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Before you can get work on Upwork.
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First you have to get approved.
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This is not bad news in the beginning, but once you get approved, then it's a good news. Because that
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means that Upwork is trying to keep the marketplace nice and tight.
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So, it's not overcrowded, overcrowded with freelancers. Because then if there is too many freelancers,
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the competition is too much and the prices will be driven down. And basically it's not going to be a
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big benefit for freelancers, who are working on Upwork and neither for the clients. Because then they
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just have to go through so many different freelancers, and it's too much competition basically.
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So, when you open an account as a freelancer on an Upwork, you submit your application and they have
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to review it within a few days. And they either approve or reject.
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If you get rejected don't freak, because you can reapply. And there is no limit on how many times you
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can reapply to Upwork. And you'll just improve your profile and then apply again.
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And if it doesn't work, and then again, and again, and again. My experience with this application process
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is not much to talk about.
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I made it, it was accepted.
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End of story.
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But there is this guy Danny Margulies, if I'm pronouncing his name correctly. And he has this blog and
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I think it's called freelance to win. And on his blog he has wrote this article, which I'm going to a
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link in the resources. And I want you to read that article. Because there is great tips and I want you
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to read that article before you apply to Upwork. Because he has tried and tested many different strategies
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on applying to Upwork and getting accepted.
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So, I want you to read that.
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And here are some tips that I'm shamelessly stealing from that article.
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Upwork wants to create a balance on the marketplace between number of jobs posted and then freelancers
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bidding on that job.
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So, when this balance kind of disturbs and let's say somebody posts the logo design and you have
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1000 freelancers bidding on that job, then things gonna get out of hand.
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So, whenever that balance is disturbed, the Upwork closes the gate on new applications who are applying
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for that particular skill.
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So, for example, if it's a let's say logo designers, right? And Upwork has way too many logo designers,
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but not enough jobs that are being posted in that category. Then they're going to sort of temporarily
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close the gate on new applications and new freelancers, who are coming within that category.
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So, until that kind of balance comes back up. One way to avoid this happening to you during your application
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process, is to show Upwork that your skills sort of stretch between many different categories.
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As a web designer, you automatically fall under multiple categories. First, under family of development,
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you have web and mobile design, plus web development. And under the family of design and creative, you
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have graphics and design category. And maybe even other, for things like user experience and user interface
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design, since they're not listed there.
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And in case you have other skills and you plan on doing other jobs, maybe like logo or brand design, then
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you can include that too. But don't stretch yourself artificially, because Upwork from time to time they
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do check the skill level, so they might do some interviews, where they can check if you know and if you
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are capable in these categories.
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Besides choosing categories Upwork also asks you for specific skills, that you have. And Danny suggests, in
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his article, to list as many skills as possible. And Upwork
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has this huge database of skills, where you search and then it auto-fills and gives you the option
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which you have to select. For example,
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in terms of web design, these are skills you could easily go for. Things like web design obviously, responsive
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design, Figma, Webflow, landing pages and so on. But only choose genuine skills that are relevant to
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the job.
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Don't put Microsoft Word, because that's not relevant to your category of work.
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I'll let you read rest of the tips from the Dennis article itself.
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There are 13 more, so check them out.
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Okay, back to my own content and not stealing other people's advice.
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So, when you first submit your application, you don't have an option to submit a portfolio. But then,
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if you get rejected and you reapply, then this portfolio option opens up, and you're able to submit
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a portfolio. And show your past work to sort of support your application. In case you are going through
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this application process
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second time and you are uploading your portfolio, do not upload portfolio work from this course.
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Here is why.
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Since there are a lot of students in this course and a lot of you will probably go on Upwork to apply,
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you will end up applying with the same portfolio pieces, if you use those that we all have already built
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in this, and designed in this 
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course.
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And for the off chance, where it's the same person reviewing your application on Upwork, then for them
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to see two different applicants applying with the same exact portfolio, that's going to raise red flags
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for both of them.
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Once approved, then it's okay.
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You can use this work as your portfolio and you can use it with your clients.
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That's not a problem. At the end of the day,
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you did build this website, I didn't do it for you.