If you’re reading this, you probably already know how to use Upwork or at least have an idea of what it is. But do you know how to use Upwork to its full potential?
The answer is simple: by following the advice of the pros.
In this article, I’ll be sharing with you some tips and tricks that will help boost your success rate on Upwork.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Utilize a professional profile photo and write a captivating summary. |
| Showcase your relevant expertise and highlight past successes. |
| Tailor your proposals to each client’s specific project needs. |
| Demonstrate your understanding of the project requirements. |
| Build a strong portfolio showcasing your best work. |
| Set competitive rates and adjust them as you gain more experience. |
| Leverage Upwork’s escrow system for secure payment handling. |
| Keep communication professional and responsive with clients. |
| Consistently deliver high-quality work to build a positive reputation. |
| Stay updated on industry trends and improve your skills regularly. |
1. Have A Stellar Resume
You know the adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Well, it’s true but your resume is the exception. After all, if you’re looking for freelance writing jobs and other gigs on Upwork (or any other platform), having an eye-catching resume that conveys your skills and experience is vital to landing interviews.
So what makes a great resume? Here are some tips:
Keep it short and sweet: resumes should be no more than two pages long; one page if you can manage it! Be sure to include keywords from the job description in each listing so that your profile pops up when potential clients search for someone like you.
Use bullet points instead of paragraphs: no matter how much information you think needs sharing about yourself or your experience, stick with bullet points rather than paragraphs whenever possible.
This will make it easier for hiring managers to skim through everything quickly without getting bogged down by too much text on their screens at once. In addition, keep in mind that resumes are supposed to showcase accomplishments not just responsibilities held previously at certain companies or schools (although those are important too).
Make sure each point highlights something specific about how well-qualified you are for this particular role. Make sure everything looks clean and crisp too a sloppy layout will likely be viewed as indicative of poor quality work overall!
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2. Make Sure Your Cover Letter Is On Point
Your cover letter is the first impression you make on a client, so it’s important to spend some time making sure it’s perfect. Don’t just copy-paste the same letter for every job; tailor it to each client. This will show them that you’re interested in their work specifically, which makes it more likely they’ll want to hire you.
It also helps if your cover letter shows off your personality and communication skills so make sure to write well! If possible refer to specific details from the job listing or your resume so that they know exactly what kind of person they’re looking for and why their company needs someone like you.
Try not to overdo it (assuming this isn’t an ad for a job where creativity matters), but do add some spin if possible: “I am passionate about” is better than “I’m excited about.”
3. Notify Your Clients About Your Vacation Schedule
Before you can take a vacation, you need to let your clients know. Let them know when you’re leaving and when you’ll be back so that they can make arrangements for other freelancers to work with them in the meantime. If any projects are ongoing, let the client know that they will have someone else working on them while you’re gone.
This way no one is left hanging and everyone knows what’s going on.
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4. Do Not Overuse Keywords In Your Cover Letter
You should use keywords when it makes sense to you, but don’t overdo it. Sometimes people will just throw in random keywords that have nothing to do with the work they’re doing and end up getting flagged for spamming. You want to make sure your cover letter has been reviewed by a customer service representative before you send it out!
You can find other ways to include keywords in your profile and submit them there instead of in the cover letter itself. This keeps things on-brand while still helping potential employers find your profile quickly!
5. Complete All The Required Skills Tests With A Score Of 80% Or Higher
To help you get your score up to 80% or higher, here are the steps:
Go to your profile and click on “Skills.”
Check the box with a red number next to each skill that says “Passed” and click on “View all” if there are more than 10 skills listed.
Scroll down until you see the Skills Test section of your profile and look for the required skills tests that need passing.
These are often in bold to make them easy to find. If there aren’t any required skills tests listed, search for people who specialize in that area of work (such as an SEO specialist) or companies that do similar work (like AdWords) so they can recommend someone who specializes in their field. If nobody has recommended anyone yet, reach out directly through Upwork messaging instead!
Once your score is at least 80%, take a moment before writing up any proposals because there may be other things preventing employers from hiring you right away like not having enough money saved up yet or being unable to get verifications on time due to many projects going at once!
6. Only Work With Clients You Like And Trust
In general, you should never work with clients who:
Don’t pay their bills. It’s important to note that this doesn’t just mean they don’t pay you it means they don’t pay anyone. If a client has a history of not paying people, there’s no reason to think they’d change their ways just because they’re now hiring freelancers as opposed to in-house employees.
Don’t respect your time or talent. If a client is sending vague emails and asking for things without concrete requirements (or having unrealistic expectations), it’s probably best for everyone involved if you turn down that project or steer clear of working with him/her in the future.
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7. Do Not Accept Any Projects Without A Contract, Unless You Trust The Client Very Well
The most important part of Upwork is that you get paid. You can’t work without getting paid, so make sure you get your money before you start working on a project.
The best way to ensure that you’re getting paid is by having a contract.
Contracts protect both parties in case of disputes or disagreements over the project’s scope and payment schedule, ensuring that both parties are clear about what they’re doing and when they’ll be getting paid for it. If a client refuses to sign the contract, don’t take them on as a client there’s no reason why they should have more leverage than you do!
If you trust the client very well (for example because they have worked with many other freelancers before), then it’s okay to do some work first and ask for payment afterward (but still have a contract).
8. See How Much Time The Job Will Take Before Accepting It
See how much time the job will take before accepting it.
When you are bidding on a project, be sure to use the search function to find similar jobs. If a job has been posted before, chances are it’s going to be very similar in scope and length and if it’s not, that should raise a red flag! You want a client who is open about what they expect from you and honest about their needs.
If you have questions or concerns about any aspect of the project or job description after reading through everything twice, ask them! Clients may forget some things that seem obvious to us as experienced professionals (e.g., “Can I get my payment before I start working?”).
Asking these questions could save you from wasting your time on an incomplete order sheet or inaccurate payment terms once work begins.
Also, make sure that there isn’t anything left unsaid; an agreement between two parties is only as good as its communication channels! That said: don’t try too hard here; sometimes things just aren’t mentioned because clients assume they’re understood by default…but since those assumptions have never been tested yet (remember: this is your first big-money gig!)
Don’t assume anything until you’ve checked for yourself whether or not something should exist within an agreement between two parties (i..e…” what happens if I’m sick next week?”. “What if nothing gets done?”).
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9. For New Clients, Do A Trial Project First
When you’re new, it can be difficult to get clients. You don’t have any reviews or ratings on Upwork, so it’s hard for clients to trust that you can do the job well. The best way to build this trust is through a trial project if you’re able to complete an assignment on time and within budget, then the client will see that you are capable of doing good work.
Additionally, if done correctly, this can serve as a great introduction to the world of freelancing for someone who has never done so before: “I did a trial project for them and got paid $50 per hour!” This shows potential clients what kind of rates they’ll be able to charge after building some experience (and confidence!).
Finally and most importantly a trial project provides valuable portfolio material! Clients want proof that they won’t just lose their money when hiring someone through Upwork; they want evidence that their new employee will produce results.
Having at least one example of your work makes all the difference in helping them feel confident about hiring someone new…and why wouldn’t they hire someone who already has experience?
10. Keep Your Hourly Rate Reasonable And High Enough
If you’re going to be working for yourself, then you need to know your costs and make sure that your hourly rate is high enough to keep your business profitable when you take into account overhead and taxes. You should also know the average hourly rate for the work that you do so that when a client asks about it, you can be honest about why yours might not be exactly what they’re expecting.
If an employer has a limited budget for hiring freelancers, it’s important not to set an hourly rate that is too high.
This can happen if someone who doesn’t understand what freelancing entails accepts a job with an hourly compensation amount based on their experience as salaried employees in traditional corporate structures where there are benefits packages included in salary packages (like health insurance) but not when working independently as an independent contractor for hire online through websites like Upwork or Fiverr who charge fees based on each task completed (e.g., $5 per 1000 words written).
11. Be Realistic About What You Can Do In A Week And Set Clear Expectations When Scheduling Work With Clients
To set yourself up for success, you have to be realistic about what you can accomplish in a week. It’s tempting when you start working on a project to take on more than is comfortable and then push through it but this isn’t sustainable, and the quality of your work will suffer as a result.
The longer you go without making changes or taking breaks, the more likely it is that stress will impact your productivity (and thus satisfaction).
Instead of trying to do as much as possible each week, focus instead on doing good work within the limits of your schedule.
This means setting clear expectations when scheduling work with clients and communicating any changes in your work schedule with them before they happen! If you need time off from Upwork hours because other things are going on in your life (like travel), make sure that client understands why so they don’t think it’s something personal against them or their project.
Set realistic goals for yourself so that if some days aren’t going so well at first glance but end up being productive anyway due to unforeseen circumstances like client delays or technical glitches which require further work after initial completion time has elapsed (as often happens!), then those days wouldn’t have counted towards meeting weekly quota anyway.”
12. Ask For Feedback Every Time You Wrap Up A Project, Whether It Is Good Or Bad
You should always ask for feedback at the end of a project, whether it was good or bad. You can’t change what happened in the past, but you can learn from it and adjust your behavior going forward.
If your client is happy with your work and service, then thank them politely and leave it at that (although I recommend asking if they would like to leave a review anyway). If they aren’t happy with something and have provided constructive criticism, take note of what they say so that you don’t make the same mistakes again! This is how you improve as an Upwork over time: by learning from both success and failure.
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Conclusion
And that’s a wrap. In this article, we’ve covered everything you need to know about writing an effective Upwork copywriting description. Your description will help potential clients understand what you do, why they should work with you, and how much it will cost them if they hire you for their next project.
Thanks for reading! If there’s anything else I can do to help make your job search easier, please don’t hesitate to reach out via the comments section below
Further Reading
How to Get Jobs on Upwork: Learn valuable tips and strategies to secure freelance jobs on Upwork and build a successful freelancing career.
The Ultimate Guide to Finding Jobs on Upwork: Discover a comprehensive guide that provides insights on finding and landing jobs on Upwork to increase your freelance income.
The Freelancer’s Upwork Guide: A helpful guide tailored for freelancers, offering advice on using Upwork to its full potential and maximizing freelance opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Can I Earn On Upwork?
You can earn $5 per hour, which is more than minimum wage. The average freelancer earns about $1,000 a month from Upwork. If you get more jobs and work more hours, you’ll make even more money!
How Do I Get A Job On Upwork?
While this step-by-step guide will help you build your profile and get your first clients, it’s important to remember that getting hired for freelance work requires ongoing effort. You need to stay active in the marketplace by posting new jobs and updating your profile regularly with new skills or certifications.
To truly succeed and make the most money you’ll have to treat Upwork like any other job: find out who needs help at what times, be prepared with all of your documents ready to go when they contact you (including work samples), set aside time each week specifically for client work (yes! Just like real life!)
What Is Upwork?
Upwork is a freelance platform that connects clients with freelancers. Clients post jobs and freelancers bid on them. If they like your proposal, they will hire you!
What Are Upwork Skills Tests?
Skills tests are a tool used by clients to ensure that the person who bids on their project has the proper experience or education for said project. They usually take up to 2 hours of your time and include multiple choice questions about specific topics within your field of expertise (i.e., web development). If you pass this test with flying colors, then there’s a good chance that you can get hired!
What Is The Upwork Time Tracker?
The Upwork time tracker allows users to track their work hours in real-time so that employers can see how fast tasks were completed without needing extra information from employees themselves – saving both parties some precious time 😉
As part of this process, however, it’s important not just because it provides visibility into those efforts but also because it helps prevent fraud by making sure no one tries any funny business while billing other workers for their work too much money over long periods which would otherwise result in huge losses due to excessive expenses incurred during these periods where no actual work was being done at all.”
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.