Getting a job on Upwork is impossible.

theodor87 · ‎12-29-2020

Hi,

Can someone please tell me how long does it takes to get a single job here on upwork? I am a upwork freelancer since 2016 and my specialty is Forex trading and analysis. Since 2016 I have been continuosly applying for job related to my skills and knowledge and didn't get a single job. Actually one person agreed to pay me for my knowledge but that's it and the payment was minimum possible. I consider myself as a very professional freelancer with high valuable base knowledge which I have paid alot of $ to learn. I say this because it's a big difference when you invest money in knowledge rather than Google for free information and consider yourself as professional freelancer. I also believe and I have experienced that there are scammers on upwork who are posting fake jobs offers and actually want to get free information from freelancers and maybe even steal card numbers if they can. After all these years on upwork I feel like it's very confusing and unregulated job market place where employers don't know what they are actually looking for which is very frustrating and demotivated, not to mention not getting respond for your proposal or even worse when you get a response from employers and they just left you hanging in the middle of negotiation and you just feel defeated and trolled.

feed_my_eyes · ‎12-29-2020

As a freelancer, there are many marketing methods available for you to gain work. If one method doesn't work, then you should try another. The longest amount of time that I would personally spend on an unprofitable marketing method would be 2-3 months. If I'd tried my hardest to gain clients and still didn't have any, then I'd move on and try something else.

craftandsew75 · ‎12-29-2020

I was on here about the same length as you. Spent money on connects and no replies or response to proposals. Then out of the blue, I got an invite last week for work. Unfortunately, I think it's the nature of the beast with these websites. I'm on another one very similar that monitors your interactions, such as logging in everyday, filling out your profile etc...then they'll put some promising clients your way. I wouldn't be surprised if Upwork follows similar practices.
Keep trying and hopefully something will come up soon. Fingers crossed for you.

moonraker · ‎12-29-2020

Ruby B wrote:
I was on here about the same length as you. Spent money on connects and no replies or response to proposals. Then out of the blue, I got an invite last week for work. Unfortunately, I think it's the nature of the beast with these websites. I'm on another one very similar that monitors your interactions, such as logging in everyday, filling out your profile etc...then they'll put some promising clients your way. I wouldn't be surprised if Upwork follows similar practices.
Keep trying and hopefully something will come up soon. Fingers crossed for you.

Woah.

It's a small world. We were at school together, Ruby!

craftandsew75 · ‎12-29-2020

Hi. Yes, so it seems. A very small world indeed!!

grimesr · ‎12-29-2020

I looked at your profile and if that is all the client sees, then I understand why you are having trouble getting work.

I would suggest reviewing how to make a more impactful profile. This has been discussed many times (even by me). Show how you have improved results with specific numbers, like "I made $10M dollars in 2 weeks" or "I helped company X improved their success rate by 40%". I really don't know anythong about Forex but your profile seems to indicate you only want a very limited scope project. What else can you provide to help a client? Show why a client should even think about contacting you.

Even if you make significant improvements, does your area have a large number of projects even posted?

theodor87 · ‎12-30-2020

Hi Robert,

Thanks for advices and insights. The problem with my work is it's very limited and specialized in one field and that is forecasting currency pairs. It's technical analysis a skillset used to make investment decisions based on a very sophisticated financial system and it takes years to master this skillset. "I made $10M in 2 weeks" would sound unrealistic and deluded that is why my bio is short and precisely indicates my specialities and what I'm looking for. Employers who are in this business should recognize my work and should be willing to accept the risk of losing money because that is the nature of trading it carries high risk and 90% of investors lose their capital. And that is where the problems comes in to get hired nobody wants to spend money but they want the best employees who don't make mistakes. It's not working like that, this is freelancing which means we are individuals with skills and knowledge and not employees in company and we get salaries on monthly basis.

serdargiden · ‎07-22-2022

As a new freelancer on virtual world I am getting jobs with my portfolio in other places but with this system in upwork it is impossible to get any work. It looks like they get money from selling connects and all the projects are cancelling. Looks like not legit.

PradeepH · ‎07-22-2022

Hi Serdar,

Thank you for your message. I am sorry to hear about your experience and how you feel. I've pulled a few resources that may be helpful to you. Check out these articles to help you create a profile that stands out and improve your profile title and overview. For some great tips on writing proposals that win jobs, check out this article.

Visit our Resource Center and sign up for upcoming events and webinars to learn more about how you can boost your success on Upwork.

Thank you,

Pradeep

martina_plaschka · ‎07-22-2022

You are mistaken. Connects cost very little, they give away tons of free connects, so that would not be a sustainable business model.. Not that they are very profitable as of now, but that's another matter.

You can find the earnings breakdown in the latest quarterly report.