When you have specialized skills involving Upwork Partners, your Upwork profile and skills can be verified by these companies. This helps clients feel the support of trusted experts like you, and helps you grow your business.
How it works
Partner experts are curated by each company. The company chooses criteria for freelancers to be considered “partner experts” and may feature these freelancers as resources for their customers. If you meet the criteria, you can apply to be a partner expert and may receive additional exposure on each company’s co-branded web page featuring other partner experts.
Being featured as a partner expert on Upwork can help you:
- Use your expertise to propel your visibility to relevant clients looking for help with technology that you already use
- Have access to a wider range of quality clients who are motivated to hire and work with a software or tech you specialize in
- Provide multiple ways for you to work with clients. Whether it’s a one-time consultation or multiple long-term projects, you have the flexibility to partner with clients on the terms and schedule that work for you
Become a partner expert
Partner companies with existing programs can invite their current experts to apply to be featured on their Partner Experts page on Upwork.
- If you receive an email invitation, select the link in the partner’s email message to be taken to the form. If you are not signed into your Upwork freelancer account, you will need to log in or register for an Upwork freelancer account
- Complete the form to have your information sent to the partner for review
The form may ask for information to verify you as a partner’s expert. For example, this could be a unique ID number or the email address you used to register for the partners’ program. Make sure you provide this information to help partners identify that you’re an existing expert in their program.
After applying, you’ll receive an email if you are selected by the partner. You may be asked to complete additional forms or certifications. If you’re not selected, the partner company will keep your application and may choose you in the future. You will not receive any notification if you are not selected.
Pro tip:
Your Upwork profile is how you communicate your services, skills, and accomplishments to clients. Therefore your profile must be 100% complete to be eligible to be featured.
Qualifications
The exact qualifications to become a partner expert vary by company. However, you must meet and maintain the following in all cases:
- Your freelancer account must be active (not suspended)
- A current Job Success Score (JSS) of 80% or higher for existing Upwork freelancers
- A 100% complete profile (90% for those who brought their profiles over from Elance)
- Your profile must be public
- You must be fluent in the English language
- You must meet the additional qualifications determined by the partner
Meeting the qualifications does not guarantee that you will be featured. Featured freelancers are often rotated, and Upwork or the Upwork Partner can remove featured profiles from a Partner Experts page at any time.
After being selected for a Partner Experts page, if your Upwork account is suspended, your Job Success Score (JSS) falls below 80%, or you set your profile to private, your profile will be removed from the Partner Experts page. Upwork and the Upwork Partner reserve the right to remove featured profiles from a Partner Experts page at any time without prior notice and at their sole discretion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Freelancers featured on an Upwork Partner Expert page are independent professionals who are fluent in English and proficient with partner products or use cases, approved by the partner.
Upwork Partner Experts is a partnership offering that enables companies to provide their customers with direct access to experts on Upwork. Partner experts are curated by each partner company based on their chosen criteria and featured on a co-branded page on Upwork, allowing their customers to quickly find and hire experts for projects of any size or complexity. Visit upwork.com/partners to learn more about the Upwork Partners program.
Your Upwork profile is shared with the partner for review to determine if you meet their criteria to be featured as a partner expert. Partners review new requests at their discretion; Upwork does not set the review schedule or frequency. To be featured, your profile must be approved by the Upwork partner.
Please note, some partners may request freelancers complete an assessment or certification as part of their criteria to be featured as a partner expert. Information about certification requirements will be shared by email if partners determine a freelancer meets their criteria.
Yes, Upwork partners with existing expert programs who invite their current experts to apply to be featured on their Partner Experts page on Upwork have a way to identify and select them. In this instance, you are only required to set your profile visibility to public and have a 100% complete profile.
- Tip: The form may ask for information to verify you as a partner’s expert. For example, this could be a unique ID number or the email address you used to register for the partners’ program. Make sure you provide this information to help partners identify you’re an existing expert in their program.
Some Upwork partners may require freelancers complete a certification or accreditation program in order to be eligible to be featured on their Partners Experts page. If this is a requirement, and the partner selects your profile for consideration to be featured, you will be informed of this additional requirement and invited to complete the certification at no cost to you. Once completed, the partner will choose whether to feature your profile on their Partner Experts page.
We're excited to potentially showcase your profile, no further actions are required from you at this time. It can take up to four weeks to be approved to be featured on a Partner Experts page.
The decision to select who to feature on a Partner Experts page is made by the partner. Partners review new requests at their discretion; Upwork does not set the review schedule or frequency.
Freelancers featured as partner experts are selected by Upwork partners, based on criteria set by the partners, to be included on their Partner Experts page. All freelancers on Upwork are open to apply to be featured on a Partner Experts page.
Upwork’s Expert-Vetted talent have gone through a thorough pre-screening process that evaluates technical expertise and soft skills. Only the top 1% of talent on Upwork qualifies for Expert-Vetted talent status, and only those in select categories are eligible. You can learn more about the Expert-Vetted program here.
Being featured as a partner expert on Upwork can help you:
- Use your expertise to propel your visibility to relevant clients looking for help with technology that you love using.
- Have access to a wider range of quality clients who are motivated to hire and work with a software or tech you specialize in.
- Provide multiple ways for you to work with clients. Whether it’s a one-time consultation or multiple long-term projects, you have the flexibility to partner with clients on the terms and schedule that work for you.
Yes, Upwork uses this sender email address to communicate about specific opportunities. This article provides more information about how to identify if communications from Upwork are legitimate.
We're excited to potentially showcase your profile, no further actions are required from you at this time. It can take up to four weeks to be approved to be featured on a Partner Experts page.
You can reply to the original email you received regarding the certification to follow up on the status of your application.
You can reply to the original email you received regarding the certification for assistance.
