This article shares ways to continue improving your Upwork profile to stand out and increase your chances of winning jobs. Successful freelancers often include elements like portfolio items, video overviews, certifications, licenses, and additional languages to showcase their expertise, and they keep these updated as they gain new experiences. Linking social accounts and sharing your profile can increase your visibility. Client feedback and completed contracts can improve your profile's credibility as they display in your work history. You can track your profile's performance via the "My Stats" page.
Your profile is one of your most important tools as a freelancer on Upwork. It's a place for you to show your skills and accomplishments. Using it to your full advantage may help you stand out to potential clients and boost your chances of winning jobs. See some of the items that successful freelancers add to enhance their profiles below:
Looking for help with a different section of your profile? Check out these articles.
Your portfolio is a powerful tool to impress potential clients with real-life examples of your skills and expertise. Portfolios aren't just for creative categories. They can encompass a wide range of work, from admin support to web development and beyond, allowing you to describe your contributions and add relevant skills for each project.
Only include projects that you contributed to (for example, don't use a project by somebody else even if they are in the same agency) and that meet Upwork's Terms of Service.Supported format and sizes
The following file formats and file sizes are supported for portfolio upload:
Format | Size |
---|---|
Audio: mpeg, wav, wave, x-wav, x-pn-wav, x-m4a | Up to 10MB, limit 20 per portfolio |
Image: jpg, jpeg, png, gif | Up to 10MB |
Video: mp4, quicktime, webm, ogg | Up to 100MB, limit 2 per portfolio |
Other: pdf | Up to 10MB, limit 5 per portfolio |
- Images: Recommended dimensions are 1000px width by 750px height. The minimum is 400px width by 300px height, with a maximum of 4000px width by 4000px height.
- Videos from YouTube or Vimeo: You can upload links from either site directly. If you want to link to a YouTube video, there are a few important steps to follow before you can post it:
- Upload to YouTube
- Disable monetization
- Ensure your video is public so that clients can view it
- Adhere to all other Upwork Terms of Service
To add work to your portfolio:
- Find the portfolio section on your profile and choose the (+) button
- Fill in the details of the project
- Title (up to 70 characters)
- Role (up to 100 characters)
- Project description (up to 600 characters)
- Skills & deliverables (up to 5 skill tags): This helps clients understand the skills you're demonstrating in this project
- Related Upwork job (optional): Add work from past Upwork contracts to your portfolio for added credibility. We notify your past clients when you do so, which allows them to review the link and reach out if they have any concerns about it being shared. The portfolio item will be added once the client approves it or after three days pass.
- Add the content that highlights the work you have done. This may include:
- Images
- Video: You can use a YouTube/Vimeo link, or upload directly
- Audio upload
- Documents
- Links to external sites
- Describe the work you did using text blocks
- Preview your project to make sure everything looks as intended
- At any point during this process, choose Save as draft to save your progress. You can find your draft projects in the Drafts tab in the Portfolio section on your Profile. Draft projects are not visible to clients
- Once you are satisfied with your project, select Publish. This makes it visible to clients
To edit a portfolio item:
You can edit a published portfolio item by selecting the pencil icon. If you link a related Upwork contract, the client is notified of the edit. This allows clients to review the media and reach out if they have any concerns. Clients have three days to accept or reject the link before it's published.
Published portfolio items are displayed on your profile with the first media set as the thumbnail. You can change your portfolio thumbnail by selecting the pencil icon > Change thumbnail. You can choose from your current uploaded files or add a new custom image. Keep in mind, files must 5 MB or smaller.
Best practices
Freelancers with effective portfolios tend to follow these best practices
- Be selective and show your best work, rather than everything you have ever created
- Highlight skills & technologies
- Keep your portfolio updated — as you complete new projects, remove examples that are outdated or irrelevant
It's essential to adhere to Upwork's guidelines when adding projects to your portfolio. If your project details do not meet these guidelines, you'll be prompted to resolve the errors. Corrections must be made before you can save the project as a draft or publish it.
Like the rest of your profile, posting contact info isn't allowed in your portfolio. That means these files (and linked sites) can't include your email address, phone number, or any other contact information.
TIP
Be sure your clients are OK with you posting the work
Adding a professional video to your profile is an excellent way to not only market your experience and expertise but to also make a strong first impression and get new relationships off to a great start. You can give your proposals a competitive edge by uploading a video that is polished and concisely showcases your skills and personality. Get tips on creating a great introductory video.
To add a video to your profile
- Go to your profile and scroll down to the Video introduction option in the sidebar
- Select the + sign to add a video
- Paste your YouTube video link into the box and select Save
Adding a video to your profile is optional. But if you do, creating a high-quality video that highlights your expertise is key. If your video is off topic or unprofessional, the video could hurt rather than help your chances of landing a project.
Guidelines for Profile Videos
- Upload to YouTube
- Disable monetization via YouTube (no ads on your video)
- Adhere to all other Upwork Terms of Service
Upwork draws users from around the world, and some projects may require specific language skills. You can help your profile stand out by listing all the languages in which you feel comfortable communicating.
You can also verify that you're proficient in English if it's not your native language.
How to add a language (other than English)
- Go to your profile and scroll down to the Languages section in the sidebar
- Choose the + button to add a language
- Enter the name of the language and specify your proficiency
- Choose the Save button
How to verify that you are fluent in English if it is not your native language
You can get English verified on Upwork in two ways:
- Take an Upwork-approved test from a third-party provider, which includes IELTS - English Proficiency Exam, Cambridge, and Duolingo tests, and add your certificate from the test. Learn more about adding certifications to your profile.
- Get rated by 3 clients when they end their contracts. When your contract ends, we ask your client to rate your English proficiency. Note: We take only the first 3 distinct clients' feedback for evaluating your English proficiency.
Certifications earned outside of Upwork are a great way to show off your skills and qualifications.
You can also verify your English proficiency with certifications from approved English tests (IELTS - English Proficiency Exam, Cambridge, and Duolingo).
To add a certification manually
- Go to your profile and scroll down to the Certifications section
- Choose the Add manually link or choose the + button and then choose Add manually
- Select a verifiable certification from the list and follow the instructions provided
- Choose Add certification
If you don't see the certification you want, start typing in the search bar, and you'll see the option to Add a custom certification. Enter the details and choose Add certification.
To import a certification from Credly
- Go to Your profile and scroll down to the Certifications section
- Choose the Import from Credly link or choose the + button and then Import from Credly
- Log in to Credly or create a Credly account
- When prompted to choose whether Upwork can access your Credly account, choose Allow Access
- Choose the credentials you want to import
Learn more about adding certifications and using Credly.
By completing the verification process, your profile will feature the official certification logo and a “Verified” badge on your certification. They can help you access opportunities that match your skill level.
If licensing is required for your profession or industry, you may need to add information about your license to your profile to meet legal and professional requirements. For example, many jurisdictions require lawyers, medical professionals, accountants, and architects to obtain a license in order to work in that profession.
Displaying your license may also help you communicate your qualifications to prospective clients, but unlike a certificate or degree, its primary purpose is to show that you are legally authorized to perform the duties of your profession
You can easily add your license information to your profile by following these steps:
- Go to your profile and scroll down to Licenses in the sidebar
- Choose the + to open the license entry modal
- Enter all applicable information about your license
- Select Save
After you add your information, you'll see your license listed on your profile. You'll also see a Show details button below it, which logged-in clients can select to learn more about your license and access the verification link. Logged-out clients will not be able to see the details of your license.
Add other experiences
The Other Experiences section is where you can add anything that doesn't easily fit into the other sections of your profile but is relevant to the types of projects you seek through Upwork. This could include personal interests, research projects, informal education, or any background information that helps support your expertise or marketability. Your experiences will be listed in alphabetical order
To add other experiences to your freelancer profile
- Go to your profile and scroll down to the Other experiences section
- Select the + button
- Enter a subject and description
- Choose the Save button
You can link a number of different social media accounts to help you create a 100% complete profile.
Linking an account provides Upwork with additional information that we can use to show you the right jobs and help find your next client faster. Upwork will not post or interact with these sites on your behalf. However, a link to the account profile may display on your Upwork profile.
To link a social account
- In your profile, choose Profile Settings
- Scroll down to Linked accounts and select the account you want to add
- Enter your account details and follow the instructions to complete the process
Once you start getting job offers, doing great work and communicating well with clients is one of the best ways to enhance your profile, since your contracts and feedback from clients display in your profile's work history. Closed contracts with at least $1 USD of payment display under Completed jobs, along with any feedback you receive. All active contracts display under In progress, regardless of earnings.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can find information about your profile's views and invites on your My stats page by selecting Stats and trends from the drop-down selections under your profile picture.
You can share your Upwork profile through your browser and the Upwork mobile app by using the Share option (share icon on mobile) in the upper right-handd corner of your profile.
You can share your Upwork portfolio in two ways:
- Attaching specific portfolio items to proposals using the profile highlights feature (this feature is not available to agencies)
- Use the Share link on the upper corner of your published portfolio project
No, your drafts aren't published, so they're not visible on your profile
If you linked a related Upwork job, the client must approve it (or three days must pass without approval or rejection) before the portfolio item is published. You'll be notified through email when your portfolio item goes live.
Make sure you've included all the required fields in order to publish a portfolio item. If you're having problems uploading media, make sure it's within the accepted file types and sizes:
- Images: Acceptable formats include .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, or .png. Recommended dimensions are 1000px width by 750px height. The minimum is 400px width by 300px height, with a maximum of 4000px width by 4000px height.
-
Videos from YouTube or Vimeo: You can upload links from either site directly. If you want to link to a YouTube video, there are a few important steps to follow before you can post it:
- Upload to YouTube
- Disable monetization
- Ensure your video is public so that clients can view it
- Adhere to all other Upwork Terms of Service
- Videos saved on your computer: The max file size is 100MB. Up to two video uploads are allowed per project
- Documents: You may attach files in .pdf format, up to a maximum of 25 MB
- Audio: You may attach .mp3 files up to 10MB
You can include up to 1,000 portfolios.