Hi, new here, looking for feedback on my prof...

ellen-errico · ‎07-10-2021

Hi everyone, I'm a semi-newbie here. I just re-vamped my profile and looking for both FT and Freelance opportunities. I've submitted some proposals but haven't gotten any bites. I realize it takes time but before I submit some more proposals, I'd like some feedback on my profile. Should I be showing more of a variety of projects? Are there too many projects? Should I be linking to my online portfolio? Also, is there a way that I can upload PDFs of my work? A lot of the projects I've done are in PDF format and are multiple pages, so uploading a jpeg probably isn't the best way to showcase them. I also was wondering what is the best way to submit samples along with my proposals. I've tried attaching PDFs and zip files, as well as linking to work on my online site. Any feedback and any tips for success with proposals would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

gilbert-phyllis · ‎07-10-2021

Hi, Ellen! A few thoughts based on a quick glance...

Your profile is basically a well done resume but that isn't what it needs to be. A resume is all about the candidate. Your UW profile needs to focus on specific things you do that a client needs. You are operating in a jobs board mindset where your objective is to convince a prospective employer that you are who they need. Freelancing is a different enterprise. Your objective is to convince a prospective client that you know how to do the specific thing they need. With that in mind, you need to do something that can be quite challenging for a seasoned professional who's worn many hats: pick a lane. The key to successful freelancing is specialization and niches. Decide what your primary category is going to be on UW and go all in on that. Search FLs in that category, study the ones who are succeeding -- their profiles, the kinds of projects they're doing, etc.

One more thing: being open to contract or FT offers is not a helpful mindset IME. A FT opportunity occasionally comes along here but trawling for that is not how you're going to earn money here. If you're gonna be a freelancer, then be a freelancer with all that entails (which is a lot, and I'm sure others will come along with additional input).

Good luck!

a_lipsey · ‎07-10-2021

Hi Ellen,

I will speak to your profile. You are clearly very experienced, but your profile reads like a resume, which is not the optimal use of a profile on Upwork. It's all about you, when it needs to be about the client, and what you'll do for the client. This is ad space, not resume space. Right now a lot of what you've got is generic and could be said of any freelancer. You need to highlight what's different about working with you and what you can do for the client. I'm sure with your expertise if you think about reframing for that for a few minutes you'll be able to rework the profile to better stand out.

I'd also lose the core competencies list. Again, it's not a resume, it's about selling.

Finally, I'd reconsider your headline/title. Your headline/title should really be searchable by keywords, and this seems to work best not by an industry title but by what you do. Are there many jobs in your field searching for a creative director? Or are they searching for social media campaigns (which is what your last job says you did)? Personally, on my own profile I hate my headline/title, but it's what gets me better search results (which translate to invites). Do a search for jobs in your field that you want and think about what those clients would type in if they were doing a search. Creative director may not be the most obvious search term, especially for clients who aren't in your field and don't really know what they are looking for.

ellen-errico · ‎07-10-2021

Thank you both so much and all this makes perfect sense! Appreciate the input!

grimesr · ‎07-10-2021

I realize you are trying to be brief and to the point, which is good, but maybe add a bit more on how your success helped, or maybe what environment you worked.

Examples, try to use some numbers rather than just subject phrases like Increased - explain who the increase was realized - Save 10% of budget, improved turnaround from 1 week to 2 days.

Another - Worked with team of 20, Helped fortune 100 company sales, Had one on one interaction with VP marketing

You have to find ways to make yourself stand above all the other great freelancers who have the same qualities. Ask yourself, if you were given 5 profiles, would you pick yours or does it look like all the rest?

Remember, profiles are just a small part of getting chosen. Making impactful proposals will be the key.

tlbp · ‎07-10-2021

Robert G wrote:
I realize you are trying to be brief and to the point, which is good, but maybe add a bit more on how your success helped, or maybe what environment you worked.

Examples, try to use some numbers rather than just subject phrases like Increased - explain who the increase was realized - Save 10% of budget, improved turnaround from 1 week to 2 days.

Another - Worked with team of 20, Helped fortune 100 company sales, Had one on one interaction with VP marketing

You have to find ways to make yourself stand above all the other great freelancers who have the same qualities. Ask yourself, if you were given 5 profiles, would you pick yours or does it look like all the rest?

Remember, profiles are just a small part of getting chosen. Making impactful proposals will be the key.

I wonder if OP is casting too wide of a net. A company in need of a CD should be thrilled to find someone with her expertise (and connections). I would expect to pay at least $100 per hour for that level of talent. (But, I don't own a company.)

I've found funded startups are willing to outsource areas that a more established company would bring in-house. They appreciate the...ahem...maturity and expertise an established freelancer can bring to their organization.

On the other hand, I'm sure there are fewer of those types of gigs available compared to direct creation work. Maybe focus the profile on the CD and explain other skills as-needed when applying to gigs? Or create a specialized profile.

Anyone in design have thoughts on whether OP would be better off narrowing her niche?

grimesr · ‎07-10-2021

Tonya P wrote:
Robert G wrote:
I realize you are trying to be brief and to the point, which is good, but maybe add a bit more on how your success helped, or maybe what environment you worked.

Examples, try to use some numbers rather than just subject phrases like Increased - explain who the increase was realized - Save 10% of budget, improved turnaround from 1 week to 2 days.

Another - Worked with team of 20, Helped fortune 100 company sales, Had one on one interaction with VP marketing

You have to find ways to make yourself stand above all the other great freelancers who have the same qualities. Ask yourself, if you were given 5 profiles, would you pick yours or does it look like all the rest?

Remember, profiles are just a small part of getting chosen. Making impactful proposals will be the key.
I wonder if OP is casting too wide of a net. A company in need of a CD should be thrilled to find someone with her expertise (and connections). I would expect to pay at least $100 per hour for that level of talent. (But, I don't own a company.)
I've found funded startups are willing to outsource areas that a more established company would bring in-house. They appreciate the...ahem...maturity and expertise an established freelancer can bring to their organization.

On the other hand, I'm sure there are fewer of those types of gigs available compared to direct creation work. Maybe focus the profile on the CD and explain other skills as-needed when applying to gigs? Or create a specialized profile.

Anyone in design have thoughts on whether OP would be better off narrowing her niche?

Creating a specialized profile might be fine, but I think the emphasis on profiles is overvalued.

Unless I am wrong, the only times a profile would even be seen is

a) you send in a proposal the client might look at the profile for more background details

b) you win the lottery and your profile comes up in a client's search

Profiles are like webpages. The sit in the background until someone stumbles on it. With webpages you can work to get it to the top of the search list whereas here you have very little control of when it will be on the search results.

I have suggested do more on the active side by submitted powerful proposals. At least you have control over the probability of a client looking at it.

a_lipsey · ‎07-10-2021

Robert G wrote:
Tonya P wrote:
Robert G wrote:
I realize you are trying to be brief and to the point, which is good, but maybe add a bit more on how your success helped, or maybe what environment you worked.

Examples, try to use some numbers rather than just subject phrases like Increased - explain who the increase was realized - Save 10% of budget, improved turnaround from 1 week to 2 days.

Another - Worked with team of 20, Helped fortune 100 company sales, Had one on one interaction with VP marketing

You have to find ways to make yourself stand above all the other great freelancers who have the same qualities. Ask yourself, if you were given 5 profiles, would you pick yours or does it look like all the rest?

Remember, profiles are just a small part of getting chosen. Making impactful proposals will be the key.
I wonder if OP is casting too wide of a net. A company in need of a CD should be thrilled to find someone with her expertise (and connections). I would expect to pay at least $100 per hour for that level of talent. (But, I don't own a company.)
I've found funded startups are willing to outsource areas that a more established company would bring in-house. They appreciate the...ahem...maturity and expertise an established freelancer can bring to their organization.

On the other hand, I'm sure there are fewer of those types of gigs available compared to direct creation work. Maybe focus the profile on the CD and explain other skills as-needed when applying to gigs? Or create a specialized profile.

Anyone in design have thoughts on whether OP would be better off narrowing her niche?

Creating a specialized profile might be fine, but I think the emphasis on profiles is overvalued.

Unless I am wrong, the only times a profile would even be seen is
a) you send in a proposal the client might look at the profile for more background details
b) you win the lottery and your profile comes up in a client's search

Profiles are like webpages. The sit in the background until someone stumbles on it. With webpages you can work to get it to the top of the search list whereas here you have very little control of when it will be on the search results.

I have suggested do more on the active side by submitted powerful proposals. At least you have control over the probability of a client looking at it.

I work solely off invites. That means my profile is optimized to show up in searches for exactly my small little niche. Yes, proposals are important, but I find people often tend to use the same strategy in their proposals. If their profile is written like a resume, then often their proposal is all about themselves too.

Hi, new here, looking for feedback on my profile