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rav1kant
Community Member

How do I get my first job on Upwork?

I know this has probably been asked innumerable times. Please allow me to elaborate on this. I have had a job in the past, as you will see on my profile. That...I cannot hide. It was not hourly and the pay is really low. And that was a long time ago. I am trying to be active here again and actually get jobs related to video editing.

 

Now, I know this depends on the combination of profile and proposals sent. Even feedback on profile is welcome and appreciated. I feel like because I have no logged hours and don't qualify as rising talent or the like, I am less likely to be hired. How do you stand out in my situation? Especially, say, on jobs that have more than 20 proposals already sent, many of whom will have several months to years of experience here over me. I do have external work samples I've uploaded on my profile. Any help is appreciated, thank you.

7 REPLIES 7
nyrrielatienza
Community Member

Hi Ravikant,

 

Everyone including our highest paid freelancers experiences ups and downs when freelancing but don't lose hope just yet! If you ask me, it's all about perseverance, being smart and admitting you need help. At least that's how I learned to hustle. You may also want to check out these articles from our Hiring Headquarters to help you create proposals that win jobs, and help you boost your career on Upwork:

 

8+ Tips to Help You Create a Profile That Stands Out

Upwork Profiles: Why a Great Title and Overview Can Make a Difference

A How-To Guide for Your Perfect Profile Picture

Get Your Profile to the Next Level with an Intro Video

4 Ways to Create a More Successful Portfolio Regardless of Your Skill Set

 

Let me know if you need anything else.

~ Riri

Oh nice! Thank you, that's very helpful, I am going to read all of these.

Hey Riri, Christine. I was wondering if you have any advise on proposals. Especially those that are just one or two liners. Like when someone says "I need a video interview edited. I have all the videos attached." And say something like that has 20 + proposals. There is not much here to pick in terms of making our proposal contextually specific. How would one tackle that? Assuming this is a client who has spent a good amount of money in the past, has a lower hire rate and is not paying peanuts. Thanks.

If someone actually attaches the work that they want done, then that's easy - take a look at the videos and make one or two comments about how you would tackle the project. As for job descriptions that don't contain ANY information, i.e. "I need a video edited" and nothing else - I would advise not bidding on them at all. In my experience, clients with one-sentence job descriptions usually aren't serious and won't actually choose anyone to work on their project, so you'd just be wasting your time and connects. 

Hmm, that makes sense. Thank you, I will keep looking for clients.

feed_my_eyes
Community Member

I don't know much about your category, but one thing that you might want to consider is to specialize in a certain area and create a more focussed profile. Say, you could specialize in wedding videos, or corporate videos - that's one way to stand out from the competition. Also, you've only got two portfolio items - I would add at least 8 more.

Thank you Christine. I have more videos, 3 more, but two are of the same type (event highlights of the same event as video 2) and third is a short film. That spans different project types and doesn't help much with niching things down. I should probably still add it anyway.

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