You’re a freelancer. You need to stand out from the crowd and make yourself easy to hire. Your Upwork profile is your business card, and you want it to be exactly that impressive. But many freelancers don’t know how to make a great first impression on their profiles, which can lead to missed opportunities and fewer jobs.
To help you create an eye-catching Upwork profile that gets noticed by clients, we’ve put together this guide full of tips and tricks for making sure your profile stands out from the crowd.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Identify your niche: Determine the specific skills you excel in and focus on developing them further. |
| 2. Research in-demand skills: Stay updated on the skills that are currently in high demand on the Upwork platform. |
| 3. Enhance your communication skills: Effective communication is crucial for successful freelancing on Upwork. |
| 4. Build a strong portfolio: Showcase your best work to demonstrate your skills and attract potential clients. |
| 5. Invest in learning: Continuously acquire new skills and expand your knowledge to stay competitive in the Upwork marketplace. |
| 6. Establish a professional online presence: Create a professional website or LinkedIn profile to complement your Upwork profile. |
| 7. Take advantage of Upwork tests and certifications: Complete relevant tests and certifications to validate your skills and stand out from the competition. |
| 8. Craft compelling proposals: Tailor your proposals to each job posting, highlighting your skills and demonstrating your understanding of the client’s needs. |
| 9. Network and seek feedback: Connect with other freelancers, join relevant communities, and seek feedback to improve your skills and reputation. |
| 10. Deliver exceptional client service: Provide prompt responses, meet deadlines, and ensure client satisfaction to build long-term relationships. |
1. Use A Professional Photo
You want to make a good first impression with your clients, so choose a professional photo for your profile. This can be anything from a headshot of yourself smiling and looking into the camera, to a full body shot (with or without clothing). The important thing is that you look professional and inviting in your photo.
Your photo should show you clearly enough that clients can recognize you as the person they are hiring. If they’re not sure what someone looks like, they may decide not to hire them because of uncertainty about whether or not it’s really them!
You also want to avoid having background clutter around the edges of the photo so it doesn’t distract from what matters that being YOU!
Creating a strong first impression is crucial for success on Upwork. Learn how to make a great first impression with your Upwork profile by following our comprehensive guide on how to make a great first impression with your Upwork profile.
2. Describe Your Great Work Experience And Results
Now that you’re in the right mindset and have a better idea of what to write, let’s dive into the specifics.
The overview section is where you introduce yourself and briefly describe your skills and experience. You can also talk about why you like working with Upwork clients, particularly those who hire freelancers often. This helps potential clients understand why they should work with you rather than someone else.
The experience section is where you go into detail about how many years of professional experience (or schooling) you have, what industries or fields of expertise those years were spent in, any certifications or accreditation that apply to those areas of knowledge, etc. Make sure this section isn’t too long it’s okay if it’s just a paragraph or two long!
3. Display Your Education In The Most Impressive Way Possible
Your education is an important part of your professional life, so it’s vital that you don’t hide it! Listing your education in the most impressive way possible will give hiring managers an immediate sense of your intelligence and discipline.
List the highest degree you have: This can be a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or Ph.D. (or equivalent). Be sure to list your degree, major, and institution as well as the year of graduation if applicable.
If you don’t have a degree yet but are working on one, specify which coursework or certification courses you’ve completed and when they’ll be finished this shows employers that you’re serious about completing them soon enough for them to matter!
Don’t list high school or high school equivalency certificate: While this might seem like a no-brainer for some people who never went to college (like me).
There are plenty of ways for others without degrees still interested in working on their careers through Upwork without going back down those dark alleys again and listing these things would only distract from everything else wonderful about their profiles anyway.”
Want to land more projects on Upwork? Discover the secret ingredient that can significantly boost your chances. Check out our article on the secret ingredient that will help you land more Upwork projects and unlock the key to success.
4. List Skills That Match Your Experience, But Don’t Overdo It
List the skills that are relevant to the jobs you want to apply to. If an employer is hiring a freelance developer, it won’t help your odds of getting hired if you list “cooking” as one of your skills.
Don’t list unnecessary skills. You don’t need to say that you know how to use popular productivity software like Microsoft Office Suite or Google Docs when all your work has been done by hand for 30 years.
Don’t list too many skills (or any at all). The more specific and detailed your skill set is, the less likely it will be for someone else who’s looking for what you have in common with them and this goes double if there are other candidates who have similar profiles but also include things like “being able to code HTML.”
And while this may seem obvious: never lie about having any particular skill set! Just because someone can guess whether or not they think something sounds right doesn’t mean they’ve got an eye on every single detail out there;
Even if someone does catch some kind of lie later on down the road due to their own diligence, they’re going to have trouble trusting anything else said by anyone involved in this process since then (including yourself).
5. Get Recommendations From Previous Clients
If you’ve done a good job, your clients will be happy to write recommendations for you. Just ask them! If they haven’t yet written a recommendation for you, that’s okay too you can still ask them if they’d be willing to write one in the future.
When asking previous clients for recommendations, it’s important that the client is someone who actually knows what you do and has had experience working with you. For example, if I’m writing an article about business consulting services and have helped small businesses grow their sales by 10%.
I wouldn’t ask my friend who runs a comic book store how good my services are because he doesn’t know anything about SEO or online marketing (and he probably isn’t going to pay me).
But if I were writing an article about graphic design work and could show him some of the websites I helped build using his company logo as part of their branding strategy? Now THAT would give him enough context so that he could write an unbiased review!
The same goes for photography: asking photographers whose portfolios look like yours won’t give your potential clients enough information about whether or not you’re qualified for the jobs they need to be done.
However, asking photographers whose work looks similar but different from yours might help paint a clearer picture of what kind of end result they can expect from working with your company/business (or even just yourself).
Standing out among the competition is essential when creating an Upwork profile. Find out how to make your profile shine and attract clients with our expert tips in how to make your Upwork profile stand out.
6. Showcase Your Portfolio
Showcase your portfolio. Having a portfolio is key to showing prospective clients that you are capable of achieving their desired results. A visual representation of your skills and competencies will help them see how well you can handle similar projects in the future, which may lead to more jobs the future.
To showcase your portfolio on Upwork, use relevant keywords in sample titles and descriptions. This will help potential clients find you if they’re searching for those particular skills or types of work samples (for example: “copywriting”).
You can also use this space to sell yourself by highlighting some specific aspects of your past projects that make them stand out from other freelancers’ portfolios.
This could include anything from creative concepts or strong communication abilities to personal anecdotes about what went into completing a project successfully the more details you offer here, the better chance there is at turning someone’s eye!
7. Send An Appropriate Cover Letter When Applying To Jobs
When submitting your cover letter, make sure it is specific to the job you are applying for. Do not copy and paste generic cover letters that can be used for all of your Upwork jobs.
A good cover letter will include a hook that explains why you are a great candidate for the position in question, as well as some personal information about yourself (how you got into freelancing, what type of work you prefer doing).
The length of this section can vary, but do not go into too much detail about your background or how often you have worked with clients in the past keep it client-focused.
8. Be Active On Upwork And Participate In Discussions
You can also establish a good reputation by participating in discussions. If a fellow freelancer asks for feedback on an Upwork project, offer your opinion and share helpful tips. And if you find that someone has posted something that’s not helpful or relevant to the discussion, let them know politely (but firmly) why you think it should be taken down.
For example: “I think this question could be answered more concisely with a link to this article on our forum…” Or even just saying something like “This is already covered in our guidelines here: [insert link].”
Participation doesn’t have to stop there! Be active on forums, too but keep in mind that they aren’t meant only for questions; they’re also where people go when they want advice or help from other experts.
If something new comes up on the forum recently, don’t hesitate to chime in, and if anyone posts something inaccurate or outdated (which happens sometimes!), politely correct them!
9. Take The Upwork Readiness Test
Upwork’s Readiness Test is designed to help you prepare for the exam by providing a preview of the questions that will be asked during your exam. The test has twenty questions and takes less than five minutes to complete.
By taking it now, you can create an Upwork profile with confidence and avoid being surprised when your first application is declined because of poor answers or outdated skills.
The practice test is available on our Upwork Readiness Assessment page. It’s also included in our onboarding process for new freelancers (which we’ll discuss later).
Looking to elevate your freelancing career with Upwork? Explore the best strategies and practices to optimize your experience on the platform. Dive into our comprehensive guide on the best ways to use Upwork in your freelancing career and take your freelancing game to the next level.
10. Use A Professional Headline
Use the same headline in your cover letters. Your clients will get an idea of who you are from reading your profile, and they’ll be more likely to trust someone with a consistent message.
Make sure it’s short and descriptive. One to two sentences should be enough to capture their attention and make sure those sentences include keywords that describe your experience and areas of expertise.
This way, clients can quickly scan through all the profiles of freelancers who have freelancing experience similar to what they need, so they can find someone quickly without having to read every single word on every single profile which would take forever!
Ask for feedback on how well you did with conveying that information succinctly (and asking them directly).
It might seem weird at first because we don’t often ask people what they think about our work before publishing something publically.
But doing so will help ensure that everything reads clearly so everyone understands what kind of service provider we are offering up before diving into details further down into each section later on.”
Your Profile Is Only As Good As Your First Impression, So Make It Great!
As I mentioned in the introduction, your profile is only as good as your first impression. The first thing clients will see when they visit your profile is the snapshot that’s displayed on the Upwork homepage (or other websites).
This image can make or break a potential client’s initial interest in you. So it’s important to make an impression with this image by following these steps:
Choose an eye-catching headshot that shows off who you are and what you look like (see my article on how to take great headshots).
Write a short paragraph about yourself that includes some personality traits and includes any relevant experiences or skills listed in your work history. Make sure this paragraph stands out from other profiles by having some fun with it!
When applying for a job on Upwork, it’s essential to make your resume stand out from the competition. Discover 13 valuable tips to enhance your resume and increase your chances of landing the job in our article on 13 tips for making your resume stand out when applying for a job on Upwork.
Conclusion
In conclusion, your Upwork profile is a great place to show off your personality and values. It’s also the first thing people see when they decide whether or not to work with you. Make sure it’s professional, coherent, and concise by following the tips in this article!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful for further enhancing your Upwork profile and maximizing your success on the platform:
Tips to Set Up Your Upwork Profile: Get expert advice on how to effectively set up your Upwork profile, optimize your skills, and attract potential clients.
Easy Jobs on Upwork: Discover a list of easy jobs available on Upwork that you can consider for quick and straightforward freelance opportunities.
Thrive My Way: Upwork Guide: Access a comprehensive guide on Upwork that covers various aspects, including creating an impressive profile, finding projects, and building a successful freelance career.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Delete A Profile From Upwork?
Yes, you can delete your profile on Upwork. You will be asked to verify that the information in your profile is correct before deleting it.
Can I Use A Fake Name On Upwork?
Upwork prevents users from creating multiple accounts under different names, so no fake names are allowed on Upwork. However, if you find yourself having difficulty with someone else who is pretending to be someone else (or even just trying to hide their identity), there’s an easy way around this: use their real name and hire them anyway!
The only requirement when hiring someone on Upwork is that they have an account with no negative feedback or reviews attached.
Once you’ve found someone who meets those requirements and won’t give out false information about themselves in order to get hired by you specifically (which could lead down some unfortunate paths), go ahead and hire them using their real name!
They’ll probably appreciate being able to say “Hey guys!” instead of “Hey…somebody!” when talking about themselves next time around anyways.”
What Is The Difference Between A Headline And A Title?
Your headline is what will appear at the top of your Upwork profile. It should be brief and include information that helps clients understand who you are, what type of work you do, and why they should hire you.
How Do I Know If My Profile Is Active?
If you have no public jobs or reviews attached to your profile, it will be unlisted. This means that only people who are invited by your client can see it so if you want to increase visibility in search results or on Upwork’s browse pages (for non-subscribers), make sure there’s at least one job connected to your account!
You can also use third-party services like Clarityly’s Profilerator add-on tool while creating jobs. With this tool, clients get access to all profiles involved with their project so they can find the right talent for their job(s).
How Do I Know If My Profile Is Public?
When editing any part of your Upwork profile (including adding new sections), notice whether there’s an option called “public” below each section title.* If yes then congrats! Your current version of the said section will show up publicly on searches making job hunting easier than ever before.”
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.