Upwork Global Inc., formerly Elance-oDesk, is an American freelancing platform headquartered in Santa Clara and San Francisco, California. The company was formed in 2013 as Elance-oDesk, after the merger of Elance Inc. and oDesk Corp. The merged company subsequently rebranded to Upwork in 2015.
In 2017, Upwork had over twelve million registered freelancers and five million registered clients. More than three million jobs worth over $1 billion USD together were posted in 2017.
Upwork allows clients to interview, hire and work with freelancers and freelance agencies through the company’s platform. The client posts a description of their job and a price range they are willing to pay for a freelancer to complete it. The client may invite specific freelancers to apply for their jobs, or else post the job for any freelancer who is interested to apply. Once the client has chosen who they want to complete the job, they hire that freelancer by sending a contract with set hours, pay rate, and a deadline for the work to be completed.
The Upwork platform includes a real-time chat feature that either clients or freelancers can use to message prospects. The Upwork’s time tracker application records the freelancer’s keystrokes and mouse movements and takes screenshots to be submitted to their client.
In March 2022, Upwork was named to TIME’s List of 100 Most Influential Companies of the year 2022
If you are a freelancer offering services on Upwork, a major question you may be asking is how to get jobs on the platform. Whether you are a newbie or with many reviews already tucked in your arsenal, knowing how to get jobs is a skill you want to keep sharpened.
We understand that getting jobs may not be the easiest of tasks. Our tip is for you to develop an excellently optimized profile and build on your pitching abilities.
Generally, landing your first job is relatively more difficult than getting subsequent jobs on Upwork. Whether you are a new seller on Upwork looking to land your first job or have already landed several jobs and reviews, you will find this article helpful. Continue reading this article as we’ll be dishing out the tips that can take you from having no jobs to having more gigs than you had imagined.
For now, let’s find out how you can easily land your first job on Upwork as a beginner.
How To Get More Jobs On Upwork
The forerunners of your first hire on Upwork are a good profile photo, a stunning introductory video, and a killer proposal template. Before you do anything else, you should focus your efforts as a beginner on performing well in these three areas. However, having these three things in place does not guarantee that jobs will come chasing after you.
Getting your first job as a freelancer is usually the most challenging phase of the freelancing experience. Getting hired for the first time as a freelancer will typically be more complicated than getting subsequent jobs. However, Upwork is one of the most accessible freelancing platforms on which you can land your first job in a relatively short time.
So, how do you land your first Upwork gig? When it comes to getting hired for the first time on Upwork, here are some things to take note of:
1. A Good Profile Photo Is A Must
Your profile photo is the first impression that potential clients have of you. A good profile picture is critical to landing your first job. First and foremost, every client wants to hire people they can trust to do the job right, so a shabby profile photo will not convince them.
What should your profile picture look like? A clear, close-up headshot that covers your chest will generally suffice as a convincing profile photo. While you should appear professional in your pictures because you are out for business, you should also appear friendly and welcoming.
As a general rule, use a photo you would use for an ID or passport.
Additionally, you should avoid using stock photos and logos. You might be tempted to use a logo, but this will make it difficult for clients to connect with you. It’s preferable to use a good close-up photo of yourself.
2. Include An Introductory Video
Almost all of the jobs on Upwork are remote, which makes them riskier from the buyer’s perspective. At best, a video chat will be your only option for actually seeing a client. This makes it more difficult for clients to trust just anyone. However, an introductory video can assuage this uneasiness.
An introductory video can help you stand out from the mass of other newbies. Clients who watch your video will be less apprehensive about doing business with you because they know a little more about you than just what your written profile suggests.
Your introductory video should include information about yourself, the freelance services you can provide, and your level of experience. You should also specify your preferred job type and clients.
There’s no need to make your video long; anything between 30 seconds and one minute should suffice. Your goal is to come across as genuine and understandable.
3. Create A Job Title And Overview That Is Both Captivating And Rich In Keywords
When freelancing on Upwork, one of your main goals is to make it as simple as possible for potential clients to contact you. Writing a well-detailed job title and summary sandwiched between relevant keywords specific to your niche will keep jobs coming your way.
We understand it may be challenging to identify a specific niche when you first start but try to narrow down your services to a niche as much as possible over time as this will bring you more clients from whom you can charge higher rates.
When putting your job title and overview together, focus on what your potential clients will gain from doing business with you rather than listing the services you can provide.
4. Develop An Irresistible Proposal Template
To get jobs on Upwork, you’ll need to pitch proposals frequently. To save time, create proposal templates that you can quickly access and edit when new job postings appear. This will save you time from having to write a new proposal each time.
Your proposal may not be a hit at first. However, observations or repeated questions from clients will usually reveal which areas of your proposal you need to adjust over time. You want to make regular updates from these.
Make your proposal as brief as possible when writing it. Anything between 85 and 120 words should suffice. It should be easy to read because of your spacing. Two to three sentences per paragraph are just fine.
Furthermore, you should send proposals for jobs less than a day old, as you will have a better chance of being interviewed if you pitch early. Again, be consistent with sending out your proposals. If possible, send out proposals daily to increase your leads.
5. Customize Your Proposal To Suite Each Application
Your proposal is your chance to make an irresistible first impression on your potential client and convince them to hire you. What could be better than giving them a reason tailored to their specific needs? This is precisely what you should do.
Here are some helpful hints for pitching your proposal:
- Begin with the name of your client or company. Your proposal will feel more personal to your potential client if you do this.
- Include relevant examples of similar jobs you’ve done previously. Doing this will instill confidence in your clients as they read your proposal.
- Request more information from your clients, including a link to their website, to spark a conversation. Doing this demonstrates your enthusiasm for the position.
- Indicate that you have a particular interest in the industry or their company; this will help you establish a common ground with your client, as they will know they are working with a freelancer who is enthusiastic about their company.
- Read the job description carefully and watch for any codewords your potential client may request in your proposal.
6. Charge Less To Secure Your First Reviews
When it comes to landing jobs on Upwork, reviews are crucial. For the most part, they reassure clients who visit your profile that you will be able to perform admirably on their projects. Because you’re just starting, potential employers likely won’t have much faith in you.
Regardless, you can get your first job by lowering your hourly rate. Although you don’t want to come across as unnecessarily cheap, making your prices slightly lower than those of your competitors for the same service is perfect.
However, because you are looking for your first job, mention that your rate is lower than what you would typically charge for your level of expertise.
Doing this will make your clients more willing to accept price changes when you begin raising your hourly charge.
Alternatively, you can reach out to friends and close persons to hire you to complete simple jobs on Upwork just for the review’s sake. With a few of these reviews under your belt, getting subsequent jobs should be easier.
7. Apply For As Many Short Term Job Opportunities As Possible
When starting, you are really in need and desperately have to land that first job. Your chances of getting hired increase with the number of jobs you apply for. For this reason, you want to apply for as many jobs as possible.
However, being in need doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be picky about which jobs you apply for. To begin, apply for short-term jobs so you can complete as many as possible in order to build your review bank and establish some experience.
Furthermore, if your reviews are incredibly positive and your customers are happy, chances are they will continue to do business with you.
Moreover, when applying for these short-term jobs, do it in a frenzy! Don’t get discouraged if you don’t hear back from individual clients immediately. You want to maintain your self-assurance. The most important thing is to apply for as many jobs as possible. Doing this will ensure that you receive a response as soon as possible.
8. Deliver Beyond Your Client’s Expectations
Your first few jobs are your opportunity to shine! So you want to make the best impression possible on your client. As a result, over-delivering on these jobs is not an option. It’s best if you create reviews that accurately reflect your brand. This is something you can only get from satisfied customers.
On your first day on the job, don’t be afraid to express yourself. It is also critical that you do not miss deadlines because your first impression is very important. Respond to questions quickly and actively.
You want to come across as competent and professional. That’s why it’s critical to be selective and only apply for jobs you’re confident you’ll be able to complete successfully.
9. Calculate In Terms Of Your Client’s Hourly Rate
You should be able to apply for better opportunities after two or three reviews. You won’t need any more low-paying jobs as proof at this point. You should step it up a notch and aim for higher rates.
Before taking jobs, determine your client’s average hourly rate. Go through their profiles to know this. Your goal should be to find clients who will likely give you more work in the future. Typically, clients that offer a higher hourly rate are more likely to hire you again in the future.
Additionally, you can look up a client’s hiring history while browsing job listings. You’ll be able to tell clients who regularly hire in your niche this way. You should target clients who hire regularly and in your niche, as these clients are more likely to develop a relationship with you.
10. Connect With Your Clients Outside Of Upwork
The key to developing long-term client relationships is to get away from the formalities of the Upwork environment. Connecting with your clients outside Upwork is a great way to get to know them better and do business with them for as long as possible. Besides, continuing your relationship on Upwork will result in increased fees.
Your goal as a freelancer should be to find clients willing to pay a fair wage for your services and to find a way to communicate with them outside of the Upwork environment.
You can do this through a video call rather than on Upwork, as you could get flagged if you do so on Upwork.
How Can I Get Jobs Easily In Upwork As A Beginner With No Experience Or Connect
Generally, with a great-looking profile, an appealing job success score, an excellent reputation, and an irresistible proposal, you will keep getting jobs on Upwork. If you’ve completed your first few jobs on Upwork and many more, you want to keep getting hired if you’re still in the freelance business.
How do you keep jobs coming to you on Upwork? Here are some tips to help you get jobs easily on Upwork:
1. Make Your Profile More Appealing
If you’re serious about getting more work on Upwork, you should spend most of your time improving your profile. Fill in as many sections as possible and as thoroughly as possible. A fully completed profile is a definite plus, as Upwork prioritizes accounts with complete profiles when clients conduct searches.
When it comes to filling out your profile, our advice is to be as specific as possible when describing the services you provide. If possible, include any relevant work experiences and links in your portfolio.
Finally, you should include your charge rate. Your pay should be fair and commensurate with the services you provide.
2. Complete Tests Relevant To Your Niche On Upwork
You might think those tests have nothing to do with your Upwork performance, but they do, so t Take them. Among these, the Upwork Readiness test is a crucial test that you must take. Many customers will prefer to hire sellers who have completed this test.
It’s a plus if you take a couple of other tests related to the skills you’re selling. These tests go to prove how good you are at what you’re doing, so you want to complete as many as you have the time to.
Moreover, after taking these tests, place them on your profile where clients visiting your profile can see the results.
3. Build Your Job Success Score
Your Upwork job success score represents your reputation on Upwork. Building your job success score is essential because Upwork’s search engine uses this score as one of the metrics that determine the clients that rank in searches. Ranking high up in searches means you stand a higher chance of being hired.
You can rapidly scale up your job success score by responding early to job invites, conversing well with clients, performing satisfactorily on jobs, etc.
4. Fine Tune Your Proposals
Your proposal is your first step to getting a job. It is your client’s first chance to get an impression of who you are. Pay rapt attention to how you organize your proposal if you want to keep selling. What should your proposal look like?
When writing your proposal, try as much as possible to send a customized proposal tailored to the needs of every new client. State clearly what your intending client stands to benefit from doing business with you and ask questions regarding the project.
You can easily prove the benefits they stand to gain by stating what skills you have that are relevant to rendering a solution to the job posted.
Additionally, provide samples of past jobs related to the posted job. Make sure they are relevant indeed.
5. Discover Your Niche
When it comes to freelancing, the best-paying jobs will only come to those that are niche-specific. If you’re looking at getting better-paying gigs, you should tailor your efforts to working within a well-defined niche.
You may ask, “why am I not getting jobs on Upwork?”
Selecting a niche for yourself raises your chances of getting higher-paying gigs since doing this makes you come off as an expert at what you do and more likely to do it better. Some of the best Upwork jobs for beginners are content writing, transcription gigs, data entry, and app testing jobs.
On deciding what your niche is, make sure your profile reflects this niche you have selected. Build your profile around your niche and include niche-relevant keywords in your job title and description.
6. Be Picky With Jobs
There are many types of jobs on Upwork. When searching for jobs to apply to, be picky. Don’t just go for any job, do a filtered search for relevant job offers by setting up a job feed. Searching for jobs might be difficult since there is a long list of daily job posts you can choose from. This is why you should set up a job feed.
To do this, type in a skill or two in the search bar to get related job results. Set your preferences and add them to your job feed on the left side of the homepage.
7. Know What Type Of Jobs To Go For
Upwork offers two job options for buyers – the fixed price hire and hourly pay projects. Fixed price offers are short-term jobs with a defined scope that you will have to deliver for a fixed amount. Clients typically pay for these types of jobs after you have completed
them.
Fixed-price jobs are an excellent way to start your freelancing journey, especially when you are still searching for quick reviews as a beginner. However, when you’ve gotten some experience, you should no longer be going for these types of jobs.
On the other hand, hourly paying projects are better if you are no longer a newbie. Besides being less risky than fixed-price jobs, since Upwork ensures you get your pay so long as you remain logged in while their time tracker counts, they are also better paying.
8. Choose The Best Price For Your Service
You want to be happy and motivated when working on a job you’ve been hired to complete, so make sure your charge makes that possible. Although your charge should not be outrageously high, it shouldn’t be ridiculously low as well.
Our tip to you is to research the prices that other people offering the same service charge. Doing this will give you an idea of your service’s average price. Choose a price that sits around this average and only accept jobs that agree to pay you close to this value.
9. Apply For As Many Jobs As Possible And As Often As Possible
You are most likely to get jobs if you bid for as many jobs as possible, that’s just it. Bidding often is necessary to keep getting jobs. The more jobs you apply for, the better your chances are of getting hired. And the more jobs you get hired for, the more money you can make. That said, don’t apply for every single job that comes up.
You want to be reasonable with how you choose jobs. It’s best only to take jobs that you can deliver efficiently, that pay satisfactorily, and that you can turn in before the deadline.
10. Your Client Is King
It is crucial to keep your client’s expectations at the forefront when completing their jobs. Before beginning, you want to understand fully what your client demands from you. Make it your priority to always keep your clients in the know of their job status whenever they request updates.
Ask for feedback and update any corrections where necessary. Your aim should be to satisfy your clients, knowing you will need them to get your job success scores soaring.
11. Organize Your Time Properly
Freelancing gives you the opportunity to choose your work time. However, you want to have this in check. To be sure you are on track, you should organize your time properly. Only take up jobs that you can complete.
In addition, take note of the differences in time zone when discussing deadlines with clients that use a different time zone. You don’t want to agree to a deadline you don’t end up meeting- this is not good for your Upwork reputation.
12. Prioritize Developing Your Relationship With Clients
Your continued success on Upwork depends on the success of your relationship with your clients. Keeping communications fluid is the best way to build a good relationship with your clients.
Try as much as possible to respond promptly to messages as this will foster your relationship with clients. You can take things off Upwork where possible so you and your clients can connect elsewhere. Building great relationships not only ensures your clients keep giving satisfied remarks but could also bring you recommendations.
Moreover, clients are more comfortable with persons with whom they experience fewer communication hassles and will most likely hire you for as long as they need the type of services you offer.
13. Deliver Before Deadlines
Meeting deadlines is a sensitive aspect of taking on jobs you should be wary of. Before beginning a job, agree to a deadline that you are sure is reasonable enough for you to meet up with.
However, if you are unable to meet this deadline for any reason, contact your client in advance to alert them of the development and propose a new deadline. If your client agrees to your newly set date, try to deliver before this new deadline. You don’t want to come off as unserious about your job.
14. Ask Your Clients For Feedback
Upwork allows clients to rate a job done on a 5 stars scale. You need these good ratings so ask your clients for their feedback after completing jobs for them. Politely remind them always to rate you as you need this to increase your job success score.
If you are in the freelancing space, it is most likely that you intend to spend some time serving others with your skills while making a profit. Whether you are new to freelancing on Upwork or have been on the platform for some time, knowing how to keep getting jobs is a skill you want to have up your sleeves. To help you with this, we have put together this article so you can secure jobs and keep them coming in.
In addition, since Upwork is really a game of numbers, the chances of you getting hired only increase when you bid for as many jobs as possible-you should apply for as many as you can. After finally landing jobs, you want to deliver your very best on any project, as having satisfied clients will only mean more future job opportunities for you.
One of the keys to getting more jobs on Upwork without experience is to get really good at the process. As you get more and more jobs, you’ll get better at knowing what clients are looking for, thus making it easier for you to stand out from the crowd of freelancers that are less experienced than you. All it takes is a little work, but by following these steps, you’ll be able to succeed in no time.
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