Your first job can start small
Getting your first job on Upwork can feel like applying for one of those “entry-level” jobs that requires five years of experience. You need someone to hire you so you can get a review. The people doing the hiring would feel a whole lot better if you already had a review.
Lovely. Very helpful. Shall I bring a reference from the client I haven’t had yet? 🫠
I started with no clients, no testimonials, and no idea what the heck I was doing, either. My first freelance gig paid $10. (A modest beginning for someone attempting to replace an entire salary.)
There IS a way to get those first few wins. It involves letting your first job be a little less impressive than the one you’ve been picturing.
Stick with me. Your future freelance business will survive a small detour.
In this training, I’ll show you the small jobs I look for, how River used his first few contracts to build work history, and what you can do with a good review once you’ve earned it.
The free keyword cheat sheet gives you search terms to try as you go, because “just go find some beginner jobs” is the kind of advice that makes me want to throw things. Gently. But still.
First, let’s stop asking your first job to do EVERYTHING
Say you want to offer graphic design. You find other designers charging $60, $80, $100 an hour, and your very reasonable beginner brain starts doing the math.
Well, if I charge $30 or $40, surely someone will pick me. Look at this bargain! I am practically on clearance!
I see people do this all the time, and I understand why. You’re trying to give a client a reason to take a chance on you.
But over on the client’s screen, the other freelancer has completed jobs, earnings, reviews, maybe a shiny little badge. You’ve got a new profile and a lower price. The client still has to figure out whether you’ll do a good job.
And you may be perfectly capable! You’ve probably spent years doing useful things for people who were happy to have your help. Upwork just hasn’t been introduced to that version of you yet.
So let’s get you a little work history.
Your first job can be something small that you know you can do, finish, and get paid for. Something that gives a client a reason to leave you a lovely review.
It does not need to fund your retirement, replace your paycheck, AND establish you as the world’s most sought-after graphic designer. We are putting a lot of pressure on a job you haven’t even applied for yet, friend.
Meet the “baby beginner jobs” 🐣
That’s what I call these little starter projects. Website testing. App testing. Surveys. Voice recordings. The kinds of jobs where a client needs a specific thing done and may need several people to do it.
You could be planning to become a virtual assistant and start with a recording job. You could want to do graphic design and get paid to test a website.
(You are still allowed to be a graphic designer afterward. Nobody is coming to confiscate your Canva account.)
Here’s what I’m looking for when I go hunting for these:
A small, clear task. You can read the listing and understand what they want you to do.
A quick turnaround. Ideally, something you can finish in hours, so you can complete the contract and get that feedback.
A flat fee that makes sense for the work. Check what they’re asking for before you volunteer your entire weekend for a tiny payment.
Multiple freelancers needed. A client looking for several people to test something has more than one spot to fill. That’s worth a closer look.
Read the requirements, too. Some testing and survey jobs need people in a particular location or with a particular background. We want something you’re a fit for and can do well.
The keyword cheat sheet gives you search terms for these jobs, plus phrases to help you find the quick projects and clients hiring multiple people. Keep it beside you while you search. You have enough new things to figure out without also trying to guess the magic combination of words that gets Upwork to show you something useful.
This is one of the strategies I teach in 10 Days to Paid, my Upwork challenge for beginners. If you’d like help as you get started, come poke around FREELANCE with ERICA with a seven-day free trial. I’d love to meet you in there. 🧡
Allow me a brief proud-mom interruption
My kiddo River was 22, working as a Starbucks barista, and interested in graphic design when he went through 10 Days to Paid.
His first work was writing replies to a company’s Trustpilot reviews. That turned into two contracts. His third job was website testing.
So while he was working toward graphic design, he was also getting hired, finishing work, and giving clients something nice to say about him. I am a big fan of this arrangement.
He finished those three jobs with five-star reviews, a 100% Job Success Score, and a Rising Talent badge, all before he finished the challenge. 🎉
And then one of his clients wrote THIS:
“Working with River has been an absolute pleasure!
He is not only exceptionally talented and intelligent, but also demonstrated a deep understanding of our brand’s unique identity. From the very beginning, he captured our tone, values, and expectations with impressive precision, and seamlessly adapted his style to match.
What I truly appreciate about River is his ability to combine creativity with attention to detail. He asks the right questions, brings valuable suggestions, and consistently delivers high-quality work, always on time.
Highly recommended!”
Excuse me. I need a moment.
Obviously, I think my child is wonderful. I am his mother. My objectivity in this matter should be questioned. Now a paying client has written an entire paragraph about how wonderful he is, and I will be keeping that, thank you very much. 🧡
And the copywriter in me is nearly as excited as the mom, because look at what that client just handed him.
That review has places to go
A future graphic-design client would love someone who understands their brand, asks good questions, and delivers on time. River now has a client saying he does those things.
He can take short excerpts from that review and use them in his profile and proposals. These are called pull quotes, which is a fancy name for “please look at this excellent thing my client said.”
From that one review, he can use:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Working with River has been an absolute pleasure! Highly recommended!”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “[River] is not only exceptionally talented and intelligent, but also demonstrated a deep understanding of our brand’s unique identity.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “From the very beginning, [River] captured our tone, values, and expectations with impressive precision, and seamlessly adapted his style to match.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ”What I truly appreciate about River is his ability to combine creativity with attention to detail.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ”[River] asks the right questions, brings valuable suggestions, and consistently delivers high-quality work, always on time.”
If he’s applying for a job where understanding the client’s brand matters, the brand-focused excerpt is useful. If the client is worried about deadlines, there’s a lovely sentence about delivering on time waiting right there.
Keep the words exact and choose the bit that fits the job. These are excerpts from ONE review, but now he has multiple options he can scatter across his profile and proposals from just ONE job. That was totally unrelated to his niche!
As I say in the video, you can throw those pull quotes around like confetti. (The rare party supply that belongs in a cover letter.) 🎉
This is why I want you asking for written feedback when you finish a job. Stars are great. Stars accompanied by a client explaining why they enjoyed working with you give us so much more to work with.
Your first three jobs are a place to start
In the training, I give you three completed jobs to work toward. A little milestone you can put in front of you while “build an entire freelance business” is still feeling enormous.
Quick housekeeping note: I talk about three jobs in the video, but Upwork’s current JSS requirements are at least two contract outcomes within 24 months and outcomes with at least two clients overall. Here’s their explanation. Three jobs is the starting milestone I’m giving you, rather than a promise about when your score will appear.
Do the work well. Keep the client in the loop. Ask for that written review. Then bring what you’ve earned into your next proposal.
You’ll still need to show clients you can do the work you’re offering. But now, alongside your explanation and your samples, you can show them that someone has hired you, worked with you, and been happy they did.
That’s a much nicer thing to have on your screen than an empty work history and a growing suspicion that everybody else got a secret instruction manual.
I want you to get to the part where someone pays you for something you did. Even if the first payment is small. There is something lovely about being able to say, Okay. I did that. Now I can do it again.
My beginning was $10. River’s included review replies and website testing. Yours is allowed to look a little different from the business you’re hoping to build.
Give yourself a small first win to work toward. I’ve put the keywords here so you’ve got somewhere to begin:
And if you’d like some company while you figure this out, come join us in FREELANCE with ERICA. We have a seven-day free trial, people who remember being right where you are, and me getting embarrassingly excited about my freelance babies’ first contracts. Occupational hazard. 🧡
Choose one small job you can do well, read the requirements, and send a proposal. Your first piece of work history has to start somewhere.
A FEW QUICK ANSWERS
Before you open another tab…
What Upwork jobs can beginners start with?
Small website or app testing tasks, voice-recording projects, and research surveys can be starting points when you meet the requirements. Look for clear scope, a manageable deadline, and work you can confidently deliver.
Should my first Upwork job be in my niche?
It can be, but I teach beginners to build early work history with small jobs they can finish well. Those jobs may be outside your eventual service. Bring the resulting experience and feedback into your niche applications.
How do I use feedback from a job outside my niche?
Choose relevant lines about communication, reliability, understanding a brand, or delivering good work. Explain how that strength helps with the new project, and pair it with a relevant sample.
YOUR GUIDE · ERICA NALL
I’m an Expert-Vetted freelancer and sales copywriter. I teach beginners how to find their freelance skills, write stronger proposals, and start working with clients.
A little more about me ↗Made with Peter Gray. Peter helped bring this training to life through strategy, research, editing, and thumbnail design. Visit his YouTube for Coaching & Skool community.
