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magrogue
Community Member

New Freelancer

I am a new freelancer and I simply would like to discuss some things.
1)I've completed my profile up to 100%, added portfolio items and even a video, and I'm looking to get the opinions of some freelancers in the Presentation Design and Transcription fields on it.
2)What happens after I run out of Connects? I do not have any membership plan, so do I get 20 Connects at the beginning of each month, or would I have to purchase them?
3)I've already got my first job (being interviewed, but it all looks good); however it is really difficult to get jobs and I'd like some freelancers to share their experiences with me when they first started. I see some people with worse portfolios who have 100% job success rates. My proposals are all personal and well-written, but it always feels like clients would rather hire someone with a high job success rate. I suggest Upwork adds a system where new freelancers are reviewed based on their portfolio and skills - possibly by successful freelancers, and given a special badge if their profiles are high-quality, to help them begin.

ACCEPTED SOLUTION


Osama A wrote:

I am improving my portfolio to further reflect my skills, thanks. Do you think that creating more templates with placeholder text/images like that in the video would be good? I can't say I haven't been using PowerPoint from a really young age, but I do understand that it does sound a bit much to mention that I have 10 years of experience.

Yes, thanks a lot for that, it does provide a weak image.

I truly believe I am better than most people in the transcription field; my speciality is typing super quickly. It is different from Presentation Design, but I mainly added it as it is easier to land transcription jobs to increase my chances of getting hired. I have noticed that some customers ask freelancers to copy data from images/handwritten documents into presentations, so shouldn't including transcription help as it is somewhat similar?


Yes, create more portfolio pieces if you can, and try to show off as many skills as possible within your presentations, not just templates (i.e. that you can create charts, tables, infographics etc.). 

 

You can try for some transcription jobs if you've got your heart set on it, but I don't think it'll be easy. Lots of people can type quickly, and probably have more experience and lower rates than you do. And no, the ability to type quickly is not something that has ever come up as a desired skill when I've bid on presentation projects (I wish that it was - my own speed is 100 wpm, FYI). 

 

 

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7 REPLIES 7
mtngigi
Community Member

The 20 connects were complimentary - you'll have to purchase more after you've used them up.

 

New freelancers are reviewed ... by the clients who hire them and the job they do for those clients. Succesful freelancers do not have time to review profiles of the thousands of hopefuls that sign up every day. Nor can Upwork.

 

We were all new at one time, but many of us gained valuable experience in the brick and mortar world. Freelancing isn't just about your portfolio, it's about your experience as a small business owner and how you interact and conduct yourself with clients - that is a skill every bit as important to have. We already have badges. That's what the job success score is for.

magrogue
Community Member

That does sound very reasonable, thanks.

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Osama, 


Since you are new here, I highly recommend that you read up on the freelancer resources we have compiled, for great tips and insights on how you can work successfully on the platform. Please also pay attention to the Safety First! section of the resources, and these tips for avoiding questionable jobs for more information about working safely through Upwork.


To answer your question regarding the Connects, you will need to purchase Connects if you see the need to add Connects to your account. You may read more about using Connects, and how to purchase it in this help article.

 

I would also like to share that we have a Rising Talent program for new freelancers on Upwork.

As a reminder, we look at a variety of factors when determining whether to award Rising Talent status. This includes client feedback, the overall strength of your profile upon submission, including prior experience and skills and your educational background, as well as the opportunities available in the market. Therefore, even new freelancers who have yet to complete any projects on Upwork can be admitted into the Rising Talent program.


~ Avery
Upwork
feed_my_eyes
Community Member


Osama A wrote:


1)I've completed my profile up to 100%, added portfolio items and even a video, and I'm looking to get the opinions of some freelancers in the Presentation Design and Transcription fields on it.


Here's my opinion. Your video is good - there's some nice animation in there - but the rest of your portfolio doesn't demonstrate anywhere close to the same level of quality, which looks suspicious. I would definitely delete that creative writing graphic and add more "corporate-looking" documents to your portfolio. You're going to need more than 3-4 items if you want to prove that you're experienced. Speaking of which, you say that you've been using PowerPoint for 10 years, but you look really young and your only work experience began in January 2019, so that's hurting your credibility as well.

 

You should also rewrite your profile, especially the first two sentences. Take out "young" (since that just equals "inexperienced" in the minds of clients) and replace terms like "satisfactory results" and "competency" (hopefully you're aiming to be more than just okay)?

 

Your lists of skills and services are also confusing. If you've got experience in presentations, brochure design, Python etc., then why would you waste your time offering data entry and transcription services? Those categories are massively oversubscribed and you'll lose out to $3/hour bidders every time.

 

I am improving my portfolio to further reflect my skills, thanks. Do you think that creating more templates with placeholder text/images like that in the video would be good? I can't say I haven't been using PowerPoint from a really young age, but I do understand that it does sound a bit much to mention that I have 10 years of experience.

Yes, thanks a lot for that, it does provide a weak image.

I truly believe I am better than most people in the transcription field; my speciality is typing super quickly. It is different from Presentation Design, but I mainly added it as it is easier to land transcription jobs to increase my chances of getting hired. I have noticed that some customers ask freelancers to copy data from images/handwritten documents into presentations, so shouldn't including transcription help as it is somewhat similar?


Osama A wrote:

I am improving my portfolio to further reflect my skills, thanks. Do you think that creating more templates with placeholder text/images like that in the video would be good? I can't say I haven't been using PowerPoint from a really young age, but I do understand that it does sound a bit much to mention that I have 10 years of experience.

Yes, thanks a lot for that, it does provide a weak image.

I truly believe I am better than most people in the transcription field; my speciality is typing super quickly. It is different from Presentation Design, but I mainly added it as it is easier to land transcription jobs to increase my chances of getting hired. I have noticed that some customers ask freelancers to copy data from images/handwritten documents into presentations, so shouldn't including transcription help as it is somewhat similar?


Yes, create more portfolio pieces if you can, and try to show off as many skills as possible within your presentations, not just templates (i.e. that you can create charts, tables, infographics etc.). 

 

You can try for some transcription jobs if you've got your heart set on it, but I don't think it'll be easy. Lots of people can type quickly, and probably have more experience and lower rates than you do. And no, the ability to type quickly is not something that has ever come up as a desired skill when I've bid on presentation projects (I wish that it was - my own speed is 100 wpm, FYI). 

 

 

Hello Christine I would like your advice as well on my profile. Am new to. Thanks in advance.

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