Upwork: How It Works And How To Get Accepted

( Update:  For reasons of profitability I have decided more never to use freelance pages . If you want to know why you click on the link and I give you 5 + 1 reasons. Apart from that, the content of this post has remained the same. Just have Note that I no longer recommend these platforms.)

Upwork is one of the most used platforms in the freelance world.

In fact, it is the one that today has more income than any other, exceeding one billion dollars a year.

It is one of the platforms for freelancers with more opportunity - but also competition - in the market today, one of the many where most start their freelance life.

I have had the opportunity to win several projects, I was able to win my first project to the fifth proposal I sent and although I have temporarily abandoned the platform (since I have gotten freelance work outside of it) it is likely that I will resume it one day.

To understand a bit the emergence of this beast platform and how it works, let's briefly see how they reached such magnitude.

Upwork And Its Fusion
Upwork: How it works in simple terms

1. Both the freelance and the client create a profile.

1. The client applies for a job.

1. Freelancers use the search engine to find opportunities.

1. Freelancers apply and send freelance proposals  to those projects that interest them.

1. Wait patiently (come on! Without despair) for the answer.

1. If you are selected, the contract is made through the platform.

Do I need to register as a self-employed locally?
If I Only Speak Spanish Can I Register?
How Do I Register In Upwork?Can I make my profile in Spanish?

1. Do it in English (if you are not very good, you can translate it into relatively cheap Fiverr or ask an acquaintance for help.)

1. Do it in both languages, letting you know that you intend to apply to projects in Spanish too ..

But ... What the hell do I put on my Freelance Profile? I have no idea

1. A professional image (preferably of your face and smiling).

1. A creative and specific header. (eg "Logos Designer" instead of "Designer")

1. Use a personal tone.

1. Know what your client wants and talk more about how to solve their problems than about you.

1. A readable format.] And spacing.

I'm afraid they won't accept me ...
What do I do if I applied and did not accept me?
Yuppy, they accepted me! I will apply to all the projects that I can
Something You Should Know Before Applying To A Project
How to Send Winning Proposals?
How much will Upwork Remove from My Earnings?

• 20% for the invoiced between $ US0-500 with a customer.

• 10% for the invoiced between $ US500.01-10,000 with a client.

• 5% of $ US10,000 and up.

And that of Upwork Payments, how does it work?
Is My Money Safe?
Other Upwork Details

• Unlike Fiverr, where you can offer anything (literally), Upwork is considered a more professional platform.

• They have included an internal messaging system to 'chat' in real time with your client and make video calls.

• Accepting payments outside the platform is prohibited, so be careful.

• Freelancers say that Upwork is easier to navigate than other platforms.

• Add work sample in the section of your profile corresponding to the freelance portfolio, you can double your chances of being selected.

• You can take test in different categories. Surely they help a little too.

Conclusion: Upwork: How It Works And How To Get Accepted (In One)

Back to 1999 (Wow! And I found out about this so late), in order to support virtual work, the Elance platform emerged.

Inspired by the prediction of the continuing decline of conventional employment in large companies and the birth of remote work by Harvard in his article, " The Dawn of The Elance Economy ."

In 2013, 14 years later, this platform had generated a total amount of $ 850 million (less than Upwork does in a year today).

On the other hand, one of its main competitors in the battle for being # 1, oDesk, which had emerged in 2003, decided to acquire Elance and in 2013 they announced the mixture of these two great platforms to give result to what it is today You and I know as Upwork.

Today, more than 3,000,000 jobs submitted per year, 5,000,000 customers and 12,000,000 freelancers are reported. Every year its clientele continues to grow, and I don't think that growth will stop for the next decades.

If you are not familiar with the operation of freelance platforms, where most use the application-application methodology, I explain briefly. It is similar to how Freelancer works.

In a nutshell:

Source: Agriya

After this, the customer pays, you do the work and the platform takes a commission — more detail below.

In a simple (and visual) way, this is the operation of any platform that operates in the application-application mode.

There are other modalities such as spec work or contests and hourlies or gigs, but that is the subject for another day.

Now that you know how everything works, let's continue, but first, let's answer a couple of questions that always arise when you start as a freelancer.

Many wonder if before starting to do small jobs they must register as freelancers in their country.

In legal matters I do not usually enter, but I will contribute my 2 granites in the subject.

(Note: None of my tips on this blog constitute legal advice. If you want more details on this aspect, please consult an accountant or a qualified lawyer.)

If you haven't made a penny yet, you shouldn't be worrying about it; Even if you have made some money, but you have not consistently earned a significant amount, it is a waste of time.

In my opinion, thinking about signing up at this stage is something that will distract you from your main goal as a freelancer: make money.

In my opinion, it is something that many use as an excuse for not taking action in the first place.

The Upwork page as such is in English, but there are many clients who publish projects for Spanish-speaking workers on a daily basis.

I look for some recent of the last 24 hours to see ...

We have here to write a business proposal.

Writers in the finance niche.

Designers.

A representative for calls in Spanish.

Oops! Ignore this ...

Of course, if you speak English there are many doors that will open to you, and it is ideal that you can at least read it a little, but it is not obligatory.

So ... do you accept the challenge?

Well, I like your attitude.

We are going to register.

(Keep in mind that for growth reasons, Upwork will evaluate your profile before accepting, do not be intimidated by it!)

Go to the Upwork.com page  and click on "Sign Up" at the top right.

You will then see boxes to fill your name, surname and email. Be sure to use real mail as you will have to verify it.

Then you must select the country where you reside, enter your password and select the type of account (I imagine you are here because you want to be a freelancer ).

Once you have verified the email, you will have the opportunity to select the skills and services you can offer (you can see these jobs online on demand or this list of +100 freelance jobs  if you are not sure).

Select each one that applies to you. This will increase your chances of being accepted.

Finally, you will complete the details of your profile. (Reach me below to give you some tips)

My honest recommendation is that, since Upwork will review your profile to approve it:

A while ago, I would have told you to put it in Spanish and change it later, but I think we can't take that risk today.

Make the effort before applying and secure your space.

Remember that within the platform you can see jobs for a Spanish-speaking person. Do not worry about that.

With the approval process, now more than ever it is important that your profile be done carefully.

I already had the opportunity to write about how to ensure that your freelance profile does not stink. Some of the tips were:

If you want more detail regarding the writing of your freelance profile, go ahead:

> Why Your Freelance Profile Stinks (And What To Do About It) >>

Pay attention…

Because these are the tips that many people have used to be accepted after being rejected more than 3 times.

I'm being honest? You should be glad that they are taking less freelancers.

Now there will be less competition after all.

Of course, you must get them to accept you first, but you have the opportunity to apply multiple times.

With this change, all freelancers who only make customers waste their time, leave the platform.

I just hope you don't feel intimidated by this.

Courage, you can do it! Do not give up.

Apply once again, try expanding on the type of categories you are selecting or reorganize your description.

Generally, Upwork gives you a vague idea of ​​why they haven't accepted you, and I've heard of people who select a few more categories and let them in.

If you have questions and want to see your profile, you can comment below to review it to see what you can improve.

Do not do it.

That is the # 1 mistake of all freelancers.

In fact, there is a possibility that if you apply to many projects and they do not accept you, Upwork will remove you from the platform and will not allow you to enter.

You must be very careful and make sure that each proposal you send is exactly what is in line with your profile and your skills.

(It may sound obvious, but you would be surprised to see the number of people applying to random projects. Applying to any project, nobody earns. )

To limit the amount of applications that each freelance performs, Upwork has implemented a kind of currency, or as they call it: connects.

If you have a free plan, you will have 60 connects per month, and to acquire more you will have to wait for them to be regenerated or apply to the premium plan ($ US10 / month).

Each application to a project will require your connects.

Look closely at how many connects you need to apply to each project since it may require more than one.

Winning projects with your proposals is more an art than a science.

Something works for certain people and something different for others.

In general, there are certain details that every proposal should have and this is not intended to be a complete guide on how to submit winning proposals, but rather the functioning of Upwork.

Previously, I shared my tricks on how to write a freelance proposal , which can help a little more.

You may also be interested in replicating this example of a freelance proposal to see how it goes.

I recommend both articles before submitting a proposal.

Currently the commission system is a bit complex. It depends on the amount of money you have billed with a particular customer.

That is, the more long-term relationships you can establish with a client, the less commissions you will have. The thing goes like this:

This gives a disadvantage to all those freelancers who usually work with sporadic projects — such as web page designers or logos or programmers, for example.

But professions that run continuously (or are more likely to run like this) as virtual assistant , community manager, freelance editor , are more likely to benefit from this change.

Every penny you earn in Upwork will be immediately deposited in a kind of internal wallet, where it will be stored as you earn and complete projects.

You can configure the system so that every time it exceeds a specific amount, it is automatically deposited in one of these three accounts:

1 - Payoneer

2 - Paypal

3 - Direct Deposit to an Account

4 - ACH transfer

5 - Wire transfer.

See more details here. The charges will depend on the method you use and even your local currency.

My personal preference has always been PayPal.

I understand that not everyone has the facility to withdraw money from Paypal to a local account and they do not have an American account that makes things a bit easier.

Check out Payoneer. Many recommend it and you can have a card with many advantages — like shopping in online stores or physical stores anywhere in the world.

Paypal and Payoneer are the most used methods and I have already covered how to register and validate these online payment methods.

One of the main advantages of freelance platforms is that most (including Upwork) have security policies to ensure that freelancers are rewarded.

This is done through an escrow system (or escrow) where Upwork retains money from your client and releases it to your account once you have finished or as you work (if you do it per hour).

Being freelance is the work of the future.

Everything is projected to this work methodology and you can start being part of this today.

Upwork still remains and will be the largest of the platforms (although not necessarily the most convenient).

It is a good starting point for many freelancers and with this information, you can surely start on the right foot.