Going The Extra Mile: Tips to be hired on Upwork for Newbie Freelancers
Explainer: This post was created to share my little knowledge about getting a project (or projects) with Upwork. I took screenshots of my proposals (and profile) including the job details to provide evidence. I do not have any intention of harming anyone or disobeying any laws/policies (including the nondisclosure agreement I've signed, the reason why some information on the screenshots are covered).
If there are parts of this post which you think are against any laws (policies, terms, etc.), please do not hesitate to inform me so that I can remove those parts (or this post?).
My Upwork Journey
I started Upwork without any knowledge about it. I discovered the platform through research. I learned using it by reading and exploring articles I saw on Google. Thanks to the bloggers/writers who’ve shared their knowledge about freelancing including those posts with tips on how to land a job and on how to write effective cover letters. By practicing what I’ve learned from those articles, I was able to succeed in getting invitations or positive replies from clients.
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| My very first Upwork project |
The total proposals in my archive is 22 and there’s one on archived interview. Twelve of my proposals were withdrawn, 8 were closed and the rest, I was hired. Currently, I have 60 available Connects even without buying (I do not know how it became 60 because my knowledge about this platform is very limited). My focus is on my clients and the projects because I Upwork has a support team that delivers updates or important content via email.
Note: More screenshots which includes my actual proposals (specifically the cover letter) are placed below. Some of my cover letters were written not to get the job, but to share my idea because there are jobs posted that are interesting but I don’t think I can do the job well. I do not follow conventional cover letter format. Usually, I do not put greetings or include the name of the client unless he/she requires it (or I can sense that he/she likes to be greeted with his/her name). My letter depends on how the client writes.
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| A withdrawn proposal |
I am always honest in my cover letter. I believe that approach helped me get invitations from clients. There’s even a good invitation that I declined because “ I’m into one-time projects only.”
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| A screenshot from my Upwork profile |
That’s what I said to the client, but the main reason I refused to accept the invitation is that I am not that confident yet of myself. I have not yet moved on from what happened to me in the 1st-3rd quarter of 2017. The internet in my area is crawling too, and the signal disappears often. I don’t want to disappoint clients, so I decided not to continue my Upwork journey.
Why am I sharing this?
Recently, I found a group of Freelancers in the Philippines on Facebook with a name that includes Upwork. I explored the group and decided to hit “Join”. I was asked with one question, and a few hours or a day later, I was notified that I was accepted.
Thank you so much to the admins of the page for allowing me to become part of their group. My main purpose of joining them is to see how the Upwork users in the Philippines are doing because I mentioned Upwork on my other blog.
I did not know that many of my countrymen are struggling to be hired on that platform. I chose Upwork among all the other freelancer sites I’ve tried because it’s my most trusted platform for freelancers. My observation convinced me that Upwork management and teams are trustworthy. They have implemented policies that will really protect the freelancers and the clients. Although it’s not 100% guaranteed that transactions of the freelancers and clients will have a fair dealing, the decision is up to its users. They give badges so that the users know who performs or pays well.
The Main Topic
Before I share my little knowledge about getting a project with Upwork, let me first give you some tips in choosing the right client:
- By just looking at the blog post, you can identify if the person giving the job is a professional. Avoid job posts with broken English or with many typos unless there’s a statement, “Payment method verified”. See the photo below (the green box).
- Read feedback of the client’s past “hired” freelancers by clicking “About the client” section. The feedback and rating can help you see your future with that client. That will be your deciding factor if you’ll give a lot of effort/time in creating a great proposal to get the job or find more job posts and waste your Connects.
Tips to be hired on Upwork for Newbie Freelancers
My little knowledge about getting a project with Upwork
- Check and edit your profile until you get invitations or hired. Is your description about yourself right? Have you checked your grammar, spelling, punctuation, usage and other English matters? If your answer is “yes”, and you haven’t used any tools to check your English, you better search for those tools now. Never forget to improve your profile (and yourself --- skills). (My Story) Let me thank our team leader in a project I was hired for sharing Grammarly for me. Grammarly is a grammar checker and it also corrects my English if I have integrated it with Google, but it only automatically corrects when I am using a computer (with internet connection). I started without a computer because at first, we were just using Skype to communicate, but later on, things changed. I need to send emails to professionals worldwide, so I borrowed a computer and integrated Grammarly in my Google accounts. The result is a good feedback from my client after I decided to end my contract because of some personal reasons.
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| A screenshot of feedback from my client |
- Know your strengths and showcase them. Reflect on your days in school. Where did you excel? What projects have you fulfilled that the people around you are proud of? (My Story) I started using Upwork without knowing what I’m good at and my work experience is something that I am not proud of, but I looked at the good side of my experiences. Then I realized I am quite good at sales and marketing because my course is BSBA Entrepreneurial Marketing. But when I returned to Upwork in 2019, I forgot my account so I created a new one. Sadly, Upwork is full of Freelancers with my skills (specifically sales and related skills), but thankfully, I wrote my password in a note so I was able to access my account again. Unfortunately, the email address I used to register on Upwork was deleted (by me). I requested to change the email. The process was not that easy, but luckily, I found some screenshots of my transactions in 2017, so I was able to fully recover my account with my current email address and number.
- Choose the skills you are really good at. (My Story) After I left my job in the physical world, I enjoyed editing photos, creating logos and writing my stories. I thought I became good at those things so I included them in my skills, and bid on projects requiring those skills. I used other freelancer platforms to showcase my skills hoping I can land a job in the online world. Unfortunately, the competition was very tough. I am thankful that the people who declined my application provided feedback that pushed me to do better.
- Know your weaknesses, change to make them your strengths and work hard for perfection. You (me and we) can never be perfect, as they said, but seek a definition of perfect from individuals who many people think are perfect in their field. Know how they work to be good at what they do, find the things that work for you and try to incorporate them in your working life. (My Story) My weakness is that I easily give up. When I get bored of the things I do, I stop. If I am faced with circumstances, I quit. I know there are ways to solve my case, but I often choose change. The possibilities I see are vast that make me confused most of the time.
- Limit your options by studying them, and then evaluate which is the best for you. Too many choices can sometimes lead you to choose the worst if you do not think well as you make your choice. (My Story) There were many great opportunities I failed to grab because I felt that if I choose a different path, I can hurt others. I usually don’t think about myself when I am bound to make decisions. I may have not benefited much from the results of my choices, but I am still thankful because I think others are happy. Later on, I accepted the differences we have, and some sacrifices must be done for the benefit of the majority. Then I became happy and I’m having fun.
- Be happy and enjoy what you are doing. Your output can reflect who you are. Many Upwork clients are smart. They can sense people’s attitude and character by just looking at your profile and proposal. No client wants a freelancer that gives headache or any negative feelings. Who wants a gloomy or heated working environment? I think nobody, but you can rebut if you don’t agree. The instruction on how to send me a message is at the bottom, by the way.
- Read the complete job details and do some research about the client and his/her business (or problems he/she wants to solve). Before writing your “Cover Letter” in your proposal, make sure you already know what job you’ll be doing or you already have an idea of what to do. That way, you can find your leverage or competitive advantage.
- Prove to the clients that they need you instead of expressing or implying that you need them (in your cover letter). Please do not beg clients to hire you even if you greatly need a project. Be confident and smart in approaching the clients’ post through a cover letter that answers their needs. Be responsive to the job details and act on what you’ve said (or promised). The photo below has a cover letter example of being responsive to the job details (look at the underlined phrase and the green box.).
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| I’ll be creating a vlog related to this article, so I recorded my profile. This photo is a screenshot of the recorded video. |
If you did not skip any number, read thoroughly (with comprehension) and practice what you've learned, you will truly succeed.
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| My first project (in 2019) after I recovered my account. |
What I’ve done is what they called,
“Going the extra mile.”
If the knowledge I shared is not effective, you can send me a message. (Look at the instructions on how to send me a message at the bottom, before the Ads if you’re using a smartphone). Click the links below (under Related Links & Check these out) too, and try reading them with focus (and comprehension) to learn more.
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| My Upwork Profiles |
Did you know ?
I added the translation feature provided by Google. You can use that feature to see the texts on this site in the language you prefer.
Earn money online by practicing what you've learned.
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