When it comes to looking for work at home jobs, Upwork is one of the best and most trusted alternatives. However, getting started on it is quite difficult. So, if you are interested in knowing How to Make Money on Upwork but you have no idea how to take your first steps, this article is for you.
First thing: know the platform
Upwork is a gigantic platform where you can offer almost any type of service in an international market.Design, writing, music, programming, customer service, digital marketing, translation, finance... no matter your area of expertise, there is room for everything.
Don't you believe us? Here we leave you an almost infinite list of online jobs that you can get on Upwork.
At the moment, this page is only available in English, so you will have to know at least the basics to create a good profile. However.
When you sign up for Upwork, you have two options: the Freelancer basic plan (free) and the Freelancer plus plan ($14.99 per month). Obviously, the paid option has some benefits to improve your experience, but in principle you don't need to invest anything to be successful.
After that, you must create a profile where you highlight your experience, training and skills. Think of it like a CV or a LinkedIn profile.
In that profile will appear all your professional information, country, education, languages and your hourly rate for the job you offer. If you are not sure what rate to indicate, look for references in other profiles of freelancers in your same niche.
The level of experience you have will also be visible: entry level, intermediate or expert .
Now, it is vital that you take a good time to make that profile beautiful, because in order to start looking for a job, Upwork must review and approve it.
Tips for creating a good profile on Upwork
How to make money online safely and reliably? With a profile that inspires security and confidence. It's that simple.Here are some basic tips for building a professional profile on Upwork:
- Include a good profile photo. No photos on the beach or low quality selfies. The image you choose to present yourself must be clear, professional and friendly. Use a neutral background and avoid full body photos. Clients want to know who they are hiring, so your face must be the protagonist.
- Get to the point. Define in a few words what you do. If you try to spread yourself too thin, not only do you look unprofessional, but Upwork moderators may reject your profile.
- Write an accurate, honest, error-free, and compelling description of yourself. In your overview you will have space to highlight who you are, what you have done and what you want to do . Mention previous projects and relevant achievements. If you don't have experience, highlight your skills and talents. This first introduction is critical to convincing people you're the one, so focus on what's most important.
- Pick 4-6 tags that speak of your skills. Tags help you filter available jobs while giving more detail about what you do.
- Highlight your education, courses, and work experience. Clients are interested in hiring well-prepared freelancers. When you talk about your previous jobs, include details of your responsibilities and goals achieved.
- Includes an eye-catching portfolio. This is the most important thing if you are interested in knowing how to make money online. A portfolio is a definitive demonstration that you know what you are doing and that you meet the expectations of the client.
Likewise, to have a more complete profile, you can take Upwork's free skill tests to obtain certifications that validate your skills.
how to get your first job on Upwork
Here's how Upwork works: based on your profile, your home page shows you all the available jobs that fit what you offer. This page is constantly updated as new offers become available.If you are not satisfied with your feed, you can search for what interests you yourself and filter the search by categories and keywords.
In general terms, all you have to do is submit a proposal to apply to any of the job offers that catch your eye. You must send a cover letter and any other requirements indicated by the client in the published offer.
Tip: Write a cover letter that will serve as the basis for applying to any job within your area. Then you just have to adapt it to each new client and add what is necessary. In this way you establish a quick contact and increase your chances of being hired. There is a lot of competition on Upwork and clients tend to review only the first proposals they receive.
By the way, just as you can apply for jobs and be the one to initiate contact with a client, clients can also come to your profile and invite you to work with them.
So far it all sounds pretty traditional, but here comes the new thing: to apply to any job on Upwork, you'll need to invest connects .
Connects are a kind of virtual currency that you have to spend every time you send a proposal to a new client ( except when they contact you first). Each job costs between 2 and 6 connects.
When you're starting out on the platform, you have an initial amount of connects to get your first job, so you have to use them wisely. After that you will have to buy more, but luckily they are quite cheap: $0.15 each.
In the first case, you will have to use the Upwork desktop application to count your work hours and create your work diary . Each week you will generate income based on the amount of time you have worked.
In the second case, a fixed price is agreed for the entire project and you receive the money at the end. In this modality you can charge everything at the end or establish milestones (goals) to divide the project into parts and charge as you meet each goal.
If you're interested in learning more about work modalities, pay cycles, and how to connect with others within Upwork, check out this link .
So far it all sounds pretty traditional, but here comes the new thing: to apply to any job on Upwork, you'll need to invest connects .
Connects are a kind of virtual currency that you have to spend every time you send a proposal to a new client ( except when they contact you first). Each job costs between 2 and 6 connects.
When you're starting out on the platform, you have an initial amount of connects to get your first job, so you have to use them wisely. After that you will have to buy more, but luckily they are quite cheap: $0.15 each.
Types of jobs on Upwork
On this page you will find jobs by the hour and jobs with a fixed price per project .In the first case, you will have to use the Upwork desktop application to count your work hours and create your work diary . Each week you will generate income based on the amount of time you have worked.
In the second case, a fixed price is agreed for the entire project and you receive the money at the end. In this modality you can charge everything at the end or establish milestones (goals) to divide the project into parts and charge as you meet each goal.
If you're interested in learning more about work modalities, pay cycles, and how to connect with others within Upwork, check out this link .
how to make money online safely on Upwork :
- Applies only to offers from customers with a verified payment method .
- Don't waste connects on offers you don't qualify for.
- Keep all your communications within the platform and never give out your personal data . Thus, not only do you have evidence to defend yourself in case you have to claim bad behavior on the part of a client, but you also avoid having your account suspended.
- Submit all your work through Upwork . Never by mail.
- Be sure to discuss all the terms of a new project with a client before accepting, and try to leave a written record of everything. Many clients take advantage of inexperienced freelancers to demand more than what was previously agreed, and without any explanation or extra remuneration.
Commissions and payment methods
Like almost all online job platforms, Upwork charges commissions to support itself. These commissions depend on the amount of money you earn throughout your project history with a client.When you start working with a client, the commission will be 20% of the money you receive until you reach 500 USD with said client. After that number, the commission will be 10% up to 10,000 USD, and 5% from there.
On the other hand, the available payment methods are PayPal, Payoneer, wire transfers to US banks and also transfers to local banks in some countries.
The importance of a good reputation
Whenever you wonder how to make money online, remember two things: you have to make yourself known and, above all, build a good reputation .
Making your way on Upwork, or any other work-from-home platform, is going to take time and effort. There is a lot of competition .
For this reason, it is essential that communication with your clients be healthy and show that, in addition to having talent, you are responsible and disciplined. All this is key to getting good reviews at the end of each project and building long-term relationships with your clients.
The more positive feedback you have on your profile, the higher your job success rate will be and the more visible your profile will be to other potential clients.
Making your way on Upwork, or any other work-from-home platform, is going to take time and effort. There is a lot of competition .
For this reason, it is essential that communication with your clients be healthy and show that, in addition to having talent, you are responsible and disciplined. All this is key to getting good reviews at the end of each project and building long-term relationships with your clients.
The more positive feedback you have on your profile, the higher your job success rate will be and the more visible your profile will be to other potential clients.
Tips on how to make money online working as a freelancer
Finally, here are some basic tips to ensure success in working from home:- Be responsible with delivery dates.
- Get organized and take work from home with the same seriousness as a conventional job.
- Be honest and direct with your clients, but always polite. You need to build good relationships with them to earn a good online reputation.
- Take your personal finances responsibly. Here we leave you an entire article dedicated to this topic: how to work online and not die (of hunger) in the attempt.
- Think of yourself as a business. Being independent, you are solely responsible as to how far you can go.
- Keep your profile updated and, most importantly, be consistent . Many times you will feel like throwing in the towel, but in those moments is when you must work the most to grow.
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