A Complete Guide to Help Freelancers Get Hired on Upwork
Julmar Grace Locsin, MAEd, ME
A transformational leader committed to social empowerment. Founder: FVA, Owner: @SurgeMarketplace
How to get hired on Upwork?
This is one of the most-heard questions when it comes to freelancers. What could be the reasons for not getting hired on Upwork?
This article will share tips and guidelines that will help you be hired on the platform fast. Before that, let’s understand first what Upwork is.
What is Upwork?
Upwork is a marketplace for freelancers focusing on sales and marketing, writing and translation, graphic design, web development, and many more niches. The site provides careers to skillful professionals, finds projects, communicates with clients, and gets paid. Similarly, Upwork is helping business owners achieve their goals through the freelancer’s services.
To sum up, it is a freelancing site where even beginners can start their freelancing career with.
How does a Freelancer get Hired on Upwork?
Considering how competitive the platform is, many top-notch talents are signing up here, which is why businesses come to Upwork to get the most skillful freelancer for their projects. But, how do Upwork works? First, the business will post jobs where freelancers can apply. As soon as freelancers send their applications, business owners will choose among the applicants, and then the job commences. And when the freelancers provide the deliverable, payment is transferred or sent to the freelancer. Then, business owners will give reviews and feedback to the freelancers.
Ways Freelancers Get Paid on Upwork
The platform consists of 80% of the total jobs paid on an hourly basis. Considering this is a convenient payment way where the client will invoice freelancers every week.
On the other hand, Fixed Price is where the client sets up a fixed budget. This mode of payment is more ideal for a clear and predictable scope of work.
Maybe you have heard about milestones. And this payment feature falls under the Fixed Price. Here in milestones, Upwork is breaking the Fixed Price into smaller segments.
Both the client and the freelancer must agree on the purpose of the milestone, completion date, and the installment amount.
On top of that, milestones are sequential, where the freelancer must deliver the first task and get paid before moving to the next one.
Now, are you ready to set up your Upwork profile?
Initial Setup on Upwork
To set up your Upwork profile, first, you must go to the Upwork website and click sign up. To sign up, you can either continue using an existing Google account, connect with an apple account, or input your work email address. You will then continue your free account setup and then verify. Afterward, optimize your Upwork profile by providing the needed details and information.
To do that, you must provide the following:
- Complete info
- Professional profile photo
- Education
- Skills
- Experiences
- Language
- Availability
When you are done, you will wait for the Upwork team to verify and approve your profile. And when your profile is approved, you can now then start job hunting and sending applications.
10 Tips on How to be Hired on Upwork
Tip#1: Have a compelling cover letter
Your cover letter catches the client’s eye first every time you send an application in Upwork. Since your cover letter is your most giant billboard or your marketing pitch, you must showcase how you can help the client with the services that you will provide. Also, for you to be hired on Upwork, your cover letter should emphasize the value and solutions you can provide to the clients.
Above all, your cover letter must highlight:
- Your expertise
- Add client feedback
- List tasks you can do
- Add niche keywords
- Be targetted
Tip#2: Have a video intro
A video intro is a perfect strategy to show clients your fluency concerning verbal skills. Also, it is an avenue to showcase your unique characteristics and build rapport. A 1- minute video introduction is an excellent way to show your personality and passion.
How to create a compelling 1 -minute video introduction?
After recording your video intro, you can leverage these tips with your 1- minute video intro:
First, you must check if you are not speaking too quickly on the video. Second, evaluate if your video has awkward pauses. Third, check if you talk loud enough on the video. Fourth, check on your background if it is clean and clutter-free. Fifth, is the video shot not shaky? And lastly, look if you show confidence while talking.
Tip#3: Create a project catalog
Besides being hired on Upwork, having a project catalog is another method for freelancers to earn. It allows you to package your most in-demand services and turn them into powerful new income streams. As soon as you created a project catalog, clients will immediately see and buy package services.
In the Upwork catalog, freelancers can craft up to seven defined projects, each with a set cost, timeline, and package of deliverables. Interested clients can browse listings and purchase a project with just a few clicks.
Tip#4: Have a verified account
Having a verified account in Upwork signifies legitimacy and authority because it’s not easy to make your profile approved and verified. One of the required documents that the Upwork team will require you to provide is a current and valid government-issued ID and a recent billing statement.
Also, it is vital to match your verification information with the data you inputted upon registration in Upwork. Usually, it will take 48 hours to have your Upwork profile verified.
Tip#5: Work into being Top Rated
To be Top Rated in Upwork, you must have:
- Job Success Score of 90% or more
- The first hire on Upwork was more than 90 days ago
- Have a Job Success Score of at least 90% for at least 13 of the last 16 weeks
- A 100% complete profile (90% for those who brought their profiles over from Elance)
- 12-month earnings of at least $1,000 up-to-date availability (if unavailable now, set a date estimate)
- A good standing account with no recent account holds
- Activity on the platform (proposal, accepted invitation, or earnings) in the past 90 days
Tip#6: Add portfolios
Since the freelancing industry is into portfolio-based hiring, it will be beneficial to add your portfolio to your Upwork profile. Your portfolio will present samples of your excellent outputs. This way, you are legitimizing by showing proofs of experiences. Thus, when you mention these experiences in your cover letter every time you send applications, the client can see them right away on your portfolio.
Tip#7: Look professional
It is imperative that the moment the client reads your profile, you are providing a professional impression. The three things that clients can see on your profile that grabs their attention are your profile picture, title section, and overview of your services and skills.
To look professional, you must use a high-quality headshot of yourself wearing a professional outfit. Another thing is your title section, where you can use keywords specific to your skills. Lastly is the overview where you should emphasize your expertise to draw clients to read more on your profile.
Tip#8: Be active
There are two ways to be always active in the Upwork platform:
The first is always to check newly posted hiring that fits your niche. And second is to be responsive to messages.
Tip#9: Grow in a niche
Growing your niche allows you to grow professionally and learn new trends about your niche. To boost your niche, you can:
- Be more brilliant than the AIs
- Have a focused niche
- Validate with keywords and portfolios
- Take pieces of training and be certified
- Add certificates to your profile
Tip#10: Be client-focused
Clients signed up with Upwork to grab the help they can get with talents on the site. This is why if you want to grab client’s attention, always focus on telling what you can do and provide for them—not making your profile solely about you.
Now that you have learned the complete guide, are you ready to apply these tips? Please tell us how the tips are helping you later on. It is our pleasure to guide and assist you towards reaching your freelancing goals.
You can learn more tips and guidelines when you enroll in our Freelancing (Virtual Assistance) Course. It is a complete guide tailored to freelancers, marketers, and business owners, both for established and aspiring freelancers (even from scratch).
This is a limited offer. To reserve, please go there: https://www.fvaconsultancy.com/course/freelancing-virtual-assistance-course/.