My Experience Hiring Freelancers On Upwork
I recently got a chance to hire a few freelancers on Upwork. It was a learning experience from the client side, and I wanted to share my experience with y’all. I wasn’t prepared for going through the hiring experience on the client side, but it made me appreciate working with clients even more.
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In today’s episode, we’ll be chatting about my experience hiring on Upwork.
Applicant Mistakes
Here are some of the applicant mistakes I saw from Upwork users.
Obvious copy and pasting in cover letters and applications.
Too many attachments — I don’t know you, so I don’t trust you! Upload your documents online somewhere and send the link.
Not following directions — read the job and follow the instructions listed.
Not truly reading the job description. If I put my name or URL in the description: read it, understand the job, and customize stuff.
Focusing too much on credentials — Don’t drone on too much about you. Make it about the client. Clients get 50+ applicants on Upwork, don’t give me a long list of everything you’ve ever done.
Unrelated experiences. You can’t just apply to every job. Don’t apply to gigs to see if it sticks. Upwork checks to make sure you are a quality freelancer, and you can’t be that if you keep getting rejections.
Assume your clients need all the help. You don’t know why someone is hiring help. If you say the wrong thing, you might insult the client or rub them the wrong way.
Listing A Job On Upwork Is Overwhelming
Above all else, I learned that listing a job on Upwork is overwhelming. It took so much energy to put out the episodes there. I am glad I did it, but it took a lot out of me. On the first day, my Upwork account kept getting applicants. I feel like I read 40+ applicants on the first day alone. It was stressful.
On top of the listing, it also weighs on your soul. There were way too many qualified applicants for the amount of money I had to spend. I was sad because I did have to reject some people, even if they were terrific freelancers.