Expert professional new to Upwork unable to land gigs

[b31e7e34]

Hi, I've been working in the digital media scene for over 9 years now but I'm quite new to Upwork. I had some experience working on oDesk around 6 years ago but a lot has changed since then. Although I created my Upwork account last year I've still been unable to land a proper gig. 

I would like to know if I should start from small tasks that require little experience or should stick to hunting gigs that require expert experience.

Any ideas would be a great help.

Thanks!

[91c91775]

Start small. My first job was $5. The clients don't know you, focus on making yourself seem low risk.

[b31e7e34]

Thanks, Brad for your suggestion. May I know how long did it take for you to match your freelance work and your real-life work experience?

[516ba8cd · Accepted solution]

Hi Imran, when I first started with upwork. I followed all of the upwork tips and advice. I made sure my profile was 100% complete, quizes, etc. Then adding skills and earning the badges helped out immensly "top rated" (Each of these items you can find on upwork support, or google.) Then I promoted my upwork to attract market on other sites or social media. I also started with smaller projects to earn bigger ones. In my opinion, upwork is something that takes time to establish but make sure you get endorsements or accountability from previous work. I hope this somewhat helps. 

[b31e7e34]

Thanks, Laverty for your useful tips. I should probably spend some time on quizzes and badges, I didn't know if Upwork has that feature. 

[kkears]

Imran - Your profile is missing one of the main components to help you land gigs: a work portfolio. Clients need to see samples of your stellar work. 

While I understand what Brad is saying in his comment by making yourself seem "low risk," I don't think you need to start by lowering your value to a $5 or uber-cheap job. Clients who want to pay you abismal rates are not worth your time.

With that said, you can certainly reduce your normal project fee to make it easier for a first client to say "Yes, let's do it!" But just remember you're worth more than pennies. 

[b31e7e34]

Thank you, Katie. I was initially double-minded about this since I hadn't decided on a way forward. Now that things are clearing up, I would definitely go ahead and populate my portfolio.

[applosmart]

How to get first project in upwork?

[b31e7e34]

I landed my first gig with tailored proposals, took me around a dozen tries to land the first one. However, the second project onwards seems a bit hard right now.