Freelancing on Upwork - 10 useful tips

I've picked up a few jobs on Upwork in my time, I've seen some people claim that it's a scam - you can't make money on sites like Upwork, or that the jobs don't pay well.

This is not true at all, there are certain things you can say and do in your proposals that can help get you at least a response. But there are some other things you should try and do to increase your chances of landing jobs, here's a few tips that I slowly learned mostly through trial and error.

1. Don't punch above your weight

There are jobs out there for all types of developers, I've done c programming jobs, I've done Excel/VBA jobs, I've written BASH scripts...if you go on Upwork now and search for JavaScript jobs you'll see somewhere in the region of 10,000 or so jobs.

Upwork is huge and getting bigger, they're advertising more. Go for jobs you are 100% sure you can deliver on. It's common for people to get the fear when they land their first couple of jobs, even if you were confident when you initially applied. Do what you can to lessen the pressure, get some small projects you can do and do well and grow your portfolio and experience.

I started out trying to land big jobs, but found it can be uuite lucrative to seek out smaller tasks - as an example, I recently completed a single page application, very simple app that shows some animated text and jQuery UI text effects, it took about 3 or 4 hours to write and I got $200 for it, jobs like this pop up frequently.

On the other hand I built a small site for someone a while ago and it took just under a week but paid $400. In terms of time spent the easier job was the one that paid considerably more.

2. Overestimate the time it will take

When you're applying for a job you can specify how long it will take - my advice is ask yourself how long it will take you to complete the job and then at least double it.

Even if you know you can do it in one day, say two, or even three. Most clients will not expect too much too soon, some are actually quite relaxed about deadlines...some too relaxed and they'll disappear on you for a few days but that's another story!

Your mind will always trick you into thinking you will do it quicker than you will. You won't factor in the need to take a break, sleep, eat. It's your inner narcissist setting you up for a fall, lessen the pressure and overestimate your delivery time.

3. Try and tailor your proposal for the job you're applying for

We've decided it best to stick with what we know, as per rule #1 (don't punch above your weight), so it's safe to assume that you are applying for a job you can do.

Chuck some examples into your proposal, I've literally included lines of code in proposals. A client once advertised a c programming job to write a simple UNIX shell and the job post asked for a freelancer experienced with UNIX system calls, I threw in some example code and talked about what it was and how it would work in this particular program.

And yes I got the gig, c programming jobs were few and far between but they tend to pay well. Most of the c programming jobs I've done took a day, two at most and paid in the $200 range.

4. Add screenshots/images to your proposal

Why?

Not all clients want to click links or rifle through some code you have on github. Put yourself in the client position, you post a job and get 50 proposals...first thing you will do is try and filter them. Do something to stand out, take some snapshots of some of your work and attach it, but also include links to projects.

Particularly if you have previous work that closely matches the criteria specified in the job posting. I once wrote some calculators in JavaScript for a guy who sold bonsai trees of all things. After that I lander more gigs building simple little calculators in html/css and JavaScript. They paid pretty well.

Always highlight similar projects you've done, and always try to upload a couple of images

5. Choose your clients wisely

I once bid for a job, a chap posted an ad said he wanted a simple website to host some video content. He contacted me and I started to ask him questions, now the job itself was posted as an hourly job as opposed to fixed price.

He began by telling me his budget was low, about $100, but what he wanted was quite simple. He then went on to describe YouTube to me, I politely declined.

And he was very persistent, for a few days. This would have been a monumental task for one person. Users creatng channels and uploading content, comments...the whole shebang!

Don't be rude, just politely say "Thanks, but no thanks" and wish then success with the project.

6. Be cordial

Even with rude or aggressive clients, and they exist.

Always be cordial, especially in your proposals. I find I get more of a response from proposals that don't come across too robotic or serious.

Start by saying hello, hope you're well. My name is such and such, a short intro.

Next thing you should do is focus on the project itself, ask questions about the projects, relevant questions that show you paid attention to the job posting.

Next you give a short blurb about what you can do, what you're offering, drop some links to previous projects.

Conclude by inviting them to message you, don't be pushy or desparate about it, be casual - feel free to message me, anytime, or message me if you want to chat and discuss your options.

Try and leave it open - and of course, make sure it's well written, spell check!

7. To get your first job

Build stuff, anything!

Make something up - make up a business and build a site. Get it on github, get yourself on github! Find another site you like and try to copy that. Build a simple game, be productive when you're not working on real projects and keep uploading stuff to github. Keep learning new things.

Get yourself a portfolio site on the git pages platform - it's free and easy!

8. Complete some upwork exams

Be prepared, they're harder than you might expect and kept up to date with current tech. The JavaScript exam, for example asks questions specific to ES5 and ES6.

I would say if you get a score any less than 3.5 to not display it, 3.5 out ot 5 may sound poor but in many cases it will be above average (c exam, for example). You will get a score and a rating (like above-average). I'd say anything below average should be hidden, if you fail an exam you need to wait a month before you can re-sit.

Like I said, try your best to prepare, it's timed , usually 2 minutes per question, and they're not all easy.

9. Be wary of invitations!!!

This is probably the best tip I can give you. If you receive invitations to apply for jobs, you must action them! You can disable this feature.

What will happen if you don't action these invites? It can damage your reputation, your status - responding, even if it is to decline the invitation, should be done within 24 hours. I once took leave and didn't go on Upwork for about 3 or 4 months, I didn't know about this system at the time...

It impacted my status and finding jobs was pretty tough. Your account also becomes invisible. Clients can not find you, your account becomes hidden. It's all sorts of bad so try and keep on top of it, log in often and respond in a timely fashion.

10. Check in often and keep your profile up to date.

I log in to Upwork pretty much every day now, I update my profile when i complete a project and always give honest client feedback. Most of my clients have been great, just be up-front with them and treat them with some respect.

It can be disheartening at first when you apply for so many jobs but get no responses. But you will eventually get a response I *guarantee it, and once you hava a couple of hours under your belt and some decent feedback - a few completed projects on your portfolio it gets easier.

Conclusion.

There are just a few simple things I've noticed seem to work and help me get more responses from prospective clients.

We're all always learning more, so any tips are very welcome.