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trishgiramma
Community Member

How do I break in?

I have been on UpWork for more than four weeks now and have probably submitted 70 proposals, maybe more. I have yet to be offered a job that is not a scam. Several clients have reached out to me for sample work, etc. I have responded to them promptly and then never heard from them again.

 

How is a person supposed to get a foothold here? I am finding the experience very frustrating.

6 REPLIES 6
feed_my_eyes
Community Member

Knowing how to do something is only one part of freelancing; you also need to know how to sell yourself. Looking at your profile, it basically says that you know how to write and edit - but so do tens of thousands of other freelancers here (and many will have lower rates and/or great feedback reviews, making it difficult for you to compete with them). Figure out a good niche/unique selling point and rewrite your profile and proposals to position yourself as an expert in that area. Hint: Healthcare would be a good thing to focus on - especially right now - but you don't even mention that until further down in your profile, and only in passing.

Thanks very much. I've tuned up my profiles a bit and will continue to
think about how I can further improve them. I appreciate your feedback and
help.
florydev
Community Member


Patricia G wrote:

I have been on UpWork for more than four weeks now and have probably submitted 70 proposals, maybe more. I have yet to be offered a job that is not a scam. Several clients have reached out to me for sample work, etc. I have responded to them promptly and then never heard from them again.

 

How is a person supposed to get a foothold here? I am finding the experience very frustrating.


It is quite tough to get that first project and although it gets easier it has not, at least for me, gotten easy.  There is a lot of competition out there, especially in your category, and that can make it seem like you are a voice in a crowd.  Because there is no feedback we tend to start creating our own ideas of what is happening and drawing our own conclusions that may or may not be reality.

 

First, let me say one thing to make it a little better.  There is a lot of "competition" but I think that notion is overblown.  The vast majority of people who come to this platform never even bother to ask the question that you did "what's going on here, how can I make this work".  They like us to be pleasant in this community so I will just say that most people aren't that great at this and it does not take a lot to rise above the nameless horde.

 

I think the best way to get a foothold here is to set aside all assumptions of what happened and instead work to improve every single client communication (including your profile) to the point where you actively selling what you can do better than anyone else.  You need to focus on what clients on the kind of problems clients will be coming to you with and the solutions you can provide.  

 

Getting that first project is tough, and you picked a particularly tough time to do it.  I am a huge believer in finding projects that make great sense for you, firing away the connects like nobody's business, and never look back.  You want to find jobs that you can respond back with a very affirmitive message of I got this, pick me and your problems go away.

 

The best advice I can give is also dangerous.  You have to persist.  It's dangerous because I don't know, no one knows, if you will be able to make that first catch.  I don't want to advise anyone to waste their time and for some people it is a waste of time.  But if you have faith in your abilities there is actually work here.

Thanks. This is very helpful. It's good to know that I am far from the only
one having this experience. I've tuned up my profiles a bit and will
continue to think about how I can strengthen them and my proposals and just
keep plugging away.

tlbp
Community Member

First, you need to correct the mismatch in your hourly rate between your general and specialized profile. (The app doesn't automatically update one when you change the other.)

Second, imagine how many other people have joined Upwork in the last 6-weeks. The publishing industry is struggling like any other. That being said, I see opportunities in marketing content as brands turn from events to digital content for lead generation. For editors, I would bet that editing memoirs is big right now because I see lots of job posts for memoir ghostwriters on LinkedIn. 

Basically, if you want to beat the millions of other people who are currently looking for gigs, you need to identify what your ideal client wants and tell them that you have it. Focus on the clients with whom you work best and explain how you can improve their business. Look at your testimonials. What do your clients say they value about you? Make sure those values come out loud and clear in your summary and proposals. 

You are still going to have to catch a break though because there are a lot of freelancers competing for a few gigs. I've found that clients don't want to waste time managing their freelancer. They want someone they can trust to deliver. If you can communicate that value in your proposals, it might help. 

Thank you. This is very helpful.
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