To all freelancers looking for help

[#1]

I have always had freelancers come to me for help. In the last year, the river has swelled into an enormous ocean.

You don't need me; Upwork provides an enormous amount of information that few ever use. If, after you have gone through all the information I provide, you still have questions, that is when you ask additional questions in the forum.

If you think you will make big bucks right away, you are mistaken. The majority of freelancers never land a job because they have no skills and aren't interested in educating themselves. Others believe online freelancing is a path to full-time employment. It can be, but highly unlikely on this platform.

Freelancing is not for everyone. It means you are self-employed and must adhere to all regulations and laws governing responsibilities, such as paying taxes. Freelancing means you are on your own. No one has your back, including Upwork. If you don't follow the rules, no one will or can help you.

If you are willing to work hard, follow the rules and prepared to spend a lot of connects and proposals, you can be successful, as many are on Upwork. While so many fail, it is almost always due to lack of skills and treating freelancing like employment  where the employer will make sure you do the job correctly.

If you want to succeed, start with the Terms of Service, then read this from Wes. 

Then go here. Then here.  Next, check this site regularly for events such as webinars and other learning opportunities.

After that, go here for safety information, and then here. If you still need help, after you have gone through all the previous steps, you can find additional help here. This thread is dedicated to new freelancers. And here are announcements from Upwork that can help keep you up to date.

It will take some time to go through all the information. I'm not suggesting people should not post in the forum, I am suggesting before you ask questions and want help, you need to help yourself first.

From Prashant P: "And have relevant profile picture of your face.  Not some desks, or Mickey mouse, or full face covering." 

From Susan S: "And patience! Have patience! It takes a while to get started, even after going through all the information available."

From Martina P:  "Only one thing you forgot, namely telling people to use all 15 skills, if you have all 15 skills"

And with advice from Maria T, I will say, 

Refrain from personal messages, please read all the links I have added.

[#2]

Please examine my profile as I haven't had any employment offers in the last few months.
I tried everything, but it wasn't successful for me.

Can you please help me?

Awaiting your response.

Best wishes,
Nabiya

[#3]

Your profile is set to private. Please set to "public" so I can see your profile.

[#4]

Dear Jeanee H:

Your comments are very helpfull, can you please review my profile as well.

Regards

Zeeshan alam 

[#5]

Zeeshan, you haven't made a profile, there is nothing there. Start with a good photo of just your head. I'm assuming when you say student, you mean college and that you are over 18.

You need to take an honest look at your marketable skills. Currently, you are a target for scammers because they can see from your profile you don't know how to use the platform. Go back to the top post and read it, and follow every link. I can tell you haven't done the basics and don't know about fixed price or hourly contracts, or making the big mistake that people do so often when going outside of Upwork for any reason before a contract is in place.

Freelancing is not easy or cheap. With no marketable skills, you will be scammed. You need to sit down and think about what you can do well. We all have skills, but not all of us have skills that can be used in this platform. Do you have skills that will work online? Only you know.

I'm not trying to discourage you, I am trying to help you see the reality before you spend a lot of time and money. If you are going to freelance, you must have a marketable skill, such as building the workings of a website, or writing a speech. If you don't have such skills, it is going to be very hard for you to get a real job. If you do have skills and are prepared to spend time, money, and effort, everyone started where you are.

Go back to the top post and read it, follow every link, and use the Upwork resources that are available. Please don't apply for any job until you have done the work. I hate to see people scammed, but it's your choice.

[#6]

https://www.upwork.com/fl/~01d25087068f12d980

Please review my profile 

[#7]

Your profile needs work. Go back to the top post and hover over the links. You should take advantage of New to Upwork and all the courses available. Your profile needs to tell the client what you will do for them that is different from all the rest. How you will complete the job and produce a better result than the other applicants. Have paragraphs instead of a list. Add to your portfolio and find photos to represent your work.

[#8]

Hi Jeanne H,

I hope you are in great shape. It is an excellent initiative for newcomers like me. Please review my profile.
Love from,
~Abdullah.

[#9]

You need to tell the client what you will do for them with your skills. Break up the way too long list and use words instead.  Use the links to the Academy for more help. (Hover over the links in the top post)

[#10]

Can't believe people are coming here with the same questions over and over even when the answers are already on the links you shared. I admire your patience, Jeanne.

[#11]

Javiera,

Please use two exact Skills in the Title and write four compelling paragraphs for the Summary removing the words "About my work". Focus on the first sentence because it appears in client search.

[#12]

Sometimes I wonder if you even read the messages you reply to.

[#13]

From my private messages about this, definitely not. Makes people mad and not want to post, too.

[#14]

This is not the job advice thread. Why do you go back in time to post something the OP has no interest in? Why add in irrelevant posting when there are multiple threads that go wanting for help?

Why do you think someone with a 100% job score, something many even top rated freelancers throwing advice don't have and never achieve, needs advice on their profile, when they didn't ask for it? I know, you refuse to answer any questions from anyone you don't consider worthy.

[#15]

............and then, after you have invested all of this time and effort, given UW 10% of your earnings, be prepared to spend 16 CONNECTS to continue !!!

Oh, and be grateful that you are even allowed on UW -- afterall, you are a freelancer and you are costing them lots of $$, dont you know!

[#16]

Hi, can someone tell me how to make my profile public from locked private? Want to start slowly switching to Upwork from another platform where I am in the preferred program and top 1% active workers but I saw that my profile is locked private for some reason (not sure how that affects my chances of landing jobs). 

[#17]

Hi Bojan,

I have reset your profile back to public as requested. Submitting proposals doesn't always guarantee that you will get hired or get a chance to be interviewed, but you shouldn't give up on sending proposals to potential clients. I've pulled a few resources that may be helpful to you. Check out these articles to help you create a profile that stands out and improve your profile title and overview. For some great tips on writing proposals that win jobs, check out this article.

[#18]

Thanks a lot for doing it so quickly Arjay, appreciate the effort and commitment to making Upwork even better for all of us trying to find work here.

[#19]

Hi Jeanne
I saw your posts and found them very helpful. I enjoyed your manner of helping others. You are a wonderful lady. I wish you success in all your life and I am sure it is.

[#20]

...and click that 'inappropriate flag' sooner rather than later - if it smells fishy, let Upwork crew look at it.

[#21]

Worst thing is having the experience for a posted job and having it removed only to see later on that the project was either a scam or just spamming job posts from different accounts. Some of us have the required experience for the positions we applied for but it's difficult to explain. I've been working in crypto for a while now and I've manager communities, developed businesses, a lot more but how do I add this or mention it? It's not like I took a screenshot of everything I've done in the last 7 years and some projects I worked for turned out to be scams so the proof of my success is gone. I'm an honest hard worker and I don't really know how to prove my worth other than be in the position and work. Not very good at selling myself.

[#22]

Selling yourself is a part of freelancing. I dare say for many, it is the least favorite part. I suggest you look online or in a library for information on how to market yourself.  There is a ton of excellent, free information so that can help. Marketing on Upwork is limited to your profile and proposals. Anything you can do to stand out in the crowd will help.

Your profile could use some work. Your introduction needs to be clearer. Focus on two or three solid skills and tell the client in your introduction how you will use those skills to do an amazing job. In your proposals, tell the client how you will do the job, specifically, better than others. Do not give them the work, but tell them how you will accomplish it.

[#23]

That's very helpful information about marketing yourself and knowing their is material out there to help. Thank you!

[#24]

Dear Jeanee H ,

Your comments are very helpfull, can you please review my profile as well.

Best Regards

Amena 

[#25]

Amena, I can see you have put in a lot of work on your profile. Good for you! I would break up the list. Perhaps put part of the skills into words. A short list is OK.

If you put as much care into proposals, you should do well.

[#26]

Thank you for your kind words and encouragement! I appreciate your feedback and will strive to utilize my skills effectively in all aspects of my work.