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beachdude25
Community Member

Is a profile picture required or optional

1.Is a profile picture required or optional?

2.Can I upload a temporarily blank picture?  

 

It seems I can't save my profile because it says something along the lines of "profile picture is required" before I can save the profile info.  It makes it seem like having a profile picture is required  : /

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Jihad, 

I understand how this can be frustrating on your end. I would like to clarify that on Section 1.6 Identity and Location Verification it says that - 

"When you register for an Account and periodically thereafter, your Account will be subject to verification, including but not limited to validation against third-party databases or the verification of one or more official government or legal documents that confirm your identity, your location, and your ability to act on behalf of your business on Upwork. You authorize Upwork, directly or through third parties, to make any inquiries necessary to validate your identity, your location, and confirm your ownership of your business, email address or financial accounts, subject to applicable law. When requested, you must timely provide us with complete information about yourself and your business, which includes providing official government or legal documents, and cooperating with other reasonable requests we make to verify your identity. During verification some Account features may be temporarily limited but will be restored if verification is successfully completed."

 

In this help article, we have stated that the information on any of the documents you submit should match the information on your Upwork profile. As such, we will need to be able to match the identity documents will submit when asked to verify your account, with the information on your Upwork profile. I kindly request that you please upload a photo on your Upwork profile to be able to continue using Upwork.


~ Avery
Upwork

View solution in original post

96 REPLIES 96
purplepony
Community Member

@ Kevin H.:

 

Yes, a profile picture is required; it must be an actual photo of you.  That and other requirements are noted in the TOS (terms of service) which you should read.  Moderator Vladimir G.'s post at the beginning of "New to Upwork" will further assist you.  You have MUCH to learn before becoming a Freelancer on Upwork.  

I feel like a picture is required of freelancers, but not required for clients.

 

Which seems fine to me.

 

If I go to a store to buy something, the employees may well be required to wear name tags and/ or a uniform, but customers may have fewer requirements about their appearance.

The entire reason I would be working with Upwork is because my face is disfigured and not considered acceptable for standard employment. Now you're saying in order to use Upwork, I have to supply a picture of my face, which will guarantee I will never get hired? You really should put that limitation up front, so people like myself won't waste their time.

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

I'm sorry to hear that, Eric. I hope you don't get disheartened to freelance on Upwork by this requirement. 

 

While it is required to upload a profile photo to complete your profile on Upwork and start bidding for jobs in the marketplace, I will go ahead and share your case with the team. Once I have more information, the team willl reach out to you on the same thread, or directly via email. 


~ Avery
Upwork
e_hurd
Community Member

Also, what about those people who have no means to produce a photo? I have no camera and no safe place to take the picture; If I were wealthy enough to have both I wouldn't need to resort to freelancing and contract work to survive. You are effectvely discriminating against the people who most need your service.

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Eric, 


Please know that we welcome freelancers regardless of their religion, ethnicity, and/or disability. You should be able to take a photo with a regular smart phone, or your desktop or laptop's webcam. It doesn't necessarily have to be taken with a camera. 

 

I have escalated your concern to the team and I will get back to you once it has already been reviewed. If you are going through any issues other than uploading a profile picture, let me know and I will be glad to help. 


~ Avery
Upwork
e_hurd
Community Member

Again, you assume I'm wealthy enough to have either. You simply do not understand poverty. You clearly will not be able to meet my needs.

petra_r
Community Member


@Eric H wrote:

Again, you assume I'm wealthy enough to have either. You simply do not understand poverty. You clearly will not be able to meet my needs.


 Surely you own ID with a photo? It is reasonable to assume that you have access to a computer since you are posting here and have set up a profile offering services that clearly require a computer.

 

If you do not own or have access to a computer, how are you posting here and how would you work online without access to the most basic tool (a computer) needed to do freelance work on an online marketplace?

 

 

e_hurd
Community Member

Of course I have a computer - but why does that assume imaging equipment? I have neither smartphone nor webcam nor scanner - not to mention my ID photo is not going to get me contracts.


@Eric H wrote:

Of course I have a computer - but why does that assume imaging equipment? I have neither smartphone nor webcam nor scanner - not to mention my ID photo is not going to get me contracts.


 It seems that Upwork may not be the right place for you since they require that freelancers have a photo of them on their profile.

 

Many other freelancing platforms don't have such requirements.

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless

But why construct an artificial barrier to entry except to disenfranchise the poor? Wouldn't it be better PR to accept the poor-but-highly-skilled and showcase their rise to success through Upwork? Why turn away the very people future customers would be impressed by?

 

The decision made by Upwork seems to be competely arbitrary except for the fact it prevents the sufficiently poor from operating here. Is that the type of reputation you're trying to promote?

Hi Eric,

 

We have received advise from our team to let you know to go ahead and complete all other parts of your profile. Thank you!

 

~ Joanne
Upwork
e_hurd
Community Member

I can no longer trust that Upwork will not sabotage my efforts or otherwise not slander or libel me. I want to be able to delete my account without having to enter in any more information.

e_hurd
Community Member

...and now I'm expected to have a mobile phone that can be texted to "verify my phone number" - what if I only have a landline? What is wrong with you people? I'm not about to give you my phone information - I've already been harassed by people that you've sold what little information I've given to you to.

 

This is the worst experience I've ever had on a website.

g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member
Retired Team Member

Hi Eric,

 

The phone number verification is used only to verify your location.
Regarding your second concern, Upwork does not sell private information from our users. The private information we receive from our users are safely secured and used only to verify the information freelancers are listing on their profiles.

~ Goran
Upwork

How does my mobile phone verify my location? My phone is geared to say I'm nowhere *near* my physical location.

 

Why do I have to enter in all my information to cancel and delete the information I've entered?

g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member
Retired Team Member

Hi Eric,

Unfortunately you will need to verify your location in order to proceed with applying on projects. I would also like to remind you about our User Agreement, specifically Section 3. Upwork Accounts that you have agreed to when you signed up as a freelancer, thank you!

~ Goran
Upwork

I'm trying to delete my account precisely because of this. I'm trying to undo this transaction. Your system won't let me.

Location verification is also stupid because you have so many nomads 🙂 I was just in Bali and there are so many people working from there who are from various countries... I believe bank accounts etc are a more solid form of verification because they have done the dirty work for you....I miss the good old Scriptlance days...**Edited for community guidelines**

 Eric

Seems like your freelancing career is off to a poor start. I think its becaue of the first platform you picked. Other ones like the "G" one won't require you to have a picture and they don't want to use a phone to verify your location.

There are also Reddit threads that people use to find work and others market themselves through LinkedIn.

It doesnt' matter what platform you pick, they all have rules and you must follow their rules. You just need to find a platform with rules with which you can live and abide. Upwork may or may not be the platform for you.

Good luck!

chery;

It's clearly not - I'm trying to delete my account, but your system won't let me until after I enter my information, which is ludicrous. You - ironically - did not hire the best people to engineer your account creation system.

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

I'm sorry to hear that you want to close your account, Eric. Please kindly confirm here that you would like to close your account and I'll ask the Customer Support Team to close your account for you. 


~ Avery
Upwork

Hey there,

 

After you get the membership and you get through ID verification you can ask Upwork for deletion of your any data (including the photo) which could get to your identity in any way

 

"The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a change that gives EU residents more clarity and control over how their personal data is used. Personal data is anything that can directly or indirectly identify a person, such as a photo, name, bank details, medical information, computer IP address, and so on. This European-wide law replaces the 1995 Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC.

 

Upwork’s Legal and Information Security and Privacy teams have done the necessary due diligence to be in compliance with these GDPR requirements.

We value our users’ privacy and their rights to control their personal data. Regardless of where you call home, you may delete your account or request the deletion of all personal information we have about you at any time. However, we will only be following the requirements outlined by the GDPR for those living in the EEA. If you live elsewhere, we will be happy to delete your data to the extent we can reasonably do so."

 

I can assure you that Upwork people don't give a **bleep** on your appearence, the only things that matter is your qualification, your experience, your work capacity, your responsability

As about the rest of the world, you can set your profile so that you are visible only in the Upwork community

 

Hope it helps!

I am in a very similiar situation. Can you please bypass the picture requirement for me?

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Noor, 


I'm not sure what specific issue you are referring to. I'd like to share that you will not be able to complete your profile to 100% if you don't have a profile picture on your account. This means that you will not be eligible for the premium programs on Upwork. 


~ Avery
Upwork
proboobf
Community Member

We never asked for photos of the chef for the food we eat, its strange that you place so much emphasis on photos over skills, I am sure there are biases in people doing the hiring when they see the photos. When I just started, I had a photo of a group, which was mostly white, after changing it to my black photo - i got zero response - and I am skilled. Just saying that we need to focus more on skils than on how someone looks. Why don't you just verify us in the background? 


@Delroy M F wrote:

We never asked for photos of the chef for the food we eat, its strange that you place so much emphasis on photos over skills, I am sure there are biases in people doing the hiring when they see the photos. When I just started, I had a photo of a group, which was mostly white, after changing it to my black photo - i got zero response - and I am skilled. Just saying that we need to focus more on skils than on how someone looks. Why don't you just verify us in the background? 


This is not a restaurant so the comparison is pointless. I totally believe that a professionally done photo helps to sell. It has to do with the human nature. As a client, I feel better if I can see the person I'm hiring, even if it's only a photo. It's an irrational but real effect.

 

Upwork? They believe it too, this is why they want our pics all over the place.

 

Now, people of color are subject to prejudice. I don't know what to say about this.  There is no easy cure for stupidity. I see no immediate solution except having more black people joining the freelancing industry.

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless
shaziam08
Community Member

I cover my face as a religious obligation and can't produce a picture for the profile. It stopped me to complete my profile on Upwork. Any alternative?

Hi Shazia, I'm facing same issue as I'm thinking to make profile for my wife but she is also wearing a hijab and cannot show her face publicly. I want to ask that did you get any alternative of that so that I can use it for my wife's profile. Thanks.

Hi Abdullah,

 

Please know that it is not allowed to create an account for another freelancer. You and your wife should create your own account and submit it for review. 

~ Joanne
Upwork

Hi Joanne, I already have my account and it is approved. I completed work more than 10K $ and also having top rated badge on it. You can check it.

My query is that my wife is planning to start working on Upwork. Due to religious concern, she cannot reveal her face publicly. So what is the alternative of that? She is willing to talk with Upwork lady employee in case of identification. Thanks.

Hi Abdullah, 

 

Thanks for letting me know. You have mentioned in your post earlier that you are creating a profile for your wife, which isn't allowed. She should create her own account and have it submitted for approval. As for your question about uploading a profile picture, please send me a PM with your wife's account details so I can check with the team. 

~ Joanne
Upwork

Thanks. I'm trying to PM you. Can you please tell me what details do you need?

Hello Abdullah,

 

We will need your wife's account details such as the Upwork username or registered email address when you pm us.

 

Thank you.

Pradeep.

Upwork
omar-as
Community Member

Hi Avery, I am a woman wearing niqab and don't show my face in public for religious purposes. I don't want to provide a profile picture, and I'm open to other suggestions as I want to work on Upwork.

Hi there,

 

Can you please try uploading your profile picture one more time? Let us know if you need further assistance with anything.

 

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar
Upwork

I would like to ask, why does the verification take more than 24 hours, where it stated that it will only take 1 business day?

 

I need your help

 

Thank you

Hi Schenley,

 

Apologies for the delay as our teams are currently experiencing a higher number of contacts than usual. Rest assured the team will address your concerns and questions via the ticket as soon as possible.
 
~ Nikola
Upwork
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