It can be overwhelming to find your first job if you are starting as an Upwork freelancer. The good news is that a lot of help is available for newbies like yourself. We’ll walk you through all the steps required to achieve this goal by giving tips on creating a solid profile and then moving on from there.
How To Make Money On Upwork for Beginners
Since Upwork is a platform that rewards people who provide quality work to clients, outstanding freelancers can make a lot of money from it. In this article, we will offer tips that will allow you to make money on Upwork, even if you’re just a beginner.
Create a Strong Profile
First, you will want to set up a profile on Upwork. You must use a professional photo to create your profile and complete all possible information. Here are some essential tips you should follow:
- Choose a professional-looking headshot for yourself and ensure it conforms with Upwork’s guidelines – no hats or sunglasses, no funny or wacky faces unless that’s what you do for work.
- Use a professional-sounding name and an email address that sounds like one.
- Fill out all of the sections of your profile, including but not limited to experience, education, languages spoken, and soft skills.
- You can add links here, such as LinkedIn profiles or websites where more information about yourself may be found. For example: “To see my portfolio, visit my website at www.linkedindotcom/profile/jimdoe.”
- Make sure to check back often because this page will change frequently based on updates made by Upwork itself.
Use Your Best Skills in the Title
Your title is one of the most important things when getting clients on Upwork. The more specific it is, the better. If someone searches for “writer,” hundreds of thousands of results exist. But if someone searches for “article writing,” there might only be a few hundred results, which will be much more relevant to them.
So, how do you know what skills are best? You’ll need to do some research. Search for keywords related to what kind of work you want, then look at which ones have high demand and low supply. If there’s not much competition, then it’s probably a good idea.
- Use your best skills in the title.
- Use keywords that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.
- Use a catchy title that will catch the client’s attention, but avoid using generic titles like “Freelance writer” because these are bland and may turn off clients who want something more specific.
- Don’t use the same title twice. If you’re applying to multiple jobs, change your titles so they’re unique.
Mention your education
The first thing you should do when adding your education is to mention it right at the top of your profile, right below your name. Mentioning the school you attended and your degree will help show potential clients that they are hiring someone with a solid education. It’s also essential to include when you graduated so they know how much experience they’ll get from working with you.
If you have no formal education, don’t worry. Many people on Upwork did not attend college or university before starting there. Remember that this is not just about showing off, though; it’s also about giving them an idea of how long it took for you to learn what you know now. Ensure at least one of these pieces of information includes when exactly this was achieved.
Write a nice overview
Once you’ve found a gig, it’s time to write your pitch. The job description will give you an idea of what the client is looking for, but make sure you mention your relevant skills and experience for this project. In addition to describing what services or results they can expect from hiring you, include a brief paragraph explaining why they should hire you. Don’t forget that link to your portfolio.
Use metrics to highlight your experience
When applying for a job, you must highlight your experience and achievements. You can do this by using metrics in your profile and project descriptions.
Metrics show how much work you’ve done, what projects you have, and how long it takes to complete a task. Before looking at your portfolio, they help potential clients understand the value you can bring to their projects.
For example: “I’ve worked on 12 web development projects with a total budget of over $1000K.”
Complete your public profile and get ranked higher
Completing your public profile is the most crucial step to getting hired on Upwork. Thousands of potential employers will view your profile, so you must make it as good as possible.
The sections of your public profile are:
- Skills: These are skills that you have and can perform for clients. More skills mean more opportunities to get jobs, but work may not always be available in all of them. The best way to build up this section is with certifications or diplomas from previous education courses. You can also do some training courses online or take a few classes at a local college if they offer them at an affordable price.
- Education: This is where you list your school background, including high school diplomas and college degrees, if applicable. If there’s room, include any special awards or honors you may have received during this period. Ensure these are accurate because potential employers will look here for verification before contacting them directly.
Do not hesitate to edit after you’ve completed all the steps
You can edit your profile at any time. You should feel free to do so as you learn more about how Upwork works and what kind of clientele you want. If you’ve changed the type of work you are interested in, it’s easy to update your skills, education, and experience to reflect that change.
You can also add more information about yourself, including a photo of yourself if desired, or make other changes, such as removing an old image if that is no longer representative of who you are today.
Attach a photo of yourself
Many people are afraid to attach a photo of themselves to their first Upwork profile. They’re worried that other clients will judge them or that they won’t be able to find work if they look too young or too old or for various reasons. But the truth is that attaching a photo is the best way to get hired—not only because it shows potential clients what you look like but also because it’s an opportunity to show off your personality.
The chances are, you have an image of yourself on your computer somewhere. If so, upload it to Upwork in the “About Me” section when creating your profile. Ensure the photo is professional, relevant to your work, sharp, and not blurry.
Take and pass relevant tests
You need to pass the tests to get ranked higher. These tests are easy to pass, and they’re free. If you don’t want to take the tests, stay off Upwork until you feel like learning how the platform works. You can access them from your profile or an app on your phone if that’s easier.
Show off your portfolio in the best way possible
A portfolio is a great way to showcase your skills in the best possible way. However, ensuring that your portfolio reflects how good you are at what you do is essential. Here are some tips on how to do so:
- Make sure it’s clear what you’ve done. If someone visits your portfolio and doesn’t know what it is about, they won’t be able to tell that it’s yours; this could hurt your chances of getting jobs.
- Use a consistent style throughout. As we all know, consistency is critical when trying to impress others or make something look professional, including portfolios. Ensure all the work in your portfolio looks similar so hiring managers can quickly understand which projects belong together and which don’t fit into their company’s growth plans.
- Make sure it’s easy to read and understand. Otherwise, no one will read through anything. You might think this isn’t important, but it makes all the difference between landing yourself an interview or not getting called back until they have already found someone else to do the job.
No one is going to know you’re an Upwork professional if you don’t make it known
You may have heard that Upwork is a great place to find clients and make money, but it’s also an excellent place to market yourself as an expert. If you want to build your reputation on Upwork, one of the most important things you can do is get started with client-based projects as soon as possible. One of the best ways to do this is by posting on job boards and responding quickly to opportunities relevant to your skill set.
Once you begin getting clients through Upwork, continue interacting with them professionally: respond well within their time limits, show them professionalism and respect when working together, and provide high-quality work at all times, even if it takes longer than expected. Always do what’s asked without question or complaint. This will help ensure that both parties are happy with each other’s performance over time so they’ll continue using each other again in future projects.
Now that you have all the information, you can start your journey to becoming the next big thing in freelancing. Feel free to comment below or reach out on social media with any questions or concerns. We’d love to hear from you!
Angeline Licerio
Angeline Licerio is the blogger behind Dollarmize.com. After working online as a writer and SEO strategist, she decided to start this blog to give advise to people who would like to earn money online. She is also the founder of SEO Tutorials for FREE, a Facebook community that helps aspiring freelancers and SEO specialists to kickstart their work from home journey.
