THE ULTIMATE UPWORK

GUIDE 1.0
C ONTAINING M Y 10 Y EARS OF K NOWLEDGE ON
U PWORK
FARAZ AHMED AKA FARAZ THE WEB GUY

Copyright © 2023 by Faraz Ahmed.

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Check out my website for my AI Proposal Writer:

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WHAT IS THIS GUIDE ABOUT?
This guide contains all my content related to Upwork that I
have been posting since 2021. I started posting this content
when I saw people struggling to make their career in
freelancing.

They were trying out tips and tricks they learned from
different videos and websites, but still, they continued to
struggle, which made me wonder why. Upon observing
closely, I found that no one was actually providing real help
to those people. Most of the information was outdated,
generic, and simply didn’t work, and those who knew the
secrets to freelancing were afraid to spill all the secrets. I
found that out when I got my first comments on my first-ever
post, which absolutely shocked me.

But there was also some good information available, but it

was just that: information. It told what to write in the
proposals, but it lacked examples of the jobs and proposals
that helped win those jobs, which I believe would have given
a lot of belief to the struggling freelancers, and this guide
does just that.

This guide contains all the jobs and the proposals I wrote
that helped me win those jobs, and the thought process
behind writing those proposals. This guide also has many
other tips and tricks, like what type of clients to target.
Everything I know about Upwork is in this guide, and I will
continue to update it as I learn new things myself, and I am
hopeful that you will find this guide helpful.

The guide is not limited to Upwork, though. The knowledge

you will gain from this guide can be applied to any
freelancing platform. I mention Upwork specifically because
this is the platform I have worked on for the last 10 years.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Is This Guide About?
Table of Contents
TIP 1: How to find Long-term Clients on Upwork Part 1
TIP 2: How to find Long-term Clients on Upwork Part 2
TIP 3: How to find Long-term Clients on Upwork Part 3
TIP 4: Words to avoid in your Freelance Profiles & Proposals
Part 1
TIP 5: Words to avoid in your Freelance Profiles & Proposals
Part 2
TIP 6: How to Increase the Response Rate for your Proposals
on Upwork
BONUS TIP 1: Writing Winning Upwork Proposals in 2022
BONUS TIP 2: When is the right time to start Freelancing?
Importance of Proposals
Job 1: Help Needed with 404 Error
Job 2: WordPress Expert Needed
Job 3: <Name> Clinic
Job 4: OSCommerce Expert Needed
Job 5: 2 simple .php tasks
Job 6: PHP Programmer For Quiz. Tweaks
Job 7: <link>/contact
Job 8: Mobile WP website needed with member functionality
Job 9: WordPress: Ajax Broken
Job 10: Help Needed Adding Membership and Form Autofill
to Wordpress Site
Avoid the Rat Race
What to do if your Upwork JSS takes a hit?
How to find small projects on Upwork?
I write very good proposals, but I am not receiving any
responses on Upwork
Upwork Proposal Writing for Digital Marketers
Upwork Boosted Profiles
AI Proposal Writer Version 3
Upwork Beginner's Guide
Upwork Profile Optimization
How to get free Upwork Connects
Why some clients don't hire anyone for their jobs
Not every client is going to hire someone for every job they
post
Want to find clients who are looking for long term prospects?
How your proposal looks to the client
Advantage of applying to jobs with unverified payment
methods
Getting “Best Match” Badge on your proposal
Has your Upwork profile status changed to "Private"?
AI Question Generator
How can staying online on Upwork be beneficial?
Why my AI proposal writer tool often writes very short
proposals?
How to practice proposal writing skills?
Struggling to win a job on Upwork?
Converting Short-Term Clients to Long-Term Clients
Upwork Job Notifications
When you don't receive a response after applying for a job
The role of a good profile picture
How do you answer when the client asks why the project will
take that long and cost that much once you give them your
estimate?
Creating multiple Upwork accounts
Proposal Writing for Graphic Designers
Upwork Boosted Proposals
Interview with Upwork
Clients recommendation stat
Job Interviews
Freelancer Plus plan or Connects
Upwork Not Showing Relevant or Latest Jobs
About the Author
TIP 1: HOW TO FIND LONG-TERM
CLIENTS ON UPWORK PART 1
A typical Freelancer Routine:

1. Bid on a project.
2. Get the project.
3. Deliver the project.
4. Go back to #1.

If you are bidding on jobs day after day, week after week, and
month after month, then you are doing it wrong. You will tire
yourself out eventually by becoming part of the rat race.

What you should be looking for are a few long-term, regular

clients who give you regular work, so you never have to bid
again.

There are three ways to do this. I am explaining my favorite

way first, which is what I did when I started freelancing:

1. Find small projects which you can do in an hour or

two.
2. Look at the client profile. Make sure it’s the client
with no previous projects on Upwork.
3. Write a stunning proposal and offer some value to
the client to prove to him that you are the right
person for the job. Example below.
4. Deliver the project with high-quality work.

Most people look at the client’s profile, and if the client has
no feedback or payment history, they don’t bid on the
project. I did the exact opposite because their job posts
would have less competition or proposals, and there would
be a high chance for me to land the job. And I knew that if I
provided quality work, then they would not go to any other
freelancer in the future if they had any new task.

That’s how I turned a $6 client into a $60k client, and it’s still
going. I am posting that job post and the proposal below.

Job Description
Ajax has stopped working on <link>. Looking for someone to
fix.

My Proposal
Hi,

I looked at the website, and it seems that some scripts are

conflicting with each other. It should be fixed in an hour or
two ($6-$12). I’ve been working on PHP and WordPress
since last 5+ years. I am also a Zend Certified PHP
Professional (the top php certification available in the
market).

I am available via email/skype/phone. Let me know if you

want to proceed further.

Best Regards,
Faraz

Thought Process behind the Proposal

I looked at the website and found multiple jQuery files
loading.

Post Proposal
The client immediately awarded me the job after the
proposal and asked me to fix another issue, then another
issue, and then another issue. Forward to nine years, and it is
still going.
The above wasn’t a fluke. I repeated the same for another
project, and that turned out to be a $100k client. 75% of the
clients are still working with me since the last nine years.
TIP 2: HOW TO FIND LONG-TERM
CLIENTS ON UPWORK PART 2
Below is the second way where we will be working with the
old clients:

1. Search for a project that you can do. Big, small,

doesn’t matter.
2. The client needs to have a previous job history with
good feedback.
3. If the project is about building or doing something
from scratch (e.g., eCommerce website, SEO on the
new website, etc.), then this client can potentially
become your long-term client. That’s because the
completed website will always need updates in the
future, so you can pitch in your maintenance plan
after finishing the website. Similarly, if you do a good
SEO and show results on the new website, the client
will most likely stick with you.

However, if it’s a project that just needs updates/fixes on an

existing project, then you need to look at the following
factors:

1. Look at the client’s previous job history and find

projects similar to the project you are applying to.
For example, if you are applying to a WordPress
project, then you will look for all the WordPress
projects the client has posted in the past.
2. If you found similar projects in the client’s history,
then look at the name of the freelancers who have
done those projects.
3. If all the freelancers are different, and they all have
good feedback, then this is probably not the client for
you.
Why?

There is a category of clients who just want to get their work

done at the lowest cost possible and don’t care who does it.
Think about it: Why do they post a new job related to a niche
if they have already worked with a freelancer previously in
that same niche? Why don’t they hire the same freelancer?

Here is my experience with one of those clients. It was a

website hosted on a development URL, and the client wanted
some fixes/changes done to it.

So, I got the job, finished it, and she sent a few more tasks. I
did those tasks, too. Then she closed the job and left great
feedback. I thought I got another long-term client.

Then something strange happened. As it was the

development website, I thought I would get another task
from her to make it live.

After a few days, I was just browsing new jobs and found a
job posted by her. Do you know what the job was about? It
was about making the website live. That baffled me. Why
would someone do that? Why couldn’t she ask me to make it
live? Maybe she didn’t like something about my work? I was
hardly a month old freelancer and started doubting myself.

I was curious and wanted to understand the reason. I looked

at her past jobs and found that she had used multiple
developers to do her WordPress projects, and all of those
freelancers had received great reviews.

That’s when I decided that I would avoid such clients because

my vision was clear: I wanted to work with clients who
believed in long-term relationships.

PS. A few days later, she returned and told me that the
freelancer she had hired to make the website live messed it
up, and she wanted me to do it. I felt triumphant, but I
excused myself. She might have stuck with me after that, but
looking at her history, I didn’t want to take chances. You can
call me naive, but I knew what type of clients I wanted to
focus on.

There are always exceptions, and your experience may differ.

But it’s doubtful that they would stick with you if we look at
the history of such clients. But if you are just starting out,
then it’s totally fine to work on any project you can get your
hands on for the experience.

Remember: You just need 2-3 good, regular clients to make

your freelancing journey less stressful. And as you start
getting stable and predictable income, you can hire more
people to delegate your work to and build your business
further.
TIP 3: HOW TO FIND LONG-TERM
CLIENTS ON UPWORK PART 3
The third way is the easiest, quickest, and most
straightforward.

Just go to the job search page, and enter the name of your
niche followed by the word “long term”. E.x. “seo long
term”, “wordpress long term”, “content writing long term”,
etc., and you will see the jobs from the clients who are
looking for a long-term working relationship.

Then, it will be your proposal writing skills that will help

you win those jobs.

The more command you have over your skill, the better
proposals you will be able to write because you would have
faced different problems and found different solutions
working on your skill, which would help you immediately
come up with a solution after reading the posted job. To
gain experience in your skill, you can offer your services
for free in the freelancing groups.
TIP 4: WORDS TO AVOID IN YOUR
FREELANCE PROFILES & PROPOSALS
PART 1
Word # 1: “We”

Serious / long-term clients want to work with individuals.

The word “We” gives the impression that you won’t be the
one to do the work and will outsource it to someone else.

Serious / long-term clients know that there are usually

severe communication issues when that happens, resulting
in delayed projects because the developer stops responding
to the middleman, resulting in the middleman either not
responding to the client or giving silly excuses. This
happened to me twice, so now I immediately move on to
the next proposal if I see the word “we” in any profile or
proposal.

Tip: Use “I” not “we” for a better response rate, even if you
outsource the job.
TIP 5: WORDS TO AVOID IN YOUR
FREELANCE PROFILES & PROPOSALS
PART 2
The second word I want to talk about is “Sir.” When we use
“Sir” in our proposals, like “Hi Sir,” we show two things:

1. The lack of confidence in ourselves.

2. The lack of professionalism.

The word “Sir” turns off some clients, including me, because
we think that if you don’t have confidence in yourself, then
why should we have confidence in you for delivering our
project?

It may look like a trivial matter, but if you start calling the
clients by their names, like “Hi John,” “John,” or even a simple
“Hi,” if you don’t know the name of the client, you will appear
professional and increase the range of the clients interested
in availing your service.
TIP 6: HOW TO INCREASE THE RESPONSE
RATE FOR YOUR PROPOSALS ON UPWORK
The first 230 characters of your proposals are essential
because that’s the first part the client sees when you submit a
proposal. Use these characters for two things:

1. Use a term/keyword, which is NOT present in the

project description, related to the project to talk
about the project.
2. Ask a question related to the project.

Being also a client on Upwork, I have found myself opening

the proposals with the above 2 points first.
BONUS TIP 1: WRITING WINNING
UPWORK PROPOSALS IN 2022
The method still works.

I have always focused on bidding on the jobs by clients that

had the potential of becoming long-term clients because I
didn't want to be a part of the rate race. I haven't looked at
the Upwork jobs page since 2015. The last time I bid on and
won a project was in 2017, and that was also the project by
invitation. Most of my clients have been working with me
since 2013.

Last week, I came across a job that looked similar to my first

job on Upwork. Just for fun and out of curiosity, I applied to
the job to check whether the method I used to nail every
single job still worked. Below is the job description and the
proposal I sent.

Job Description
Hello. My website is using wordpress, and I've been having
issues with Error 404. It works only with plain permalinks,
but I need it to work with permalinks using postname so I
can better setup my SEO.

I need someone who is proficient with wordpress and who

had this issue before and resolved it successfully. As
mentioned above, the website is currently working using
plain permalinks, and I need help with making it work with
postname.

Thank you for replying to my job request.

My Proposal
<Client Name>, Most likely the issue is with the mod_rewrite
apache module. I will be happy to fix it for you. Shouldn't
take more than an hour to resolve it.

The Result
I was awarded the job after 24 hours and fixed the issue in
30 minutes. The client said that he would keep the job open
and may send more work in the future, so it could possibly
become another long-term client for me.

Things to Notice
Did you notice what I did in my short proposal? I simply told
him a possible cause of the issue to give him the impression
that I was a skillful and experienced developer. I also told
him the time it would take for me to solve the issue, so he
knew the cost of the solution upfront, helping him make a
quick decision.

You would have also noticed that I didn't mention anything

about myself. No experience, no qualifications, not even my
name.

If you have heard of the Pareto Principle / 80-20 rule, it says

to identify inputs that are potentially the most productive
and make them the priority, and that's what I did in my
proposal above. In other words: Always focus on the project
and not on yourself in your proposals. Clients really don't
care about your experience or portfolio. They are only
interested in what you can do for them.
BONUS TIP 2: WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME
TO START FREELANCING?

If you ask me, I will say that you should start freelancing after
spending 2-3 years honing your skills. I would recommend
spending a couple of years working in a company, which will
help you learn skills at a quicker rate. It will also help you
improve your communication and learn different aspects of
your business because Freelancing is also like a business. As
a freelancer, you are the salesperson, project manager,
executor, accountant, etc.

The reason I got instant success as a freelancer (You can read

my story here: [Link]
fear-of-failure/) was that I had the five-year job experience
behind me before I started the freelancing journey.

During my years in the job, I moved around in all the

departments (even in the accounts department) because I
was a newbie who was highly energetic and wanted to learn
about everything.

My last year was in the sales department as a Business

Analyst, which helped me learn about the different
freelancing platforms and how to bid on them.

So to summarize: Find a job or internship, take on all the

challenging projects, and make friends with people in all the
departments, so you can learn about the entire business,
which will help you become self-employed in the future if
that's what you desire.
IMPORTANCE OF PROPOSALS
As freelancers, we all love when clients write detailed job
descriptions with clear instructions of what they want us to
do. Knowledgeable clients are the ones everyone wants to
work with because they exactly know what they need and
won’t give you hell in the middle of the project by
continuously changing the requirements.

Similarly, the clients love and pay more attention when the
developers write to-the-point proposals. If you are bidding
day after day and not winning jobs, but someone else is, then
that someone got to be doing something you are not, and it
all comes down to one thing: your proposal.

You can have a great profile in the world, you can have a
great portfolio in the world, but the first thing the client is
going to look at when you bid on their jobs is your proposal.
The proposal is your first impression, and you need to utilize
that space to sell to the client why you are a better fit for the
job.

It’s easy. Let’s do a visualization exercise: Think of yourself

as a client. You go to a freelance marketplace, post a project,
and start receiving all the bids on your project by freelancers.
What are you going to see first? Their proposals or their
profiles? Their proposals.

Now, reverse the roles. As a freelancer, what would you write

in your proposal? Below are the questions you should take
into account when writing your proposals.

DO I HAVE THE SPECIFIC SKILLS FOR THE JOB?

Again, think from the client’s point of view: You have posted
a job, and you want to hire someone who completely
understands what you want to get done. Would you be
impressed with someone who shows their understanding,
skills required and outlines the steps to accomplish the
project in their proposal? Or would you be impressed with
someone with the most impressive profile you have ever
seen with multiple 5-star feedbacks, but who has sent a
generic proposal boasting about simply how good they are?

In short: The client doesn’t care who you are. He only wants
to know whether you can do his job or not, so always get
straight to the point when writing your proposal because
they have other bids to read, too.

For example: If you are bidding on a WordPress project, you

can mention the programming language you know, which is
PHP, mention any plugins you have written, and the number
of WordPress sites you have developed. This way, the client
will immediately know when they read your proposal that
you are not a copy-paster and have read the job description.
That can make them develop an interest in you.

DO I UNDERSTAND THE PROJECT AND KNOW

HOW TO FINISH IT?
What any client is interested in that the freelancer
understands his project and can provide the solution within
his budget. The below is what I do:

If I see that the client is a technical person and has used

technical terms in his job description, I write the project
description in my own words to show that I understand the
project. I also use the same technical language he used in his
job description and try to go as deep as possible. That can
impress the client because you speak the same language as
them making the communication process go smoothly.

If I see the client is not a technical person, then I still write

the project description in my own words to show that I
understand the project, but I try to explain it in simple
language, aka layman’s terms.

The point is to have clear communication using the same

language they used, so they are comfortable talking to you.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE AND HOW MUCH

WILL IT COST?
You cannot simply tell the client that it will take X hours of
work and Y costs to complete the project. To show the client
that you can correctly handle his project, break the project
into smaller milestones or modules, and then assign the
number of hours and cost to each module. Go as deep as
possible, like what tools you will use, whether they will need
to purchase anything (theme/plugins), and what
hosting/server will be required. That will establish your
credibility in the client’s eyes.

The easiest way to come up with estimates is to look at the

projects you have done in the past.

If you have already done the same project in the past, then
you will know what estimates you need to give to the client.

If you have done something similar, then you can use that as
a reference to create estimates for the new project.
If you have done nothing similar in the past, you can research
any existing code, classes, or solution and give your best
estimate. If you know that you can do something, but you are
not sure of the exact time, then you can add some extra hours
in your estimate just in case.

Coming up with reasonable estimates can be a frustrating

experience, but your estimates will only improve with time
and experience.

HAVE I COMPLETED A SIMILAR PROJECT

SUCCESSFULLY?
You don’t need to give the complete solution to the problem
in your proposal, but there should be enough hints to make
the client feel that you are the right person for the job.

Example: The client wants something fixed on an existing

website, which could be a layout issue or a PHP error. I visit
the website, look at the error message or the layout issue,
and research the solution. If it’s a general issue, I
immediately find the fix, but I don’t give it to the client. I only
tell them what file/plugin has the error. This way, the client
knows that I know my game.

If it’s a brand new project, then I research all the information

to complete the project. Then I add that information to my
proposal. This way, the client will appreciate that I spent
time and did my research.

If I have done a project in the past that matches the client's

project requirements, then I add the link to it in my proposal.

Yes, researching takes time, and you may lose the project
before the client sees your proposal. But one thing is for sure
that your proposal will stand out from the crowd if the job is
still open, and you will have a better chance to land the job.

If you apply for a job without research but couldn't complete

it after the client awards you the job, it can negatively affect
your profile. So, I will advise you not to apply for a job
without any research if you are unsure how to do it.

IS THERE A BETTER WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THE

JOB?
The clients usually don’t know what tools will be better to
accomplish the job. That’s why they come to us, so if you feel
what the client is proposing to use is not an ideal solution
and that the project can be done in a lesser amount of time
and cost using another tool, then don’t be afraid to tell the
client your solution. The client will appreciate your advice
and honesty and trust you more. Don’t be someone who
follows instructions without thinking about them. Be
proactive.

To summarize: You need to write the proposal about the

project, not yourself. You can add your bio and your portfolio
links at the end of the proposal, not before, as most
freelancers do. Use the beginning of the bid to talk about the
project and grab the attention of the client.

Tell the client that you have the right skills and experience to
accomplish the job, and give them the plan and the cost to
complete the project. If you give the impression to the client
that you have their best interests at heart by giving them
good advice, the project will most likely be yours.
Thanks for reading until now. In the next chapter, you will
find real jobs and the proposals that helped me win the jobs.
JOB 1: HELP NEEDED WITH 404 ERROR
JOB DESCRIPTION
Need help with my site. There is a bug I am not able to find.

MY PROPOSAL
Hello,

Could I have the link to your website, which shows the error?
Did you modify anything in the code before you got the
error?

I have been working on PHP for 5+ years. I am also a Zend

Certified PHP Developer (the official certification for PHP),
and I am sure I can fix the error.

I am available via Email, Skype, or Phone to discuss the issue

further. Let me know if you want to proceed further.

Best Regards,

Faraz

THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL

The job description didn't have enough information.
However, as a web developer, I knew that the "404 error"
comes up if a location/file is missing or if the "htaccess" file
has an issue; that's why I requested the client to send the link
to the website for me to check the problem.

POST PROPOSAL
The client asked me to contact them via Skype, and we
discussed the task on Skype and resolved the issue. The
“mod_rewrite” Apache module was disabled on the server.

The client gave me more work after that.

JOB 2: WORDPRESS EXPERT NEEDED
JOB DESCRIPTION
After the WordPress update, this error came up: .Warning:
Missing argument <number> for wpdb::prepare(), called in
<plugin location> on line <number> and defined in
<location> on line <number> Shouldn’t be a difficult fix, and
shouldn’t take more than an hour.

MY PROPOSAL
Hello,

I read the job description, and I know what is causing the

error. A code in "nextgen-gallery'plugin" needs to be updated
to be compatible with the new WordPress update.

I am a Zend Certified PHP Developer (the official certification

for PHP), and I have been working on PHP/WordPress for
the last 5+ years. I am available via Email, Skype, or Phone to
discuss the issue further. Let me know if you want to proceed
further.

Best Regards,

Faraz

What questions do you have about the project?

Nothing. It's pretty straight forward.

Have you taken any oDesk tests and done well on them
that you think are relevant to this job?
PHP and WordPress.

THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL

All I had to do was Google the error message, and I got the
solution in the first link because it was a common issue.

POST PROPOSAL
The client immediately awarded me the job after the
proposal, and I resolved the issue.
JOB 3: <NAME> CLINIC
JOB DESCRIPTION
Easy job, just cut and paste new data to existing website - as
in adding new text pages to replace present ones on live site
via FTP.

Also a banner word change. Cart does not need to be changed

but order page does.

Dreamweaver used.

website <link> - LOOK before you apply please.

Please don't apply if you cant do this work effortlessly, I have

wasted a week already with pretenders.

Thanks.

MY PROPOSAL
Hello,

Sounds like a super easy job by reading the description of the

project. I see that the site is created in OsCommerce (PHP),
and I know my way around this shopping cart. I am also a
Zend PHP Certified Professional (the top php certification
available in the market).

I can start on this job asap. I am available via email / skype /

phone to discuss this project further and answer any
questions you may have. Please let me know if you want to
proceed further.
Best Regards,

Faraz

What past project or job have you had that is most like
this one and why?

<link> <- This website is also created in OsCommerce and I

did the similar thing (copy / paste content) on this website.

What challenging part of this job are you most

experienced in?

I don't think there is any challenging part on this project to

be honest.

Do you have suggestions to make this project run

successfully?

I will take backup of all the pages before I change the content
of the pages, so in case if some screw up happens, or if the
client asks to revert back some pages for any reason, I have
the old copy of the pages ready.

THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL

It sounded like a data entry job, and I had worked on
OsCommerce a lot, so it sounded like a super easy job.

POST PROPOSAL
The client immediately awarded me the job after the
proposal. The client also stuck with me for years and gave me
more work.
JOB 4: OSCOMMERCE EXPERT NEEDED
JOB DESCRIPTION
I have a website that was programmed in oscommerce. We
are having issues that customers who try to buy using
Internet Explorer 10 are having issues checking out or timing
out.

I need immediate help the store address is <link>

Please look at the website before you respond or I WILL NOT

REPLY back to your request.

I need to know what is wrong and list to me the issues.

MY PROPOSAL
Hi,

I signed up at <link>and tried a test order using IE 10. I got to

the payment page without any issues (I also tried a wrong
credit card info and got the error response from the payment
gateway). Could you tell me what error messages your
clients are getting and on what page(s) if possible?

As for me: I've been working on PHP and eCommerce sites

since last 5+ years. I am also a Zend Certified PHP
Professional (the top php certification available in the
market).

I am available via email/skype/phone to discuss this job

further. Let me know if you want to proceed further.

Best Regards,
Faraz

1. How many oscommerce websites have you worked on

10+. The latest I worked on yesterday from oDesk: <link>

This is my best work: <link>

Which of the required job skills do you feel you are

strongest at?

All of them to be honest.

THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL

I had worked on OsCommerce a lot, so I went to the problem
website and tried to replicate the issue. However, I was
unsuccessful. So, I asked the client to give more details.

POST PROPOSAL
We had back and forth communication, and the client
awarded me the project after I figured out the problem. The
client gave me more work after that, and they are still with
me to this date.
JOB 5: 2 SIMPLE .PHP TASKS
JOB DESCRIPTION
I'm using Wordpress as a CMS and am in need of a plug-in
add-on.

The plug-in being used is Event Organiser (<link>). I am

trying to find a way to:

1) Reverse the order of posts so that most recent events are

posted at the top of the archive page (in reverse
chronological order) and

2) Include a 'previous' and 'next' button beneath each single

post.

I have some base .php written by the developer of the plug-

in, but it doesn't seem to be working as is (I think it has
syntax errors).

Any/all help appreciated.

MY PROPOSAL
Hi,

Sounds like an extremely simple job, and should be

completed within an hour. I've been working on PHP and
WordPress since last 5+ years. I am also a Zend Certified PHP
Professional (the top php certification available in the
market).

I am ready to start immediately. Let me know if you want to

proceed further.
Best Regards,

Faraz

THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL

I was a WordPress expert, so I knew that I could use
WordPress filters to reverse the order of the posts and add
the next/previous links in [Link].

POST PROPOSAL
The client immediately awarded me the job after the
proposal. The client also gave me more work after that.
JOB 6: PHP PROGRAMMER FOR QUIZ.
TWEAKS
JOB DESCRIPTION
Fixing up the php script at <link>

It's a simple job and shouldn't take a decent php developer

very more then and hour or two.

- I've completed the programming and design for the actual

quiz, you'll need to do two tasks:

- Email capture must work with GetResponse (API)

- User is given the option to select their gender and will be

forwarded to the appropriate page depending on if they're
male or female.

If you've actually read this description copy and past this

code into your reply: HBD5HOQZ76B

Thanks!

MY PROPOSAL
Which part of this project do you think will take the most
time?

HBD5HOQZ76B

Hi,

I've read the description of the project and visited the link,
and yes it indeed sounds like a pretty simple job. I've already
got the API code for GetResponse, You just need to provide
me with the API key and Campaign ID. I have one thing to
confirm through: We are only sending the email address to
GetResponse API, but not the answers?

As for me: I've been working on PHP since last 5+ years. I am

also a Zend Certified PHP Professional (the top php
certification available in the market).

I am available via email/skype/phone to discuss this job

further. Let me know if you want to proceed further.

Best Regards,

Faraz

THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL

I had the GetResponse code from an older project I did, so I
applied to the job knowing that I would be able to do it.

POST PROPOSAL
The client immediately awarded me the job after the
proposal. The client also gave me more work after that.
JOB 7: <LINK>/CONTACT
JOB DESCRIPTION
Hi,

Sorry my last post was wrong.

I just need the "email" box changing on this page to match

the others.

Thanks.

MY PROPOSAL
Hi,

It's a simple 15 minutes job. I've been working on PHP and

WordPress since last 5+ years. I am also a Zend Certified PHP
Professional (the top php certification available in the
market).

I am available via email/skype/phone. Let me know if you

want to proceed further.

Best Regards,

Faraz

Which of the required job skills do you feel you are

strongest at?

PHP, WordPress

Do you have any questions about the job description?

It's straight forward.

THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL

It was a simple CSS fix, so I applied to the job knowing that I
could do it.

POST PROPOSAL
The client contacted me on Skype, and after discussing a few
things, they awarded me the job. They gave me another job
after that.
JOB 8: MOBILE WP WEBSITE NEEDED
WITH MEMBER FUNCTIONALITY

JOB DESCRIPTION
Mobile WP website with member functionality (alternatives
are welcome)

Member login function.

Social media login (Facebook, Twitter and Google)

Forms integration

Responsive Site

Fast loading time

MY PROPOSAL
Hi <Name>,

Thank you for your invitation. Yes, WordPress will be best

for this, as I have developed many websites in WordPress for
the last 5+ years, and it is easy for the clients to update the
website themselves.

For the membership functionality, we can use this plugin

because it is easy to work on: <link>

Please review the following website I worked on: <link>This

is a responsive website.

For the forms: Gravity Forms plugin is the best. There are
also many free plugins available that we can use, but it
depends on what we are using the forms for, like whether
they will be contact forms or forms that save user data in the
database.

We can discuss the site speed after I get more details about
the project. It will depend on the number of images, pages,
users, loyalty program, etc. There are a lot of approaches we
can use to achieve quick load times. Like caching, hosting
scripts & images on content delivery networks like AWS,
using a dedicated server, etc. But it will all depend on our
case.

I am available to start immediately. I am also available via

email/skype/phone to discuss this job further. My skype is
<skype>. Let me know if you want to proceed further.

Best Regards,

Faraz

THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL

I was a WordPress expert, and the client had invited me, so I
accepted the invite.

POST PROPOSAL
We talked on Skype, and the client awarded me the project
after that. The client stuck with me for more projects and
referred me to many other people.
JOB 9: WORDPRESS: AJAX BROKEN
JOB DESCRIPTION
Ajax has stopped working on <link>. Looking for someone to
fix.

MY PROPOSAL
Hi,

I looked at the website, and it seems that some scripts are

conflicting with each other. It should be fixed in an hour or
two ($6-$12). I've been working on PHP and WordPress
since last 5+ years. I am also a Zend Certified PHP
Professional (the top php certification available in the
market).

I am available via email/skype/phone. Let me know if you

want to proceed further.

Best Regards,

Faraz

THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL

I looked at the website and found multiple jQuery files
loading.

POST PROPOSAL
The client immediately awarded me the job after the
proposal and gave me more work after that. They are still
with me to this date.
JOB 10: HELP NEEDED ADDING
MEMBERSHIP AND FORM AUTOFILL TO
WORDPRESS SITE
JOB DESCRIPTION
Hello,

I have a nonprofit media website for animal rights, human

rights and environmental issues. I am looking for a solution
to enable people to sign up as members at multiple levels,
including free and paid.

Very importantly, all forms on the website must be able to

auto-fill for members when they are logged in. I currently
have Ninja Forms set up, and the forms are rather complex so
I would like to continue using them, just add the autofill
feature.

If this is something you think you can help with, please let me
know a cost estimate and we'll go from there. Thanks so
much!

--<Name>

MY PROPOSAL
Hi <Name>,

Ninja Forms provide functions to auto-fill fields, so that can

be done. I also know a very good WordPress membership
plugin I am running on a few sites that will work without
doing too many modifications. Before I can provide you with
a cost estimate, could you tell me how many forms are there
on the site? Can I see the site url?

I am a Zend-Certified PHP Professional (top PHP certification

in the market) and have been working on PHP/WordPress
for the last 7+ years. Thanks for inviting me. You won't be
disappointed.

Best Regards,

Faraz

THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL

I was a WordPress expert, and the client had invited me, so I
accepted the invite.

POST PROPOSAL
We had back and forth communication to clear some points,
and then the client awarded me the project and gave me
more work after that. They are still with me to this date.
AVOID THE RAT RACE
If you are bidding on jobs day after day, week after week, and
month and after month, then you are doing it wrong. You will
tire yourself out eventually by becoming part of the rat race.

What you should be looking for are a few long-term, regular

clients who give you regular work, so you never have to bid
again.

When I started bidding, I tried to find smaller and cheap jobs

with one or two tasks. I also looked for the clients who were
new to Upwork with no history because their job posts
would have less competition or proposals, and there would
be a high chance for me to land the job. And I knew that if I
provided quality work, then they would not go to any other
freelancer in the future if they had any new task. That's how I
turned a $20 client into a $100k client, and it's still going.

The clients that have a good history are usually looking for
cheap work. They are not looking for a long-term prospect.
Why do they post a new job related to a category if they have
already worked with a freelancer previously in that same
category? Why don't they hire the same developer?

So, go against the tide, keep trying, and all the pieces will fall
into place with the experience. There is no shortcut to
success.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR UPWORK JSS TAKES
A HIT?
Every client wants to hire the best, ideally someone with a
100% JSS. I know I would.

So, what to do when your JSS takes a hit and goes lower than
100%?

If it's still above 90%, then you may not feel the effects.
However, if it goes below 90% (by the way, the client doesn't
see the JSS if it's below 50%), then it could mean trouble for
you when bidding on bigger projects, especially with
established clients.

The first thing you need to do is look at yourself in the mirror

and ask, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of
them all?"

Oops. No! You should ask yourself, "Why did my JSS go

down in the first place?" This is a crucial question to ask
yourself, and you need to ask it with a cool head. Not
everything is the client's fault. Perhaps there was something
in your work or communication that led the client to give you
poor feedback.

Once you've recognized the issue that caused the client to

give you poor feedback, it's essential not to repeat it.

But what to do with the poor JSS now? There are two ways
that I usually suggest to people:

1. Think of yourself as a beginner now and go through my

beginner's guide (check the link in my profile bio). The
strategy is to focus on small projects by new clients posting
their first project on Upwork because those clients usually
don't pay much attention to the JSS or the top-rated badges.
They mostly look at the proposals, and if your proposal is
good, you get the job. You can also get help from my AI
Proposal writer. Again, the link is in my profile bio.

2. If you have any direct clients outside Upwork, ask one or

two of them to work with you through Upwork. You can
provide them with some sort of incentive to encourage them
to work with you through Upwork. Upwork gives more
weight to long-term clients and projects with higher
earnings, so this strategy can help boost your score.

And there is another way, but I won't even go there because

that's unethical and against my moral values. Please don't
bring that up in our conversations either. The joy that you get
after achieving results through your honest, hard work is
beyond measure!
HOW TO FIND SMALL PROJECTS ON
UPWORK?
If you’re new to Upwork, I always recommend that beginners
try smaller projects on Upwork first because they help you
gain confidence and build a good work history.

But with so many job listings, finding these smaller projects

can be tricky. That’s where the “Upwork Job Filter” Google
Chrome extension comes in. This tool allows you to see jobs
with shorter descriptions, making it easier for you to quickly
read through and decide which ones to apply for.

Remember, just because a job has a short description doesn’t

mean it’s a small job. But a short description does mean you
can read and understand the job’s requirements more
quickly, helping you decide faster if it’s right for you.

Here is the link to the extension:

[Link]
chrome-extension/
I WRITE VERY GOOD PROPOSALS, BUT I AM
NOT RECEIVING ANY RESPONSES ON
UPWORK
It's a common query that I receive every day.

There are multiple reasons for not receiving any responses

from clients despite writing excellent proposals, but let's
discuss the common reason today:

When someone tells me the above, I always ask them to send

me their profile link.

And you know what I see in the profile most of the time? A
poor JSS or less than 100% JSS.

As a client myself, who has hired quite a few freelancers on

Upwork, I always look for top-rated freelancers with 100%
JSS and will never hire someone without the top-rated
freelancer badge and less than 100% JSS. That's just how it is
for me, and I am sure a typical client who frequently hires on
Upwork also works this way.

So, if you are not top-rated or if your JSS is less than

100%, and you are not receiving responses despite
writing good proposals, consider yourself a beginner and
try my beginner's guide, where I recommend applying to
new clients and smaller projects. You will have a better
chance of landing projects that way.

And once you have achieved the top-rated status with 100%
JSS, you can apply to bigger projects and existing clients.
UPWORK PROPOSAL WRITING FOR
DIGITAL MARKETERS
Although I don’t provide digital marketing services on
Upwork, I know what to look for when hiring a professional
in this field.

For digital marketers, it's essential to showcase past

campaigns, especially those relevant to the client's industry.
Include metrics that demonstrate success, such as increased
website traffic, conversion rates, or sales growth, right at the
beginning of their Upwork proposals.

For example: "Digital Marketer with a history of 150%

website traffic growth for clients in your sector. Past
campaigns led to a 45% conversion rate increase and a 30%
sales boost. I provide detailed metrics to prove success. Let's
replicate this for your brand!"

The idea is to be unique and attract the client’s attention to

your Upwork proposal within the first 230 characters. The
primary goal is to make the client open your proposal. If you
follow the advice above, they will undoubtedly be curious to
see what you can offer.

Once they initiate a conversation, your communication skills

and rates will decide the outcome.

Don't mention your name and years of experience at the

beginning. No one's interested in you until they see what you
can do for them. Such is life, eh?
UPWORK BOOSTED PROFILES
Just as there were Boosted proposals, Upwork has now
introduced a new feature: Boosted profiles.

Upwork is a business, and its goal is to make money. Let

them profit from those who are easily swayed. However, you
shouldn't be overly concerned about this. Here's why:

Before the Proposal Boost Feature: There might have been

times when someone else's proposal ranked above yours, but
you still secured jobs, didn't you?

It's the same situation with this new feature. Before its
introduction, someone's profile might have consistently
ranked above yours, but you still received interview
invitations, right?

When someone boosts their profile or proposal, it's labeled

"Boosted" next to it. Now, ask yourself: When you search for
something on Google, which links are you more inclined to
click on? Sponsored ones or the organic ones? Various
studies have indicated that organic results account for
approximately 70% or more of the total clicks, with the
remaining 30% or less going to paid results.

So relax.
AI PROPOSAL WRITER VERSION 3
When I write a proposal for an Upwork project, I start my
proposal with either:

1. A question if the project requirements are not clear.

2. A hint of the solution if the project requirements are clear.

The V2 version of my AI Proposal Writer started the proposal

with a question. However, as of today, V3 (which went live
today) also attempts to include a hint of the solution at the
start of the proposal whenever possible, making it the most
comprehensive and final version. This gives the impression
to the client that the freelancer understands the solution to
their problem, increasing your chances of winning the
project.

You may not notice much difference between V2 and V3, but
the subtle change of including the solution can be a game-
changer, especially for smaller projects that require bug
fixing.

Please go ahead and test the new version. I am still making

changes to it, so V2 remains the default version because it
has been the most successful version so far.

Here is the link to my AI Proposal Writer:

[Link]
UPWORK BEGINNER'S GUIDE
A common question I am asked is: "How can I get my first
project on Upwork as a beginner? There's too much
competition!"

I'm posting my response here, so I can give the link to

everyone who asks the same question in the future.

Below are the steps I used to hunt for projects when I was
starting on Upwork, and I will use these steps again to hunt
for clients in the future:

1. Bid between 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. CST. Reason: There's

usually less competition. I won most of my jobs between 4
a.m. and 7 a.m.

2. Bid on new clients with unverified payment methods

Reason: Most people don't bid on projects from clients with
no project history or unverified payment method, so the
competition decreases further. Also, as an established client,
I always prefer top-rated freelancers. That's why I suggest
avoiding bidding on clients with a history when you're a
beginner because they are highly unlikely to hire you. New
clients mostly don't notice badges. They just want to get their
work done, and the profile picture and the proposal are the
two most important things for them. There's also another
advantage to bidding on new clients, which is mentioned at
the end.

3. Bid on small projects. These projects will help you build

your reputation on the platform quickly, gain some positive
reviews, and get some experience under your belt, allowing
you to bid on medium-sized and large-sized projects.
4. The first 230 characters of your proposal are
important. I use these characters to either: 1) Ask a question
related to the project. 2) If I know the solution to the issue, I
give a hint of the solution to the client, so they know I'm the
right person for the job, along with the price and the time
estimate, with a call to action to hire me now if they want me
to fix the issue immediately. You can take the help of my AI
Proposal writer to get an idea. Note: This tip was also
endorsed by Upwork itself in one of their articles, as you can
see in the attached picture.

5. After the client sends you the offer, ensure the two
things below before accepting the offer:

a) Make sure you have all the project details, and you are
100% certain of what you need to do in the project. Don't
accept the offer in excitement. Ensure you have all the details
first.

b) Confirm that the client has verified their payment method

by now. If not, ask them to do so. If they are a legitimate
client, they will, and you can accept the offer. If not, they
might make excuses. If they do the latter, reject the offer.
You'll waste your Connects, but you'll save yourself from a
scam.

c) It's important to heed the above steps for new clients

because if the client turns out to be a scammer after you
accept the offer, and even if you cancel the contract without
working on it, the client can still give you private feedback
(not public, though). And if they give poor private feedback,
your profile will take a hit!

6. Once you accept the offer, overdeliver! If the client has

asked you to do one thing, do two! The goal is to make the
client's first experience with their initial freelancer as
positive as possible! Because if they're pleased with your
work and have more work in the future, they'll always return
to you!

If you follow the steps above, there's a high chance you'll

come across some long-term clients who will provide regular
work, allowing you to avoid the constant bidding war. All you
need are a few long-term clients to generate a stable income
in your freelancing career. That's how I've thrived for the last
10 years.
UPWORK PROFILE OPTIMIZATION
One of the most common requests I get is, "Please review
my Upwork profile and let me know how it can be
improved."

And I have found myself giving the same response again and
again. So, to save myself time, I decided to create a post (I
will also create a video later) on this topic so I can give the
link to everyone who requests the same from now on.

Okay, so now take a look at the image below.

Other than the profile picture, it's a very poorly optimized

profile.

Let's break down the profile. Do note that I also hire on

Upwork as a client, so the observations below are from the
client's point of view:

Profile Picture: It needs to be a smiling photo with much of

your face showing. It also needs to give a good vibe to the
client and shouldn't be depressing to look at.

Profile Title: Be specific about what you do. Niche down and
always use keywords related to your work. Do not have a
generic title like the dude in the attached screenshot. What in
the world does "PHP Developer" even mean? OK, I know you
work on PHP, but exactly what kind of applications or
websites do you develop with PHP? I, as a client, am looking
to develop a website using the Laravel Framework. Can you
do that? It doesn't show in your title.

Since I am more of a WordPress coder, the ideal title would

have been: "WordPress Theme & Plugin Developer | PHP
Developer."
Now, the client who is looking for a WordPress theme and
plugin developer will immediately know, by reading just the
title, what specific services the freelancer provides. If he
needs the same service, he will click on your profile.

Profile Description: Let's say a client searches for a

WordPress developer. The search listings only show the first
couple of lines from the profile description. If you start your
profile description with "I am this" and "I am that," the client
won't care because it doesn't tell him what services you
provide. It would have been ideal if the dude in the
screenshot had started his profile description with the
services he offers. This way, the client would have
immediately known if the freelancer offered the same service
he was looking for and clicked on his profile.

Specialized Profiles: Upwork has given the option to create

two specialized profiles, and most people are using the
options to include completely different niches, which gives
an unprofessional look to your profile. If the client lands on
your profile, hoping to get WordPress work done, and sees
that you also do digital marketing and video editing, he might
think you are not an expert in anything and are most likely
going to outsource the work. I steer clear of such profiles.
Always create specialized profiles within your original niche
and use an agency to sell multiple services.

Example of specialized profiles for someone working on

WordPress:

WordPress Security Auditor (Main)

WordPress Plugin Developer

WordPress Theme Developer

Alright, I have made enough fun of myself, but am I going to
make the edits that I suggested to myself? Not at this time,
because I am not actively looking for work. Also, since the
very beginning, I have believed in proactively approaching
clients by bidding on jobs instead of waiting for clients to
come to me. If your proposal is convincing, the client is not
going to care much about your profile. Even if your profile is
optimized, shows up in search results, and you get
invitations, you still have to write a good proposal to win the
job. So, stop worrying about not getting views on your profile
and catch the bull by its horns.
HOW TO GET FREE UPWORK CONNECTS
A common question I am asked: How to get free Upwork
Connects

1. When you first sign up for Upwork, you'll get 40

complimentary Connects.

2. Earn a Rising Talent badge and you'll be rewarded with 30

free Connects.

3. Secure an interview with a seasoned Upwork client and

you'll receive a variable number of free Connects. (Details on
what qualifies as "seasoned" are not fully disclosed to
prevent manipulation.)

4. Complete an Upwork Skill Certification and you'll receive a

one-time Connects bonus.

5. Random free connects. No specific criteria.

WHY SOME CLIENTS DON'T HIRE ANYONE
FOR THEIR JOBS
So, you found an interesting job and applied for it. You
waited and waited, but you didn't receive any response from
the client. Eventually, the job automatically closed after a
month, and you noticed that nobody was hired for the job.

"Why?" you may wonder. You've also noticed this happening

with a lot of other job postings. "Why don't clients hire
anyone after posting the job?" you wonder again.

Let me share a story with you: Once upon a time, there was a
client who wanted to hire someone for his project. He knew
that there were many freelancing platforms like Upwork,
Guru, Freelancer dot com, etc. He decided to post his job on
all these platforms simultaneously.

He wasn't impressed with the proposals he received on

Freelancer dot com, so he didn't hire anyone there.

Similarly, he didn't like the proposals on Guru dot com, so he

didn't hire anyone from that platform either.

However, he was pleased with what he saw on Upwork and

ended up hiring one of the freelancers there.

As a result, nobody was hired on Freelancer dot com or Guru

dot com, leading freelancers on those platforms to label the
job as "fake."

But was it really fake? If you say "yes," then I must apologize.
That client was me.

If you believe that a client has the right to choose any

freelancer he wants from any platform, then you now
understand one of the reasons why some clients don't hire
anyone for their jobs.
NOT EVERY CLIENT IS GOING TO HIRE
SOMEONE FOR EVERY JOB THEY POST
So, if you don't receive a response to your proposals, don't
panic and immediately assume that your proposal or profile
is the reason you didn't get a response.

First, review the job listings to which you've applied and see
if the client has already hired someone. Check the video in
the comments to find out where you can see the number of
hires for each job.

If I applied to 10 jobs and only 2 of them resulted in hires, I

wouldn't be too concerned. If the number is 3, I'd start to
worry a little. If the number is 4 or more, that's when I'd
really start to panic (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!) and dig deep
to figure out what went wrong. Here are some things I would
consider:

1. Did I apply to a featured job, and I'm not a top-rated

freelancer?

2. Was the client already interviewing a large number of

freelancers?

3. Did my profile title, description, proposal, and skill set

include keywords that matched the job description, thereby
earning me the "best match" badge?

And finally:

4. Did I write a compelling proposal?

I would analyze all these factors, jot down notes, and aim to
improve for next time.
WANT TO FIND CLIENTS WHO ARE
LOOKING FOR LONG TERM PROSPECTS?
It's simple really. Just go to the job search page, and enter the
name of your niche followed by the word "long term". E.x.
"seo" "long term", "wordpress" "long term", "content writing"
"long term", etc., and you will see the jobs from the clients
who are looking for a long-term working relationship.

Then, it will be your proposal writing skills that will help you
win responses from those clients (you can take help of my
free AI proposal writing tool to do that).

The more command you have over your skill, the better
proposals you will be able to write because you would have
faced different problems and found different solutions
working on your skill, which would help you immediately
come up with a solution after reading the posted job. One
way to gain experience in your skill is to offer your services
for free in freelancing groups.
HOW YOUR PROPOSAL LOOKS TO THE
CLIENT
Do you see the screenshot below? This is how your proposal
looks to the client. Do you notice the number of characters
that the client sees initially? Most of us waste those
characters by introducing ourselves, stating our years of
experience, and expressing how excited we are to apply to
the project (client be like: Ek button ka color hi to change
karwana hay. Is main kiya excitement hay?).

Most people use the same template to start their proposals

and don't say anything about the project in the characters
that show to the client initially. This is where you can stand
out and throw a googly. For me, it's mostly asking a question
or giving a hint to the solution in the first line of the proposal.
That makes you stand apart from the rest, and the client
notices something new and clicks on your proposal to read it
further.

(To generate questions for a project, you can use my AI

Question Generator (a free tool) on my website.)

Here is the proposal I sent to the last job I applied to (and

won). Notice I didn't mention my name, experience, or skills.
New clients don't care who you are. They only want to know
if you can do the work or not.

"<Client Name>, Most likely the issue is with the

mod_rewrite apache module. I will be happy to fix it for you.
Shouldn't take more than an hour to resolve it."
ADVANTAGE OF APPLYING TO JOBS WITH
UNVERIFIED PAYMENT METHODS
I have always preferred jobs with unverified payment
methods because most are not going to apply on those.
Sometimes, the client's payment verification is pending, and
it eventually gets verified by the time you get the job.
GETTING “BEST MATCH” BADGE ON YOUR
PROPOSAL
When a client receives proposals for a job on Upwork, a
"Best Match" badge appears next to certain freelancers. This
badge also serves as the default sorting option for clients
when viewing proposals.

According to Upwork, freelancers receive this badge based

on their work history and their fit for the job. However, as
evident from the provided screenshot, some freelancers with
this badge have no work history, and one even seems to be a
fake account.

So, how did the freelancers in the screenshot earn this

badge? Let's delve deeper:

When a client posts a job, they specify certain skills required

for the position. These skills are listed below the job
description.

Likewise, freelancers list specific skills when setting up their

profiles. These skills can be seen in the screenshot, right
below each freelancer's proposal.

Upon examining the job post and the freelancer proposals, I

made some observations. However, these are simply my
interpretations:

There are 4 areas Upwork considers when you submit a bid:

1. Your Profile Title

2. Your Profile Description

3. Your Skillset
4. Your Proposal

If 3 out of these 4 areas contain keywords from the skill set

or job description specified by the client, you are likely to
receive the "Best Match" badge.

For instance, the third proposal (which appears to be a fake

account with a doll picture, a one-liner proposal, and no skills
that match the job) in the screenshot did not list any
matching skills. The individual seemed more aligned with
programming than graphic design. However, the terms
"graphic design" and "logo design" were present in their
proposal. Additionally, "graphic design" was part of their
profile title. Both of these skills were sought by the client.
Their profile description also contained one keyword from
the job description.

The person who was hired (also a best match) had 11 skills
that matched the client's specified skill set. Their profile title
and description also contained keywords related to the job.
However, their proposal did not reference the job specifics.

Conclusion: When applying for a job, ensure your profile title,

description, skill set, and proposal include the keywords
from the job description to increase your chances of earning
the "Best Match" badge. Good luck, but don't take my word
for it. These are just my observations.

If you didn't understand, don't worry. I'll create a video to

explain further.
HAS YOUR UPWORK PROFILE STATUS
CHANGED TO "PRIVATE"?
Has your Upwork profile status changed to "Private" due to
inactivity, and now it no longer shows up in search results?
No worries. Press a button and get the status changed to
“Public”. Here is the link:
[Link]
us/articles/115003975967-Profile-Changed-to-Private-

P.S. Don't experiment with the button if the status is already

public. It will automatically generate a ticket, and Upwork
might mistakenly change it from Public to Private. I did that
from my account while helping out someone and panicked.
Sent a couple of emails to Upwork asking them to ignore the
requests. Lol.
AI QUESTION GENERATOR
During my years of freelancing, I've noticed that beginning
your proposal with a question serves as a scroll-stopper. It
captures the client's attention and compels them to delve
further into your proposal.

I've developed a FREE tool that analyzes the job description

you paste, whether it's from Upwork or any other freelancing
platform. It then generates a list of up to 5 questions you can
incorporate into your proposal, potentially enhancing your
chances of securing the project.

This tool is especially valuable for those who craft their own
proposals but struggle to identify suitable questions. It's
important to note that this tool differs from my AI Proposal
Writer, which composes complete proposals in a style similar
to mine. Nonetheless, even including just a question in your
proposal, without additional content, has resulted in me
receiving positive responses from clients. Therefore, I
encourage you to give this tool a try. Your feedback would be
greatly appreciated.

Here is the link: [Link]

generator/
HOW CAN STAYING ONLINE ON UPWORK
BE BENEFICIAL ?
When a client posts a job, Upwork provides them with a list
of freelancers to invite. If you are online and in the list, your
chances of receiving an invitation can be higher, especially if
the client wants to hire someone urgently. Telling this from
the client's perspective.
WHY MY AI PROPOSAL WRITER TOOL
OFTEN WRITES VERY SHORT PROPOSALS ?
Some people have asked me why my AI proposal writer tool
often writes very short proposals and why there should be
additional fields to include the freelancer's name and
qualifications.

My answer:

The tool writes short proposals because that's how I write

them. The tool literally writes the proposals the same way I
do. Yes, sometimes it tries to be smart and ignores my
instructions. In that case, simply resubmit the form to get a
new proposal.

The client doesn't give two hoots about who you are or what
you have done in the past. They just want to know what you
can do now and how it will help them with their project. This
is very important, and that's why I don't mention anything
about myself in my proposal, not even my name in most
cases. The client can see that, and if they're interested, they
can look at my profile to learn more about me.

Stick to the 80/20 rule. If you're unfamiliar with it, you can
Google it to find out more.
HOW TO PRACTICE PROPOSAL WRITING
SKILLS?
I only work on Upwork, so I didn't know about this until
recently: If you want to work on your proposal writing skills,
go to freelancer dot com website, click on any job you find
interesting, open up your word editor, write your proposal,
and then scroll down the job page to see the submitted
proposals from other freelancers. Then you can compare
your proposal with the proposals submitted by the top
freelancers and see where you are lacking. You can even see
the winning proposal!
STRUGGLING TO WIN A JOB ON UPWORK?
Try the tip below from a random dude endorsed by Upwork.
CONVERTING SHORT-TERM CLIENTS TO
LONG-TERM CLIENTS
Are you ready to take your client relationships to the next
level? The below is what I do:

RESPONSE TIME
1. Be lightning-fast in your responses to client inquiries.
Show them you're always there to address their needs.

2. Keep your clients in the loop with frequent updates,

especially when reaching important milestones. It builds
trust and keeps them engaged.

3. Flexibility is key! Make yourself available during your

client's preferred timings to enhance communication and
collaboration.

4. When urgent issues arise, be proactive in resolving them

promptly. Your clients will appreciate your efficiency and
dedication.

5. One secret to success is underpromising and

overdelivering. Exceed your client's expectations and leave
them wanting more.

DRAWBACKS
While striving for excellence, it's essential to acknowledge
potential challenges.

Work-life Balance Concerns

Devoting significant time and energy to clients may lead to
burnout or a compromised work-life balance. It's crucial to
find a healthy balance.

The Solution

The key lies in building a strong team. Start assembling a

capable group of people as early as possible. By distributing
the workload, you can avoid burnout and provide consistent
support to your clients.

Remember, nurturing long-term client relationships is a

journey that requires commitment and adaptability. By
implementing these strategies, you'll be well on your way to
turning short-term clients into loyal, long-term partners.
UPWORK JOB NOTIFICATIONS
If you want to receive email notifications for newly posted
Upwork jobs, simply search for "IFTTT" on Google and link
your Upwork RSS feed to the service. It's a free tool.

If you're unsure about generating an RSS feed or prefer

instant desktop notifications, I have a video on my channel
titled "Upwork Job Notifications: No Extensions
Required! Here's How" that you can check out.

Here is the link to the video:

[Link]
WHEN YOU DON'T RECEIVE A RESPONSE
AFTER APPLYING FOR A JOB
Don't stress out when you don't receive a response after
applying for a job. It's common for people to apply for
multiple positions and not hear back from all of them, which
can lead to feelings of disappointment. Instead of panicking,
take a proactive approach. Start by checking if the client has
made any hires for the job you applied to. Remember, not
every client will hire for every position they post. If you've
applied to ten jobs and the client has hired someone for only
two of them, there's no need to worry. However, if they've
made five hires, it's worth considering that your proposals
may need improvement.

To determine if the client has made other hires, you can

watch my video titled "Upwork Pro Tips: Identifying Client
Hires on Job Postings" on my YouTube channel. The link is
in the comments.

Here is the link to the video:

[Link]
THE ROLE OF A GOOD PROFILE PICTURE
The profile picture you choose plays a crucial role in making
a lasting impression on potential clients when you submit a
proposal on Upwork. A well-chosen picture has the power to
set you apart and attract the clients you desire for a
successful freelance career. However, it's disheartening to
observe that many profiles I've come across on Upwork have
unappealing profile pictures.

To address this issue and enhance your professional image, I

strongly recommend reading Upwork's helpful article on
improving your profile picture. It's often the small details
that make all the difference in creating a positive impact.

The link to the article:

[Link]
profile-picture
HOW DO YOU ANSWER WHEN THE CLIENT
ASKS WHY THE PROJECT WILL TAKE THAT
LONG AND COST THAT MUCH ONCE YOU
GIVE THEM YOUR ESTIMATE?
The below is an excerpt from an article written by me and
posted by Upwork on their blog in 2015, addressing the
aforementioned question:

Provide project details that will support your proposal’s cost

and timeline. Because development projects consist of many
tasks, which are broken further into many smaller tasks, it’s
important to explain and “go deep” in development
proposals. You can’t simply say “It will take X amount of time
and X amount of dollars to complete the project:”–break the
project down into modules, then assign a timeframe to each
module. Also, include what tools you’ll use, what plugins you
recommend they purchase, what infrastructure is needed to
host the project, etc.

Tip: An easy way to do this is to track how long it took you to

complete similar tasks in the past, then use those
breakdowns to build new timelines. If something is of the
exact same nature of a project I’ve done before, I already
know how much time it will take me to do it again. If
something is not exactly the same, but similar, then
depending on the extent of it, I add or cut some hours. If
something is totally new to me, then I search for any existing
code snippets, classes, or ideas, then come up with my best
estimate depending on my research and ability. If I’m
uncertain about a task, then I add some cushion to it, just in
case it takes longer than initially expected.
CREATING MULTIPLE UPWORK ACCOUNTS
Some people have asked me whether it would be better to
create two Upwork accounts if they want to sell two different
skills. Please don't do that as you will get banned.

Upwork introduced a feature a couple of years ago that

allows you to create specialized profiles. With a specialized
profile, you can tailor your unique skills to your audience on
Upwork and create variations of your profile that showcase
your experience within specific categories. For example, you
can separate the work you've done as a mobile game
developer from your work as a translator or graphic
designer.

Here is the link with the info:

[Link]
us/articles/115013750068-Create-a-Specialized-Profile
PROPOSAL WRITING FOR GRAPHIC
DESIGNERS
Although I don't provide graphic design services, I know
what to look for when hiring a professional in this field.

For graphic designers, it's essential to showcase their past

work right at the beginning of their proposals. Remember
when I mentioned the importance of the first 230 characters?

If you're a graphic designer applying for a job that requires

you to create a YouTube banner and a podcast cover, this is
how you should start your proposal:

"Hi, here's a link to a YouTube banner and a podcast cover I

created for another client: [link]. That should give you a taste
of my talent as a graphic designer. [Add the rest of your
proposal here along with your work process]."

If you haven't created any similar work in the past, take any
piece you've done and adjust it to the client's requirements
quickly. The idea is to be unique and attract the client's
attention to your proposal. The first step is to make the client
open your proposal, and if you follow the above, they will
undoubtedly be curious to see what you can create.

Once they like your work, they'll initiate a conversation,

which is the first step to getting the job. After that, it's your
communication skills and rates that will decide the outcome.

In other words, don't talk about your experience and skills in

the beginning. Nobody's interested in that until they see
what you can do.
UPWORK BOOSTED PROPOSALS
I have been seeing a lot of people panicking over this. Please
don't.

1. What was the situation before this feature existed? There

were still proposals at the top above yours.

2. Do you think the client only sees the boosted proposals

and chooses one from them?

3. Do you think the quality of the proposal does not matter

and only the positioning does?

You need to change your mindset. Do you want to spend your

whole life bidding on jobs day after day? I keep saying to
focus on the long-term clients. You will just need a couple of
long-term clients to have an excellent freelancing career and
stay out of the rate race. Like I did.
INTERVIEW WITH UPWORK
I was the first Pakistani male to be spotlighted by Upwork in
2020. Below are all the questions they asked:

What is your specialty/area of expertise?

Web Development

How did you get started freelancing and how long have
you been doing it? *

I started freelancing six years ago after I left my fulltime job

because I didn’t seem to go anywhere with my career and
wanted something new to work on. The original plan was to
take a break from work for a month or two to reenergize
myself and think hard about what I wanted to do with my
life. That’s when I signed up on Upwork, just as an
experiment, to see how the freelance marketplaces work. I
bid on some projects and landed three jobs in the very first
hour. Needless to say, I didn’t look back since then.

Why did you decide to pursue freelancing instead of a

traditional office position?

I loved being my own boss, setting up my own working

hours, and only choosing the projects that excited me or
challenged me. In the traditional office position, I didn’t have
that freedom and more often not, I got to do repetitive
projects. Freelancing also saved me commute times, and I
found myself more productive when working alone in my
own space in quietness.

What is your favorite thing about working with clients

you find on Upwork?
I get to meet new people, from different backgrounds, from
different experiences, from different industries, and with
projects with new technologies I haven’t yet laid my hands
on. Working with clients from different areas of life teaches
me a lot about the world around me, their mindset, and the
way of life.

If you were talking to a business owner who was

considering choosing a freelancer to do a project for
them, but wasn't sure about working with freelancers,
what would you say to convince them that freelancers
are a good choice?

I will convince them by telling how working with a freelancer

can decrease their project cost. Because when it comes to
working with an agency, the agency owner also adds their
cut along with other miscellaneous company costs to the
final project cost, increasing the project cost significantly.
The communication is also very important because in a
normal agency, you have a hierarchy through which the
communication takes place (project manager -> developer ->
project manager), and in an ill-managed agency, the
communication is sometimes lost or misinterpreted in the
process, resulting in a disaster final outcome. But, the same is
not the case working with a freelancer. He is the only one you
are communicating with, and he is the only one you are
paying for the work.

What’s your favorite or most unique project you’ve

worked on for a client?

I’ve always been a backend developer before I started

working as a freelancer and wasn’t sure about my abilities as
a frontend developer, but one day my existing client came to
me and asked me if I could code a site in HTML from a given
design and integrate it with WordPress. Being me, who is
always up for a challenge, I took on the job and ended up
creating something which I am proud of. That project also
opened the doors for me for the frontend development, and I
could call myself a full-stack web developer.

How do you ensure your clients have a great experience

with you?

Communication is the key. I keenly observe how the clients

write and what terms they use to describe certain things, and
then I try to speak to them in their own language making
them feel at ease and understand things properly. I also own
every project that I take and go beyond than the project
scope to suggest them things that could help them make
more money or save costs. I’ve noticed that even if the clients
don’t always follow your suggestions, they appreciate them a
lot and keep coming back to you.

What are the advantages of partnering with a freelancer

for businesses?

It will save you trouble from going through different

hierarchies in an agency to get the work done, unlike
working with a freelancer, where the communication will be
faster, and the cost will be lesser.

What advice would you give a first-time client about

working with freelancers?

Never look at the price or reviews first. First, look if the

freelancer has the required skills, and if he understands the
job. Don’t get impressed with his experience and skill set.
Those could be faked. Check if he really understands the job,
asks the right questions, and shows you appropriate samples
of the work close to what you want to get done. Then look at
his reviews, experience, and then finally the price.

Do you consider yourself a business owner? Why or why

not?

I don’t consider myself a business owner. I am an individual

whom businesses hire on Upwork. I will feel like a business
owner when I officially register a company and do my
freelancing through that name.
CLIENTS RECOMMENDATION STAT
A very small tidbit about Upwork:

Your JSS (Job Success Score) updates approximately every

two weeks, which is common knowledge.

However, the "Clients who would recommend you" section

updates after every three completed jobs. Hence, it's
important to check this stat after completing each job, as it
could potentially indicate your next JSS, especially if the
recommendation score decreases.
JOB INTERVIEWS
If you are getting profile views but no invites, try lowering
your hourly rate slightly and observe the results for a couple
of weeks. If you still don't receive any invites, repeat the
process until you do.
FREELANCER PLUS PLAN OR CONNECTS
As a beginner, you might be wondering whether to purchase
the Freelancer Plus plan or simply buy Connects. This is a
common question I encounter.

Here's my advice: If you're new to the platform, I recommend

starting with the Freelancer Plus plan for the first two to
three months. Although this plan provides 20 fewer connects
and you'll likely need to purchase additional connects
separately, the benefits outweigh this minor drawback. The
Freelancer Plus Plan allows you to see the bids your
competitors place on jobs. This insight is invaluable as it
reveals the market rate in your niche and what others are
charging for similar services. With this information, you can
avoid placing bids that are either too high, risking job
opportunities, or too low, leading to potential regrets.

Now, it's not officially stated, and I could be entirely

mistaken, but I believe that the Freelancer Plus Plan might
also enhance your profile ranking. While active project work,
bidding, and staying online naturally boost your profile, the
subscription might offer additional benefits. This is just a
guess, but it makes business sense for Upwork to do it to
encourage longer subscription commitments. However, take
this with a grain of salt, as it's just a hypothesis.
UPWORK NOT SHOWING RELEVANT OR
LATEST JOBS
The above is another common query I receive.

Never rely on the jobs Upwork shows you on your homepage.

It may not show you all the possible jobs that you can do. In
the past, this area was broken (it might still be), and people
just kept waiting for the proper jobs to show up so they could
apply. However, it's better to be proactive and find the jobs
yourself. You can do that by clicking on the search box at the
top right and entering the name of your skill.

And on that search page, you can use my free Chrome

extension ([Link]
google-chrome-extension/) to quickly filter projects with
short descriptions, making it easier for you to quickly read
through and decide which projects to apply for before your
competition does.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Faraz Ahmed is a Zend Certified PHP Developer and CBT Life

Coach from Karachi, Pakistan, and the Top Rated+ Freelancer
on Upwork. He has been using Upwork to find freelancing
opportunities for almost ten years now. With over 14,000
hours of work completed, he’s a pro when it comes to writing
excellent freelance proposals.

He has also been mentioned by Upwork on their social media

pages and website a few times.
ONE LAST THING...
I hope that you find the tips in this guide helpful for your
freelancing career. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook for
more tips:

[Link]

Check out my website for my AI Proposal Writer:

[Link]

Thank you for reading!