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How to Land Your First Job on Upwork: Top Tips from a Seasoned Freelancer

• Eliminate all distractions There’s no room for laziness or inactivity when it comes to freelancing. Today it’s hard for people to concentrate on work and keep away from social networks, Internet surfing, and other distractions. That’s why overcoming laziness and distractions alone could boost your productivity by about 50 percent.

• Be patient You’re full of determination and drive, but your proposals aren’t getting a response. Don’t think of it as something bad; be patient. You may need a day to get your first response or three weeks; you never know. Based on personal experience, the probability of getting a response is around five percent on average. I got my first contract within a week, the second within two weeks. And only then it became much easier. Now it takes me only a few days to get a contract.

• Make your profile shine When creating your Upwork profile, take time to describe your skills, situations in which you may be useful to the client, and your relevant experience, if any. Be concise and avoid long and pointless wording, otherwise the client might get bored reading it.

• Test your knowledge Upwork has a plethora of tests, many of which are relevant to your specialty. Take as many relevant tests as possible to confirm the level of your skills. So far, I’ve taken eight tests and am going to take another 2-3 in the near future.

• Make sure your portfolio isn’t empty Creating a portfolio won’t be a problem for seasoned professionals, but it may be one for people who are new to both freelancing and IT in general. Don’t have enough work for a portfolio? Start a blog, work on your own website, or contribute to forums to show clients that you’re a thought leader in topics that interest you. With time, you’ll be able to replace sample projects in your portfolio with actual ones, but to start, it’s better than nothing.

• Try to avoid looking unprofessional Choose a decent photo for your profile. Don’t use a photo from your family reunion with you and all your relatives, or a photo from a recent beach trip with you in a swimsuit. Use a plain and professional photo. Make sure your face is clearly visible and you’re smiling.