Freelancing is hard work, not a quick fix to an urgent situation… you need to do your homework before applying to jobs.
- By signing up, freelancers agree to comply to certain rules. (Terms of Service or ToS)
- Learn about those rules.
- Being « New to Upwork » does not exempt freelancers from complying to these rules as all the information is available to them.
- After creating your new account : DO YOUR HOMEWORK
- Start learning how the platform works (BROWSE the website thoroughly and read other articles, posts, etc…
- Use SEARCH features to see what was already written on the subjects.
- Terms of service
- Profile details
- Account settings
- Payment methods
- Payment schedule
- Fees
- JSS
- Hourly vs Fixed-price contract
- Protections
- How to stay safe
- Notifications
- Refunds
- Support
- Applying for jobs
- Type of unsafe jobs (scams)
- Etc…
- Take the Readiness Test
- Work on your profile to make it appealing to serious clients, for jobs you are qualified for. A lot of information is available. Look for it.
- If you don’t want to encounter any problems with your account, the following is a good head-start :
- Do not communicate outside of Upwork by email/text/Whatsapp/Telegram/Skype or other third-party means
- Apply to jobs only through Upwork
- Only work if you are officially hired on Upwork
- Do not accept payment outside of Upwork (PayPal, etc…)
- Do not send any money to clients
- Do not provide/offer free samples of work
- Do not create duplicate account
Keep in mind most scams can be avoided by not communicating outside of Upwork, either from job post or invitation to interview.
