Is it possible to find a job as a beginner and not being contacted only by scammers?

[47381d04]

Hi.

I am trying to find my first job here and every person that contacted me was a scammer. They wanted to chat on telegram, whatsapp or wated a security deposit etc.

I wasn't expecting that and it is really dissapointing. Any tipps for a beginner here? How can I recognize those scammers sooner? 

[NadaN]

Hi Barbara, I'm sorry to hear this happened! Should you encounter this again, please report it to our Support team. That said, when you're searching for jobs, you can focus on:

1. Client’s history to see what they’ve spent on Upwork, what their hire rate is, whom they have hired, etc.
2. Or, client and project badges that may indicate the client has high intent such as Upwork Plus & Upwork Enterprise client badges and Featured Jobs badges. These badges mean the client has a paid subscription.
3. Also, review other indicators such as:

• Feedback rating 
• Amount spent to date
• Feedback (read comments to and from other professionals on Upwork)
• Verified payment method

[47381d04]

Thank you very much for your help.  I've already reported those scammers.

[feed_my_eyes · Accepted solution]

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Barbara P wrote:

Hi.

I am trying to find my first job here and every person that contacted me was a scammer. They wanted to chat on telegram, whatsapp or wated a security deposit etc.

I wasn't expecting that and it is really dissapointing. Any tipps for a beginner here? How can I recognize those scammers sooner? 

---

I would recommend that you at least finish your course before you start looking for work here. You're in a very overcrowded category, competing with thousands of people who have more experience than you do, and many of them charge lower rates. Clients want to hire freelancers who can get the job done and provide value to them, not people who are "aspiring" to be good at something. Your profile reads like someone who's looking for an entry-level job and not freelance work; there's a big difference. Unless you can rewrite it and demonstrate how you can benefit clients - instead of making it all about you and your passions - you will only be targetted by scammers.

As for how to spot scammers, there's an excellent post here: https://community.upwork.com/t5/New-to-Upwork/List-of-red-flags-for-scams/m-p/1017044

[47381d04]

Hi Christine. 

Thanks for your reply. Just to make this clear- I wrote proposals for very simple jobs (so no SEO jobs -just data entry jobs, converting files, web research etc.)  as I am highly aware of the facts that I am new here and that I am still finishing SEO specialization. My hourly rate was always lower on the proposals. Those were jobs that are "entry-level" and no experiences were needed. I have enough professional work experiences to be able to do those.

Since I changed my career it was important for me to write what my passions are/what my new career path will be after finishing this specialization. I thought this was an important information for future clients and not "just all about me and my passions". 

Anyway, thanks for you tipps I will definitely try to rewrite my profile. 

[feed_my_eyes]

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Barbara P wrote:

Since I changed my career it was important for me to write what my passions are/what my new career path will be after finishing this specialization. I thought this was an important information for future clients and not "just all about me and my passions". 

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Important in what way? Is this information going to make clients want to hire you for data entry jobs, or would they prefer to hire freelancers who focus on data entry and who discuss their speed and accuracy and experience, instead of their passions? Being able to sell yourself means that you have to look at your profile from a client's point of view, and think about what they want and what they need.

[renata101]

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Christine A wrote:

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Barbara P wrote:

Since I changed my career it was important for me to write what my passions are/what my new career path will be after finishing this specialization. I thought this was an important information for future clients and not "just all about me and my passions". 

---

Important in what way? Is this information going to make clients want to hire you for data entry jobs, or would they prefer to hire freelancers who focus on data entry and who discuss their speed and accuracy and experience, instead of their passions? Being able to sell yourself means that you have to look at your profile from a client's point of view, and think about what they want and what they need.

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@ Barbara P

I think this is a really important detail to explore. A freelancer, to my understanding, is basically a hired gun. The type of thing you're discussing in your profile is part of an "organizational fit" conversation aimed at securing a long term placement. The freelance conversation is a completely different thing. Here the goal is to get in, ensure you understand what the client wants (or that you can help them understand what's possible within their deadline and budget based on your knowledge and experience) and leave the client with a good project. If what they ask for strikes you as unreasonable or not humanly doable, you don't take the job.

I bring my skillset and experience to the job the client needs. In all the time I've been applying to posts, not one client has EVER asked me to tell them what I'm passionate about. If they want to know about anything, it's what I've done that's similar to the project they have in their hand. And as far as I'm concerned, what I'm passionate about in my work as a freelancer should come through loud and clear in my ratings.

[8bb8db64]

Hi Christine,

Thanks for you and everyone who replied to this question.

I just want to clarify me on the issue of finishing my course as mentioned in your feedback. What course and how do I do the course?

Thanks 

[feed_my_eyes]

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Joy E wrote:

Hi Christine,

Thanks for you and everyone who replied to this question.

I just want to clarify me on the issue of finishing my course as mentioned in your feedback. What course and how do I do the course?

Thanks 

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My response was to Barbara, who was doing a course. I have no specific courses to recommend - it depends on what someone wants to do, obviously.

[NikolaS]

Hi Barbara,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I shared your report with our team for further investigation and appropriate actions will be taken according to our internal processes.

I also encourage you to let us know if a TOS violation has happened by using the Flag as Inappropriate option throughout the platform. You can learn more about user reporting here.

Christine already shared a great thread you can use to learn more about how to stay safe on Upwork. Additionally, you may also want to check this help article for additional information. 

[a456541a]

Hi, I'm a beginner freelancer and I'm going through the same problem, so customers asking for security deposit, I'm pretty sad because I haven't got a decent job yet. I've been working here since March and unfortunately two scammers have appeared asking me for a security deposit. I always thought it was strange and turned everyone down because I had read upwork guidelines. But I'm sad because I haven't got a job yet.

[renata101]

@Aline, Never pay a client so you can be paid. Never. There are NEVER up-front fees that you need to pay clients, and there are no fees that you ever need to pay clients to be paid. So NO registration fees, NO bank fees, and NO fees of any kind that you need to pay the client.

Upwork takes a fee once you have been paid by the client.

Something everyone new to this platform needs to know is what it looks like when you have a contract in place. You will get an offer, which you can reject or accept. If you accept, there will be a message saying that you have a contract.  Don't ever accept a fixed-price concept before the money is put in escrow. That's your insurance policy that the client has funded the job.