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samantha_huls
Community Member

Webinar: Beginning Your Freelancer Journey on Upwork

Hey everyone,

 

If you recently attended my “Beginning Your Freelancer Journey on Upwork” webinar, you may have some follow-up questions. It’s a lot of information that we pack into our 1-hour session together and we're not able to address all your questions in that setting. 

 

So, let’s continue the conversation!  Bring your questions and we’ll keep talking about how to be successful on Upwork - with resources, tips, and ideas on how to land jobs and grow your freelancing business.  

 

If you haven’t attended “Beginning Your Freelancer Journey on Upwork”, you can register for an upcoming webinar on our Upwork Events page, or view the recorded version of it below. 

 

In the webinar, we talk about things like:

 

  • How to find and apply for jobs
  • Communicating with clients on the platform
  • Getting paid

 



We are so excited to have you on the platform and I hope that you continue to feel supported by us as you move forward on your own journey. 

 

Looking forward to hearing from you!

 

-Sam

 

46 REPLIES 46
t_weems
Community Member

Is it possible to get a copy of the slides from this webinar?

Hey Tony - of course. I've attached them for you here. 

 

Hope you enjoyed the webinar!

Thank you

Hi Samantha

 

Thank you for this opportunity, i hope it would be helpfull for me and the other newbie like me.

b683fc17
Community Member

Hello, this is the Webiar slide.

Note: I'm not a member of the webinar hosts, I just got the slide when I attended the webinar. I hope it helps.

0e90cfb4
Community Member

Please I will like to use up work but I don't understand anything.
67bd996d
Community Member

Hello Samantha, I was wondering what the "Interviewing" tag means on a posted job. Is it the number of freelancers being interviewed currently, the number of interviews the client intends to hold, or what exactly?

 

Kindly see the attached picture for a pointer.

Many thanks.

Hi Daniel,

 

The number you`re referring to represents the number of interviews the client has at the moment. To learn more about Upwork and how it works, check out our resources Here. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

Thank you very much

I don't understand


Daniel D wrote:

Hello Samantha, I was wondering what the "Interviewing" tag means on a posted job. Is it the number of freelancers being interviewed currently, the number of interviews the client intends to hold, or what exactly?

 

Kindly see the attached picture for a pointer.

Many thanks.


Hi Daniel,

You were right - it means the client is currently interviewing that number of freelancers. An interview constitues a response to a proposal, so it doesn't always mean that they're going to hire someone if they interview them. I hope that helps!

Do you think it's worth then using your Connects on bidding if they are interviewing someone?

 

And THANK YOU for the great info on the webinar.  🙂

 


Amy M wrote:

Do you think it's worth then using your Connects on bidding if they are interviewing someone?

 

And THANK YOU for the great info on the webinar.  🙂

 


I think that depends - In my opinion, the entire context of the job status should be taken into consideration. How many proposals did they get? When was the client active last? I think I'd make the decision on whether to send a proposal to them based on a cumulative amount of factors vs just the amount of people they're interviewing. I also don't believe that interviews are the most important factor out of all of them; although they can show that they are interested in a few people, it might not be completely indicative of whether or not they're settled on a hire. They could also be hiring more than one candidate.

 

Ultimately, I always say that if you feel like it would be a great mutual fit - meaning that you are really excited about the work and you can provide evidence or a detailed expanation of how you've done similar work successfully in the past - go for it! 

 

ps- thanks for attending the webinar, I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

009cafc5
Community Member

Hey, guys, I am Farah Zain a new content writer at Upwork. I am struggling to find a way to get a job.. But haven't got any.
Can anyone suggests me or want to work with me?

Wanna hear from you.
Thank you.

Hi Farah,

 

Submitting proposals doesn't always guarantee that you will get hired or get a chance to be interviewed, but you shouldn't give up on sending proposals to potential clients. You may check our Resource Corner and find some excellent topics there:

 

Submitting a Winning Proposal on Upwork

Make Your Freelancer Profile More Visible & Appealing

Enhance Your Freelancer Profile for Greater Success

 

When you apply for jobs, make sure your proposal is well written and that you're absolutely qualified and certain of your ability to complete the job you're applying for.
 
Thanks!
~Andrea
Upwork
mahamud23045
Community Member

Hey,

Thanks for giving wonderful webinar. I am a new freelancer in Upwork. How I get 1st order in Upwork. I am very interested to work with Upwork.

Thank you

Hi Mahamud,

 

I suggest checking out this Community thread to help you get started on Upwork along with the Freelancing Resources board in which you'll find plenty of articles to help you with writing proposals, negotiating with clients, setting your rates, enhancing your profile, and so on.

 

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar
Upwork
f12daba3
Community Member

Hi Samantha!

 

I was on the webinar today, and I have a follow-up question from one you answered earlier. Someone asked about how to propose a rate if the job description doesn't give specific details about the workload. You suggested having a conversation with the client in order to get a specific scope of the project. Are you suggesting we do that in the proposal or once the proposal is accepted and we go on to an interview? Or should we, like you also suggested, mention a rate in our proposal based on other work we've done, but then follow it up with something like, "This rate is dependent on the specifics of your project?"

 

Thanks for your help!

Brigid

Hi Brigid,

 

For help getting started please check out this Community thread. You can also find some great topics in the Freelancing Resources board like: Negotiating Your Rate on Upwork.

 

Thanks!

~Andrea
Upwork


Brigid L wrote:

Hi Samantha!

 

I was on the webinar today, and I have a follow-up question from one you answered earlier. Someone asked about how to propose a rate if the job description doesn't give specific details about the workload. You suggested having a conversation with the client in order to get a specific scope of the project. Are you suggesting we do that in the proposal or once the proposal is accepted and we go on to an interview? Or should we, like you also suggested, mention a rate in our proposal based on other work we've done, but then follow it up with something like, "This rate is dependent on the specifics of your project?"

 

Thanks for your help!

Brigid


That's a great question! I think there are a couple of different ways to approach this. In my opinion, you should mention it in the proposal if your bid amount could change. It's totally fine to let them know in your proposal that the total cost is dependent on scope, but a ballpark budget might be "xyz".

 

Be sure to discuss this further in the interview and then have any adjustments or changes on project pricing written into the contract correctly before you accept it. Really, communciation is key in this kind of situation. The interview is the time to really start to define the scope of the project and decide whether this is something you'd be willing to undertake for a mutually agreed upon rate. Remember, you're interviewing the client just like they're interviewing you. It may not be a good mutual fit, and you are not obligated to accept anything unless you want to.

 

ps - thanks for attending the webinar! Glad to see you again. 🙂

0f57fbf7
Community Member

Hi Samantha!

 

Thank you for the webinar! I have a couple of questions:

 

1) In regards to verified payments you said that we shouldn't start work until there is money in the milestones. However, with hourly jobs on your slide you said that we are billed on a weekly basis. Will that money be in escrow too? Should I ask the client to verify payment before beginning hourly work?

 

2) You said not to include work experience that is unrelated to the job in my profile. Although I have retained the knowledge, the last time I worked in an office was 10 years ago and most of my professional experience is in restaurants. As a manager I have worked in Excel, Adobe PDF editor, Word, payroll, and scheduling along with many other skills learned in restaurants and I feel ignoring that would be a disservice to myself. As a server/bartender I have exceptional costumer service skills. Do you believe that including that kind of information would be helpful or hurtful to winning proposals?

Hi Ashley,

 

When working on Hourly contracts your client is invoiced automatically every Monday. We suggest you make sure your client has verified their payment method before starting work on an Hourly contract in order to qualify for Hourly Protection

 

You can find some advice on how to build your profile here as well as some other great topics in our Resource Corner.

 

Thanks!

~Andrea
Upwork


Ashley B wrote:

Hi Samantha!

 

Thank you for the webinar! I have a couple of questions:

 

1) In regards to verified payments you said that we shouldn't start work until there is money in the milestones. However, with hourly jobs on your slide you said that we are billed on a weekly basis. Will that money be in escrow too? Should I ask the client to verify payment before beginning hourly work?

 

2) You said not to include work experience that is unrelated to the job in my profile. Although I have retained the knowledge, the last time I worked in an office was 10 years ago and most of my professional experience is in restaurants. As a manager I have worked in Excel, Adobe PDF editor, Word, payroll, and scheduling along with many other skills learned in restaurants and I feel ignoring that would be a disservice to myself. As a server/bartender I have exceptional costumer service skills. Do you believe that including that kind of information would be helpful or hurtful to winning proposals?


Hi Ashley!

 

Looks like Andrea got the 1st question - thank you!! 🙂

 

As far as the 2nd question:

If you feel like the work is relevant, I think you should include it. I really want to clarify that work that is irrelevant would have nothing in common with the service you'd be providing on Upwork. I think in your case, which is unique since your previous industry/roles have had such a broad reach, I think you could include it if you wanted to. Just be sure to clarify what relevant work you did and why it's relevant. I think as long as you can show how the two are related, having diverse experience is great! 🙂

em-laiheang
Community Member

Hello, Samantha H

Thank you for the information about Freelancer Journey on Upwork. 

I am very happy to be on a team of Upwork freelancers. I will do my best and cooperate to build our team to be successful forever.

Best, 

Laiheang


Em L wrote:

Hello, Samantha H

Thank you for the information about Freelancer Journey on Upwork. 

I am very happy to be on a team of Upwork freelancers. I will do my best and cooperate to build our team to be successful forever.

Best, 

Laiheang


Best to you in your journey! 🙂

rukmalmf
Community Member

Hi,

I just need to know how i can i start with upwork with finding my first job.

Thank you.

wangechik
Community Member

How do I come up with a proposal to upload while looking for my first job on Upwork ?

I havent done any job on upwork before, I need some initial guidance.

BojanS
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi IRENE;

 

I would recommend that you check out these topics to help you create proposals that win jobs, and help you boost your career on Upwork: 

 

Also, you'll find great webinars here, feel register for the ones that suits you.

 

Happy working! 

~ Bojan
Upwork
57d41c1b
Community Member

Hey Samantha,

why is my money still pending and some stilll in review?

How long will it take for them to be released to my account?

Thank you

Hi Salome Seleyian,

 

I checked and it looks like you're referring to an Hourly Contract. In this case, you are paid based on the Weekly Billing Cycle:

 

Week 1 – You log time using the Upwork desktop app and Work Diary.
Week 2 – Hours within the weekly limit invoice to your clients on Monday. They have until Friday to review the work. Then the review period ends.
Week 3 – Earnings become available on the following Wednesday.

 

Thanks!

~Andrea
Upwork
voiceoverdj
Community Member

Where do I go to add my testimonials?

Hey Jeff! You can find your testimonials section on your profile. You should see a "request a testimonial" button in section that is labeled "Testimonials" in the middle of your profile. Just click on that and it will guide you through requesting a testimonial! 🙂 Hope this helps!

takedharam
Community Member

I get jobs in my feed which I am not eligible to apply; for e.g. I get jobs that need >$10K billing. Even when I do an advanced search I do not get an option to filter jobs based on these filters such as billed amount, ratings, or location. The net result of the current state of the algorithm is that I get many jobs in my feed that I am not eligible to apply for. It is just a waste of time for me and therefore inefficient for Upwork too.

 

Is there a way that I can resolve the above issue within the current framework of Upwork? If not, how can I escalate this to the relevant team within Upwork so that this gets worked upon in the Upwork feed algorithm logic? After all, the more contracts and the higher billings that I can accomplish efficiently the better it is for Upwork and me!

Hi Dharmedra,

 

There is an option for you to filter jobs based on the client's location and budget. Although, the location is going to be country-specific only. You may want to check this help article for more information. I'll be sure to share your feedback with the team so that they can also review it. Thank you. 

~ Joanne
Upwork
elmiro02
Community Member

Hello. I just recently started working at Upork. I wanted you to help me how to start communicating and working here
BojanS
Community Manager
Community Manager

Welcome to Upwork, Elmir!

 

To help you get started, please visit our Resource Center and sign up for upcoming events and webinars to learn more about how you can boost your success on Upwork.

 

Good luck! 

~ Bojan
Upwork
eagcol
Community Member

Thank you
isabellesambou
Community Member

My name is marie sambou and i am from senegal i just wanted to know when it would be the next webinar how could i attend the webinar was it today wanted to asked receive a invitation to attend on tuesday was it today because we are the 29 but the message and we are thurday today i wanted someone to help me for my misunderstanding

Hi Marie,

 

You can go to our Events page to check out upcoming webinars and see recordings of past webinars!

 

~Andrea
Upwork
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