How To Choose the Best Freelancer Project Proposals

Sometimes, you can be spoiled for choice at Upwork. Our work marketplace is filled with skilled professionals, so after posting a job description, you may receive more proposals than you have time to sort through.

But don’t worry, there are ways to quickly single out the top freelancer for a project.

What to look for in a contractor’s profile

When you search for contractors on Upwork, you can review their profiles for information such as the types of projects they’ve worked on in the past,, comments and project ratings from previous clients, and additional certifications.

Here’s what you can see in a freelancer’s Upwork profile:

• Job success score. At-a-glance measurement of overall client satisfaction with projects completed on Upwork.
• Overview summary. Highlights their qualifications and unique skills, location, and availability. Some people choose talent in different time zones to create a 24-hour workflow. As one person ends their day, they can hand work over to another person who’s just beginning theirs.
• Work history. Get a synopsis of projects completed on Upwork and feedback from clients. You can use this to see if the person has industry or work experience related to your project.
• Skills. Visual tiles provide a quick scan of the person’s skills so you can see if they have all the skills you’re looking for, and some extra nice-to-have skills.
• Portfolio. Shows the independent professional’s work quality and scope. This may include projects done on and outside of Upwork.

To get an idea of what a good contractor’s profile looks like, check out these sample profiles by specific skill.

How to view proposals on Upwork

You can review project proposals as easily on the go through the Upwork mobile app as on your computer. Below, we detail how to scan proposals quickly and efficiently.

Let’s say you need a graphic designer to make a logo. Soon after you post the job, you’ll start receiving proposals from freelance professionals interested in your project.

1. From your dashboard, click “review proposals” for the specific job.

Upwork will also send a suggested list of top freelancers based on your job post details.

If you opted into AI features on Upwork, you’ll receive three proposals labeled “Best Match.” You'll also get a summary of why that talent might be a good fit for your job, along with relevant reviews from other clients.

2. Click a proposal to review. Shortlist your favorites by clicking the thumbs-up icon.

3. Want to ask them a quick question? Click “message” to send it directly from their proposal.

Get more tips for organizing proposals in this video.

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Upwork proposal review tips

These tips help you know what to look for in a contractor’s proposal, so you can make quick work of narrowing down the best freelancers:

• Pick 2 to 3 must-have criteria
• Keep score
• Look for freelancing experience
• Think big picture when reviewing rates
• Consider future needs

1. Pick 2 to 3 must-have criteria

Pick two or three essential requirements for a specific project. Essential criteria are minimum requirements a person must meet to be considered for a specific project, as opposed to desired criteria, which are nice-to-haves.

For example, essential criteria may be English fluency or immediate availability if you’re facing a tight deadline. Desired criteria may be a certification or familiarity with a collaboration app your team uses.

When scrolling through proposals, immediately toss out those that don’t meet your must-have criteria. Your intent at this stage is to identify the best person in the least amount of time possible, so try not to justify keeping any that are “close but not quite right.”

PRO TIP: If you want someone detailed and thorough, add a little test to your job post. It should be simple like, “Add the word ‘blue’ to the first line of your cover letter when responding.” Anyone who doesn’t do so may not be as detailed as you need, so you may want to toss out those proposals.

This video gives ideas on what companies look for in a freelancer.

2. Keep score

Depending on the type of work and skills you’re contracting for, creating a shortlist can get a bit fuzzy when some skills and experience may not be exactly what you want, but they can apply to the project work. An easy way to ensure you shortlist proposals based on quantifiable data is by creating a shortlisting scorecard.

There are many ways to use a scorecard. One popular way is assigning points to specific proposal elements and giving the most important features more weight.

Example

You’re hiring a graphic designer to create a new label for a coffee drink, so you may put more weight into someone experienced in designing for consumer packaged goods than someone who has designed business logos.

A shortlisting scorecard includes essential and desirable criteria. Here’s what a scorecard might look like:

Depending on the work required, you may also score how a proposal is written. For example, if you’re looking for a content writer, a proposal that’s disorganized or full of typos will be scored lower than one that’s written well.

PRO TIP: A scorecard is especially helpful if more than one person is reviewing proposals. Scorecards ensure everyone is looking at the same qualifications and judging all proposals fairly.

3. Look for freelancing experience

Some professionals have years of experience working for a company but are new to freelancing. That’s usually not a problem—many transition smoothly. However, freelancing is quite different from traditional employment, and it can take time to learn how to communicate well, manage multiple clients, and adjust to remote work.

When reviewing proposals, look for these potential signs of freelance experience:

1. They’ve worked on a project related to yours and share details like the goals, results, and how they contributed to the project’s success or quality of work.
2. They ask pertinent questions about the project. An experienced freelancer knows what details they need to better understand the project scope.
3. They may offer a high-level overview of how they would approach your project. Successful freelancers know how to jump into a project, ramp up quickly, and get the work done efficiently.

PRO TIP: Don’t look at their time with Upwork as a sole indicator. Some professionals may be seasoned freelancers but new to the platform. For a more comprehensive picture of their freelance history, look at their resume, portfolio, and website if they have one.

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4. Think big picture when reviewing rates

Job posts usually don’t include all possible project details necessary for a freelancer to determine an accurate price. Experienced freelance professionals know this and often ask a few more questions about a project before providing a quote.

Although they may not have all of the details yet, they may provide an estimated range or hourly rate with estimated hours. You could use this to determine if they fall within your budget and toss out those that don’t.

PRO TIP: Don’t choose a proposal by price alone. Choosing a less experienced person with a lower rate over someone with more experience at a higher rate can cost you more in the end. If your project requires more revisions or is not completed at the quality you expected, it not only costs your staff more time to manage, it also adds hours to the project. Or worse, you may have to start the project over with another freelancer.

5. Consider future needs

By this stage, you should have narrowed down your top one to three proposals. You’re ready to set up interviews through Upwork Messages.

If you still can’t decide between two great people, consider offering a small, paid project to see their work quality and how they communicate. For a more accurate comparison, offer each person the same or very similar projects.

If you or a colleague has a future need for that skill, you may want to build a Virtual Talent Bench™. You can add the top freelancers you hire, as well as their close runner-ups.

7. Bypass the whole proposals process with Project Catalog™

If you’re short on time or unsure who you need, you can avoid posting a job description and sorting through proposals by buying a predefined project through Project Catalog.

For example, let’s say you want a new business logo. Simply choose your price range, turnaround time, and experience level. Then you’ll instantly get a list of projects that match your description.

Click on a project that catches your eye to see details about the freelancer and the scope of work they’re offering. Then choose the one you want and your project’s ready to start.

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Knowing what to look for in a job proposal helps you make more accurate matches in less time. While choosing the right freelancer is a great start, there’s more to keeping projects on track. Grab more tips for hiring and working with freelancers in this guide.