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. 

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.

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]

The skills title is too long, so I would remove the 17+ years. Go through the freelancers and look at profile titles in your field. Never start any professional contact, cover letter, proposal, or anything else with "Hey." And no emojis, anywhere. Do not use your name. The client can see the JSS, your name, etc. Also, do not repeat your skills. Instead, create a powerful sentence that describes what you can do for clients with skills, education, and experience. Remove the lists and form in to three or four paragraphs. Since you are not making $200.00 per hour, you might consider lowering your fee. From what I'm seeing in searches, it is high.

I don't understand why you are also doing graphic design for $20.00 an hour. This is going to be confusing for clients. You have nothing in your skills title about graphic design. If you use the graphic design as a bonus for building websites. Graphic design is a bloated category with many low-skilled freelancers and bad, cheap jobs. The freelancers who are successful have excellent skills and are fierce competition.

Give some thought to your marketable skills and which ones will serve you better as a freelancer.

[#3]

Shugufta, You need to go back to the top post, and use all the Upwork resources, not just the Academy. Your profile could be so much better. You are wasting the top line of your profile, which is all the clients see, unless they open your profile. You need to tell the client what you can do for them, better than anyone else. You have to sell yourself in that one line. In addition, remove the graphics/emojis and use paragraphs. Some short lists are OK, but limit them.

Some freelancers like project catalogs, others find them unnecessary, just like consultations. You have to decide what works best for your business.

There is a tremendous amount of competition from bots, farmers, and real freelancers. It's crucial your proposals sell the project in the first two lines, which is all the client see on your proposals. Make sure you only apply to jobs you know you can complete perfectly, and don't boost unless you know you are one of the top two candidates.

[#4]

,

Jeane, Could you please visit my profile and let me know about any thing missing in my profile. One more thing how i will optimize my profile to attract clients.

Thanks

[#5]

Hey William,

I hope you're doing well. You have always reached out to help others. Would you mind taking a moment to look at my profile and share your valueable insights? I have noticed a decrease in the visibility of my proposals and lack of opportunities for new projects these days.

[#6]

There are many aspects of a professional profile. I can see you have time and effort into it, but it needs improvements. First, remove the color background from the photo and replace with a neutral one. Your profile is far too long. Form the shortened text into paragraphs. There are too many lists. Don't use graphics or emojis, unless they are related to your skills, and then use sparingly.

The first line is all the client sees, so use it to justify why you should be hired over others. Make sure you have the hard skills to back up your claims. For proposals, the client sees only the first two lines before deciding to read or ignore your proposal.

Although you can make improvements, it's difficult for anyone to find work on the platform, and being new and inexperienced only adds to the difficulty. Some freelancers are still doing well, but it's not as simple as Upwork, and the freelancers who round up gullible people will tell you.

In no way, are you responsible for the lack of jobs. You can make  improvements so you are ready to apply should you find a worthy project. Freelancers, like me, aren't applying often, because there are no jobs in our field that pay more than pennies.

The world has changed because of COVID, and the repercussions are still with us and unfolding. When Upwork removed all limits and skills tests, and allowed anyone to be a freelancer, the resulting flood  overwhelmed the platform, and clients left. The result is a platform with 20 million (some of them are inactive)freelancers and less than 900,000 clients. Opportunities exist, but they are not easy to find.

[#7]

Thank you so much. i have made some changes according to your feedback pls check now

[#8]

You still need to change your photo. You are supposed to look professional. And you need to combine the lists into paragraphs. Use the links in the top post to connect to Upwork resources and profile examples.

[#9]

Please check my profile and suggest me how to start

[#10]

Your profile is barely there. One line is not a profile. You need to go back to the top pinned post, read it, and follow every link. Currently, all you will find are scams, because the scammers can tell, just like we can, that you aren't following best practices and haven't read the rules. This is your entire profile, “I am a Law professional having expertise in Finance and Accounts with hands on experience in commercial transactions.” Law professional or not, you don't know how the platform works, and until you do, do not look for jobs or accept an invitation because the scammers search for profiles just like yours. You have to create a professional profile, including portfolio items. I don't think I have seen "law professional" before. Are you an attorney? Paralegal? If I don't know what you mean or what your skills are, clients will not either.

[#11]

Hi, I'm sorry but I don't know how to write in the common chat. Today this happened to me. I did some translation and writing work. First they told me they paid me via Swift and then I received this email. Obviously I replied that I don't associate my account. in any system unknown to me, I think they don't want to pay me...can you help me? this is the text of the email ......Hello, Your Payment  To Your BANK ACCOUNT is currently on pending as your account has not been linked to our Payment Server) You will be required to link your account as this should ensure that payment to our workers are been secured. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO LINK YOUR BANK ACCOUNT TO THE COMPANY RECOMMEND PAYMENT SYSTEM.

Have you ever downloaded a mobile app and had to provide documents or other personal information to verify your identity?

If so, you have likely completed what is known as a Know Your Customer (KYC) check.

It may seem like a few extra steps, but they're in place for a reason - to safeguard your information from bad actors.

ACCOUNT LINKING is a due diligence standard for organizations in the financial services sector. 

This process helps prevent fraud, Below is an invoice of your payment cheque issued out from RHI to your BANK ACCOUNT via  NORDATSTADGLOBAL ONLINE BANKING HOW TO LINK YOUR BANK ACCOUNT TO COMPANY RECOMMEND PAYMENT SYSTEM 

1.AN IDENTITY CARD OF RECIPIENT WHICH IS YOU

2.A LINKING FEE OF $120 IS REQUIRED 

3.MOBILE PHONE NUMBER 

NOTE: This $120 Linking fee will be refunded alongside with your payment

Kindly contact the Company Project Director via the link

[#12]

You violated the Upwork Terms of Service, and you will not be paid. Not only that, but you can also lose your account permanently. You can't communicate or do anything with a potential client until an Upwork contract is in place.

Before you are scammed, again, go back to the top pinned post, read it and follow every link. Learn how to use the platform before you go near the job feed. You are completely unprepared for work here, and your profile shows this to everyone.

I fail to understand, when it's the freelancer's money, why people just jump in and don't bother to read or follow the rules.

[#13]

si in effetti sono iscritto da 2 giorni ....quindi puoi dirmi come devo fare per prendere un lavoro direttamente da upwork...grazie

[#14]

You won't find ANY jobs if you don't:

1) Have real, marketable skills;

2) Work on your profile;

3) Learn how the platform works.

Start by reading Jeanne's initial post on this thread (the one at the top of each page, including every link) and take the Academy courses. Otherwise, you will be scammed/truffato AGAIN and AGAIN.

[#15]

Hi I'm new here and I need some help to be acknowledged 

[#16]

Sir William and Mam Jeane,
I have seen that you are helping others start their freelance business on Upwork. First of all, I appreciate you for your efforts. Secondly, I want you to check my Upwork profile and give me some suggestions to improve it.
Thanks.

 

[#17]

Hello William & Faraz,

You guys have amazing portfolio and profiles, no doubt...! Please can you review my profile? Need suggestions and please highlight the mistakes or if I am missing any part. Thanks

[#18]

The first thing I suggest is to change your first sentence. It is all the clients see in a search, so use it to tell the client why you are the best choice. Combine your skills, experience, history, education into one sentence that tells the client that you are the best because, you will increase the number of sales of a product, increase their ROI on investments, etc.

I'm hesitant to have you change much because you already have experienced success. I would form the written information into three or four paragraphs. If you go through the links in the top pinned post, you can hover over the link, and follow the ones providing guidance on profiles, etc. Also, consider adding more to your portfolio.

[#19]

Hey Wil, can you please reivew my profile, any insight would be helpful. Thanks 🙂

[#20]

There are many things under Upwork that you should be doing. You are wasting the first line of your profile, which is all clients see in a search. The client can see you are top rated. The very long list should be formed into a few concise paragraphs. There are other changes that would make your prfoile more professional. However, considering your success here, I wouldn't change much because if it's working, don't make big changes. 

I think you can improve your profile to make it more professional, but at this point your success is driven more by your qualifications than anything in your profile.

[#21]

Hello

[#22]

Hello Mr Faraz , can you check my profile please ? thanks 

[#23]

There are a number of things you can do to improve your profile. If you haven't, make sure to go through the top pinned post to learn how to use the platform correctly and avoid scams.

I would add a bit of color to the background of your photo. You don't need much, just a bit of a neutral color because your current photo could be better and more prominent. It may seem like a tiny thing, but you have to consider that you have little time to catch the clients' attention. The same is true for your first sentence, which is all clients see in a search. It isn't bad, but create a strong sentence, but not a question. Tell the client what you can do for them. Will it increase their views? Get them into exclusive journals? Create a website that will establish their business? Get more clicks?

Remove your name and don't use greetings. The client can see your name when they look at your profile. Go in as a client, and search. You will see what is visible.

Remove all of the graphics, emojis, and lists. Form the information into three or four readable paragraphs. Although you will find freelancers with terrible profiles who have made money here, when starting out, you have to do everything you can to deter scammers and attract good clients. A professional profile is one of the best ways to accomplish that goal. I can see you have solid skills, and with a bit of work, your profile will showcase your work.

[#24]

Vous pouvez aussi vérifier mon profil ?!

[#25]

i need help ASAP please, have 230 connevts, membership, clear cache, and can't apply to jobs. 

[#26]

What is the issue? Have you gone through verification?