Get Your FIRST JOB on Upwork (With This ONE Thing)

Summary

The video script details a freelancer's journey from starting with no clients or portfolio on Upwork to earning over half a million dollars. It emphasizes the importance of proof—either through testimonials and reviews (social proof) or work samples (physical proof)—to secure the first clients. The speaker shares strategies for beginners, such as creating a portfolio with non-paid work to showcase skills and offering services for free or at a low cost to gain testimonials. The script also discusses the transition from being a creative to a strategic consultant, using personal experience as an example, and encourages building a portfolio to increase the chances of securing initial clients.

Takeaways

• 😀 Starting on Upwork with no prior clients or portfolio can be challenging, but a strategic approach can help secure the first few jobs.
• 💼 Having a 100% job success score and an 'Expert Vetted' badge on your profile can significantly boost your credibility on Upwork.
• 📈 The speaker earned $400,000 in just two years by leveraging a strategic approach to finding clients on Upwork.
• 🔍 To convince clients to hire you, it's crucial to provide proof of your skills, which many freelancers overlook.
• 🎥 For visual content creators, creating proof of skills can be as simple as showcasing personal projects or samples of your work.
• 📊 Proof can come in two forms: social proof (testimonials and reviews) and physical proof (actual work samples).
• 💡 Offering a coupon or doing initial work for free can help build a portfolio and gain testimonials, which are essential for attracting clients.
• 📈 For strategy-based freelancers, demonstrating the ability to achieve results for clients is key, even if it starts with creative work.
• 📊 As a consultant, using graphs and data from past projects to show the impact of your work is a powerful form of physical proof.
• 🔗 Building a portfolio with testimonials and visual examples is essential for beginners to show potential clients that you're capable, even without prior paid clients.
• 🔄 Breaking the cycle of 'I'll have proof once I have clients' by proactively creating a portfolio and seeking testimonials is crucial for getting started on Upwork.

Q & A

What is the speaker's experience on Upwork?

The speaker has earned over five hundred thousand dollars on Upwork, with four hundred thousand of that earned in just the last two years. They have a 100% job success score and an expert vetted badge on their profile.

What challenges did the speaker face when they first started on Upwork?

Initially, the speaker had no previous clients, no portfolio, no paid gigs, and no testimonials and reviews, making it difficult to find their first clients.

What is the key thing that many freelancers overlook when trying to get their first job on Upwork?

Many freelancers overlook the need for proof of their skills, which is crucial for convincing clients to hire them.

How did the speaker get their first freelance job as a video editor?

The speaker got their first freelance job by submitting proof of videos they've edited in their proposals, even though these videos were not from paid gigs but were edited for fun.

What are the two forms of proof that can help freelancers get their first clients?

The two forms of proof are social proof through testimonials and reviews, and physical proof through actual work samples.

What strategy does the speaker suggest for a graphic designer to get their first few clients?

The speaker suggests offering a coupon to a few people or businesses to do work for free in exchange for a sample of their work and a testimonial.

How can freelancers who offer strategy-based services prove their capabilities?

Freelancers offering strategy-based services can prove their capabilities by showing results they've achieved for businesses, even if they started as technicians or creatives.

What does the speaker suggest for consultants to include in their portfolio to show their impact?

The speaker suggests including graphs from clients showing how their audiences or website traffic grew during the time the consultant was working with them.

Why is it important for freelancers to get testimonials and reviews early in their career?

Testimonials and reviews are important because they provide social proof, which helps to convince potential clients of the freelancer's capabilities and reduces the client's perceived risk in hiring them.

What advice does the speaker give to freelancers who are struggling to get their first clients?

The speaker advises freelancers to create a portfolio of proof, including testimonials and visual examples of their work, even if it's not from previously paying clients, to increase their chances of getting hired.

Outlines

00:00

💼 Starting Your Freelance Journey on Upwork

The speaker shares their personal experience of starting on Upwork without any previous clients, portfolio, or paid gigs, and how they managed to earn over half a million dollars in the last two years alone. They emphasize the importance of having a strategy to find the first clients and highlight the necessity of providing proof of skills, which can be either social proof through testimonials and reviews or physical proof through work samples. The speaker suggests that freelancers can create their own projects to showcase their abilities, even if they haven't worked for paying clients yet. They also discuss the transition from being a technician or creative to becoming a strategic consultant, and how previous work, even if not directly related to the current freelance role, can be repurposed to demonstrate one's capabilities.

05:00

📈 Building a Portfolio to Showcase Your Expertise

In this paragraph, the focus is on how to build a portfolio that demonstrates one's expertise, especially when starting out without any client testimonials or reviews. The speaker explains that as a consultant, they used graphs from their work as a video editor to show the growth in clients' audiences, which served as physical proof of their impact. They stress the importance of collecting testimonials and reviews early in one's career, even if it means starting with small projects or asking friends and colleagues for verification. The speaker also advises on creating a PDF portfolio with testimonials and visual examples of work to include in job proposals, which can help mitigate the risk for clients and increase the chances of securing the first few jobs on Upwork.

Keywords

💡Upwork

Upwork is an online platform where freelancers and clients connect for various jobs and projects. In the context of the video, it is the central theme as the speaker discusses strategies for freelancers to find their first job on this platform. The speaker's success on Upwork, having earned over five hundred thousand dollars, exemplifies the potential of the platform for freelancers.

💡Job Success Score

A 'Job Success Score' on Upwork indicates the percentage of jobs a freelancer has successfully completed, which is a measure of their reliability and performance. The speaker mentions having a 'hundred percent job success score,' highlighting their excellent track record and reliability as a freelancer on the platform.

💡Expert Vetted Badge

The 'Expert Vetted Badge' is a credential on Upwork that signifies a freelancer's skills have been verified by the platform, adding credibility to their profile. The speaker's mention of this badge underscores their professionalism and the trustworthiness of their services.

💡Proof of Skills

In the video, 'proof of skills' refers to tangible evidence that demonstrates a freelancer's capabilities, such as samples of work or testimonials. The speaker emphasizes the importance of providing such proof to potential clients, especially for those starting out without a portfolio, to convince them of their expertise.

💡Social Proof

Social proof in the context of the video refers to testimonials and reviews that vouch for a freelancer's skills and reliability. The speaker suggests that having social proof, alongside visual proof, is one of the best ways to attract clients, as it helps establish trust and credibility.

💡Physical Proof

Physical proof is actual work samples that showcase a freelancer's skills. The speaker explains that for visual content creators, providing physical proof like video or graphic design samples is a straightforward way to demonstrate their abilities to potential clients.

💡Portfolio

A 'portfolio' is a collection of work samples that a freelancer uses to showcase their skills and past work. The speaker advises building a portfolio with proof of skills, even if it's not from paid clients, to increase the chances of securing the first few jobs on Upwork.

💡Freelance Strategy

A 'freelance strategy' in the video refers to the approach a freelancer takes to market their services and secure jobs. The speaker shares their strategy for finding the first few jobs, which includes creating proof of skills and building a portfolio, as a guide for beginners.

💡Consultant

In the video, a 'consultant' is a type of freelancer who advises clients on strategies to achieve specific results, such as business growth. The speaker discusses transitioning from being a creative freelancer to a consultant and the importance of providing proof of results when offering consulting services.

💡Technician or Creative

A 'technician' or 'creative' is a freelancer who provides specific skills or produces tangible creative work. The speaker notes that most freelancers start in these roles, offering visual projects, and then may progress to strategic consulting roles after gaining experience and building a portfolio.

💡Testimonials

Testimonials are written or verbal recommendations from clients or others attesting to a freelancer's skills or the quality of their work. The speaker stresses the importance of testimonials as a form of social proof, which can be crucial for securing jobs, especially for those starting out.

Highlights

The speaker has earned over $500,000 on Upwork, with $400,000 earned in the last two years.

Achieved a 100% job success score and an expert vetted badge on Upwork profile.

Started on Upwork with no previous clients, portfolio, paid gigs, or reviews.

Emphasizes the importance of having a strategy to find the first clients on Upwork.

Suggests providing proof of skills as a key to convince clients to hire when starting with no experience.

Mentioned getting the first freelance job by submitting proof of non-paid video editing work.

Differentiates between social proof (testimonials and reviews) and physical proof (work samples).

Advises creating visual proof by offering services for free to get samples and testimonials.

For strategy-based freelance work, the challenge of proving capability without prior business results is discussed.

Suggests framing past employee job experiences to show business results for consulting roles.

Describes the transition from technician or creative to strategic consultant in freelancing.

Shares personal experience of growing a freelance business from video editing to strategy consulting.

Provides an example of using client growth graphs as physical proof in a consulting portfolio.

Stresses the importance of getting testimonials and reviews, even if from non-clients, to verify skills.

Encourages adding physical and social proof to a portfolio to increase the chances of getting clients.

Advises creating a portfolio of proof to overcome the challenge of getting the first few clients.

Offers a free book on building a freelance business while supporting a family at freelancefamilyman.com.

Transcripts

getting that first job on upwork is

difficult I've been there I was you five

years ago now I've earned over five

hundred thousand dollars on upwork and

400 000 of that was earned in just the

last two years I have a hundred percent

job success score and expert vetted

badge on my profile but when I first

started I had no previous clients no

portfolio no paid gigs no testimonials

and reviews you can find your first

clients with the right strategy and so

I'm going to train you on what I wish I

knew when I first started on upwork when

it comes to finding those first few jobs

foreign if you're a total beginner to

upwork and you keep submitting proposals

but nothing no response no interviews

this video is for you how do you

convince a client to hire you when

you've had no previous clients or very

few there's one thing that you need to

have that many Freelancers overlook

that's proof

but how do I get proof of my skills Chad

when I haven't had clients before that's

the the most common question that I get

I got my first freelance job as a video

editor because I submitted proof of

videos that I've edited in the proposals

that I've sent but the First videos that

I submitted as proof were not from Paid

gigs they were not from freelance

clients because I had none they were

videos that I just edited for fun but it

still demonstrated the skills that I had

if you're any type of freelancer that

produces visual content whether it's

photos videos writing graphic design web

design then coming up with proof is

fairly easy because you can easily

fabricate projects to demonstrate your

skills proof can come in two forms

though either social proof through

testimonials and reviews or physical

proof through actual work samples I'm

going to show you what each of these can

look like in various Industries the best

ways to get clients is to have social

proof and visual proof but you must at

least have one of those so if you're

just getting started and you're a

graphic designer for example you want to

have social proof to attach to your

visual examples then what you could do

is you could offer a coupon to a couple

of people or a couple businesses where

they're basically you're doing work for

them for free just to be able to have a

sample of your work and a testimonial

attached to that in order to get those

first few clients now maybe you can try

to offer it for a little bit of money

but again it's hard to convince somebody

to pay you money if you don't have any

proof that you have the skills that you

say you have so you might have to do

just one or two projects for free just

small ones don't go after really big

ones just small ones that will

demonstrate your skills but then it also

allows you to get a good review and a

testimonial that you can now add to your

portfolio now if your freelance work is

more strategy based it's it's like

marketing or some type of consulting

which is what I do right now then you're

helping a business achieve a certain

result over time and so you have to now

prove to your potential clients that

you're capable in doing that but if

you've never worked with a business

before helping them achieve that result

then it gets tricky right so I'm going

to show you what this looks like if

you're that type of freelancer but first

why don't you go ahead and hit that

subscribe button if you want more

content on how to find clients on upwork

so most Freelancers start out as

technicians or creatives and then they

eventually might become strategic

Consultants because it's much easier to

create samples of your work that you've

even done in school or for fun when you

are producing something visual you know

like graphic design video editing and so

forth and you might have to start and

and with that type of freelancing it's

very difficult to start out as a

consultant

if you haven't produced a result for

somebody because technically that means

you don't have the experience to be a

consultant now if you've had employee

jobs for the last 10 years and you've

produced results for the businesses

you've worked for you can you can frame

that experience in a way where you can

show proof that you have helped

businesses achieve a certain result and

you can become a consultant you can jump

right into Consulting it's more

difficult if you're fresh out of college

you don't have much business experience

so you don't have much to advise on so

you might need to start as a technician

or creative so if you're the type of

freelancer that is offering business

growth as a result opposed to a visual

project then you need proof that you can

create that result so in my current

freelance business I help companies

online to grow their audiences on

YouTube and on social media through

video so when I first started I just

edited videos but now I advise on the

strategy behind them and at first you

know it was there was less pressure all

I had to do is deliver a good video and

if they liked it then they're satisfied

with my work it didn't matter whether

that video ultimately helped their

business grow they weren't really paying

me for that but over time I saw that my

videos were helping the businesses that

I was working for grow and get more

sales and get a bigger audience and so I

was able to reframe that experience to

be like hey I can advise on this I can

provide Consulting on this but it took

time of being just a creative before I

could move into

Consulting and so when I first created a

portfolio as a consultant I used some

graphs from clients I worked for as a

video editor showing how their audiences

grew during the time that I was editing

videos for them and my videos had a big

impact on that audience growing so what

you're seeing is an example of what my

portfolio looks like today where I have

graphs mostly that show how I've helped

a client's audience grow over time

through my strategy Consulting these

graphs are pulled from YouTube analytics

Google analytics and they basically show

proof that I helped their audiences grow

over time I helped their website traffic

increase so that's my physical proof is

those graphs to show the results I got

for a client and then you know other

types of data percentages things like

that is another form of physical proof

like oh I helped them increase their

website traffic by 30 percent now

getting those testimonials and reviews

is extremely important I know it's more

difficult when you're just getting

started but you can always find somebody

that's willing to verify that you know

what you're doing it could be a friend

it could be a colleague it could be

somebody you went to school with it

doesn't have to be a previous client you

just need somebody to verify hey he

knows what he's talking about he knows

what he's doing with every job you start

to get no matter how small don't

hesitate in adding physical proof and

social proof to your portfolio and your

ability to keep getting clients will get

easier and easier and you'll get bigger

and higher paying clients but to find

that first upwork job as a total

beginner since you don't have reviews

yet on your profile you need to create

some kind of attachment that you include

in your proposal some kind of PDF

attachment where it has testimonials it

has visual examples of your work it's

your portfolio that you've compiled

together of proof that you know what

you're doing even though none of that

proof is from previously paying clients

it doesn't matter it's not made up

you're not lying it just is not from

clients but it is proof that you know

you're you're doing you have to remember

the client is taking on risk and hiring

you and so the more proof you provide

them

then they won't feel as if they're

wasting their money they're not going to

be afraid that they're going to waste

their money and regret hiring you the

higher chances that you'll have in being

able to get the clients you want and get

those first couple clients the more

proof that you have so stop telling

yourself that you'll have proof once you

have a few clients this is the hamster

wheel that a lot of Freelancers get it

oh I can't I'm submitting hundreds of

proposals that I'm not getting any

clients you're not showing enough proof

for your work so take the time to step

back and create a portfolio of proof you

need to dig for it you need to work for

it to really get those testimonials in

place and that visual proof in place in

order to get your first few clients if

this is helpful to you be sure to

subscribe to the channel and if you want

more content like this and head over to

my website freelancefamilyman.com where

you can download a free book that helps

you build up your freelance business

while supporting the family have a great

day

foreign

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