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]

Thanks for sharing this important reminder! Networking is valuable, but it’s crucial to maintain professionalism and respect others’ boundaries. It’s all about building genuine connections, not just trying to get something out of someone. Quality over quantity always wins when it comes to building a meaningful network.

Cheers to keeping our interactions positive and respectful!

[#3]

Thanks

[#4]

yes

[#5]

True

[#6]

si

[#7]

There is no fee for contacting other freelancers.

[#8]

True

[#9]

Why

[#10]

you're right.... being a freelancer doesn't mean free to be contacted. 

[#11]

Hello am Stephen.Have been in Upwork for some time and am looking forward to getting a job.

Regards

Nzioki Stephen 

[#12]

thank you

[#13]

Well, so far I haven't gotten any DMs😩

[#14]

This question was for me.

[#15]

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Jeanne H wrote:

I may need to repeat myself hourly as I have more people who saw the post and decided I am so knowledgeable, they want me to help them individually.

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They must have missed the part where you said, "You don't need me."

[#16]

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Christine A wrote:

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Jeanne H wrote:

I may need to repeat myself hourly as I have more people who saw the post and decided I am so knowledgeable, they want me to help them individually.

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They must have missed the part where you said, "You don't need me."

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Confusing, isn't it, when this is a community where people are supposed to ask questions? There may have been a better way to handle this. JMO.

I suggested on this thread that the OP start a blog. It would solve her feeling of frustration, would get the word out there to a huge audience, and she wouldn't be "required" to answer anybody, although I don't think she's required now.

And people who want a sense of community plus want to ask questions and get answers, can keep going on a community that welcomes questions and answers. 🙂 Easy-peasy.

[#17]

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Melanie H wrote:

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I suggested on this thread that the OP start a blog. It would solve her feeling of frustration, would get the word out there to a huge audience, and she wouldn't be "required" to answer anybody, although I don't think she's required now.

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No, a blog would not solve her feeling of frustration. And the people who go to blogs for the information she referenced are not the people here in this forum asking the same uber-basic questions over and over. So those users would not find the blog helpful.

Jeanne knows that she is not required to answer anybody. She wants to help and be part of the community, and, like any good, helpful person, becomes frustrated by all of the bad advice and feels the urge to correct the misapprehensions and mal-advice. The problem is, there is so much to correct - all the time! - that she gets burnt out. And while it may be easy to not enter the forum, it is not so easy to ignore the direct messages through the Community platform (and especially the ones that DM her through Upwork).

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Melanie H wrote:

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And people who want a sense of community plus want to ask questions and get answers, can keep going on a community that welcomes questions and answers. 🙂 Easy-peasy.

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Alas, communities that have a flood of newcomers with no knowledge are susceptible to lots of opinions "answers". I don't know about you, but I don't know anybody who doesn't dabble in conspiracy theories who wants their community to be awash in false information and ignorance.

[#18]

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Jonathan L wrote:

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Melanie H wrote:

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I suggested on this thread that the OP start a blog. It would solve her feeling of frustration, would get the word out there to a huge audience, and she wouldn't be "required" to answer anybody, although I don't think she's required now.

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No, a blog would not solve her feeling of frustration. And the people who go to blogs for the information she referenced are not the people here in this forum asking the same uber-basic questions over and over. So those users would not find the blog helpful.

Jeanne knows that she is not required to answer anybody. She wants to help and be part of the community, and, like any good, helpful person, becomes frustrated by all of the bad advice and feels the urge to correct the misapprehensions and mal-advice. The problem is, there is so much to correct - all the time! - that she gets burnt out. And while it may be easy to not enter the forum, it is not so easy to ignore the direct messages through the Community platform (and especially the ones that DM her through Upwork).

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Melanie H wrote:

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And people who want a sense of community plus want to ask questions and get answers, can keep going on a community that welcomes questions and answers. 🙂 Easy-peasy.

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Alas, communities that have a flood of newcomers with no knowledge are susceptible to lots of opinions "answers". I don't know about you, but I don't know anybody who doesn't dabble in conspiracy theories who wants their community to be awash in false information and ignorance.

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Okay. 🤷 Then sadly, you and she and anyone else who chooses to will continue to be frustrated. Sorry about that. 

Please know that I, too, am here to help. When something gets this frustrating I take a breather. 🙂 I did not intend to derail the thread from its original intent; I was pointing out why eventually the giant "helpful" threads are given up on by the questioner, hence what seem to be repeats as posts over and over again on the forum.  

My post was for the OP, who can take my advice or not. You might step back and allow her her own input. Hope this helps.

[#19]

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Melanie H wrote:

[...]

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Please know that I, too, am here to help. When something gets this frustrating I take a breather. 🙂 I did not intend to derail the thread from its original intent; I was pointing out why eventually the giant "helpful" threads are given up on by the questioner, hence what seem to be repeats as posts over and over again on the forum.  

My post was for the OP, who can take my advice or not. You might step back and allow her her own input. Hope this helps.

____________________________

But you have not only tried to derail it,  you have also tried to devalue it.  I don't think the OP needs any advice and she has given plenty of sensible "input". 

If your post was only intended for the OP, then you could have sent her a private message. The forums are public and anybody can comment. 

[#20]

The thing is, there are new freelancers posting, "How do I get a job on Upwork?" and "How do I get started?" and other generic questions, every 5 minutes. So, it's entirely appropriate to direct them to links where they can learn the basics. If you're embarking on a freelancing career, it's important to understand that the responsibility for success depends on you; it's your responsibility to figure things out, and not other people's responsibility to spoon-feed you the most basic information. If anyone has a specific question, on the other hand, the forum is  a great place to ask.

[#21]

Hi Christine A, 

You are lucky enough that someone is calling you for support. Actually, everyone especially new freelancers call for support when they are not getting their first job. In my case I have sent 5 proposals and not got a single response in any type. In such cases new freelancers can only cry for support. No one is asking for spoon-feed but they are asking for support. You may advise them some way-out, you may guide them some ways to write proposals etc.

Here my first aim is to encourage you to support Newbies and my second aim is to encourage Newbies to get maximum knowledge from https://community.upwork.com/t5/Academy/ct-p/Academy

Best Regards,

Fazal Ahmed

[#22]

Kindly review my profile

https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01c40339962b2ea14c

[#23]

Go back to the top post, read it and follow every link. You are at risk for being scammed because you haven't read or aren't following best practices. Do you know the Terms of Service? All the ins and outs of hourly vs. fixed price contracts? How to avoid scams? Then use the top post where all this and more waits to guide you.

The clients only see the top line of your introduction. Get rid of the graphics/emojis and learn how to have an excellent profile to attract clients and deter scammers.

[#24]

I'm new to upwork, is there a nifty way to show a profile on the main page when searched

[#25]

No. The profiles are on a rotating basis. That being said, no one knows the program behind the rotations and placements because some would cheat. Obviously they don't use the JSS, because I have found my profile many pages in, with many freelancers with less than 80% ahead of me consistently. It is not based on recent work, money earned, number of contracts, etc.

The search engines and best matches were changed, to the detriment of clients finding the right freelancers.

[#26]

Yes, I have also noticed that many are ahead of me (have JSS of 93%) inspite of having very low JSS even one has 67% as well as many freelancers with lower earning than mine are ahead of me.