-5 job again (something I did for 15+ years before freelancing). And while as a freelancer there are always occasional dry spells, I now spend very little time actively seeking new projects - I typically have enough work with just invitations to interview from clients.