Easy Steps To Create The Perfect Freelancer Profile On UpWork: Short Guide

What is Upwork

You all are aware of Upwork if you are a freelancer. Upwork is one of the most popular websites. This platform has grown to become the most well-known and largest marketplace for both clients and freelancers in India and around the world. It is one of the most professional platforms, and as a result, its policies are quite strict. Joining Upwork is completely free. However, to apply for jobs on Upwork, you only get a limited number of connects every month. To get started on Upwork you need the right skill and expertise.

How to start Freelancing as a beginner in easy steps.

Click on the "Job Categories and Descriptions" to learn more about these categories.

Top skills on Upwork are-

Data Entry Specialists
Video Editors
Data Analyst
Shopify Developer
Ruby on Rails Developer
Android Developer
Bookkeeper
Content Writer
Copywriter
Database Administrator
Data Scientist
Front-End Developer
Game Developer
Graphic Designer
iOS Developer
Java Developer
JavaScript Developer
Logo Designer
Mobile App Developer
PHP Developer
Python Developer
Resume Writer
SEO Expert
Social Media Manager
Software Developer
Software Engineer
Technical Writer
UI Designer
UX Designer
Virtual Assistant
Web Designer
WordPress Developer

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Some Trending skills on Upwork are-

Blockchain
Go development
Node.js
Vue.js
HR consulting
Microsoft Power BI
Instructional design
React.js
Videographers
HTML5 Developers
Ghostwriters
Unity 3D Developers
Business Consultants
Coders
Marketing Consultants
Web Developers
Illustrators
Google AdWords Experts
Digital Marketers
Project Managers
Arduino Programmers
Ruby Developers
AngularJS Developers
Full Stack Developers
Email Marketing Consultants
React Native Developers
Swift Developers
CSS Developers
Google Sketchup Freelancers
Back End Developers
Smartsheet Freelancers
Zoom Video Conferencing Freelance

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How to Create Freelancer profile on Upwork

Login

First, Go to the official site of “Upwork”. Click on the signup button shown in the picture below.

Here you will get 3 options, choose anyone you want to.
After that, you will see a screen like this in the below picture.

Enter your first and last name. Create a strong password. And enter your country. And select you to want to “work as a freelancer”. Then click the boxes below and click “create my account”.

In the next step, you have to verify your email address. Go in your email box and verify your Upwork account by clicking on the “verify email” in the email.

Till now you have successfully signed up for your Upwork profile, let's set up your profile.

If you want to start Freelancing on Fiverr, read "Ultimate Guide to start Freelancing on Fiverr". Fiverr is another largest freelancing platform just like Upwork but it is a little different from Upwork. In the ultimate guider, I have included every element you need to know to create a successful profile.

Create Upwork Profile-

1. The first thing is “Expertise”. Choose the main service you are going to provide to your clients. According to that main service, other sub-services will be shown below. After that enter the skills you will provide.

Suppose, your main service is “writing” and types of writing services will be “content and copywriting, editing and proofreading, creative writing” etc.
Skills according to that will be, proofreading, copyediting, content creation, etc. You can add up to 10 skills in this section. Click on “next”.

2. Next is “Expertise level”. Click on the expertise level you have in that service. And click on next.

3. Now add your “Education”. You can add your college degrees here. And click on “next”.

4. After that you will see “Employment”. Here add your past work experience. I suggest you fill this section carefully. If you have any past experience or job, then you must write it down here. It will help you to get approval from Upwork and clients will get to know that you have experience. Click on “next”.

5. Add "Languages". Mention your English proficiency. And other languages as well you know. Click on “next”.

6. Next is “Hourly rate”. It is one of the most important parts. Decide your hourly rate with full consideration. Once you enter the hourly rate, it will show you the amount that Upwork will take as a “service fee” and then will tell you the net amount you will receive.

Note- You cannot set an hourly rate below $3.00 per hour (including the Upwork Service fee).

Upwork service fee structure-

Upwork will charge you 20% until you reach $500. After reaching $500, it will charge you 10% until you reach $10,000(including $500). And after you reached $10,000. It will start charging 5% as a service fee. So, in the beginning, it will charge you 20%.

Suppose your hourly rate is $50/-hr. And you work 4 hours. The total amount made is. $50*4= $200. Upwork will take 20% of $200, that is $40 (200*20%). And the net amount you will receive is $160 ($200-$40).
I hope you get it.
I suggest you do a little market research to see what other competitors in the same services with the same experience are charging prices from their clients. It will surely help you to set a good rate.

Click on “next”.

7. Next is “Title and Overview”. In the “Title”, you have to describe the services you are going to offer.

For example. If you are a writer, you can add titles as a blog writer, pro content writer, accomplished writer.
Click on the “browse profile” link to see what other people's Upwork profiles in the same category look like. Take inspiration from there.

After that add an “overview” of your service. Write in detail about your services and skills. What kind of services do you offer and how skilled you are. Make sure you add every detail here. Do not make any grammatical errors. Click on next.

8. Next comes “Profile Photo”. Upload your professional photo here. There are chances that freelancers who have a professional photo get hired more by clients than those who do not have. Click on "next".

9. Next comes “Location” where you need to add your country, address, city, ZIP/Postal code. Don't worry, only your country and city will be shown to your client. The address will be kept secret. Fill up this information and click on "next".

10. In the last step, you have to add your "Phone Number". It will not be shared with your clients. And click on the "Preview profile".

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Note - Make necessary changes if you want. Always make sure your profile is grammatical-free and is complete.

You must have to complete 60% of your Upwork profile in order to submit it. If you left out any important step or do not complete your Upwork profile at least 60%, then you will not be eligible to submit your profile.

After completing your profile you will see a button “submit profile”. Click on that.

You will not be able to start sending proposals immediately after submitting a profile. Your profile will be reviewed by Upwork and if it gets approved then you will be able to start sending proposals on Upwork. This process normally takes 24 hr.
Also, you are allowed to have only one Upwork profile. You cannot have more than one account on Upwork.

Also, there can be a verification process through phone/ video call or Valid government-issued ID. When I got approved by Upwork, I had a video call through skype and it was just a quick verification. It was necessary to verify that I am the person who claimed to be on my profile. The Upwork representative asked me my name and address, then matched my face to my profile and that’s it.

It hardly took 1 minute. It was just to verify that I have put accurate information, location and the picture is actually mine.

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100% Upwork profile structure-

As I said you need to complete a 60% profile to get approved.

In this 60%- Profile Photo, Profile Title, Profile Overview, Education, Employment History, and Skill Tags are required to complete. All these sections contain 10% equally.
Linked Account and Upwork Readiness Test (both contain 10%) one section must have to be completed.
The next 30% is optional. Certification (5%), Portfolio Item (5%), Other Experience (5%), Employment History (10%) and Skill Tests (10%). A combination of any can complete the rest 30%.

And once you get accepted in the Upwork, you will be able to send proposals on jobs and start earning money on Upwork.

Not getting any clients? These can be those 7 Reasons why you are not getting any clients.

What are connects?

Connects is an important term in Upwork which you really need to understand. Connect is basically a virtual token or Upwork currency through which we submit proposals for jobs.
When we send proposals on jobs we use connects to apply for those jobs. Based on some factors, like size and type of project, the quantity of connects can be from 1 to 5. Most of the jobs require 2 connects.
But if a client takes initiative to contact you by inviting you to bid or sending you an offer, then you do not have to use your connects.
You can learn more on the Upwork site.

Just started your freelancing career? Then must avoid these 5 common mistakes which everyone does.

Types of jobs on Upwork.

Based on the pricing, There are 3 types of jobs available on Upwork.
Hourly- You are familiar with this. These are those jobs that are based on hourly rates. Most of the jobs on Upwork are based on hourly rates. Clients mostly specify the working hours they are looking for. For this purpose, there is also a time tracker available for freelancers and clients to make sure everything works according to the time.

Fixed price- These are those jobs whose prices are fixed despite the working hours.
E.g., a job post- required a transcriber to do an English transcription of 30 minutes of audio for $20. Here the price is set.

Milestone- It comes into action when you do work at a fixed price. Every time you complete a part of the job, you get paid. It is a little complex, as you need to wait for the client's reply every time. It is suitable for the long term only.

How do Freelancers on Upwork receive payment?

If you get approved by Upwork, which will definitely happen if you follow the above steps. Then after getting work, you must know how to receive your payment. For this purpose, Go to Settings › Get Paid and click on add method.

There are several ways to receive payments and these are:
Direct to US Bank (ACH) (only for US bank holders. Read more here.
Direct to Local Bank in Local Currencies. Read more here. Also, read “Bank code”.
PayPal
Payoneer
M-Pesa available only for freelancers in Kenya
Wire Transfer
Instant Pay for US Freelancers

Specialized Profile

You must have seen this option on Upwork. This option is basically to separate your work based on your categories. For example, if I have done graphic designing work and translation work, then with the help of a specialized profile I can segregate these two works.

The specialized profile is in short, a more detailed profile about a particular category, where you can add title, overview, and rate according to that service. Work history and portfolio related to that category.

Some common details, like Skill tests, educational background, employment history, certifications, other experience, languages, availability, Job Success Score and Portfolio project details will remain the same on the general profile and specialized profile.

It is a great way to separate your main service from other or various services within the same category. It will give more depth in knowledge about your past experience and skills and expertise.

I hope you find this blog useful. I tried to include every information you need to know to Create freelancer profile on Upwork. This guide will definitely help you to create a good profile. Let me know in the comment section if you have any questions.

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