Build Your Profile - Essential Items

The title of your profile is your first impression to potential clients. It gives you a spotlight to shine on your top skills and area of expertise.

To edit your profile title

1. Go to Find Work › Profile
2. Select the ✎ icon next to your title
3. Update your title and click Save

Tips

• Be descriptive about the services you offer
• Highlight your primary talents instead of trying to include every skill you have
• Add an eye-catching title

Custom Profile URL

If you are a Plus plan member, you can create a customized URL for your freelancer profile. Your customized URL must be between 4 and 20 characters long and only include letters A-Z and numbers 0-9. You may not include "Upwork" in your URL.

Please note that it may take some time (up to a week) for Google and other search engines to start including your updated profile link in their search results.

To add a customized profile URL

1. Go to Find Work › Profile
2. Click the ✎ icon next to Profile Link in the right-hand column
3. Customize your URL and click Save

For Basic plan members, it isn't possible to customize your profile URL. You can upgrade to a Plus plan or click 'Copy link' and share the default profile URL as it appears in your browser.

To complete your Upwork profile and start submitting proposals, you must upload a profile portrait photo. Profile photos must be an actual picture of you. This is important for both verifying your identity and connecting with potential clients.

To upload or change your profile photo

1. Go to Find Work › Profile
2. Click the ✎ icon next to your profile photo
3. Choose a file, adjust and crop the photo to your face, then click Save

Tips for choosing a great portrait photo

• Clear, headshot-style photos work best
• Sunglasses, logos, clip-art, group pictures, and digitally-altered images are not allowed
• A How-To Guide for Your Perfect Profile Picture

If you would like to request a religious exemption for using a profile picture, please contact us using the "Get Support" button below.

Sometimes it’s okay to show off and brag a little bit — your overview is one of those times. This is where you set the tone for your whole profile — show your personality and give clients a reason to read more about your incredible skills and experience. But don’t go too long — only the first 250 or so characters will appear in the freelancer search results list. And remember, never include your contact information in your profile.

To add an overview to your profile

1. Go to Find Work › Profile
2. Scroll down to the Overview section and click the ✎ icon
3. Type in the message what you want clients to see about you first and click Save

Your hourly rate gives clients an idea of how much you generally charge and allows clients to filter freelancer searches by rate. This rate may be higher or lower than the actual rates in your Upwork history, and it certainly does not prevent you from negotiating new contracts on a case-by-case basis.

When you change your rate on your profile, it will not affect your current contracts or proposals. You can change it as often as you like. Some freelancers update it to match each proposal they submit. Others use it as a baseline for negotiations, much like a store would publish a higher full retail price and then offer discounts.

To update your profile’s hourly rate

1. Go to Find Work › Profile
2. Hover over your hourly rate and choose the ✎ icon
3. Enter your rate and click Save

Note: Your profile will show the rate that potential clients see. When you set your rate with this form, you’re shown the Upwork Service Fee, which is deducted from the total rate.

Having a complete profile with your work history and list of skills can help a potential client determine whether you are right for their project.

To add skills to your profile

1. Go to Find Work › Profile
2. Scroll down to the Skills section and click the ✎ icon
3. Start typing the name of a skill, then select the best match from the list and click Save
4. Repeat for all your skills

You can add up to 15 skills and choose their order by moving the tags in the editor window. How you arrange them here is how they will appear in your profile.

When adding your skills, be sure you're using the correct spelling and naming the skill in English. If you are having trouble finding your skill among the options, try some synonyms. For example, "fax" instead of "facsimile." Or be a little less specific. For example, try "technical documentation" instead of "electronics manual creation." Please note that we have purposefully excluded services that you can't directly sell in our marketplace, such as "dog groomer" or "ninja."

We’ll ask you about your English proficiency when you create your profile. You should self-assess your skill level; however, it’s important to be honest when assessing your language abilities.

Overstating any skills may make it difficult to satisfy your clients and could adversely impact your reputation on Upwork. Being upfront helps establish trust with potential clients.

If English is not your native language, you can also become English-verified on Upwork to let clients know your English proficiency level.

To edit your English proficiency

1. Go to Find Work › Profile
2. Scroll to the Languages section (in the right column near the top) and select the ✎ icon
3. Specify your proficiency and click Save

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

You can use your work history to establish the credibility that clients look for in a freelancer.

To add your work history to your profile

1. Go to Find Work › Profile
2. Scroll down to the Employment History section and click the Add (+) button
3. Enter the employment details and click the Save or, if you want to enter more, Save and Add More

Pro Tips

• Feel free to include student jobs, internships, and volunteer experience
• You can also include clients and projects from your freelance work outside of Upwork
• Your Upwork contracts will appear in your work history automatically
• If you have had an unusual combination of jobs, consider adding some of them to help you stand out

Your employment history will always appear in chronological order, with the most recent at the top. Generally, you only need to list the history relating to the types of projects you seek on Upwork. If a past job is not an exact match but helped you acquire skills that relate to your current work, be sure to highlight that in your job description.

The Education section lets you add any degrees or diplomas you have earned.

To add your education

1. Go to Find Work › Profile
2. Scroll down to the Education section and click the Add (+) button
3. Enter your school and degree details and click Save or, if you want to enter more, Save and Add More

When adding a degree, type the first few letters (such as "B" or "Bach" for Bachelor of Science/B.S.) and then choose from the list of matches. You must choose from the standardized list, but if you can't find the option you need, select 'Other' and name the degree in your description.

Pro Tips

• When adding your education, you can include a brief summary of your coursework
• Feel free to add any clubs, groups, or societies that were part of your experience
• Include any awards you received, your grade-point average, and/or class ranking (i.e., Magna Cum Laude)
• If you studied a subject but didn't graduate, feel free to include that as well

Your experience level helps clients to match you with the most relevant projects. Be truthful in selecting your experience level. Setting inappropriate expectations may make it difficult to satisfy your client(s) and could adversely impact your reputation. Being upfront helps establish trust with potential clients.

To update your experience level

1. Go to Find Work › Profile, then click the Profile Settings button
2. Scroll down to Experience level and choose from Entry Level, Intermediate, or Expert

You can select up to 4 categories when you first create your freelancer account and up to 10 after you have been approved to join Upwork. Your profile will be displayed in these categories when clients search through them.

To update your profile categories

1. Go to Find Work › Profile, then click the Profile Settings button
2. Scroll down to the Categories section and click the ✎ icon
3. Select your categories and click Save

Focus on your strongest, most specialized services when selecting categories. Although we limit the number of categories your profile is viewable in, you're always welcome to submit proposals to projects in any category.

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.