Upwork – How to work on Upwork: a brief guide

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How to work on Upwork: A Brief Guide

Upwork offers more than 10.5 million jobs to freelancers from all over the world. About 100 categories for various professions are available on the marketplace. Most of the tasks here are intended for specialists from the IT sphere, although there are one-time or permanent jobs for representatives of practically all professions.

Both private entrepreneurs and large companies publish tasks on the platform and delegate part of the work to freelancers. In addition to the fact that they are not badly paid, they can also work as a catalyst for recruiting a leading specialist to the staff.

Freelancer rating plays a vital role in the quality and payment of orders. The higher it is, the better the chances of getting a high-paying task or signing a contract for permanent collaboration. The ratio of tasks successfully completed and taken on is the main indicator of freelancers' professionalism.

Do you want to start working for yourself and earn money doing different tasks as a contractor? JOBITT experts have prepared a short guide, useful for anyone planning to debut in the freelancing market.

What is Upwork?

Users say that Upwork is one of the best freelancing platforms. Customers from all over the world publish their projects on it. The platform offers jobs for freelancers without experience as well as for leading industry specialists.

Depending on their skills, the job candidate can create text, audio, video, visual creatives, code, etc. The performer signs an NDA and is responsible for the quality of the work, and the employer, in turn, monitors compliance with the terms of the assignment and pays the result or sends it for revision.

What are the advantages of Upwork?

Freelance marketplace Upwork has several top features that distinguish it from its counterparts. For example:

minimum hiring commission;
high rates on projects;
large selection of tasks for employees;
more than 100 specialty categories;
rating system for companies and workers;
remote work in any field;
constant support and moderation;
convenient methods for the withdrawal of funds;
user-friendly interface and apps for Android/iOS.

The platform offers easy access to tasks for candidates and a large selection of performers for employers. This opens up new opportunities for comfortable cooperation and competition.

What specialties are in demand on Upwork?

In short, there are jobs on Upwork for literally everyone. The platform has a convenient structure and allows you to quickly select the category in which a freelancer wants to work. There are more than 100 sections to choose from, which have a division into profile skills and types of work.

Among the most popular are:

IT and Networking.
Web, Mobile, and Software Development.
Architecture and Engineering.
Data Science and Analytics.
Design and Creative.
Finance.
Marketing.
Merchandising.
Writing and Content.
Accounting.
Admin Support.
Sales.
Customer Support.
Operations.
HR.

There are often more candidates for such jobs than employers offer, which is not surprising. Although, as the recruiters themselves say, it is complicated to find really professional freelancers even for such jobs. If you are a specialist in one of the abovementioned industries, you will definitely find a job on Upwork.

How much can I earn on Upwork?

There is no clear answer to this question. The fact is that different specialties and task levels are paid at different rates. Accordingly, the higher the performer's qualifications, the greater the monetary remuneration they will receive for their work.

If we look at the most popular industries, the price range looks like this:

IT and Networking – $17–$40/hour;
Web, Mobile, and Software Development – $25–$50/hour;
Architecture and Engineering – $30–$60/hour;
Data Science and Analytics – $30–$55/hour;
Design and Creative – $15–$40$/hour;
Finance – $10–$30/hour;
Marketing – $10–$25/hour;
Merchandising – $10–$25/hour;
Writing and Content – $5–$10/hour;
Accounting – $5–$15/hour;
Admin Support – $15–$30/hour;
Sales – $5–$15/hour;
Customer Support – $2–$10/hour;
Operations – $3–$12/hour;
HR – $5–$20/hour.

Jobs do not always have an hourly rate. Often employers offer fixed amounts for completing an assignment or project. As a rule, a freelancer can earn from $40–$50 to $1,000+ on such orders, depending on complexity, deadline, and other factors.

If you have the desire, you can earn even more in freelancing than in some companies.

Required level of English for Upwork

There is a certain dependence on the knowledge of English on the platform. Most employers work from abroad, so they communicate and give TOR in English. Without knowledge of the international language, it will be difficult for you to do tasks of copywriting, editing, etc. Although for other professions, this is not a problem.

For example, if you work in the IT industry, creating code, design, etc., you will accomplish most tasks without much trouble. The main nuance will arise when communicating with the customer. That is, you need to know English to communicate. Similarly, with time management. If you want to spend less time and effort working with TOR, you need English.

As for English levels, there are no clear requirements. Even with A2, you will already be comfortable working with foreign clients. However, you need a B2 level or even higher for the, e.g., copywriting.

Can I work onUpwork without knowing English?

Modern technical resources make it possible to work with international clients even without English. Thanks to many translators, both free and professional, literally anyone can communicate with the customer and understand the TOR. But this slows down the process very much. You will need the help of a translator literally every time you come across a specific term, wording, etc.

Generally speaking, learning English is the best option for freelancers if you consider labor market trends. Most customers work from abroad, so they communicate exclusively in English. And they are much more likely to choose a performer with a sufficient level of English than a beginner. Improve your communication skills and your level of English. This will ensure a better chance of getting a high-value project and increase your competitiveness.

Tips for creating an Upwork profile

Your profile is your business card on the Upwork marketplace. It is important to make it professional, give correct information about yourself and specify the appropriate skill levels in the questionnaire.

Registration on Upwork is quite simple. All you need to do is:

enter your full name;
add e-mail;
choose a password;
set the region.

This is just the first step in creating an account. Then the questionnaire begins, where you have to answer a number of questions. Namely:

Are you new to freelancing?
What are your goals for registering on the platform?
How do you want to interact with clients?

You are personalizing your experience on the platform by answering them, so choose your best options.

After that, the critical stage begins: filling out your profile (or converting it from LinkedIn, etc.). When creating a profile from scratch, you must specify the following:

job profile;
experience (or lack thereof);
education (or lack thereof);
levels of language proficiency;
skills (up to 15) and their levels;
curriculum vitae (experience, expertise, etc.)
desired field of work;
the hourly rate you want to receive;
photo, phone number, and other contact information.

After checking the profile for validity, you send it for verification by the moderators. After the profile is approved, you can start looking for projects to be rated.

Some tips on filling out your profile from JOBITT experts:

indicate actual skill levels, language skills, etc.;
check the entered text for grammar and content;
if you have no experience, specify profile courses;
study the rates of other freelancers and choose the best one;
put a neutral picture on the application form;
follow a business-like Tone of Voice in the text.

Usually, ignoring these trivial rules leads to employers not perceiving the profiles as professional. Accordingly, the number of orders received from clients may be minimal. Therefore, make an effort to create a quality profile. This will help you find a job even without enough experience in the industry.

How do I get my first order on Upwork?

The platform has several job search options for freelancers:

Passive. You publish your profile in the relevant section and wait for client orders. This variant works only when your rating is high enough, and your profile has a lot of positive feedback.
Active. You search for projects or tasks, offering potential clients your professional services. In this case, you compete with other freelancers in terms of job cost, rating, and speed of completion.

There is an expression: Unless you’re continually improving your skills, you’re quickly becoming irrelevant. With the Upwork platform, the situation is similar. The first steps on the exchange are the most challenging and problematic because your profile cannot compete in ranking with the resource professionals.

Advice from JOBITT:
Take on any job for your profile by setting a minimum price. This way, you can get an initial rating that will allow you to raise your rate and take on more complex projects.

Payment and withdrawal for orders on Upwork

Most marketplaces and platforms accept commissions from recruiters and performers. Upwork is no exception. The base tax is 20% of the estimated amount, but if the project price exceeds $500, the commission is reduced to 10%. Those are pretty low rates, considering that withdrawal from an internal account costs only $1 and has no minimum amount threshold.

After closing the order, the payment is credited to the Upwork user's account. After the funds are credited, they can be withdrawn to the card using one of four methods:

PayPal.
Payoneer.
Wire Transfer (USD).
Direct to U.S. Bank (USD).

In this case, each transfer is charged a fee of $ 1 regardless of the amount of withdrawal.

Conclusion

The Upwork platform is one of the best international freelancing marketplaces. There are more than 100 categories of work for specialists from completely different spheres of activity. As of November 2022, the total number of vacancies crossed the 10 million mark, which is quite good, considering the overall situation in the labor market. Upwork is the best place to start your career if you have decided to become a freelancer.

If you are planning to gain experience and find your place in one of the leading international companies, you should use the JOBITT platform. JOBITT is designed for employment and recruiting. You will find thousands of promising, high-paying jobs from startups and well-known companies.