Upwork Jobs for Beginners - How to Earn Money as a Freelancer or Contractor
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Remote Jobs > Upwork Jobs for Beginners
Written by Travis Turgeon, Digital Nomad and Freelance Travel Writer
*Note: After reading this article, we will offer to hire you on Upwork - and write you an accurate review - to help you get started and land future Upwork jobs. Simply contact us after you are finished reading this article with a link to your Upwork profile.
While there are other job search sites like freelancermap.de, located in Germany, and Jobber, which is focused on giving Service Companies the Work-from-Home lifestyle, Upwork is designed for just about everyone - of all job types - globally.
Upwork is:
an online platform
designed for freelancers, and digital nomads
pairs them up with clients worldwide who need jobs completed
All of the jobs found on Upwork can be done remotely and require no in-person contact.
The platform is designed to minimize time and physical commitment where it is not needed, making it the ideal resource for those who want to live a remote lifestyle.
The Upwork platform:
Allows clients to post jobs to a job feed, regardless of how big or small the project is.
Jobs can range anywhere from $5 to over $5,000.
This depends on the skills, expertise, and time required to complete them.
Upwork has a wide range of clients with a highly diverse set of needs.
Jobs range from data entry to language translation, and everything in between.
When a client posts a job, it gets posted under a specific skill category.
Jobs become available to freelancers who specialize in that particular skill set or niche.
Upwork offers free account creation to all freelancers without forcing time commitments or benchmarks to meet.
Freelance Jobs Online for Beginners
Freelancers can create their profile based on their existing skills, or they can try to break into new markets by advertising themselves as beginners in areas of non-expertise. The easiest and quickest way of earning money, of course, is by promoting a skill set that you know well and have exposure to.
Creating an account is very easy, and once it’s completed, you are ready to begin applying for jobs.
While the whole process is straightforward and user friendly, there are many things that you need to consider to be successful on Upwork. When I first started using the platform, I spent hours researching ways to improve my experience.
Below, I outline how to get started and give my top tips for success. Trial-and-error is vital in any endeavor, and I hope my experience can help you succeed in starting your career as a freelance professional.
Working as a freelance professional is not just about earning money. It’s about creating the lifestyle that you dream about.
Maybe you have a passion for writing. You romanticize the idea of sipping a Mojito on the beach in Thailand while writing for your clients and earning your living.
Why, then, would you want to take a job in data entry? You have never enjoyed it, you have no passion for it, and it’s just another job that you count down the minutes until it’s over.
Your time is better spent applying to jobs that matter to you, jobs that will build your skillset and get you to the future of your dreams.
“Don’t waste your time doing work that you don’t enjoy. Instead, invest in yourself and the life you want to have.”
Step-By-Step Guide to Getting Started
Explore the Platform
The first thing you want to do - before spending a significant amount of time creating a profile - is to get yourself familiar with the platform.
You will be asked to create a profile first; however, you can quickly create an unfinished profile that can be completed afterwards.
Trust me, don’t spend your time building a profile before exploring what options are available to you as a freelancer.
On your job feed, you will find a list on the left of the page called “My Categories.”
Here, you can customize the types of jobs you will see on your job feed.
Do this based only on your skills and experience. For example, there is no need to set “Translation” as a category if you only speak English.
By only setting categories to your skillset, you will optimize the work that is available for you to complete successfully.
Job success rates
Identify Your Relevant Skills and Strengths
The most crucial component of being successful as a freelancer on Upwork is completing jobs SUCCESSFULLY.
This step is essential for several reasons:
After each job you receive and complete, the client will have the chance to give feedback on the job. This feedback will factor into your “Job Success Score,” which is displayed for potential clients to see in the future.
Thus, it is important to only to take on jobs that you can do well, or at least to a client’s satisfaction.
If you are being considered for a position but have a low success score, you are far less likely to be hired than someone with a good success score.
The success score is a direct reflection of the work you have done on the platform and will be a vital part of building your profile.
You will find that many Upwork Clients, or businesses, will reach out to you and invite you to submit a proposal for a job they need completed if you have a high success score. This means less work for you to search through Upwork for jobs that you would like - as it is almost like being pre-approved for jobs although you do still have to demonstrate that you are a qualified candidate in your reply.
Rather than spending hours applying for jobs where the businesses wouldn’t think you were qualified to begin with, you are given a subset of jobs where businesses already think you are qualified - which means much less wasted time and much more money in the long run!
You will likely have a much higher success score if you first identify your relevant skills and strengths. The better aware you are of what you are great at, the easier it will be for you to apply to and/or accept jobs. It is vital that you don’t just accept any jobs that are offered to you! If you do, you are more likely to fail at completing these jobs as successfully as the client might have liked - resulting in a lower success score!
Accept only the work you know that you can complete well - this will almost guarantee that you’ll have a high success score.
Create Your Profile
You should spend more time creating your profile than any other step on this list.
Your profile will be the go-to resource for potential clients to get to know you.
Consider it a CV / Resume that’s available for any client to view.
It has a description of you and the service you offer, your past jobs and work experiences, and all of the information regarding jobs you have completed on Upwork for other clients.
The best piece of advice I have for creating your profile is to find other freelancers offering the same service, who are SUCCESSFUL and CONSISTENT in their work.
The trick to doing this just involves a quick google search. For me, I advertise myself as a freelance travel writer. So in my case, I googled “Best Freelance Travel Writers on Upwork.” You will find a page that displays some of the top freelancers in that category.
You can go through each profile based on their job success score, money earned, and relevance. After browsing some of the most attractive and successful profiles, go ahead and mimic your favorite sections from each.
Do not copy and paste, as you want to remain authentic and genuine to your skills, but find what works best for them and relate it to yourself. By doing so, you eliminate the precious time and effort it takes to learn things the hard way.
Make sure to use a nice looking photo for your profile. It is standard with any portfolio or CV, but it’s a crucial factor that causes problems for otherwise successful applicants.
Dress appropriately, make sure the scene is well lit, and smile!
Making Job Proposals
One of the most important things to understand when starting out is that you start with 20 free Connects.
Connects are used to submit proposals for jobs. Submitting a proposal to a job requires up to 6 Connects, depending on factors such as the size and type of project.
This means that you only get a limited number of chances to land jobs for free in the beginning.
And this is vital for a few reasons:
Employers / Clients can invite you to make proposals on their jobs for free
They mostly only invite freelancers based on their job success score and number of previous successfully completed jobs
With only 20 Connects, you will want to:
Choose jobs that you are most likely to be accepted at based on your skills (you lose your connects if you are not accepted)
Complete these jobs successfully. In fact, it probably wouldn't hurt to provide a better service than they expected. Do such a great job that it would be difficult for them not to mention how amazing you were in their review of you.
By doing these two things, you will likely not waste any Connects, and you'll end up being invited by many clients in the future.
You do not need to use Connects:
When a client invites you to bid
When a client sends you an offer
When you send a proposal within an Enterprise Talent Cloud
This means that if your profile and previous job completions are good enough, you are much more likely to get invited to jobs in the future - which doesn't cost a thing and makes it easier to earn money.
Otherwise, you’ll need to purchase Connects to make proposals. Connects cost $0.15 (USD) each and are sold in bundles of 10, 20, 40, 60, and 80. Note that Upwork will provide you with additional free Connects periodically, however it does limit the number of jobs you can apply / make proposals to.
If you’d like us to hire you for your first position, please send us an email with a link to your Upwork profile and this subject line: “Nomad Guide: Upwork Job Request”. While we don’t offer much money for these positions, we will find a way for you to use your specific skills to help our company and offer you a position. In return, we will write an accurate review of your work. Provided you do an excellent job, the review will go a long way in helping you land future work and having a successful career on Upwork.
Create a Strong Cover Letter
After your profile, the cover letter is the most important factor in being accepted for jobs, especially to start. With so many applicants for any position on Upwork, your cover letter is your chance to sell yourself.
Let the client know that you have read the job description thoroughly.
Clients will often hide a keyword to include in your cover letter somewhere in the job description. They do this to weed out the freelancers who are less serious about a job and just want to be hired for anything.
Not only do you want to read the job description thoroughly, but you also want to address the clients’ needs in the cover letter.
If the job calls for someone available in a specific time zone, let them know that you are free at those times in the cover letter.
If the job calls for proficiency in particular software, tell the client about your software experience or knowledge.
You want to address all the important things listed in the job description.
Use “you” language as opposed to “I” language in your cover letter. Don’t use the cover letter to tell the client about yourself; that is what your profile is for. Instead, tell the client how you can meet THEIR needs. Make the cover letter about THEM.
Remember, clients can only choose one freelancer for the job, and they want every assurance that you’re the person for the job.
For extra help on making sure you are standing out with your cover letter, check out this book.
Commit and Stick to Your Word
This last step is obvious but essential. Once you’ve gone through the whole process of applying and being hired for a job, stand by your word.
Nothing will get you lousy feedback faster than not following up, being unresponsive, or simply not completing job requirements.
As I said earlier, creating a prosperous future for freelancing on Upwork means you have to do good work.
You will run into clients who are less than pleasant to work with. You will be asked to make revisions, changes, and sometimes you will be asked to redo something completely.
My suggestion; smile and get it done. Not only will it bring constructive and positive feedback, but it will help you to improve your skills and make future work easier and more enjoyable.
That positive feedback will build your profile to the point that jobs will become more and more accessible.
Being Successful on Upwork
In the end, being successful as a freelancer on Upwork is entirely up to you. It will require that you put in maximum effort, especially to start. It will require patience and persistence. It will undoubtedly require you to hone in on your current skills and be willing to improve on them every day.
The world has been shifting to a digital market for years, and nothing is pushing that more than the COVID-19 pandemic. More and more people are shifting their efforts to make income online, and there is no shortage of work for qualified freelancers. We hope that this guide has been helpful, and best of luck!
Note: If you're looking for an example of a profile that works, or perhaps are searching for a freelance travel writer for your company, check out my profile here!
FAQ’s
How can I create a professional and attractive profile on Upwork?
Your profile is your online resume and portfolio. It showcases your skills, experience, and personality to potential clients. To create a professional and attractive profile on Upwork, you should follow these tips¹²:
* Choose a clear and friendly profile photo that shows your face.
* Write a catchy and concise title that summarizes your main service offering.
* Craft a compelling overview that highlights your value proposition, expertise, and achievements.
* Add relevant skills, education, certifications, and portfolio items that demonstrate your abilities and quality of work.
* Take skill tests and earn badges to showcase your proficiency and credibility.
* Request feedback and endorsements from previous clients and colleagues to boost your reputation and ratings.
How can I write effective proposals that win more jobs on Upwork?
Your proposal is your first impression and your chance to convince a client that you are the best fit for their project. To write effective proposals that win more jobs on Upwork, you should follow these tips³⁴:
* Read the job description carefully and understand the client's needs and expectations.
* Write a personalized and customized proposal that addresses the client's specific problem and solution.
* Highlight your relevant skills, experience, and portfolio items that match the project requirements and scope.
* Explain why you are interested in the project and what value you can bring to the client.
* Provide a clear and realistic estimate of your time, budget, and deliverables.
* Include a call to action that invites the client to contact you for further discussion or to hire you.
How can I increase my income and grow my freelance business on Upwork?
As a freelancer on Upwork, you have the opportunity to earn more money and grow your freelance business by expanding your client base, increasing your rates, and diversifying your services. To achieve these goals, you should follow these tips⁵:
* Apply to more jobs that match your skills and interests, and follow up with clients who show interest in your proposals.
* Be responsive and communicative with your clients, and deliver high-quality work that meets or exceeds their expectations.
* Ask for referrals, testimonials, and repeat business from your satisfied clients, and build long-term relationships with them.
* Raise your rates gradually and strategically, based on your skills, experience, and market demand.
* Learn new skills and offer additional services that complement your existing ones, or target new niches and industries that have more demand and less competition.
(1) 19 Highest-Paying Freelance Jobs in 2024 | Upwork. https://www.upwork.com/resources/highest-paying-freelance-jobs.
(2) How Much Can Freelancers Make in 2024? | Upwork. https://www.upwork.com/resources/how-much-do-freelancers-make.
(3) How to Make Money on Upwork – Complete Guide - Everything Freelance. https://www.everythingfreelance.com/guide/making-money-on-upwork/.
(4) How to Make More Money on Upwork: Double Income in a Year. https://www.upwork.com/resources/leading-voices/how-to-increase-income.
(5) How to Start earning with upwork - Upwork Community. https://community.upwork.com/t5/Freelancers/How-to-Start-earning-with-upwork/m-p/1430948.
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