Anyone who has the tiniest knowledge about freelancing has heard about Upwork at some point. It is the go-to place for anybody who wants to become a freelancer and work "online." So naturally, the internet is filled with content around "How to become a pro at Upwork," "How to maximize your profits on Upwork," "Tips to get more clients on Upwork," etc., etc.

Instead of telling you a thousand things that you should do with your Upwork account, I want to discuss why the platform is not working for you. I feel like this particular approach will be more constructive and will help you identify what is stopping you from growing. 

Essentially, there are four possible reasons why the platform is not making you happy or giving you results: 

1- You Are Not Prepared For Upwork

I have been a part of the freelance world since 2017, and if there is one thing I have never said to a beginner, it is "join Upwork." It is an unpopular opinion, and you might not like it (which is okay), but I do have logic and reason to back my statement. 

In the freelance community, beginners join Upwork after looking at hundreds and thousands of success stories from people earning six figures on the platform. They see Youtube videos and Instagram accounts full of motivational and inspirational content about how you can turn your life and bank balance around if you work on Upwork. But there is one thing that only a few people in the industry talk about: they are on step 10, and you are on step 1. You should not compare yourself to them. It is unfair and impractical. 

As soon as beginners feel knowledgeable and motivated enough to start their freelance journey, the first thing they do is join Upwork. All they know is that there will be tons of jobs there, and once they get the right opportunity, their career will boost. All that is great, and I appreciate the mindset, but optimism alone will not get you anywhere; you need to be realistic as well! 

Beginners usually know nothing about the platform. How it works, what to do there, how to communicate with clients, how to pitch to them, how to find the right employers, how to write cover letters, how to apply to jobs, what samples to send, and what they need to get started- they know none of this! 

But most importantly, even if the aspiring writer has taken a 6-month course to understand all of this, they dont know the reality of the platform. They are not expecting the saturated market or the competition they will face. They are not mentally prepared for the amount of patience, work, and dedication it will take to land their first client as a beginner with no experience. 

Even if they have everything materialistic up their sleeves, if they are not mentally prepared for the platform, it will be hard. Since most beginners are not ready for this, it comes as a shock to them. They get disappointed and disheartened. Lack of motivation and enthusiasm further leads to a lack of energy, and the effort they pour into the account gradually decreases. This turns into a cycle, and they stop putting work into Upwork altogether. If this story sounds familiar to you and you think I am talking about you, I am. This is why Upwork is not working for you. You were not prepared for the platform, and that is not your fault. 

The Solution: 

Talk to someone who has been on Upwork and will guide you with all sincerity: find yourself a mentor. Look for someone who has enough experience and is genuinely interested in helping you and motivating you along the way. If you dont have any of these, reading this blog might be enough.

So hear me out: 

If you are going to join Upwork as a beginner with no experience, please be ready for the immense patience and dedication it is going to take. The market is saturated in almost every field, and since you are a beginner with no experience, it will take a lot of time for you to land a good client. I am not saying it is impossible; it has happened to numerous freelancers before. However, these occurrences are rare, and I dont want you to put unrealistic expectations on yourself. It could take a few days, a couple of weeks, or possibly months. 

I will do a separate blog post on "How To Get Your First Client Without Any Experience." 

(I have already done a post about this on Instagram and LinkedIn, but I will do a detailed blog post on the website as well.)

2- You Have A Weak Profile/ Portfolio

Like I said, Upwork is saturated in almost every field. There are clients from all around the world belonging to diverse fields with excellent budgets! However, unfortunately, that is the only part beginners are attracted to. The reality behind this is that apart from the fantastic clients, there are also freelancers from all around the world belonging to diverse fields with all kinds of pay rates. The competition on the platform is IN-SANE!

I am not trying to scare or dishearten you; I am just preparing you for what Upwork is actually like. Like I said, being mentally prepared is very important. 

Let us use a client perspective to explain this logic better: 

If I am a recruiter on a platform like Upwork, I am obviously a professional. More importantly, if I have an established profile with a good reputation on the platform, it means that I am running a successful business and I am serious about what I do. The more established I am, the higher my standards are. If I am paying a good amount of money, I want someone trustworthy, credible, talented, and most importantly, experienced, right? I am not willing to risk it with someone who does not know what they are doing! 

On Upwork, plenty of professionals are already applying for my job post. Moreover, they have different experiences and different kinds of charges. So, if you dont have a strong profile, a promising portfolio, a good cover letter, or anything else promising, why would I hire you instead of one of them? I am eventually going to find someone who fits my budget and requirements because, let us be honest, there are thousands of options for me. 

Again, you were not prepared. You did not have the right set of samples, your profile was weak, and you did not pay attention to it. Upwork is not working out for you because you dont seem credible enough. Clients are not convinced of your talent because your profile or portfolio is not convincing them. 

The Solution: 

If you dont have experience yet, put all your effort into your samples and cover letters. Convince clients that you are a talented professional, trustworthy, and a perfect fit for the job- you have what it takes! Work on your communication skills and put effort into presenting yourself to prospects. 

3- You Are Stubborn! 

Some people have a great profile, a great cover letter, good samples, and the right mindset, but Upwork somehow still does not work for them. With these people, the problem usually lies in their stubbornness. Dont be offended yet! Let me explain. 

Some people spend months, even years, on a platform but keep doing the same thing over and over in hopes that it will eventually work. It is good to be consistent and persistent, but if you dont change your strategy after a certain period of zero results, you are merely being stubborn. That can hurt you!

When I started out freelancing, I started from Facebook groups as it was a better option for beginners, and there were dozens of jobs being posted every day. I would apply to many of them at a time but would not get a reply. So instead of trying the same thing repeatedly until I gave up or got frustrated, I shifted to a constructive mindset and decided to switch my strategies every two weeks. 

So, I used to create a plan (regarding what type of jobs I am going to target, how I am going to approach them, what samples I am going to send, and what I am going to say), and I would continuously apply to jobs with the same technique. If, in 2 weeks, I did not get desired results, I would switch the strategy to something else. Revise my technique instead of getting frustrated every day. That is the approach you need, especially when you are on a platform like Upwork. 

The Solution:

If you are doing something wrong and your technique is not working, instead of being stubborn and doing the same thing for weeks and months, sit down, be a critic of your own strategy, and revise it. The issue could be hiding in any of the following:

• You are applying to the wrong jobs
• Your cover letter has a problem
• You are showcasing the wrong samples
• Something on your profile is not working
• You are applying to too many or too few jobs.

So, Then What Should Beginners Do Instead? 

The answer is Facebook! Facebook groups and pages are the way to go for beginners. Of course, these platforms are also pretty crowded with candidates like yourself. However, the crowd is mostly beginner-friendly. Even the clients that go onto Facebook for recruitment are usually low-key looking for beginners. Hence, it also means that most jobs there are meant for you and targeted toward you. 

Dont get me wrong; the marketplace is great for intermediates and professionals as well. However, it is much more suitable for beginner freelancers compared to Upwork. 

Who Should Go To Upwork, And When?

As I said, Upwork is a great platform, just not for beginners with weak portfolios and zero experience. If you really want to start your freelance journey on Upwork, make sure you are equipped with:

• The necessary knowledge of the platform
• A strong profile
• An impressive portfolio
• Good communication skills
• Strong cover letters 

If you have these things, you can still go on Upwork and be a huge success, despite not having any experience whatsoever! However, if you want to follow a strategic route that involves learning and growth, here is what I recommend: 

1. Start your freelance journey with Facebook and work with local clients as an outsource.
2. Once you learn enough, become competent and confident, think you can take on an international platform, and have enough experience for a strong portfolio/profile, you can join platforms like Upwork! 

This route ensures that:

• You start from scratch, aka level 1
• Experience everything
• Learn from those who are already working with international clients
• Stay in a less-stress-more-growth environment, as communicating with local clients is much easier than dealing with international ones, and they offer a lot of education and training. 

Lastly,  

Sometimes, some things take their sweet time despite doing everything right. We all know that there is a right time for everything, right? Apparently, it is true for platforms like Upwork as well. Nonetheless, it is always good to have a constructive mindset and continue to make efforts until it happens for you. 

Stay positive and try to convert your super negative emotions into constructive ones: Convert jealousy into inspiration, frustration into constructive criticism, and stress into creativity and hard work. There is no set rule, timeline, or pathway to start freelancing. Everyone has a unique journey. You are going to find tons of opinions online, including this one. People will tell you what to do, what not to do, what will work, and what will not. However, none of them can guarantee anything for you. You decide what you want to do, what path you want to take, and how to walk it. Follow your instincts and stay positive.