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MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

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
MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

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


Cheers,
Mike

View solution in original post

849 REPLIES 849
MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Mizan,

 

Thank you for your message. I 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 says you have a team. If you are winning projects for a team rather than for yourself, please create an agency.

I also suggest you check out these articles:

I hope this helps!


Cheers,
Mike

Good evening sir. Thank you very much for the work you are doing helping new freelancer like us.

 

New to Upwork, I'm struggling to get hired. I joined Upwork by the end of March (the 28th). So far, I applied for twelve job post.

 

About 7 to 8 were closed due to the lacking of response from the client.

About the other proposals, I did not get the job.

 

I would like a piece of advice to attract clients and get jobs. I have read a lot of Upwork's articles, maybe I am missing something. If you can go throughout my profile and help me anyhow, it will be very kind.

MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Eliel,

 

Thanks for your message! Upwork is very competitive and it can take many proposals to win your first project. I think your profile is off to a good start. I suggest considering removing your age as this may be received negatively by some clients. You may also wish to reconsider mentioning learning from YouTube.


Cheers,
Mike

Thanks a lot, sir. I will take all you have said into account and keep applying to jobs that fit my skills.

Hi,
I am new in Upwork,i am native Persian(dari,farsi) speaker and i know Pashto and English fluently ,but for everyone that i am sending proposal for translation are something eles about the language that i know they dont accept me because i am new in upwork and dont have any experiences .what should i do that they accept me ,and my connect become finish because no one accept me.
Regard;
Hamed Ghaznawy
MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Hamed,

 

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

  • There is a spacing issue in your title between "typist" and "proofreading". As you are advertising proofreading services, I suggest you ensure to extensively review your own profile.  You might want to consider using Grammarly. I use this myself and really like it because it's free and it offers a Chrome add-on so it works in webmail, messages, proposals, and more.
  • Your profile Overview is also somewhat short. Here are some suggestions for building it out further:
    • Focus on how you can help clients achieve their goals. For example, expand on who you are, the services you offer, and what you’re most passionate about. 
    • 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.).

I hope this helps!


Cheers,
Mike

Hi, Mike
Can you please review my profile too and provide feedback, it would help me to make my profile even more good. Waiting for your feedback. Thanks.
MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Shafquat,

 

Your profile is off to a great start. I do have some suggestions for information you could add in order to expand on your experience and offerings:

  • Focus on how you can help clients achieve their goals. For example, expand on who you are, the services you offer, and what you’re most passionate about. 
  • 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.). 

Cheers,
Mike

 HI Mike,

Can you check my profile and recommend changes if any to win contracts.

MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Sohaib,

 

Thank you for your message. I reviewed your profile and see that it is largely just a list. While bulleted lists can help to organize an Overview, using only a list makes your profile overview 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. Focus on how you can help clients achieve their goals. For example, expand on who you are, the services you offer, and what you’re most passionate about. Use caution with adding lists of skills with few to no related work examples because clients may question the sincerity of your skills list.

 

I hope this helps!


Cheers,
Mike

Can you please review my profile and suggest me about the title and overview of my profile?

Hi Sayyam,

 

Your profile is off to a good start, but I would suggest requesting peer feedback in this post.


Cheers,
Mike

Hi Mike J, I want you to review my profile as well. And let me know if needs to fix any error you find.

 

Thanks

Rakib

Hi Rakib,

 

I have reviewed your profile and have some suggestions:

  • Your profile overview is short compared to the average. Upwork’s research shows clients see it as a positive signal if the profile is well written and comprehensive. Therefore, consider crafting your overview as a pitch to prospective clients. 

    • Help clients understand your abilities better by listing information about your skills and experience in an original and creative way. 
    • Focus on how you can help clients achieve their goals. For example, expand on who you are, the services you offer, and what you’re most passionate about. 
    • 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.).
  • Your written English skills are strong and you are easy to understand. However, I did see a few minor errors. If you'd like to add extra polish, you might want to consider using Grammarly. I use this myself and really like it because it's free and it offers a Chrome add-on so it works in webmail, messages, proposals, and more.

I hope this helps!


Cheers,
Mike

please can you help review my profile

Hi Lambert, 

First things first please make your profile public (Go to Profile> Profile Settings> Visibility> change to Public) so that any client can visit your profile to see your expertise.

Not all clients advertise their jobs, they search individual profiles that meet their needs and hire from there.

Secondly, make sure you have uniquely laid out your expertise, skills, and experience on your profile.

Thirdly, you have to showcase portfolios of jobs you have completed successfully (either within Upwork or without) to showcase your level of expertise and how meticulous your work is.

Fourthly, if you have worked on previous jobs please ask your clients to give feedback wrt your excellent turnaround time and quality of work you submitted/executed for them.

Fifthly, make sure you draft a short, efficient, smart, and skill/service-oriented cover letter as a template to applying for jobs in Upwork which you know match your skillset.

Sixthly, always set your availability (on your profile) as per the amount of workload you might have at that particular moment (.there are 3 choices:More than 30 hrs/week, Less than 30 hrs/week Or As needed - open to offers)

Last but not least, make sure you apply to 3-5 jobs per day if you are not assigned any work at that particular moment.

 

Best,

Boniface Maina

Project Manager Specialised in Data Entry and Research

MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Lambert,

 

Thank you for your message. I 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 short compared to the average. Upwork’s research shows clients see it as a positive signal if the profile is well written and comprehensive. Therefore, consider crafting your overview as a pitch to prospective clients. 

    • Help clients understand your abilities better by listing information about your skills and experience in an original and creative way. 
    • Focus on how you can help clients achieve their goals. For example, expand on who you are, the services you offer, and what you’re most passionate about. 
    • Be clear on your expertise and mention specialized software or tools. 
  • 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.

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

Hi Mike,

Can you please help me too? 

 

Thanks,

 

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

 

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. As such, consider removing "Hi, I'm Kevin; Thank you for visiting to my profile it's my pleasure." This is redundant and unnecessary.
  • Review your Overview for formatting issues. There is a new line started in the middle of this sentence: "I am knowledgeable with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint) Google Apps( Docs, Sheet, Slide, and Forms."
  • Your written English skills are strong and you are easy to understand. However, I did see a few minor errors. If you'd like to add extra polish, you might want to consider using Grammarly. I use this myself and really like it because it's free and it offers a Chrome add-on so it works in webmail, messages, proposals, and more.

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

Hi Mike,

 

I've been using Grammarly but it doesn't work normally in my overview. I re-created my overview and remove the beginning of my overview and replace it with a new one. Can you review it again and see if there are more things to change? btw I have a hard time finding the issue in my format.. I'll attach a screenshot so you can see my new overview. Thank you so much for helping newbies in Upwork.

 

Thank you,

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

 

Thank you for the follow up. Your profile looks good. Good use of the portfolio too, by the way!

 

Please check out this screenshot where I highlighted a spacing error by a opening parentheses "(" and following that there is no closing parentheses. 

 

I hope this helps!


Cheers,
Mike

Can anyone view my profile and please let me know what's wrong and what should I do to get a client with that profile. I've been consistently applying for 2 months but until now. I still don't get hired. I think there is something wrong with my profile or my cover letter. Please help me.

Hi Mike,

I hope you have a good day ahead. Can you help me to review my profile. Is there something that I need to improve to attract more clients?

Thank you.

 

Hi Marydol A, 

I am not able to see your profile because it is set to private. You need to change it from private to public for experienced freelancers to see your profile and give feedback.

 

Kevin.

Hi Marydol,

 

Thank you for your message. You're off to a great start with your profile. One thing I wanted to mention 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. You can remove the inclusion of your name as this is visible elsewhere and it takes up valuable space on your Overview. 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

Hello Mike,

I need your help in setting profile and getting more jobs by proposals.

Regards,

Usman **Edited for Community Guidelines**

Hi Usman,

 

Thank you for your message. I 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 short compared to the average. Upwork’s research shows clients see it as a positive signal if the profile is well written and comprehensive. Therefore, consider crafting your overview as a pitch to prospective clients. 

    • Help clients understand your abilities better by listing information about your skills and experience in an original and creative way. 
    • Focus on how you can help clients achieve their goals. For example, expand on who you are, the services you offer, and what you’re most passionate about. 
    • 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.

 

I hope this helps!


Cheers,
Mike

Hi Mike thank you for your advice, I would like you to review my profile. And let me know what I need to fix to have a profile.

Thanks

Jules

MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Adonsi,

 

Thanks for your message! Your profile is off to great start. One suggestion I have is to add a total of at least 4 entries in your portfolio. We know that clients like to see at least 4 separate entries (they don't always open them to see if there are more images inside). You might also be interested in this article: 4 Ways to Create a More Successful Freelancer Portfolio


Cheers,
Mike

Hello Mike.

 

I am new to work, can you please help me review my profile? Thank you.

 

Regards

maru

Mike

Allow me to share with you my profile link for few Advices

 

Hello Mike,

I'll be really thankful to you if you please review my profile. Kindly send me a private message to check my profile.

Regards,

Atif Zia

MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Atif,

 

I sent you a private message.


Cheers,
Mike
a_lipsey
Community Member

Hi Mike, how much time have you spent as a freelance consultant and in what field? 

MichaelJ
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Amanda,

 

Thank you for your question! I've been a freelance translator since 2009 and have spent the last 2 years providing program support to Upwork's Talent Success team, specifically representing the needs of and advocating for freelancers.


Cheers,
Mike

hai my project details explain pls

 

Hi Rajalakashmi,

 

Thank you for your message. Could you please clarify your questions further?

 

Thank you,

Pradeep

Upwork
jfeehan
Community Member

Mike: I am not exactly a newbie but I have a very relevant question. How do I know when a submitted proposal is still active? Many times I have had a very successful (at least to myself) interview and then I never hear from the potential client again. Is there a way that we can find out if the job is closed and that they have hired someone else? It would be very helpful if we know why we were not hired. Was it price? Was it time zone? etc. Currently I am 100% top rated.

Thank you for your help.

 


John F wrote:

Mike: I am not exactly a newbie but I have a very relevant question. How do I know when a submitted proposal is still active? Many times I have had a very successful (at least to myself) interview and then I never hear from the potential client again. Is there a way that we can find out if the job is closed and that they have hired someone else? It would be very helpful if we know why we were not hired. Was it price? Was it time zone? etc. Currently I am 100% top rated.

Thank you for your help.

 


Hi John, just look under "Find work > Proposals" or follow this link. Closed jobs are archived.

Thank you. 

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