Share your experienced of how you getting the projects

[gefademe2d]

Some of all having the hardest time on the begining at oDesk/Upwork, and even now.. Its more harder and harder to get more client while Graphics designers growth and exist everiday, client getting aware and be more selective, the platform always change the system while the competition getting hotter. We all hungr for new job, more profit to make a living. But how we can make it? What the secret of most success guy on Odesk/Upwork?

Why dont we share our experience on how we manage our profile, what the tips to biding new project, how to get client trust, and any valuable information to help us all getting our way and improved the way we work..

Here are my tips for new members:

Put all of your skills related to graphics design, verified my account. Take out all of the test, don’t worry if you fail for photoshop or illustrator or indesign, there is a ton of that test in different version. Just take all of that test!

Fill out overview, portfolio, tittle credential,  certificate, your education and your experienced even from your collage exams. Change overview and tittle once a week and improving.

I’ve put the lowest fee as $3/Hour. It sounds no sense at all for US native, but believe me it works at the beginning. It just to get the reps while you crawling up. And increase it when you start getting more and more invitation.

Create the best header and footer for your proposal (in text/words) to put your answers/questions/offers in the middle of your proposal.  It just as simple as say “Hello” and your intro on the header and “Thank you. Sincerely, John Doe.” on the footer, always improved your proposal.

Try to be the first guy at the door to welcome new project. On my experienced, just professional clients and agent who will take interview most of contractors. But if you out of 10 contractors and no reps at all, leave it out take another chance. Watch out just 2 to 3 categories and keep it shorts and always read carefully your bid project, is it for Expert/Valuable/New contractor. If the project didn’t mention that, place your bid.

Set out the traffics. I don’t have professional website, not yet. But I set the SEO for my name by setting a lot of social media and everything that will be showing up on search engine while client trying to find About Me. I also do the same thing on my clients.. 🙂

Thats all what i did at the beginning. Just remember, you don’t need to put fancy art work on your portfolio just put base on your best work and skill (Clean, organised, readable, creative and having “point of focus”). Try to be more communicative and be warm person, always put your chin lower (call client Sir/Mr and Madam/Ms). 

Here my system specifications 🙂

Windows 7 PC Desktop and a macbook pro

Genius tablet for drawing

A3 printer

Adobe photoshop, illustrator and indesign

Corel draw, inkscape, pixelmator, gimp

Espresso and Brackets

LibreOffice and Adobe Reader

Evernote, Any Do, Google Keep, Google Calender, Trello and Harvest

Dropbox, box and google drive

Google Chrome, colorzilla and whatfont

Skype and hangout

Thunderbird

[sumonbd100]

Waiting for a new SEO job!!!!!

[3031780e]

Thank you  very much Mr. T.R. for Insight and Information for the New Comers like me and enhance over view.

Sincerely,

Anupam.

[ramzan33]

Really helpful post thank but it's too long ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[boshoffirene]

Tailor each application specifically for that application. Comment on work you have done that is similar. Ask questions. Address each point in the job description. Build up a reputation, even if it means submitting a lower proposal the first one or two times around. Make sure the language and spelling in your application is flawless...on your profile as well. (These are just a few off the top of my head).

[johnpino]

Selling yourself short is the evilest tip you could ever give. When you set very low rates you are talking about the quality of work, self-esteem and how unwilling you are to be professional.

Besides the obvious (trying to break the market), you will become yourself stagnant. Supposed you set your rate to 3USD/H, now you get some ugly jobs and you increase it to 10USD/H. If I was a client, I'd not pay you 10USD/H when the last day you were charging 333% less. I wouldn't even pay you that if I see that big jump in your recent projects.

If you're not a professional designer, that's ok. But if you had your eyelashes burned studying, why would you underestimate yourself?

[corey-hanson]

Selling yourself short sells everyone short. It might sound convienient at landing a particular gig, but the collective effect of everyone's actions doing this just drives wages down for everyone. I know it's easier said than done as everyone has to put food on the table but if you are as good as other competing designers, you deserve to make as much as them regardless of your location.