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Michael's avatar
Michael J Community Member

Tips for Getting Started on Upwork

Getting started on Upwork can be challenging. Here are some top tips that can help you succeed.

 

Complete Your Profile

First, it can be very helpful to complete your profile 100%. It’s important to understand that there are certain sections that must be completed in order to reach 100%. You can even technically exceed 100% completion. The more fields you complete on your profile, the better your chances of winning work. Also, your profile must be 100% complete in order to qualify for badges such as Rising Talent and Top Rated. Check out this help article for more information on the numerous ways you can reach 100% or more completion. I also recommend this article about why a great title and overview can make a difference.

 

Set Your Profile Visibility

Second, we recommend updating your profile visibility. Once you’ve crafted the perfect profile, you’ll want clients to be able to see it. When setting your profile visibility, you have three options: Public, Only Upwork Users, or Private.  If you set your profile to private, it will be excluded from the Upwork marketplace and search engines. This means clients won’t see you when they search for freelancers. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to set your profile visibility to Public or Only Upwork Users.

 

Submit Proposals

Third, submit proposals! This may seem like an obvious step, but it’s one that often doesn’t receive enough attention from new freelancers. By regularly submitting proposals for projects that fit your skills, you not only increase your chances of winning work, but you also prevent your profile from being automatically set to private, which can happen if you are inactive from the platform. As you submit more proposals, you will also learn what does and doesn’t get the attention of clients. Also, remember, that you may have to submit more than 5 proposals before you win your first project. Persistence is key. To help improve the quality of your proposals, I invite you to read about how to create a proposal that wins jobs and take in this proven advice from freelancers on Upwork. Also, check out this great article about How To Get More Jobs on Upwork in 2022!


Cheers,
Mike
ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Michael's avatar
Michael J Community Member

For help with your profile, check out this peer feedback thread and consider joining an Upwork Academy Coaching Cohort!


Cheers,
Mike

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849 REPLIES 849
Vicky's avatar
Vicky C Community Member

Hi Mike, 

 

Could you figure out the link issue about the rising talent and article link? 

Becasue they alwasy switched this page after one second: 

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us?code=8b8f00876847060d3d0431e08d5d7aef

 

I don't think it is right page related to it.    

 

Thanks 

 

Vicky 

Lawson's avatar
Lawson L Community Member

Hi Mike,

 

I would love to have the opportunity to have my profile reviewed. I have been trying to land job as a product designer from the job board of UpWork. I have used Upwork's tips and resources to help improve my profile. However, I have been unsuccessful and my connects are running low already. Hope the community can help.

 

Thank you very much.

Michael's avatar
Michael J Community Member

Hi Vicky,

 

Can you please send me a direct message explaining the problem you are experiencing?


Cheers,
Mike
Vicky's avatar
Vicky C Community Member

Dear Mike, 

 

I found the solution.  I need to open the hyper link (the rising talent program) by incognito mode.   Then I could just see the tip.   So I don't know if it is my browser problem or not. 

 

Thanks! 

 

Vicky 

 

 

Sowjanya's avatar
Sowjanya V Community Member

I submitted some of the proposals for work but most of the people asking for money , want can I do , can i have a quick response

Divya's avatar
Divya R Community Member

Hello Mike, Thanks for your interest to help new Freelancers. I would be glad if you can help me build my profile, Please reply me so that i can share my profile with you for review.

Thank you.
Divya
Michael's avatar
Michael J Community Member

Hi Divya,

 

Thank you for your message. I have reviewed your profile and have some suggestions:

  • The beginning of your profile overview displays in prospective client search results and it’s your first 200-character pitch. So, your first sentence should include clear, relevant information about your primary skill sets and expertise.
  • Your profile overview is difficult to quickly scan and understand what your primary services and experiences are. It might help to organize it with paragraphs: for example, have your introduction paragraph, a separate paragraph for skills, and one for experience. In this way, you might emphasize certain areas, but use caution with adding lists of skills with few to no related work examples because clients may question the sincerity of your skills list. Another idea is to use bullets and other delineators to break up your profile.
  • Your profile is only 75% complete. Review this article for guidance on how to create a 100% complete profile. Your profile must be 100% complete in order to qualify for programs such as Rising Talent and Top Rated.

To give a clear impression you’re the person the client wants to talk to, here are some additional tips for writing a great Overview.

 

I hope this helps!


Cheers,
Mike
Andrea's avatar
Andrea A Community Member

Hi, Mike! Can you please check my profile and let me know the suggestions you have to improve and upgrade my Upwork profile. Thank you so much for helping newcomers on this journey on this platform.

Michael's avatar
Michael J Community Member

Hi Andrea,

 

Thank you for your message. I have reviewed your profile and it looks great. I do have a couple of suggestions:

  • The beginning of your profile overview displays in prospective client search results and it’s your first 200-character pitch. So, your first sentence should include clear, relevant information about your primary skill sets and expertise.
  • To help you look your best, consider showcasing 4+ examples of your best work in your portfolio. Currently, you have 3, but our research shows clients like to see at least 4 examples.

To give a clear impression you’re the person the client wants to talk to, here are some additional tips for writing a great Overview.

 

I hope this helps!


Cheers,
Mike
Prokash's avatar
Prokash S Community Member

Thank you so much

 

Pronob's avatar
Pronob K Community Member

Hi Mike,

I want to talk to you. Please help me. Thank you. I want to know, how to succeed in the Upwork proposal? How to write this cover later. Please help me.

Best regards,

Pronob Kumar.

Michael's avatar
Michael J Community Member

Hi Pronob,

 

Thank you for your response. I've put together a list of articles that you might find helpful:

I hope these help!


Cheers,
Mike
Usman's avatar
Usman K Community Member

Thanks
Ahmad's avatar
Ahmad R Community Member

Hello Mike, Thanks for your interest to help new Freelancers like me. I would be glad if you can help me grow my profile, Please reply to me so that I can share my profile with you for review.

Thank you.

Ahmad.

Razades
Michael's avatar
Michael J Community Member

Hi Ahmad,

 

Thank you for your message. Here are some suggestions for improving your profile:

  • The beginning of your profile overview displays in prospective client search results and it’s your first 200-character pitch. So, your first sentence should include clear, relevant information about your primary skill sets and expertise. 
  • Be clear on your expertise and mention specialized software or tools. 
  • If appropriate, let your personality shine through (include some excitement), and show your qualities and praise the work you do, instead of focusing on yourself.
  • Other examples of information you can include are past accomplishments and projects, preferred working style, and your business’ values (e.g. I believe in strong communications or thorough upfront planning), industries or lines of businesses you have worked in before, and the types of clients you have worked with before (start-ups, solo entrepreneurs, large businesses, etc.). 

To give a clear impression you’re the person the client wants to talk to, here are some additional tips for writing a great Overview.


Cheers,
Mike
Ruth's avatar
Ruth O Community Member

Hi Mark J,

Could you please check out my profile to see if it's good enough? I'm new to upwork and I already sent 5 proposals yet no hires...

I actually specialize in creative and fiction writing. Thanks in anticipation of your help.
Michael's avatar
Michael J Community Member

Hi Ruth,

 

I reviewed your profile and suggest you check out these articles for ways to improve it:


Cheers,
Mike
Raza's avatar
Raza H Community Member

Great work Mike and thanks for your interest in developing new freelancers at Upwork,well i started since a month as a data entry/administrative work/ virtual assistant hence i have applied for almost 58 proposals related to my profile spend about 170 connects but did'nt even got a single project even i always applied to jobs published within 5 to 10 min and my profile is 100%, i also took membership plan, bid mininum amount, upgraded my profile 2 times, published portfolio aswell, means i have taken all necessary steps but still did'nt succeed yet to take a single project. So depressed what to do now??
Michael's avatar
Michael J Community Member

Hi Raza,

 

Thank you for your message. Your profile looks very good. One thing to keep in mind is that the beginning of your profile overview displays in prospective client search results and it’s your first 200-character pitch. So, your first sentence should include clear, relevant information about your primary skill sets and expertise.

 

To give a clear impression you’re the person the client wants to talk to, here are some additional tips for writing a great Overview.


Cheers,
Mike
Udechukwu's avatar
Udechukwu U Community Member

Hello Mike,

 

Thank you for your tips and making yourself available to help new freelancers on Upwork.

 

Can you please have a look at my profile. Are there changes i need to make so it looks more proffessional and applealing to clients.

 

I have sent several proposals with a few interviews but no contract yet I am wondering what could be the issue

 

Thank you

Oliver's avatar
Oliver B Community Member

Hi Mike 

Thanks very much for your help . I would appreciate for you if you can review my account to grow and give better idea . because I have not Rising Talented mark even if everything is okay and clear on my account. I thought I already followed your conditions to get it .but nothing is coming to me . as well what should I do to improve my account to get more jobs and to have win-win contracts with clients? can I make well-designed my account profile again?

I wonder about that . Thanks again!

Lucy's avatar
Lucy N Community Member

Hi Mr. Mike, am really grateful for this, i found it helpful, i need you to help me please am new in upwork.

Lucy's avatar
Lucy N Community Member

Hi Mike,

kindly help me finish my profile

 

 

 

 

 

Michael's avatar
Michael J Community Member

Hi Lucy,

 

I reviewed your profile and it's quite brief. I suggest you review these articles:

I hope this helps!


Cheers,
Mike
Haseeb's avatar
Haseeb M Community Member

Hello!
I am new in the stream please suggest me what public or private mode I should choose???