How did you start?

[ddperez]

Hello everyone!

I started on UpWork few days ago and realized that it's not that easy as it seamed to be. I mistaked biding everything I thought that I could do, but I didn't know about "connects". 

I have been searching more and more about this, improving my profile and portfolio. Trying to make it better before purchasing more connects. 

But, i made this post with a purpose: How did you start on UpWork? What did you do to get your first client or job?

And one last question for those who made the same mistake than me with connects: What did you to to solve it?

Greetings from Colombia ❤️ 

[lysis10]

It's tempting to bid on tons of stuff. I helped my sister get started and she's kinda stumbling a bit but just found a great job where she is writing 2 blog posts a week. I will tell you what I told her -- find stuff where you can stand out so stuff where you can talk the talk and walk the walk. You will still lose sometimes but it's the way to get started and find something to start out.

Also, if someone talks about HR or hiring managers or checks, it's a scam. There are a lot of scams here and lots and lots of people tryina take advantage of the noobs, so be smart and remember it's the internet.

[joansands · Accepted solution]

Daniel - First of all, you really need to improve your profile. The first two sentences on your profile are the most important because that's when you have to grab someone's interest. Many will not read beyond those first two lines. So, you are wasting those important lines by saying who you are, etc., when the top of your page clearly states who you are and where you live. After that, you need to only bid on jobs you know you can do and you need to send good proposals - that don't talk about you but about what you can do for a client based on their job post. Then, to really get started, you have to be willing to spend money on connects and send a lot of proposals over time. Be patient but persistent. It is not easy to get started. Rome was not built in a day, either.

[andre-coetzee-cl]

Hello. I wanted to start yesterday on Upwork but I couldn't. How do I start with Upwork and submitting a proposal?

[JoanneP]

Hi Andre,

I understand that you wanted to get some advice on how you can start working as a freelancer. You may want to check this post and the freelancer resource corner to help you get started on Upwork. You might also want to check the following to help you write proposals:

How to Create a Proposal that Wins Jobs 

Craft an Eye-catching Proposal Every Time