How to Establish 'Street Cred' on Upwork
Level-up your profile with these powerful recommendations.
The age of the digital entrepreneur and creator economy has opened up the floodgates on how people can make money, earn a decent living, and, in some cases, bid adieu to the 9-5 circuit.
Upwork is one of these fantastic platforms where individuals can ply their trade and offer their services to many eagerly awaiting customers. If you’re looking to enhance the probability of success as a freelance entrepreneur on Upwork, this is how you go about it:
I. Enhance Your Profile
When initially drawing up your profile, the best advice is to not hold back on the overview and details! To clarify, even if you are new to the game, you’ll want to craft an eye-catching overview and tagline as well as thoroughly detail your skillset on the profile.
The overview will provide a prospective employer with a solid glimpse into who they are dealing with, while the rest of the profile will be dedicated to highlighting your proficiencies and relevant exploits.
Per the overview section, consider incorporating catchy verbiage to help you stand out from many candidates jockeying for the same positions. To further emphasize, the following is a personal example of an overview of one of my profiles to give you a better understanding:
Premier Copywriter | Converting Ideas into Content
As a skilled copywriter specializing in content creation, I bring a unique perspective to my field that results in engaging and compelling content. Dedicated to fulfilling the requirements of prospective clients, I am fully committed to delivering compelling messages that will uniquely resonate with customers. Eager to contribute creative efforts and help drive your team’s success.
The above lays the groundwork for an intro that is concise but also piques the interest of prospective employers.
On the rest of the profile, some of the most critical areas you will want to focus on are the skills section, where you can drop in relevant proficiencies, and the certification section, where you can input any pertinent certifications that complement your capabilities. Moreover, you'll also want to provide sufficient details in the employment section of the profile. Here, you will dedicate time to ensuring your employment history speaks directly to your experience.
What’s more, on the vertical portion of the profile, you’ll want to make sure you fill in the ancillary details such as hours per week, languages spoken, verifications, education, et al., to provide as much information as possible that will improve your chances of getting hired by an employer.
II. Build a Solid Reputation
What I’m going to say may sound a bit controversial, but when starting out, don’t focus so much on getting paid; instead, set your focus on getting known. As a newbie to Upwork, you need to establish yourself first, and that typically entails going after jobs for beginners or opportunities that don't pay as much as you'd expect.
Really, what you want to be going after are positive reviews and testimonials to bolster your work profile. Moreover, if you have entry-level experience in the field (for example, copywriting, virtual assistance, or data entry), you should refrain from taking positions that post years of required experience. First, get some entry-level gigs under your belt before applying for jobs that require more extensive experience if you're a novice in the field in which you're applying.
Once you’ve perused through enough job listings, focus on going after the opportunities where the employer verifies payment and is not for an extended period.
Following your application’s approval by the prospective employer, commence working on the projects assigned and keep your boss apprised of progress. Also, this goes without saying, but I will mention it: work well on the task, so when you ask for feedback, your employer will be more inclined to give you sterling reviews.
Remember that when starting on Upwork, reviews are just as valuable as currency and can open the door for more promising opportunities.
III. Be Flexible with Rates
The third recommendation is that you want to set your rates with reasonable expectations in mind. Many employers on Upwork will balk at a candidate whose rates are grossly misaligned with experience or level of expertise.
While Upwork allows you to put your stated hourly rates in your profile, do not make the mistake of "pricing yourself out of the market," where the advertised rates on entry-level jobs are nowhere near the stated rates in your profile.
One recommendation you may want to consider is looking at the list of entry-level positions in your field and combing through 10 or 20 listings to get an idea of what kind of rate you can charge for your services.
Employers will use your advertised wages as one of the primary factors when considering you for the opportunity, so you will want to be sure to be reasonably close to their wages.
Remember, as with the prior section; you are initially setting out to obtain positive reviews and build a solid reputation on Upwork; therefore, as a newbie, that’s your primary objective. Once you have the reviews, you’ll also have experience with it and a greater justification to charge higher rates and ultimately attract higher-paying clientele.