Poornima S wrote:
Hi!
I just signed up in July and got 2 jobs within 2 weeks and got Rising talent badge. I have been submitting customized proposals for each job matching my skills. I am not randomly applying to every job. I have also replied promptly and diligently to every invitation I received, yet no successful conversion. I have upgraded the membership and lost a lot of my connects. I have tried everything from the articles that talked about perfect proposals but of no use. I am on the verge of discontinuing.
Kindly help
Poornima
You are at a decision point. It is very difficult to land your first few gigs on Upwork. You will have to spend $ on connects to keep gaining jobs. In the early weeks and months, you may even have to spend more than you earn, depending on what you charge. So, do you keep going in hopes that with a few more jobs you'll have a nice work history on the platform and that may make it easier to get hired? Or, do you stop buying connects and try some other method to get clients?
When I first started looking for gigs, my rule was that if I made enough to pay for the connects each month (in those early months), I would keep buying and trying. Connects were free then, but I still had to purchase additional ones. Also, we weren't in the midst of a global pandemic and there were fewer competing freelancers on the platform.
I don't know what I would do if I were trying out Upwork for the first time in the current economic climate. It would definitely be more risky than when I began.
Do you see sufficient demand for your services to justify sticking with the platform? Are the clients who post jobs in your niche hiring anyone? How many people are bidding on each gig? Could you raise your fees to offset the cost of connects? There is a lot more competition for unskilled people who charge low rates than for highly skilled professionals who charge more, in my opinion.
I'm sure others will tell you this, but marking your fees private has limited benefits and may harm you. If I understand correctly, once you begin interacting with a client, they are able to see what you've charged for past gigs. So it really only hides your earnings from other freelancers. For clients who are just browsing, the private fee may make them wonder what you are hiding.
