DATE: 9-15-2023
Welcome and Prayer
Rigo welcomed everyone to the call. Iragi led the group in prayer.
Bible Verse
Proverbs 12:24
(NIV) Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.
(LSG) La main des diligents dominera, Mais la main lâche sera tributaire.
[Rigo] Living is hard work. There is no living without hard work. What does that mean to us? What it means to me is setting an alarm in the morning to wake up when I would rather sleep in. It means going to church when you would rather stay home and do nothing. It means memorizing scripture in the Bible when you would rather do something else. Lastly, it means teaching others, so that others can teach others as well. Living is hard work. It is not easy. You have to put in something to get something in return. But it is worth it. There is a reward. There is no transformation without hard work. This applies to the real world and our spiritual world in Christ. Hard work allows us to be a blessing to others as well. Whether that is with time, money or knowledge. Hard work allows us to be a blessing to others.
That is a verse that I [Rigo] have been reading and thinking about this week, and it’s a verse that I wanted to share with you all today as a reminder that yes, work is hard, but there are so many benefits of hard work.
Discussion
Thank you to the Connects Program participants for completing the survey. The information that you provide gives us valuable insight into your challenges and successes on Upwork and it will help us improve the EHI (Exporting Human Intelligence) program.
We welcome new members. Begin by connecting with us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/AfricaMupya) and by participating in our Faith & Trust Bible Study found at: https://africamupya.com/bible-study-sign-up/
[Rigo] Now, we will talk about proposals. It’s important when you create a proposal for it to be personalized. What does that mean? Why do you want to make it personalized?
A personalized proposal is when the applicant adjusts the proposal to the needs of the client.
From the perspective of the employer, what that tells me is that the applicant did their homework to understand what my needs and problems are. And because of that, I would want to work with them more. Going back to our Bible verse today, creating a personal proposal is not easy. It takes time. It takes time for you to do research and figure out what the needs and problems are. But there is value and benefits in doing that. It tells the employer that you took the time to figure out what their needs are and show them how you can solve their needs.
Besides understanding the needs and problems, we should also include examples of how you specifically solved a similar problem for another client.
Question: Has anyone had success personalizing their proposals?
Answer: [Legrand]I was able to personalize my proposal thanks to the AI website that Philemon shared to our group, www.proposalgenie.ai. It allows us to save time and organize our thoughts and ideas.
Answer: [Jeff] In two successful proposals this month, I demonstrated how I was going to solve the problem of the client.
Question: [Iragi] How do I know if I have created a good proposal?
Answer: [Rigo] Remember that you are completing against 100’s of other freelancers. As you draft your proposal, keep in mind that employers do not have a lot of time to read a very long proposal. What do I mean by that? Keep it short. Make sure to demonstrate that you understand the needs of the client and include examples of how you will solve their problem. The more examples the better but keep it short. That is a challenge, but it can be done.
Rigo cited an example from his own work. He has to create reports for his company leaders, but they do not have a lot of time to read the whole report. His solution is to highlight the important things that I want them to focus on. This can be applied to your own proposals. Highlight the important things that will help the client solve their problem.
[Elin]: I would like to remind all members to beware of scams. Keep all communication, messaging, proposals and interviews on the Upwork platform. Report suspicious activity to Upwork. When bidding on a job, always look at client status, verified payment and client reviews/history. Scammers will ask you to pay to get a job and go off platform to communicate.
[Rigo]: Thank you to everyone who attended this meeting and completed the Connects Survey. I want to encourage you to continue working together to succeed on Upwork.
[Iragi] Thank you for the Connects program, but the jobs that we used to bid on require more Connects.
[Elin] The price of bidding on jobs has gone up for everyone, across the globe. Upwork jobs currently require between 2 and 16 connects to send a proposal.
Connects is the Upwork digital currency used for submitting proposals for freelance contracts. Upwork introduced Connects in 2019. Now freelancers are required to use Connects to submit proposals, boost their proposals, and signal to clients that they’re available for work.
We encourage you all to continue to work together to achieve success in Upwork.
Closing Prayer
Jeff closed us in prayer.
Upwork Tip (Provided by Philemon)
To filter your job search:
- Filter your searches on Upwork to only show job postings that match your specific criteria.
- When you are on the main job search page, you should see a list of filters on the left-hand side of the page.
- You can use these filters to narrow down your search by location, job category, experience level, and many other criteria.
Start by logging in to your Upwork Account.
- From the home page of your account, in the Search box, enter the type of job you are looking for.
- Filter your search on the left menu bar.
- You can filter your job search by:
- Category
- Experience level
- Job type
- Number of proposals
- Client info – can select previous clients and verified clients (do not apply for a job with an unverified client, usually a scam)
- Client history
- Client location
- Client time zones
- Project length
- Hours per week
- Connects needed