As a professional with no experience, one of the biggest concern that newbie’s face isgetting work on Upwork. Upwork is one of the largest global freelancing platformsandhasover5 million registered clients andover 12 million registered freelancers. While the huge number makes Upwork one of the best online platforms to work on for freelancers, the fact that there are over 12 million freelancers makes it harder for newcomers to find work quickly on the platform.
Here are a few pointers that will help a person with no experience in getting work on Upwork:
1)Get a Good Profile Picture
One of the first thing that people tell you when you head out for a job is to make a good first impression. The same logic applies to online platforms and while you do via your profile picture as its oneof the very first things that clients see on yourprofile. To make a good first impression make sure that the profile photo shows your faceclearlysothe clientsknow you exactly you are. 
Further, upload and use a picture which is of high quality, and where you are smiling. This is important as an unsmiling, grainy and poor quality picture will only show that you are unprofessional and no client would prefer to work with people who are not professional. Also,use ahigh-resolution headshot picture with a pleasant smile where you are dressedprofessionally. 
2) Your Language Skills are Important
As I mentioned above, first impressions are important and in the online world, youmakeyourimpressionwith your profilepicture andyourcommunication andlanguageskills. While a client might approachyou on Upwork, if you are not able tocommunicatewiththem, theywill not take the conversation further. Further, when youcontact your clients, youare notphysically present there and need the power of words tomake a good impression, thusit isimportantto sharpenyourlanguageskills. Even if you have no experience and have been working for years, you should constantly sharpen language skills so as to winyourclient and in the process also win the contract. While you might not be a wizardwith the words just yet, even small things such as misspellings, texting lingo, and grammarmatter a lot and act asred flags to clients. Thus, always check your spelling and read through what you have typed before sending it out to your client.
3)Create Samples of your work
When you are starting out new on a platform, it is a good idea to have work samples as it will increase your credibility. Getting work on Upwork would also become a lot easier as your work samples, especially if you are a writer or photographer, will showcase your talent and ifthey are popular, it will only strengthenyour credibility in front of the client. 
Thus, create a blog or website to showcase your writingor photography skills and inservices that are not related to writing, you can showcase your work like logo design when you show them a few published items like on your personal websites. This will get clients interested and they will approach you when they need the job done. Articles you may like:
- 5 effective tips & tricks to create proposal sample for Upwork
- 7 things to keep in mind while writing a professional overview for Upwork
- Comparison of different types of Upwork payment methods
4) RememberLow-Paying Jobs Can be a Great Start
When starting out new, don’t ever think that low-paying jobs are not worth it. This is one of the biggest mistakes that many make and thus miss out on many great opportunities. Many think that because they have to spend a lot of time to get the work done and the pay just doesn’t justify all that work and thus it is not just worth the effort to take up low paying jobs. 
But you should never underestimate these low-paying jobs and rather start there as no one will award you a huge amount if you have no past experience and will rather approach someone senior if they are willing to pay that much. These low-paying jobs are your best bet to connect with clients and in the future get a bigger pay when you approach clients with a bigger budget. Further, these same clients most likely will suggest other clients your name for the job and thus help you in getting work on Upwork.
5)Stay Active
You need to remember, if you are serious about making money on Upwork, you needto take constant action and be active. To submit your proposals and don’t ever think that once you have created a nice and great profile, you don’t need to do anything. 
Your clients will only come to you if you are active and constantly interact with them. You need to put your name out there to win the contracts. It is always a numbers game in Upwork when it comes to winning contracts as more prospective clients you contact, the higher chance you have of getting work on Upwork. Remember, somewhere, someone will always want what you have to offer, but you need to find them. Also never forget to improve as you progress and update your profile as you go. Learn to create a better proposal and customize it to fit your clients requirements.
6)Build Your Portfolio
As I mentioned in the previous point, one of the most important thing you need to do is constantly need to update your profile and in the process build it further. In freelancing, you need to create your own portfolio and the more jobs you do, the more jobs you get. Thus, constantly build your profile, and optimize it the best you can. Credibility and a strong portfolio always count and even if you don’t have any previous experience when your constantly work on your portfolio, you find your perfect mix with regards to your clients and thus, get more jobs of your liking. Yes, it may be difficult when you have zero experience, but that does not mean that you cannot build your portfolio from scratch. Request testimonial from your previous client or professors. Even small jobs that you might have done, a testimonial from those clients will go a huge way in building your credibility and also help the client know that you are good at your work.
Subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest updates on entrepreneurship and digital marketing delivered right in your inbox!
[mc4wp_form id=”102″]
Offline Platforms
Now that you know what you need to do to get work from Upwork, here are a few things you need to remember with regards to offline platforms. There are many offlinecommunitieslike myHQ that you can join for creative workspaces and get in touch with their engaging communities for networking and work opportunities. Many of these potential clients work and hire via Upwork and thus will help you build your portfolio both online and offline. Workspaces like myHQ work on the concept of work meet and network anywhere. They also offer you coworking benefitsand have many entrepreneurs and other freelancers working out of there workplaces. These fellow co-working professionals will go a great way in helping you secure new projects and also help you build your portfolio. Liked it? Read more:10 Unconventional Freelance Ideas That You Can Pursue Right AwayHere’s How You Can Build A Strong Personal Brand As A FreelancerUpwork vs Freelancer: The Platform To Go For In 2020
