I discovered Upwork about a year or so ago. I started off with lots of enthusiasm but then found I was doing a lot of work for very little pay, To be honest with you most of the work I find on Upwork is low pay but I have found a few gigs worth my while.
They have a lot of jobs posted there. I am an Albuquerque (affordable!) web designer, SEO consultant, and freelance writer. On Upwork, I only apply for writing or SEO work. And generally not link building or some of the more challenging SEO jobs. Upwork is my side biz. I don't want to take big projects that will take away from my time to manage my business, but it is a great way to fill in the gaps.
People ask all the time how can I work from home. Upwork is perfect for that. But, you have to have some skills. I have quite a few friends that write, but writing SEO content is very different than writing other types of content. I am pretty experienced at this which is why I get a high percentage of the jobs I pitch.
My tips for finding work on UpWork
Be picky.
If the job description is demanding just skip it. Some of the clients I have are very demanding and only want to pay you $20 for something that takes a few hours to do.
Check for jobs several times a day.
Jobs go fast over there. I rarely pitch web design jobs because they are so competitive. Whoever is the first one to send in a proposal has the best chance of getting picked.
Practice your pitch. I am enthusiastic and have a decent resume. But, one of the reasons I get so many of the gigs I pitch is because I present my selling points. I am an experienced SEO consultant. I have SEO keyword tools I use. I do on-page SEO for other SEO companies. Work on building up your skills so you stand out.
Get good reviews. Even if you're a newbie to Upwork you can get jobs. Sometimes you have to take the low-paying ones to get your reviews up. Do a few entry-level jobs and get some good reviews.
Turn around your projects fast! When you first start working with a client you want to be fast. Once you work with someone for a while they are usually more flexible. Make a good first impression. I always tell my clients it will take a few days but try to get it completed faster.
Don't take jobs that are going to stress you out. When I first started I would take any job I could get. Now I read through the description and if I don't have a good vibe or if I think it's going to be demanding or stressful, I skip it.
Get faster! I freelance write. You have to write a lot of content to make money at this. And as cheap as some of the clients are, they still expect high-quality work. I practice writing every day. It started with a goal of one post a day and now I am trying to write 2 a day. This is one of the reasons I started this blog -- to work on my writing speed.
For this blog, it's my personal baby so not stressful. I can write what I want and go at my own pace.
If you use Upwork, do you have any tips?