No response on my proposals

[#1]

Hello, 

I am just beginning my freelance career on Upwork. It's been a month now that I am sending proposals, improving my profile ... But no positive feedback from all of the effort I made. 

Can anyone advise me on how to make my profile better? 

I could really use any help from you 

Thanks in advance

[#2]

Your profile actually looks pretty good. I have been experiencing less hirings as well lately. It may be similar across the board. How are your proposals looking? Could that be the issue? Do you make sure to include a personalized letter, discussing the parameters of the job and how you qualify, followed up by relevant job experience and certifications?

[#3]

It may seem crazy but you need to raise your rates.  Low rates look like you don't think your work is worth much.  You will get more and better jobs when you raise your rates.  I started at $12/hour and am now at $55 and turning  jobs down every week.  (Note: I'm not in your niche)

[#4]

I agree with Mary. You have more than enough experience, qualifications and credentials to post a much higher rate. Having such a low rate makes you look like you may not be qualified and that your profile may be embellished. Besides, if a client thinks your rate is too high, they will negotiate. You can always put a lower rate when you apply for jobs too. Clients will think that they have struck quite a bargain. 

[#5]

Dear Kristen, 

Thank you so much for your valuable feedback. 

[#6]

Thank you! You were right. 

I worked on my proposals, and it worked 🙂

[#7]

Hi, I have the same issue currently. May i know what really helped you? Thanks! 

[#8]

Hi I,m Professional Freelancer 

[#9]

can you check my profile, please?

I have submitted many proposals but didn't get any knock.

[#10]

Your profile is fine. I'm in the same situation. I have excellent credentials, but the only way I could get initial jobs was to bid half the price or even less. If there is a $100 job, I bid $50. Without the Upwork rating, no one will even look at your proposal among 20 others, even if you earned a Nobel Prize. Why would they look at how good you are if there are people who have already done jobs here bidding? They are safer. The only way you can get a contract is to work for free, essentially. For how long? I have no idea.

[#11]

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Mikhail B wrote:

Your profile is fine. I'm in the same situation. I have excellent credentials, but the only way I could get initial jobs was to bid half the price or even less. If there is a $100 job, I bid $50. Without the Upwork rating, no one will even look at your proposal among 20 others, even if you earned a Nobel Prize. Why would they look at how good you are if there are people who have already done jobs here bidding? They are safer. The only way you can get a contract is to work for free, essentially. For how long? I have no idea.

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No serious client will hire a freelancer that offers to work for free. No self-respecting freelancer will offer to work for free.

Plus, it defeats its purpose. You can work for free for years on end, and no contract, review, or single star will ever appear on your profile. 

[#12]

No serious client will hire a new freelancer. Why? I wouldn't hire one. I'd hire one who's done many jobs before, unless I'm strapped on cash and will choose the lowest bidder. No big jobs will ever go to newbies. And if it's a $100 job, then would you spend time looking through "20-50" proposals? I wouldn't. I'd hire whoever has the highest job numbers completed for the same price.

I had nothing for a month before starting to low-bid. Got my Rising Talent now by low-bidding. You have to win this race to the bottom first before upping your rate. Why do you still bother bidding on $5 jobs?

[#13]

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Mikhail B wrote:

No serious client will hire a new freelancer.

I have hired numerous new freelancers. Many of us do not discriminate simply because a person is new to the platform. One new freelancer I actually found on here - I liked her presentation and writing style, and when I looked at her profile, I realized she was a good fit to help me with some projects. Being new isn't an automatic handicap. A good portfolio/profile/reputation goes a long way. And I didn't hire them for $5 jobs either. I think the last one that was new I hired at $25/hr. 

[#14]

The OP has been there for a month with a good profile and zero jobs, just like I was. That sounds like the opposite to what you're saying. Sure, she can even increase the price and keep tweaking the profile. Or just bite it and join the rat race to the bottom.

[#15]

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Mikhail B wrote:

The OP has been there for a month with a good profile and zero jobs, just like I was. That sounds like the opposite to what you're saying. Sure, she can even increase the price and keep tweaking the profile. Or just bite it and join the rat race to the bottom.

---

And yet we all know it takes a lot longer than a month to get the first gig. So your suggestion is absolutely a rat race to the bottom. Or she could try some other things, as other freelancers with high rate and a client (myself) have suggested, and try to get a good first gig. The opportunity to get a crap first gig will still be there if this doesn't work first. The race to the bottom is always available. But once you've accept that first $5 job, it's always going to be there that it was your rate. 

BTW, the OP has 3 jobs on her profile, so lowering her rate to get more jobs will only be worse. She has good first reviews and needs to increase her rate to improve her credibility among quality clients. Her reviews are good but with a rate that low, I would not hire because no one that good costs that little. She needs to value herself appropriately. 

[#16]

Dear Amanda, 

Your response is a ray of light for newbies at Upwork. 

[#17 · Accepted solution]

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Mikhail B wrote:

No serious client will hire a new freelancer. Why? I wouldn't hire one. I'd hire one who's done many jobs before, unless I'm strapped on cash and will choose the lowest bidder. No big jobs will ever go to newbies. And if it's a $100 job, then would you spend time looking through "20-50" proposals? I wouldn't. I'd hire whoever has the highest job numbers completed for the same price.

I had nothing for a month before starting to low-bid. Got my Rising Talent now by low-bidding. You have to win this race to the bottom first before upping your rate. Why do you still bother bidding on $5 jobs?

---

Mikhail, 

I wasn't asked, but I was looking at your portfolio to see if I could spot any obvious issues. I think your general profile looks too much like a mixed bag of skills. You may possess all of those skills, but clients new to the board are usually looking for people with specific skills. Also, graphic design is an area where there are a lot of freelancers. I would say pick your strongest offering and lead with that on the general profile. 

Or, if you can find a way to communicate them as a coherent package, that might also be a better way to go. 

[#18]

No serious client will hire a new freelancer.

Mikhail,

Well, thank god for capricious clients, I guess, or none of us would still be here.

But you did, knowingly or not, hit the nail on the head. You said you wouldn't hire anyone without a high number of completed jobs and this is, in fact, the issue for new freelancers here.

The issue is confidence. You say you wouldn't hire someone who was new essentially because you lacked the confidence they would work out. Almost nobody spends money unless they are confident something will turn out well. So the trick is simple: Since the client doesn't have confidence in the new freelancer, the freelancer has to supply all the confidence themself.

How do you do that? You write a confident profile. You call attention to your expertise. You describe successes you've had in your non-freelance or off-platform life. You use words like "excellent" and "expert" and say things like, "I'm known as someone who gets things done."  You put past successes in your portfolio.

Confidence is key on Upwork for veteran freelancers as well. It becomes second nature. Yes -- I can get it done on time in better than expected style. That's the mantra of the successful freelancer. I'm pretty sure -- no, I'm perfectly confident I'm right about that.

[#19]

Anthony, I think we're responding to a post from June 2020. If you click through and check out his profile, Mikhail seems ot have figured some things out since them. And his portfolio is very impressive.

[#20]

I am in the same boat. After getting the Top Rated Plus badge, I was expecting some replies. I don't expect all proposals to turn into hires, but at least a response is fair to ask. That way, I get my connects back, so that I can bid on other projects. 

[#21]

Same here. No response over my proposal. I wondering why? Im new to this community. Please help.

[#22]

Your profile is good.. As your profile is new so it will take time to get response. 

[#23]

I am a new freelancer myself and I feel the same way as I finished all my connects on job proposals that nobody replies to.

I felt a bit disouraged when I read from the replies that nodody will hire a new freelancer as any expert started as new and also new freelancers can be a good catch for small projects with lower prices but I thankful to the client who said she is okay with working with new freelancers as it gives us a chance to at least show if we r good or not!

I think for us new freelancers we need patience and being open for improvement till we hopefully get jobs!

Best of luck to u 

[#24]

That first job is critical.  New freelancers need to make sure they are doing the best possible job that they can and maximizing the opportunity they have.  When I landed my first freelance job, I focused more on going above and beyond and made sure that I asked for both a review from the client and permission to use images from the job in my portfolio.  

New freelancers simply need to remember to think about how they would spend their money if the roles were reversed.  Would you hire someone if they didn't have any reviews?  No pictures or examples of their work?  Its not that clients don't want to hire a new freelancer - they just want their expectations and deliverables to align as closely as possible.

A good approach is to think about your approach filtered through the eyes of the client. 

[#25]

If there any good sample that we new freelancer refers to?