New to Upwork

[64a68b87]

Hi all. Newbie here. I have done some research, went to a voiceover school here in Minneapolis and I am jumping off the cliff to start a new voiceover career in my 60's! I am very excited. Any quick tips for a begginer would be greatly appreciated. And can someone explain how "connects" work? Do I get a certain number of connects per month, and then have to buy them moving forward? Is that correct? It seems scammers are a thing on here also. How do I keep myself safe?

[mwendwa_stephen]

Hey Paul,

Welcome to Upwork!

Wow, that was a bold move! I suggest you start by defining the voiceover services you want. Try to narrow down the niche as possible. The next step would be to decide how much to charge. There are different pricing models, including hourly and fixed prices.

I suggest you go for fixed charges because you will charge for deliverables and the value provided. Use your competitors to get the perfect price. After doing all that, it's time to create the ideal profile. A lot goes into that, so I suggest you look for resources on the Upwork academy or other popular blogs. 

To answer your question on connects, you can buy without or purchase the membership, which comes with 80 monthly connections. It will be good to start with the membership because it has some important insight you can use to start sending proposals. However, you can purchase more if you need them. 

Scams on Upwork are easy to spot. Look at the client's profile and monitor these key metrics; What is their hire rate? How well do they define their project requirements? What is their average rating? What reviews are they getting from other freelancers? What feedback are they giving to other freelancers? Are they good clients if they have a positive score in most of these metrics? Also, follow your instincts. 

And remember, you have one advantage that most of us don't have; Experience and a different perspective. That's your unique selling point. 

If you find that helpful, please add me to your network to learn more from each other.

Good luck!

N.M.Stephens. 

[64a68b87]

Thanks so much for the advice!

[kevaun_b · Accepted solution]

Hey Paul, welcome to Upwork! It's a great place for clients and freelancers to do business in a safe and secure manner. I've been a freelancer on here since 2016 and I don't regret a minute of it. The Help Center is going to be your best resource on here to keep your self safe and within guidelines.

This came from the article on connects: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211062898-Understanding-and-Using-Connects

Freelancer Basic accounts receive 10 free Connects each month, and Freelancer Plus accounts receive 70 Connects each month (including 10 FREE!). 

Connects are given out each month on the first day of your billing cycle. To see when your billing cycle is, go here and view your "current billing cycle." The first date there is the date you will receive your monthly Connects. For example, if your current billing cycle is listed as Oct. 11, 2022 - Nov. 10, 2022, you will receive your Connects on the 11th of each month. 

Buy Connects

Connects cost $0.15 (USD) each and are sold in bundles or a custom amount of your choice.

To keep yourself from being scammed I would recommend not accepting a job offer off of Upwork and only accept contracts on the platform because for clients to create a contract they have to have a valid payment method that Upwork can charge so you can receive payment for the agreed work you provided.

Welcome and all the best!

[64a68b87]

Great advice! Thanks, Dwight!