Hi
I take work in similar fields to you and our competition is big. I'm not sure what kind of jobs your going for or on what scale so i cannot comment there but ill give a little perpective and how i got up the ladder here on Upwork.
Perpective......
I always put myself into the clients shoes when im looking for jobs, i imagine when im reading the post that im the client looking to hire someone so i read through the description and then i head straight to the applicants and i check whos applying...... Usually what i see is a whole bunch of newbie Freelancers(pardon the expression) and a few freelancers with varying experience.
Now depending on the project (is it big or small, does the client think anyone can do it or does he need a PROFESSIONAL, i state that strongly because it will be strongly embedded in their mind like that) this is going to determine if they will hire a new freelancer or not.
DO NOT expect a large project to be handed to you as a new freelancer, these clients are business men they deal with risk and return everyday (especially in our field) the risk of hiring a nobody (pardon the expression) is just not worth the risk....seriously would you do it?
Now if its a smaller project this is where you come in and this is where your profile, your alertness, your will to surpass the competition and you slight of tonue (pardon the expression haha) come into play.
You need to act fast (how many applicants are there?, 50 well your to late really, 5 then get into gear and get that application through NOW) the client is likely going to be hanging around for about 30 minutes after the job is posted....he will be keen to see whos on their toes looking for work.
Your profile should be good and it is right? hes looking at it, now he wants to know what you have to say, I personally dont follow the trend of how to write an application, I always told the clients im new but i have all this experience and i can basically give them everything they need and more and i just need an opportunity to do so etc etc but you write whatever you feel will work (slight of tongue, NEVER lie but you should lure them in).
And hopefully after everything went well you got a job......IT DOES NOT STOP THERE!!! oh no... you make sure that you do this job to perfection and if you can you give them a little extra for that good feedback afterwards. DO NOT take a job that your not 100% sure you can complete to perfection as your first job, if you mess the first one up its going to be VERY hard to get another client to trust you........imagine you now have a record 1 job customer not very satisfied it just looks bad.......
i worked like this for a while until all my stats started building up and i eventually started taking jobs where i could take some risks, and now all my stats or 100%, 5/5, 100/100, i had some faults along the way but right now i have a perfect record.........
PS STUDY all the time, i never stop, my clients have been very kind in allowing me to try new fields and they even pay for it and the study time.......i pray you can get the same opportunities too sometime soon.
Good Luck!
Paul S.
