How to Get Noticed and Win Jobs as a New Freelancer

How can you—a freshly minted independent professional on Upwork—get the attention of clients and score jobs on the work marketplace?

If you're new to Upwork and eager to get started with your freelancing business,  you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions by Upwork newbies, such as:

• How can I help more clients find my profile?
• How do I win jobs on Upwork?
• How can I make my proposals stand out from other freelancers?
• How many proposals should I send each day?
• How do I let clients know I have immediate availability for projects?
• How can I score more invitations to jobs?‍

‍How can I help more clients find my profile?

Your profile is the hub for your freelance business on Upwork. Taking the time to create a high-quality profile is essential if you want to get clients to notice (and find!) you on the work marketplace.

Optimize your profile for maximum effectiveness by ensuring it’s 100% complete and effectively describes your skills and experience with the right keywords. Don’t forget to include a profile photo, portfolio, rates, and, if you’re game, an introduction video. For more advice on creating a complete and high-quality Upwork profile, check out:

• 9 Tips To Help You Create a Freelancer Profile That Stands Out
• 9 Upwork Profile Examples That Will Help You Get Clients

Completing your profile doesn’t just give clients the info they need. It also helps Upwork match you with more relevant projects; your profile shows up more often when clients search for freelancers with your skills. Also, if you want to achieve Rising Talent or Top Rated status, a complete profile is an essential requirement.

To further enhance your visibility, you should also consider using two additional profile features available to you:

• Turn on your Availability Badge. The badge lets clients know that you’re available for work right now. By adding it to your profile, clients will notice you more  in search results and will know you’re eager for and ready to take on new work.

• Set your Profile Visibility. Visibility settings help give you control over when, where, and who you work with by choosing where and when your profile is displayed. You can toggle between Public (the entire internet), Only Upwork Users (self-explanatory), and Private (excluded from public and Upwork search results). Make sure your profile is visible at least to Upwork users, so you show up in client search results.

How do I win jobs on Upwork?

What does it take to win jobs on Upwork? We wish there were a simple, straightforward answer to that! Like anything worth achieving, winning jobs takes a bit of time and effort. We have a number of tips to get started.

In addition to creating a high-quality profile, a well-written proposal is vital for your Upwork success—more on this in our next response.

You can also try out Upwork’s Boosted Proposals feature. Bid additional Connects on your proposal to enter an auction for the top four slots of the client’s list of applicants. When you’re seen first, you will be top of mind for the project. Boosted Proposals can increase the chance of getting hired by 24%.

Try it and see if you’re getting more jobs when you boost your proposals. Look for results on your My Stats page. You can find this information under Find Work > My Stats.

You should also build out your portfolio. A portfolio of work shows the client that while you may be new to Upwork, you’re not inexperienced and can definitely do the work they need. Check out this Upwork Academy course to learn how to showcase your best work on your Upwork portfolio.

Finally, find your niche. The more you focus on specific skill sets, the easier it will be for you to grow your business. Specializing presents you as an expert in a particular field. When clients look at your past work history, they’ll see how you can help them with their problem because you’ve already done similar relevant work many times for other clients.

For a deep dive into scoring more work on Upwork, check out these resources:

• How To Get More Jobs on Upwork
• How Long Does It Take To Get a Project on Upwork?

Read Transcript
‍

How can I make my proposals stand out from other freelancers?

Writing proposals for jobs you find on Upwork is a skill that takes practice. And it’s a skill well worth developing!

Every client wants to know why they should pick you for their project over any other freelancer who applies. A well-crafted proposal will help you put your best foot forward, so they will do just that.

Avoid using templates, and don’t copy and paste the same thing for each submission. Clients may form impressions of the expected quality and attention to detail of your future work based on the quality and relevance of your proposal.

Work on creating well-thought-out, customized proposals for each job you apply to. This will help you stand out from the hundreds of canned proposals that potential clients will receive. Personalizing your proposal shows clients you’re willing to put the effort in and go the extra mile to win the client’s business.

For an even better chance of being seen by clients for projects you’re really passionate about, Boosted Proposals can also be very helpful.

How does it work? Put simply, after you invest the time to create a great proposal, elevate its visibility with a boost by spending additional Connects—whatever amount you think it’s worth. Upwork will boost your proposal to the top of the stack if you bid high enough relative to the other bidders, making yours one of the first proposals the client sees. In fact, freelancers who boost are approximately 17% more likely to have their proposal read.

Learn more about Boosted Proposals and the details of how they work. Get all your questions answered via this support article.

For more advice on crafting compelling proposals, check out:

• How To Create a Proposal That Wins Jobs
• How to Write Proposals: Proven Advice From Freelancers on Upwork
• Upwork Academy Course on Submitting Proposals

How many proposals should I send each day?

How many proposals you send out per day is really up to you. However, each proposal you send will cost Connects—Upwork’s virtual currency. Spend Connects like virtual currency on Upwork to show potential clients that you’re serious about your business and invested in building a working relationship with them. The number of Connects you need to use will vary per job, and there are some jobs where you may not need to use Connects at all.

Freelancers can purchase Connects in bundles or a custom amount of your choice. Each Connect costs $0.15 (USD). You can use Connects to submit proposals, boost proposals, and signal your availability to clients through an Availability Badge.

We give away free Connects each month and award Connects for milestones including registering for the first time, getting a Rising Talent badge,, winning an interview with an established client on Upwork, and a one-time Connects bonus if you complete an Upwork Skills Certification..

As you can see, Connects are valuable currency on Upwork, so you don’t want to waste them sending out multiple proposals to jobs that may not be the best fit for you. Send proposals only for jobs that you’re confident you can complete. Rather than blasting out proposals too broadly, you may instead like to make use of your Connects to boost your proposals to the top of the list and get them noticed by clients.

How do I let clients know I have immediate availability for projects?

Keeping your Upwork profile availability settings updated is the most effective way to let clients know of your availability at any time. There are three main ways to signal your availability to clients:

• As discussed above, you can toggle your profile visibility as needed. You have three options: Public, Only Upwork Users, or Private.  If you set your profile to private, it will be excluded from the Upwork marketplace and search engines. This means clients won’t see you when they search for freelancers. If you’re available for work, it’s in your best interest to set your profile visibility to Public or Only Upwork Users.
• You can set your availability to work by changing your hours per week. Whether you’re available more than 30 hours weekly or only 10, you can update this easily in your profile settings. Good times to update your availability include when you accept new work, a contract ends, you’re taking a break, you’re too busy to accept more work, or you have more time available to work.
• Finally, there’s the Availability Badge. If you're on the lookout for work opportunities, why not let clients know you're available? Adding the badge to your profile will help you get noticed in search results and let clients know you’re available for work right away. The Availability Badge can also get freelancers more job invitations by 50%. It’s a powerful, visual signal that you’re ready to start a new project.

You can use Connects to turn on the “Available Now” badge when you’re open to new projects, then turn it off once your project pipeline is full. Turning on the Availability Badge is a great way to use your Connects to control your workflow and manage your time.

What’s the difference between setting your availability and turning on your “Available Now” badge? Your standard availability settings give you a way to tell clients about your general availability for Upwork jobs. For example, you may be a part-time freelancer who can dedicate 20 hours per week to Upwork, which you can state in your profile. The availability badge is a way to let clients know that your 20 hours for this particular week are not all filled and that you’re still looking for work at the moment.

How can I score more invitations to jobs?

The most successful freelancers on Upwork regularly get invited to jobs directly by clients instead of having to apply for work. This also saves you Connects, as responding to job invites doesn’t cost you anything.

While new freelancers will have to do the leg work of applying for jobs, it’s worth learning how to optimize your presence on Upwork so you have clients coming to you without having to chase them down.

So how do clients decide who to invite to their jobs? The decision is based on your profile, your portfolio and work history, your location (if relevant), and of course, your availability as well.

This means your Upwork profile is a key piece of the Upwork success puzzle—you already know that. Create a great profile and keep tweaking it until you start seeing results from it. Keep your portfolio and work history up to date; this will show clients what you’re capable of delivering.

You may also want to create one or more Specialized Profiles. With Specialized Profiles, you can showcase your unique skills to your audience on Upwork and create variations of your profile that demonstrate your experience for targeted needs. This profile shows the work history for only the projects you choose to feature and allows you to describe one skill or service in more detail.

So if you’re a graphic designer with a special interest in logo design, you could create a specialized profile for logo design to showcase your skills and experience in this area of work. It positions you as more of an expert and is attractive for clients looking to hire a logo design expert.

Another way to stand out to potential clients is by acquiring an Upwork Talent Badge. This includes:

• Rising Talent
• Top Rated
• Top Rated Plus
• Expert-Vetted

These badges highlight proven or expert talent on Upwork. They help you shine in the eyes of prospective clients, making you stand out from the competition.

Finally, don’t forget about the Availability Badge. When you have this badge, your profile shows up more in search results. In fact, the badge increases the invitations freelancers get by as much as 50%. The Availability Badge makes it easy for clients to see in real-time who can get their projects going quickly—perfect when they’re facing a time crunch, and you have room in your schedule.

Turn on the  Availability Badge, so that prospective clients know you have the availability to help with their project with an immediate start.

Make the most of your Upwork tools and resources

Being new on Upwork can feel daunting, but we hope we’ve helped answer some of your most burning questions about getting started.

Upwork has several tools, features, and resources to help independent professionals like you find the work you want and thrive in the work marketplace. Here are some you may find helpful:

• The Upwork Community and Community Groups
• The Upwork Resource Center
• The Upwork Academy
• Project Catalog™
• Consultations
• Boosted Proposals
• Availability Badge

Good luck on your journey!