I’m wondering if Anu Vittal Matthew MacLeod Daniela Maestres Rupert Williams Matteo Bisato Kavya Gowda Sapphire Stothert Jacob McPherson Hazel Brown Lizzie Bourne have any experience with this?

Same as Hazel, I created a profile a while ago but never really used it. The problem with platforms like Upwork is that you have professionals of all levels/countries/economies competing against each other (there are filters, but most clients wouldn’t really know what to prioritize other than price). So you end up being featured in a search result alongside professionals who sometimes charge significantly lower rates and have tons of reviews and feedback. I also think that most people who look for talent on those websites are part of a specific target market. So for people charging above-average rates (from those on the platform), and whose ideal client doesn’t match Upwork’s audience, it might not be the right strategy. However, I’m sure that others would have had very different experiences from mine and might prove me wrong. I’d be interested to know too 🙂

I signed up in January and was lucky enough to get the first job I pitched for – that said I’ve pitched for a few (5-7) since and had a conversation or 2 but mostly crickets since… The project went well and something more may come of it down the line but I agree with Daniela here, there are so many levels of skill amongst the freelancers and businesses of different scales and economies posting roles they sometimes know very little about that it’s difficult to weed through to find ones worth pitching for. Several of the roles I had either saved or pitched for but didn’t get eventually just disappeared without a hire being made. Also not a whole lot for shoe designers like me, but loads for other types of design.

Thanks to all who have shared their experiences so far – this is something we’d love to explore further so keep adding comments if you’ve also worked this way!