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xena_a
Community Member

How to get a job If you are a newbie here and don't have any feedbacks and jobs in history?

Sadly, there's a huge newbie discrimination (sounds dramatic but I don't know how else to call it + I'm pretty upset right now).

It just doesn't matter how much knowledge you have concerning your field of work,

If you don't have any feedbacks, completed jobs in history, you won't be needed anywhere and you can't even get the most simple and low bidded job to get at least something in your job history... even If you have a portfolio with a couple of impressive things which prove that you know what you are doing.

Employers here want an impossibly experienced freelancer to realise their often tiny simple projects but what should newbies do? Like me. 

How to even start If everybody dissmisses you because of your "newbieness" on the website?

Maybe you could tell me how you started here?

How did you get your first job and some tips for newbies?

Thank you.

5 REPLIES 5
cylver1z
Community Member

Hello Xena,

 

I'm sorry to hear that. Please click this link to help you enhance your profile.  You may add samples of your previous works in your portfolio and take Upwork skill tests to showcase your skills and abilities. You may also click this link to help you submit a winning proposal.


Untitled

Xena,

 

Nobody (or nearly nobody) finds it easy to get their first jobs on Upwork.

 

Follow advice, get the best possible profile, pass tests, only send offers to jobs that correspond to your skills, and you'll start getting jobs. 

 

It took me about two months to get a terrible first job (from a freelancer farming some transcription work) but now I'm doing much better.

 

Good luck!

Your profile is set to private but be sure that both your profile and your proposals emphasize your experience and expertise off the platform.

Xena, don't pay attention to clients who specify Expert($$$) with tiny budgets. Experienced freelancers, myself for instance, seldom bid on those.

__________________________________________________
"No good deed goes unpunished." -- Clare Boothe Luce
luke-stilson
Community Member

Hey Xena,

 

Sorry to hear you're having trouble landing a client.

 

Truth is, if you present yourself as a newbie, clients will see you as a newbie.  It took me a week, but I landed 2 clients, and here's how I did it.

 

I didn't under-bid the client.  In fact, in some instances I bid higher than the amount the client requested.  It sounds like a risk, but it lets them know you're a serious professional.  Bid for the amount you want to receive for the work you are producing.

 

I worked for months on my professional web presence before joining Upwork.  Make sure your linkedin, facebook, insta, even twitter match your Upwork presence-- be consistent.

 

I addressed all of the clients' asks in the cover letters.  I provided specific examples of similar work I had done in the past, was friendly, and tried to make myself stand out from the crowd by proposing above and beyond what the client needed. Write inteligently and make sure to spell check Smiley Happy

 

You say your portfolio includes "a couple impressive things" how about adding more work, even if you feel like it isn't polished to the degree you see fit?  Clients want to see that you have a plethora of experience in the field they are hiring for.  Include a portfolio, maybe a link to your instagram page where you post your daily work, a blog you write about the subject.  Make sure your resume highlights impressive work you have done.  Did a major project in school? Include it! A client cannot see that you are knowledge if you don't have the work to back it up.

 

Your profile is listed as private, so I do not know what field you are in.  I'd be happy to take a look at your portfolio or resume myself and see if I can give you any tips or tricks that might help you stand out.

 

Keep at it and good luck!

Luke

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