Unclear proposal submitting process

[db49059b]

Hello all! I'm new to freelancing on Upwork and ready to submit my first proposal. However, when I click on the job post there is an apply now CTA but not a submit proposal CTA.

On the submit proposal page there is a slot for the cover letter but a slot to submit the actual proposal is not provided. At the bottom of the submit proposal page, there is a submit proposal CTA.

My question is, do I attach the proposal to the cover letter or do I place my proposal in the cover letter slot? Honestly, neither of these options feels correct.

Any guidance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[feed_my_eyes · Accepted solution]

A proposal and a cover letter are the exact same thing - your cover letter IS your proposal. What are you trying to attach? 

At the right of your screen you'll see a link to Upwork's "learning paths". I suggest that you take the time to find out how to use this website. There's plenty of detailed information available.

[db49059b]

Hello Christine.

Thank you for your response and guidance.  I've watched endless amounts of videos and read I don't know how many articles on the topic. With so much conflicting information I wasn't sure how to go about this. For example, some articles suggest writing a brief cover letter and saving the details for the proposal, and others suggest not bothering with a cover letter. I greatly appreciate the fact that you took the time to guide me. Thank you very much!

[feed_my_eyes]

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Rafael S wrote:

For example, some articles suggest writing a brief cover letter and saving the details for the proposal, and others suggest not bothering with a cover letter.

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You found this information on Upwork? Where?

If you mean that you've been reading articles about proposals in general, then yes, in the non-Upwork universe, a proposal is a longer document that you would usually send with a cover letter. But on Upwork, a proposal/cover letter just refers to the few sentences that you write when responding to a job posts; it's not a letter in the usual sense. There's no option to "not bother" writing one nor to "save the details" for writing a longer proposal after your initial application.