The major difference between popular freelance marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr is the process of working with clients. Working with clients on Upwork means constantly pitching for new jobs. So, new work doesn’t happen in the background without your input — you have to be proactively on the hunt for new work when you want it.
Fiverr, on the other hand, is a completely different story. With Fiverr, you essentially productize your service via Gigs. Each Gig describes a specific deliverable you will provide in exchange for a set price, starting with the words, “I will…” You can offer different packages that involve bare-bones offerings, up to “the works”.
In addition, you can also offer Gig extras that allow people to customize your offering with related services they’ll benefit from. But, the best part about Fiverr is that because of the way Gigs are set up, clients are empowered to make purchases without even talking to you. This means that if your Gig is the right fit for their needs, at the right time, you can be making sales while you sleep.
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Undoubtedly, from time to time, people will still get in touch with questions or ask for custom deliverables. Using Fiverr doesn’t mean that you can do away with business development completely, though it will certainly help you streamline the process.
At the end of the day, if you want to make more money as a freelancer, reducing the time you spend actively pitching for jobs means that you have more time available to do the work. With that said, let’s now answer some questions people have when starting their careers on Upwork below.
What Is Upwork?
Upwork Global Inc, formerly Elance-oDesk, is a global freelancing platform where businesses and independent professionals connect and collaborate remotely. In 2015, Elance-oDesk was rebranded as Upwork with its main base in Mountain View and San Francisco, California.
The web platform lets you build something, and build relationships. And with over 8,000 jobs posted daily, the possibilities are endless. We’ve seen people just like you build careers beyond their expectations. All you’ll need is an internet connection, a skill, and dedication (Get Started Now).
The simple steps to follow are:
- Get your free account: If you haven’t signed up yet, now’s the time. I can’t wait to see what you can do here.
- Create your user profile: Highlight your skills, your experience, and portfolio, and indicate your desired hourly pay rate.
- Set up your payment option: Tell them how you want to receive your earnings so that you can be paid easily.
Anything you can do on a computer can be done through Upwork, though some skills are more in-demand than others. Their Top Rated Program is designed to showcase talent who consistently deliver at a top level of their field.
Anyone with professional skills and a reliable internet connection can use Upwork to find opportunities and build a thriving business. And in many ways, working with a client online is just like working with any other client.
Upwork’s matching and search capabilities help you pinpoint interesting projects. It provides a user-friendly platform to help you chat and share files, track your time, and get paid. And on Upwork, you’ll find a range of top freelancers and agencies.
Here is a list of what you’ll get:
- developers and development agencies
- designers and creative agencies,
- copywriters,
- campaign managers,
- customer support reps,
- marketing agencies,
- marketers and much more!
Since oDesk rebranded the service, many people are asking if UpWork is legit and the short and long answer is Yes.
Why Is Upwork Essential?
With the rapid expansion of the gig economy, freelance platforms have provided a much-needed framework to connect service providers with clients all over the world. With this in mind, as an example, one of the largest of these platforms is Upwork.
Upwork, the company born from the merger of oDesk and Elance, is a robust platform that enables freelancers to connect and collaborate remotely with clients across the globe. Eventually, boasting more than 12 million freelancers and 5 million clients, Upwork sees more than 3 million projects posted each year.
Having said that, are you ready to take a slice of the more than $1 billion in Upwork Freelancer Billings? If the answer is yes, please check out the following tips to help you go from newbie to top-rated faster than you can say, “I want to work in my PJs.”
Getting Started With Upwork Jobs
In the first place, Freelancers on Upwork specialize in a wide range of skills. For example,
- Are You A Coding Guru?
- Talented Voice-over Specialist?
- A Creative Marketer?
- Graphics & Artwork Design Ninja?
In that case, whatever your talents, your best bet in succeeding as an Upwork freelancer is to prove you’ve got the skills to satisfy Upwork’s clients.
Step One: Proving Yourself
To start, learn a skill. Choose something that interests you and take a course. E-learning sites like Udemy, Lynda (now LinkedIn Learning), and Skillshare offer thousands of classes at low prices. Not sure what to choose? Check out the Top 20 Fastest-Growing Skills on Upwork.
Once you’ve learned mastered a skill, create a portfolio. For example, if you want to be a web designer on Upwork, you need to show potential clients some sites you’ve developed. On the other hand, if you’re a writer, choose your best work and put it up for the world to see.
Step Two: Joining The Platform
Notably, Signing up for Upwork is fast, easy, and best of all, *free. There is a paid option that can give you a leg up on your competition, but the free membership can get you started just fine. Now keep in mind, Upwork has to get its money somehow.
And that will come when it’s time for you to get paid — that’s when they take a percentage of your earnings, typically 10-20%. When you’re done signing up, Upwork will ask you some basic questions about your freelancer skills and the services you want to offer to clients. It will also ask you about your skill level.
How To Create A Workplace Profile
OK, it’s time to set up your profile. This is not the time to slack off. The time you spend here can make or break you as an Upwork freelancer. Below are the three most critical elements of your profile — master these and you’ll be a rising star in no time.
Professional Headshot:
Keep your selfies, well, to yourself. Spend the $50-100 to have a high-quality headshot done. Dress for the clients you want to attract. Look at the camera and smile. If you’re not comfortable smiling, avoid glaring at the camera. Professional and friendly—that’s your goal.
Keyword-infused Title:
No, this isn’t the latest Starbucks designer-beverage. Clients will find you based on the keywords you place in your Title and Professional Overview. So, if you are a computer programmer that specializes in React Native Development, your title better is something like “React Native Developer.” Aim to be simple, concise, and accurate.
Professional Overview:
This is where you really start selling yourself. Be engaging—let your personality come through. And, for the love of all things good in this world, proofread it! Get yourself a free Grammarly account and plop your text in there if spelling and grammar aren’t your thing. There’s no bigger turn-off to a client than a poorly written overview full of misspelled words. Highlight your skills, experience, and the services you offer.
When writing your overview:
- What sets you apart from your competition?
- Why should they hire you and not Sasha D. from Nairobi or Sean G. from Nantucket?
- How can your clients benefit from your specific skills?
Below are other Profile Items to Consider:
Link other online accounts —
Within your professional overview, Upwork lets you connect other online accounts, like LinkedIn, Behance, Twitter, and others, so you can establish yourself legitimately.
Education and employment history —
Like your paper resume, this section allows you to show off your value by describing how you got where you are now. But, be specific, concise, and value-driven. You want to show your clients that you can help them achieve their business goals.
Need some inspiration? Check out this Upwork article on how to enhance your Freelancer Profile for greater success.
It’s important to realize, Upwork has several measures in place to ensure it’s a fair and reliable online marketplace. Not to mention, they use multiple means to verify that freelancers and agencies are who they say they are. Additionally, information is also displayed that gives you a sense of each person’s skill level.
In part, this includes:
- Authenticating email addresses
- Verifying identity through ID and video verification
- Displaying Job Success scores and client feedback on past projects for every freelancer and agency
- Providing results of online skills tests
Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to screen prospective freelancers and agencies to make sure their skills and experience meet the needs of your project. Custom screening questions can be included in your job post, and Upwork Messages provides chat and video conference tools for interviewing finalists.
Start By Posting A Job:
In the first place, you’ll need to tell them about your project and the specific skills required. And as such, you learn more about how in detail.
Upwork Analyzes Your Needs:
In the same fashion, their search functionality uses data science to highlight the best freelancers and agencies based on their skills, helping you find talent that’s a good match.
They Shortlist Likely Candidates:
And, by the same token, you can also search their site for specialized freelancers and professional agencies such as jmexclusives who can view your job and submit proposals too.
Bids Come To You:
Equally important, get qualified proposals within 24 hours. Compare bids, reviews, and prior work. Interview favorites and hire the best fit. You can also use Upwork to chat or video call, share files, and track project milestones from your desktop or mobile.
Finally, you know what it takes to be a successful Upwork freelancer. Go ahead and Sign Up. But if you have additional information, contributions, or suggestions, please Contact Us and let us know how we can help. All in all, you can also share your additional thoughts and questions in our comments section.
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