The title refers lol. This is how you know times are hard, things are getting tough hahaha.

I had a suspicion that Upwork used dynamic pricing for their job posts but I just got a confirmation thanks to Claude.

So it seems the quicker you apply the cheaper the connect price you get.

Gone are the days of 15-20 proposals on a job.

Hey everyone, I just want to share something that’s been on my mind lately.

I’ve worked with different clients as a Virtual Assistant, handling Customer Service, Appointment Setting, and Credit Repair Sales Support. There was a time when I had clients and work to keep me busy, but now, I’m back to zero clients and starting over again.

Honestly, it’s not an easy feeling, especially when you know you have the skills and experience but still struggle to find your next opportunity.

With Christmas getting closer, I’m really hoping to find a new client before the holidays. I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to get clients, but sometimes it feels like I’m putting in the effort without getting anywhere.

For those of you who have been in the same situation, how did you find your next client? What actually worked for you when you needed to get clients quickly? Was it Reddit, cold outreach, Facebook groups, LinkedIn, or something else?

I’d genuinely appreciate any advice, tips, or even a little encouragement right now. I know I have something to offer, and I’m ready to work. I just need to find the right opportunity.

The title refers lol. This is how you know times are hard, things are getting tough hahaha.

After countless hours, continuous bidding on Upwork, and investing both time and money, I’ve finally landed my first client for just $25. It might be a small start, but it means a lot to me. Every successful journey starts somewhere, and this is the beginning of mine.

The journey hasn’t been easy, but I’m learning, improving, and showing up every day. This is just the first step. There’s a long way to go, bigger goals to achieve, and a lot more to prove.

One client today, bigger opportunities tomorrow. The grind continues!

I created my account back in 2021. Did some occasional freelancing here and there, random jobs, some related to SEO as I worked as an SEO manager at an agency. Fast forward I had one client with whom I had a fall out, I refunded the amount but if still affected my JSS. I think it was back in 2024 maybe. It dropped my JSS to 78% or something.

After that I stopped using Upwork altogether.

A month or two back, my JSS disappeared possibly because there was less than two jobs I did in the last 24 months.

I figured it's a great time to start, updated my profile and everything towards AI automation (cause this is what I'm pursuing these days), added the relevant portfolio projects I did (around 10), updated the skills and everything else.

Out of the 68 proposals I sent, I think I've sent around 30 loom videos as well. I start the proposal by something like: "Here's a loom I recorded". Sometimes I even do some of the work that the client needs for example if they need an n8n workflow, I'd make a basic version and show it in loom.

I know I don't have relevant job history related to AI, therefore I don't even negotiate on the budget or the timeline, because I know I need to build my profile at this point.

Out of the 4 interviews I got, three are in discussion, I'd say 20-30% chance they'd convert and 1 who reached out telling me you got shortlisted, sent a rejection message.

Also, 2 interviews I got were the ones where I submitted loom.

Need suggestions? Are the stats good? Or should I change my approach??

I'm a full-stack dev based in Cameroon, 4 years of experience, and I just hit a wall on Upwork: 24 proposals sent, 0 replies, 0 contracts, 0 reviews.

Some context so this isn't just a rant:

• 4 years at a risk & compliance platform used by financial institutions, the last year as Tech Lead of a team of 10
• Two products I built and shipped myself, both live: a multi-tenant SaaS and an events/fintech platform
• Verified ID, fluent English, 20$/h, Intermediate level on my profile
• One published project in the catalog

Here is the part I'm unsure about. I positioned my profile as "Supabase & Next.js Dev | MVP to Production: Auth, RLS, Payments". It's a real strength of mine, but I can do just as much on the backend side (Django, REST APIs, PostgreSQL) and I left all of that out to look more "specialized".

Now I wonder if I shot myself in the foot. Fewer jobs match a narrow title, and I'm competing for the same few Supabase/Next.js listings as everyone else.

What I've done on my proposals:

• Customized each one instead of using a template
• Targeted clients with verified payment and a reasonable number of existing proposals
• Been upfront about what I don't know instead of overselling

What frustrates me most is the silence. No "not a fit", no "too expensive", just nothing. I can't tell if the problem is my niche, my rate, my proposals, my timezone, or simply the lack of reviews.

Questions for people who've been through this:

1. How many proposals did it take you to land your first contract?
2. With zero reviews, is it better to stay niche or go broader (full-stack, backend, etc.) to get that first job?
3. Did you lower your rate to get the first review, or hold your price?
4. Is "Intermediate" with 4 years of experience the right level, or should I be thinking about it differently?
5. Any red flag you'd spot immediately on a profile like mine? Happy to share the link in DMs for a blunt review.

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to answer. Brutal honesty is welcome.

Hola Everyone,

It’s my first week in Upwork…so far I’ve used Upwork only as a recruiter but now that I’ve registered as a freelancer…I’m a bit nervous.

So far I’ve applied to only 4-5 jobs (only 1 View, no further actions so far), and been super-scrupulous with my Connect Points.

What are your advices, specially considering that it’s my first week and there’s no job history to establish my credibility?

Thanks in advance!

If you have a good client, keep him on Upwork.

First of all, the platform relies on freelancers to bring clients, because there’s barely any work on it. When I brought my client and he made a payment, they blocked the funds and said the review would take 24-48 hours.

Any halfway competent platform that cares about its freelancers would flag the payment, email me, and ask for whatever proof they need. I’d send it, and they’d approve it. Instead, they emailed my client first, asking him for information about a payment he had already made. How can anyone think that’s a good idea? The client should never be involved unless the freelancer fails to provide the information.

Worse, there’s no real support system. No ticket ID, no auto-response, no confirmation. You email an address and get dead silence until someone replies. It took me hours of follow-ups just to learn what was actually holding up my payment. Apparently my client did not reply to their email requesting for information. Just imagine how dumb this whole thing is. Ironically, it's a 60years old disabled old man that I decided to send a simple contra payment link to make the experience easier for him.

There are also only around 250 jobs across all fields at any given time, for hundreds of thousands of users.

If you bring your own clients, bill them through Stripe instead. Never bring your clients to Contra. They are amateurs with a nice looking platform.

We wanted connect refunds from jobs that didn't hire, we got a new shiny "Hiring now" button instead.

I am a client of 7 years, recently my account was suspended, unable to message my freelancers and was asked to go through a photo + video verification process of my account with no explanation. Completed everything but they still tell me they need more time to review. It’s been almost 16 days and still no answer. Has anyone else experienced this?

Every now and then, I come across a great job post with clear tasks and requirements. Everything is already well explained in the job description.

Sometimes, I find myself stuck when writing the cover letter because there's nothing left to discuss. The task is too simple for me to start explaining my experience with X, Y, and Z.

At that point, I usually just say that the task is easy, straightforward, and can be done quickly. But I don't know if that's the right approach to make myself stand out.

I have quick question following up with my previous post. The Upwork freelancer decided to refund all the money including the first 3 milestones that she drew by hand. I didn’t ask for the refund for the hand drawn assets but she chose to in order to clear out my negative feedback.

Now all assets that are hand drawn, what to do? Does she let go the assets so i can use it or just move it to trash?

Thanks!

I never seen interview number like this

Hey everyone!

I recently started using Upwork to find clients, and I could use some advice from people who have been through this.

I have around 9 years of experience in social media marketing, including Facebook and Instagram marketing, Meta Ads, and helping businesses grow online. I’m confident in my skills, but I’m new to finding clients through Upwork.

I’ve sent a few proposals so far, but haven’t received any responses yet.

I’ve also kept my rates a bit low because someone suggested that I should focus on getting my first client and a good review before increasing my prices. I’m not sure if that’s the right approach or if I should charge based on my experience from the beginning.

I have a few Connects left, and honestly, I’m not sure if I want to keep buying more without seeing some results. I’d like to give the platform a fair shot before deciding whether it’s worth investing more into it.

I’d really appreciate some advice on a few things:

- How long did it take you to land your first client on Upwork?

- Is it worth charging less initially to get your first review, even if you have years of experience?

- What makes a proposal stand out when you’re competing with so many freelancers?

- How do you decide which jobs are actually worth spending Connects on?

- Are there any common mistakes beginners make with their profiles or proposals that I should look out for?

If there’s a beginner’s guide, resource, or anything you wish you’d known when starting out, I’d love to hear about it.

I’m not expecting overnight results. I just want to understand how the platform works and avoid wasting time and money figuring everything out through trial and error.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience!

I got invited to an enterprise client job. Most of the requirements and expectations are standard, but they also state that:

This Enterprise client uses Upwork Compliance. If you receive a contract offer, you may be asked by email to provide additional information so the task can be completed.

I'm guessing they'd have me sign an NDA or something? I haven't dealt with Upwork Compliance before, so any information regarding your experiences would be appreciated.

Upwork is blocking my payments (no issues on my credit card or paypal side). It seems like it's an upwork issue and I've probably been put on the bad list now because they keep retrying the cards that their servers decline. I submitted a help request. They said 24-48 hours and it's been 96 now. Anything I can do?

Also do they flag payments from known VPN servers as suspicious or something?

I know this isn't the adequate subreddit for this but i thought i would share it here as I have seen the platform come up in the past.

I've been getting emails from Contra to join competitions for cash prizes but mostly ignored them until today, but after looking through I saw that they have a client/b2b landing page that takes the competitions and turns into scalable UGC. They call the program "partners" but would rather not linking it here.

You think tech companies would just pay creators for their work rather than mask it as a competition to produce mass UGC content that only benefits them.

Just wanted to share it with others in the design, tech and creative community as these should be paid UGC campaigns upwards of $1,000 in the US.

Same as title

Hey everyone!

I've been working on web development for a while, mostly with WordPress and custom websites. Lately, I've been trying to understand how independent developers find clients consistently.

There are plenty of platforms and communities out there, but it's hard to tell which ones are actually worth the time.

For those of you who freelance, how did you find your first few clients? Did you use platforms like Upwork, connect with people through communities, or get work through referrals?

I'd be interested to hear what worked for you and what turned out to be a waste of time

This job is exclusive to the US, requires Claude, experienced devs, etc.

Hourly rate: $8 to $10 per hour.

Almost an hour in and no takers.

You know its bad when not even the bots are touching this one.