DATE: 22 March 2024
Welcome and Prayer
Justin opened the meeting with prayer.
Discussion
Greg: Philemon, how has working on Upwork been?
Philemon: A client asked me to take some classes before I joined his enterprise. I did those courses that were based on programming and developing some websites. After undergoing those courses, he gave me some projects to do for him that are test projects. If I satisfy the client, he will give me the opportunity to join his enterprise. There will be three test projects, and if I succeed in the test, then I will be working with him on more projects. Besides that, I have been working with a client on transcription for another client. Also, I can mention Micheal who visited Bukavu with you is working on a project of training different programmers. Some of us on this call are working with Mike on this project.
Greg: Philemon, how is it going with training new people on Upwork?
Philemon: There are around five guys that I am working with on how to improve their profile on Upwork. Very soon they will be certified.
Greg: If they want to attend these EHI calls, you can have them attend these calls.
Philemon: Efatha is among them. This is his first time to join this call.
Greg: That is very good. Legrand, I understand you have had some frustrations on Upwork. You bid on several jobs, but did not get any.
Legrand: Yes, but I have faith and confidence in God that I will be selected in other jobs.
Greg: I am looking at your profile. Be careful working for clients of very low-paying jobs. They seem like not good employers to work for. Their deadlines are sharp, but they are not good at communicating specific job expectations. This leads to receiving low job ratings and that affects future job opportunities. Low-paying jobs might be risky to take.
Greg: Iragi, were you able to resolve your Payoneer issue?
Iragi: I have not been able to solve the issue. I have been in communication with Payoneer, but it is not yet resolved. Philemon helped me create a Payoneer account. I will also contact Jeff to see if we can try to make an account again.
Greg: Solomon, were you able to get your verification issue resolved?
Solomon: Yes, all of the problems have been solved.
Elin: A reminder that the best practice for hourly jobs is to submit your time immediately after you work your hours, on the same day you complete those hours. This gives the client a clear picture of what you worked on and when you worked. Recording your time accurately and promptly enables you to receive timely payments.
Greg: Record your time every day. Does anyone have any questions about hourly jobs?
Legrand: If a client asks us how many hours, we think a job will take, what do you recommend we tell them?
Greg: Is this during the proposal time?
Legrand: Yes, when we are discussing the working conditions. It is difficult to know how many hours the job will take, yet the client wants to agree about the number of hours the job will take before the job begins. What if it takes us more or fewer hours than what we had discussed?
Greg: If a job takes less than the number of hours you agreed upon, bill them only for the hours you worked. If it is more than the number of hours you agreed upon, it is more difficult. The client will wonder if you worked efficiently or if you are cheating them. For example, if you are just starting and you said it would take you 16 hours, and it takes you 20, I would just bill them for 16 hours. If you agreed on 16 hours, and it looks like it is going to take 40 hours, then you will have to have a conversation with your client. What is really important when you are just getting started on Upwork, you really want really good reviews, so it is important to keep the client happy.
Efatha: If I work online multiple times a day, do I submit the total at the end of the day?
Greg: Yes, submit your total at the end of the day.
Elin: If you record your time accurately in your Upwork Work Diary and are productive on behalf of the client during that time, it is okay to work in stages throughout the day. This is common for hourly jobs.
Legrand: A client who is familiar with Upwork and is reasonable will not mind if you work in stages throughout the day.
Bible Verse
Romans 8:28
(NIV) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
(LSG) Cherchez premièrement le royaume et la justice de Dieu; et toutes ces choses vous seront données par-dessus.
1 Corinthians 15:58
(NIV) Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
(LSG) Ainsi, mes frères bien-aimés, soyez fermes, inébranlables, travaillant de mieux en mieux à l’oeuvre du Seigneur, sachant que votre travail ne sera pas vain dans le Seigneur.
Greg: I want to remind everyone that what you are doing is very difficult. The reason it is difficult is because you are working on the internet with someone from another country that you do not know. Many times, you are working with someone whose native language is different, and you are working with someone whose culture is different. If you are working with someone in Europe and America they do not understand that you have electricity problems, internet problems, and problems with getting food and water every day. They don’t understand your reality just like you don’t understand their reality, but you have a secret weapon. What is the secret weapon, secret power?
Iragi: The big secret weapon we have is our faith in Christ.
Greg: That’s right! And why is that our secret weapon?
Iragi: Jesus can continue the difficult clients to give us jobs.
Greg: I want to talk about two verses we have talked about before. The first one is Matthew 6:33. If we first seek Jesus’ Kingdom and righteousness then He will provide for us what we need to live. That means what is important to Jesus must be important to us. That means we will choose to obey Him. That means we will choose to live in a way Jesus would live. It means that we will love people. It means we will love our neighbors as ourselves. The second verse is 1 Corinthians 15:58. If we work diligently, the Lord will reward our hard work. So, you are pioneers. The work of pioneers is difficult because other people in Bukavu have never done what you are doing. The work you are doing is making it easier for others to follow, but it is difficult for others as well. They are also pioneers, and they will make it easier for the next generation to follow them. But our secret power is Jesus. Our job is to keep working diligently.
Closing Prayer
Iragi closed us in prayer.
Upwork Tips
SETTING UP YOUR UPWORK PROFILE
https://www.upwork.com/resources/upwork-for-beginners (Philemon)
GETTING PAID
- Track your time accurately so you are compensated for your time
- Recording your time accurately and promptly enables you to receive timely payments
- Manual time for hourly jobs
- https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211068488-Add-Manual-Time
- Track your time accurately and honestly
- Enter your time in the Work Diary as soon as possible after each time worked
- NOTE! If you have more than 1 active hourly job contract, be sure that you are entering time in the correct job
- Select date
- Select start and end time
- Add a brief memo describing work
- Click on submit
- All time logged in your Work Diary and added as manual time, is automatically invoiced
- Your Work Diary tracks all your payments
UPWORK AUTO-TRACKING
- Log time with the Upwork Desktop App
- Review all your payment settings
HOURLY CONTRACTS
- Freelancers and agencies include their rate when submitting a proposal to your project. You can further negotiate this rate during the interview process.
FIXED PRICE CONTRACTS
- Freelancers and agencies submit their proposed bid for the entire project and suggest potential milestones. You can further negotiate the price and payment of milestones during the interview process.
- Contact the client if there are missing payments in your Work Diary
- Contact Upwork support with any unresolved questions/issues about payment
TRANSITION FROM A TRADITIONAL JOB TO AN ONLINE PLATFORM
- Self-Assessment: What are the skills you utilize on a daily basis? Consider not only the technical skills but also soft skills such as communication, time management, problem-solving, and adaptability.
- Research Freelancing Roles: Look into the types of freelancing roles that align with your interests and skills.
- Identify Transferable Skills: For example, if you’re transitioning from a project manager position, skills such as organization, delegation, and leadership can be highly transferable to freelance project management or virtual assistance roles.
- Highlight Relevant Experience: Update your resume, portfolio, or online profiles to highlight the skills and experiences that are most relevant to your chosen freelancing niche. Tailor your messaging to showcase how your previous roles have prepared you for success as a freelancer.
- Invest in Skill Development: Identify any gaps in your skill set that may be necessary for freelancing success and take steps to fill them. This could involve online courses, workshops, or self-directed learning. Many platforms offer certification programs that can help validate your skills to potential clients.
- Networking and Brand Building: Build a strong profile. Network with other freelancers in your industry to learn from their experiences and potentially find collaborative opportunities.
- Start Small: As you transition into freelancing, consider taking on small projects or offering your services at a discounted rate to build your portfolio and gain experience. This can help you establish yourself in the freelance market and receive valuable feedback from clients.
FREELANCING PAYMENTS THROUGH PAYONEER:
- Make sure that your Upwork account name matches your Payoneer account name. It’s important for the names to match for successful payment setup.
- Double-check the information you provided during the setup process, including your Payoneer account details and any required identification or tax information.
- Keep in mind that it may take up to three calendar days for a new payment method to become active. If it has been less than three days, please wait patiently for the activation.
- https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211063988-Payoneer
GETTING VERIFIED ON UPWORK
- Verification is required
- Successful and lasting client-talent relationships start with a strong foundation of trust. To help ensure a professional, secure marketplace that everyone can trust, Upwork is moving toward requiring all active talent to verify their identity.
- Once you’ve verified your identity, Upwork will put an Identity Verified badge on your profile. The badge displays as a check mark next to your name. This lets anyone who sees your profile know that we’ve taken steps to confirm that you are who you say you are.
- You will need a valid government ID
- You will need to take a picture of your government-issued ID to verify your identity
- You will need to be the same person as your Upwork profile photo
- You will need to match the address you have on file on your Upwork profile
TIPS FOR TAKING PHOTO OF YOUR GOVERNMENT ID
- Take a photo of the front of your ID, without flash. Capture the image from above, with your ID lying on a flat surface. Ensure all four corners of your ID are showing. Take the photo in color (at least 200 dpi). Upload your photo in PNG, JPEG, PDF, or BMP format
- Log into your Upwork account, go to Settings, then Identity Verification
- Provide a valid government-issued ID
- Complete a visual verification
- If you have trouble verifying your identity contact freelancer support. They can create a ticket and you will receive a follow up via email.
- Access Freelancer support via your Upwork profile. Use the question mark (?) for help at the top right corner of the screen and then click on help and support.
- If you don’t verify your identity within 7 days of notification Upwork will place a hold on your account. The hold will prevent you from withdrawing earnings, submitting proposals to new jobs, accepting direct hires, or showing up in search results. Any active proposals that have been submitted will be canceled. The hold will not affect your ability to work on existing contracts and we will be happy to remove it once you’ve verified your identity.
https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000563227-Government-ID-Verification
TOP RATED BADGE BENEFITS
When you’re Top Rated, Upwork puts a dedicated badge on your profile, your proposals, and your projects on Project Catalog. This badge lets clients know you have a track record of great work and may increase your chances of being invited to an interview. Upwork updates eligibility every two weeks. Developing great relationships with your clients is the first step toward becoming a Top-Rated freelancer. Communication and professionalism are essential. Successful freelancers also choose projects that match their skills, provide quality work, and complete projects on time.
To qualify you must meet these requirements
- A current Job Success Score of 90% or higher
- First project on Upwork was more than 90 days ago
- Maintained Rising Talent status or a Job Success Score of at least 90% for at least 13 of the last 16 weeks
- A 100% complete profile
- 12-month earnings of at least $1,000
- Up-to-date availability (if unavailable now, set a date estimate)
- An account in good standing with no recent account holds
- Activity on the platform (proposal, accepted invitation, or earnings) in the past 90 days
Benefits:
- More control over your Job Success Score
- You can occasionally request the removal of client feedback.
- Job Digest email to make it easier to find jobs that are a great match
- A periodic email including jobs suggested specifically for the recipient
- Faster payments on hourly contracts
- With faster payouts, the typical 10-day wait for payment is cut in half for hourly contracts
- Ability to offer consultations to share expertise with clients
- Set up consultation to increase earnings, build a network of clients, and boost your reputation. Choose when you’re available to meet and set your rate, then clients can come to you.