Hey everyone! I hope you are all keeping busy with your writing projects and I hope you have been having great success. Autumn is a great time to take your writing to new places, including setting up a laptop outside! Speaking of new places, I have a great company here that just seems to be working at getting better. It has been around for quite a while but the changes make it almost unrecognizable. This is great news for freelance writers because they have focused more on making this a place where writers want to work. Grab yourself a drink, kick back, and spend a few minutes reading over this.
Who is Upwork?
I reviewed a company called ODesk a little over two years ago. Well it’s now called Upwork. But more than just the name has changed. ODesk was a decent company. That apparently wasn’t good enough for those at the helm. They decided to turn it into a top-notch place for both clients and freelancers. In a rare stroke of luck, writers actually have a company that has noticed we exist!
Applying to Upwork
First, don’t stop reading when you hear that you don’t apply, you sign up for an account. There are safeguards in place to protect both the freelancers and the clients. There are skills tests that I’ll mention in their own section.
Second, Upwork acts as a broker. They find clients that need freelancers. They do not assign work you apply for it. I’ll get into that later. For now, you just sign up for an account.
You can sign up in the normal manner, with your name, country, username, and so forth. You also have the option of applying with Facebook, Google, or LinkedIn. They send you an email, you click on it to verify your address, and you are signed up with Upwork. It takes 5 minutes at the most.
Your Profile
This is one of the most complete but least guided profiles you will probably ever fill out online. The text boxes have a heading and you put as much or as little as you like. You will want a complete profile but don’t put so much that you overwhelm viewers.
There is a place for education in the profile and I’m going to address this by itself for a reason. Many writers aren’t “writers” so much as they are experts in some field and they write about it. Your samples will attest to your writing ability. Later, after you have had a few clients through the site, your ratings will also speak to your writing abilities. Don’t omit your business degree because it has nothing to do with writing.
The final block of your profile allows you to list other experiences or information. You can give it a heading and then fill in the description. This is great for those with random experiences that simply don’t fit anywhere else.
Finding Jobs at Upwork
This is very simple. On your screen you will see a list of categories on your left. Select one and scroll through the various job options. There is also a search bar where you can enter your own search terms and look for a job like that.
Once you find a job you like, you have to submit a proposal. It’s not difficult and your profile is sent automatically so don’t duplicate the information. There is a set budget for the project and you will bid in that range, but this site weeds out most of the problem bidders so you have a fair shot of having a decent offer accepted.
The Time Tracker
Thanks to America Online back in the 1990’s I’m an extremely fast and accurate typist. People like me tend to hate being paid by the hour on writing projects because it tends to punish us for our speed. That is what the Time Tracker is and why I dislike it. That’s the bad.
The good news is that it is rarely, if ever, used for writers. Because the site also brokers jobs for other freelancers, like computer coders and app creators, it may have a place in tracking projects. I’ve never actually run into a writer that has had to use it. There probably is one but I couldn’t find them.
The other problem I have with the Time Tracker is that it takes periodic screen shots so the client can monitor your work and check your progress. If I wanted someone staring at my computer screen while I work, I’d get a corporate job. One of the reasons I’m a freelance writer is because I loathe being treated like a child at work. It’s up to you if you want to deal with clients that insist on using it.
Test your skills
I wrote before about the safeguards in place to protect writers and clients. These safeguards are in the form of skills tests. The first one you will want to take it the proficiency test in the language in which you wish to work. These tests will be listed on your profile so that potential clients can see that you have the necessary skills. These also come into play when applying for jobs. Many clients list requirements at the bottom of the listing. They will often automatically ignore those that don’t meet their requirements. Check those before applying.
A special word here to those who, like me, speak more than one language. Even if you primarily intend to write only in English, go to the translation test for your other languages and pass those as well. Sometimes a client wants someone who can understand their Russian instructions but can produce their copy in English.
There are a number of skills tests and they are all free. This is a site that finds clients for more than just writers. There are a number of freelance opportunities here so look around on the site to make sure you are not overlooking a profitable niche. You can retake tests you failed at a later time, so if at first you don’t succeed, try again!
Working on Upwork
There is no writing platform. You will want to double check with your client about the format they want used but the vast majority want Word or a similar document. The best and safest way to deliver the finished product to the client is to upload the document through the Upwork system. This way there is proof of it having been delivered.
The Editing Process
This is between you and the client. If they want edits, and they probably will, do them and send the copy back to them.
Your Dashboard
When you log into the site you are automatically on your Dashboard. To your right you have a snippet of your profile, to your left the job search categories. In dead center, you will have the latest recommended jobs. These are based on previous searches, jobs you have applied for and how your profile is set up. It’s basic but it works perfectly for your needs.
Communication with clients
You will chat back and for with the clients through the system. You do not contact them outside of the system. Communication is good or bad depending entirely on the client. When you rate them, you do have a selection that rates their communication.
Stars and Job Success Scores
I was going to mention stars but they are phasing them out. You rate the client and the client rates you. Currently you get a star rating. They are changing that to a job success percentage. Where this really counts is in the fact that they take the record of the client into consideration when figuring the scores. If you get a nasty review from a client that has a history of being a problem, it’s going to have very little impact on your score. Currently, they have as much of an impact as everyone else!
Subscriptions
I didn’t mention it earlier because it’s not a big deal. You get 60 “connects” or new contacts per month on the free account. That means you can apply for 60 low jobs, 30 mid-level jobs and 20 high level jobs per month. If you pay $10 a month for a subscription, you get 70 “connects,” the “connects” roll over to the next month, and you can see the high, low, and average bids on the projects on which you are bidding.
Payments
The client pays Upwork when they accept a proposal. Upwork holds the money until the job is completed. Once there is client approval, they take their cut (10%) and the rest is posted to your Upwork account. You can set it up to automatically send the money based on a schedule you set or you can click on the “Get Paid Now” button and transfer the money to PayPal or begin a transfer to your bank. There are several other options including Payoneer, for those outside of the United States.
Those of the basics of Upwork.com. So head over, get yourself an account and start making some money!