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robby_hamoud
Community Member

I Cant Get My First Job - Review My Profile

Hey all,

 

I'm looking for some expert tips on how to get my first few jobs on UpWork. I have already read plenty of tips online that I feel I am implementing in my proposals. For instance, trying to keep it short, sweet, to the point and telling them about what sort of value I can bring to them, and how I can help them rather than just talking about myself. 

 

I am extremely experienced in paid search management and every single job I have applied for I am more than qualified for. I do this full time for a living but have been given the opportunity to earn extra income by freelancing on the side, but I can't get my first client.

 

Can you please review my profile and let me know what sort of things you would edit, add, or take away? Any extra tips you can give me?

 

Finally, if you happen to be hiring for AdWords or Facebook projects, I'm your guy 😉

 

Thanks for all your help community!

6 REPLIES 6
jefframlee
Community Member

Well, you wasted your most important opening paragraph telling me that you're not my guy.

 

And don't guys in the U.S. with your level of experience and background earn more than $20/hr?

Yeah, the beginning was changed after a couple of days to this because I’m just looking for a way to stand out from the crowd. It was supposed to be kind of ironic but I guess if you didn’t realize that then I missed the mark?

And yes, I am priced a little low. Not exceptionally low though. I have priced myself this way to try and get work considering no one is even responding to any of my proposals.

Thanks for the feedback!


@Robby H wrote:
Yeah, the beginning was changed after a couple of days to this because I’m just looking for a way to stand out from the crowd. It was supposed to be kind of ironic but I guess if you didn’t realize that then I missed the mark?

And yes, I am priced a little low. Not exceptionally low though. I have priced myself this way to try and get work considering no one is even responding to any of my proposals.

Thanks for the feedback!

Beware of this tactic. When you price yourself low you edge yourself out of a big chunk of the market. Fixed price jobs can be a good way to get some work history on the platform without depending on an hourly rate.  

Melissa, 

 

I would like to charge between $30-$40 an hour once I establish a presence in the community, but I just figured that was too high now. 

 

So you think I would have more success pricing around $30/hour rather than lowballing? 

 

Also, is there any sort of filter I can choose while searching jobs to see people who may have hired freelancers for their first job on previous projects? 

 

This is so frustrating because I know I can provide real, quality value to what these people are looking for, but I know im likely being passed up before my proposals are even read because I dont meet most of the job requirement/ JSS for each project. 

Hey Robby, yep, exactly. Don't lowball. In the real world of full time employment it used to be that employers liked to see a history of salary increases commensurate with experience and position (I say "used to be" because I live in glorious NYC where it is now illegal for employers to ask about salary history). It doesn't work the same way in online freelancing. Sure, you want to price yourself fairly and you're concerned with not setting a too-high rate, but I urge you to price yourself where you want to be based on what you're worth. For example, my hourly rate when I started was based on my experience at the time. I calculated using various inputs and came up with a rate that was palatable to me - I tried very hard not to base it on what I thought the market would bear. Reason being that the market online is so varied and there is often room for every price point and experience level. Low rates typically read as low experience from a client perspective. 

robby_hamoud
Community Member

For all, 

 

I made some pretty significant changes to the content and format of my profile. 

 

Please take a look now and offer any valuable feedback you have! Also, keep the first job tips coming. I WILL  get this going!

 

Thanks,

Robby 

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