Upwork: history and modernity

Upwork is an online platform from Upwork Global Incorporated company that helps people from different corners of the world hire freelancers or earn money by making freelance services. It is useful for both parties as each registered user can hire a professional or start raising money right at the moment and in accordance with the requirements and skills. The mission of the website is to provide both employers and employees with an opportunity to connect, collaborate and succeed quickly using this online workplace.

The story of Upwork is not that long as the platform appeared only in 2015 being a result of merging of two powerful freelance pioneers oDesk and Elance. The team has taken the best technology, resources, and features of both these websites to create a premium new brand entitled Upwork. Their commitment has given results as it belongs to top ten best freelance websites according to Upwork reviews and online surveys. Today the site offers jobs that pay out over $1 billion to the freelancers on a daily basis and millions of people have already tried the platform personally – really impressive numbers.

Each Upwork review on the Web has different information about its place in the top list of other freelance websites. But it is undoubtedly, that the platform is ranked one of the best by many users. The most widely known Upwork competitors are Fiverr, freelancer.com and many others. Despite the fact that the demographics of the platform is rather various nobody can refuse a classic scheme that prevails modern online jobs – US and UK employers hire predominantly European (Eastern mostly) freelancers.

Upwork interface is rather simple and user-friendly. When you go to the website, you immediately appear on the home page, where you are offered to get started looking for a freelancer choosing a necessary skill. When you have created your personal Upwork account, the website offers to make 4 steps to have your project finished:

1. Find freelancers posting a job on the website.
2. Hire a person to meet your requirements after browsing proposals, profiles, reviews etc.
3. Start working on the project using Upwork functionality (chats, files sharing etc.).
4. Pay only for authorized work through the platform for the secure payment processing.

An employer can choose freelancers in accordance with the required skills. There are such categories of skills available on the website:

• Designers & Creatives (animators, illustrators, artists, photo experts, actors etc.);
• Programmers & Developers;
• Administrative Support Specialists (assistants, agents, contractors etc.);
• Writers & Translators (copywriters, rewriters, editors, journalists, proofreaders, translators etc.);
• Finance Professionals (accounting specialists, analysts, business coaches etc.) and others.

If the employer does not wish to waste time for searches, Upwork team offers additional levels of service:

• Upwork Pro will provide you with premium talented handpicked freelancers;
• Upwork Enterprise guarantees end-to-end freelancer management system.

Today the platform can boast such renowned companies as Instapage, Zendesk, Dropbox to use its services – that makes it rather trustworthy and reliable too.

The way of an ordinary freelancer to earning money is a bit tougher. When a future employee goes to a home page of the website, he or she must find a “Become a Freelancer” button. There is an overview of both Upwork hiring and freelancing and a possibility to sign up as a freelancer.

The website offers each freelancer to find rewarding projects to meet his expectations and skills. As soon as an employee completes his or her Upwork profile, the person receives an opportunity to be hired by a client. That happens due to the sophisticated algorithm of the project highlighting for each employer as well as freelancer’s efforts by sending compelling proposals to clients. The more successful projects you perform, the higher status and ranking you get among other freelancers.

It is completely free to use Upwork both for clients and freelancers. Any payments are processed securely using such methods as:

• Local Funds Transfer
• PayPal
• Payoneer
• Direct Deposit
• Skrill
• Wire Transfer

Then the money is processed to the Upwork website and secured by Upwork Payment Protection. That means that freelancers are given payment for successfully finished work without any doubts. That refers both to hour-paid projects as well as contracts with fixed prices.

If employers are not charged any fees, freelancers are free to use website functionality, but still, they have to pay a fee for freelance services. Upwork pricing is estimated as an exact percentage of freelancer’s earnings:

• The first sum under $500 is charged 20%;
• The total sum over $500.01 and under $10,000 is charged 10%
• The earnings over $10,000 is charged 5%

There is also an additional charge for money withdrawal. Freelancers can withdraw not less than $20 with the additional $2.50 withdrawal fee. If there are any questions concerning fees or working for Upwork, you can turn to a 247 support that is available by chat, phone, FAQ or e-mails.

Apart from the Upwork desktop app that helps to track the time spent on work it is very comfortable to look through the new projects or place bids using the Upwork mobile app. It is available for IOs and Android and can be downloaded from the website.

Upwork is regarded one of the best freelance platforms so many users mention the benefits of the service in Upwork reviews. The main advantages of this online workplace are:

1. Free of charge membership – it is absolutely free to sign up for the platform both for clients and employees.
2. A big number of clients offering jobs – people from different countries sign up for Upwork to work and hire other people. The figures are overwhelming – millions of workers cooperate with hundreds of thousands of employers.
3. Suitable for either partial or full-time job – each person can find a job basing on the skills. It is possible to get extra profit as well as find a full-time job in the reputable company.
4. A new method of payment: working more pay less – that refers to the workers, who deal with regular customers. The more employees work with them, the less service fee they have.
5. Qualification and proficiency test – clients can find highly-professional candidates considering the completed tests on a variety of skills. They are accessible in the freelancers’ profiles and help employers to ensure is a person is a specialist in the sphere he is looking for.
6. A guarantee of private and safe communication between employers and freelancers – different ways of controlling the workflow and the opportunity to coordinate the employee in different ways contribute to a better result.
7. Reliable secure payment – no frauds and payment cheats.
8. Great support service – 4 different ways to contact support that works round the clock.
9. Desktop and mobile applications – accessibility of the platform from many modern devices as well as a possibility to manage working time due to the apps.
10. Possibility to find a specialist from other countries without extra expenses for recruiting and transportation.
11. The simplicity of use – a user-friendly interface comprehensible for everyone.
12. Real feedbacks and reviews of Upwork – feedbacks can be given only to completed and already paid projects.

Despite such a popularity and recognition many users also mention that Upwork is going down after merging. All that might happen because of some drawbacks they mention when people review Upwork. Here are some causes that may bring about negative feedbacks:

1. An automatic deletion of accounts – many people complain that their accounts have been deleted unreasonably, though this issue is resolved by support.
2. Problems with client-freelancer connection – since Elance shift many users claim about difficulties in connection with clients.
3. Not perfect new payment scheme – it may be unjust to other freelancers to stimulate one employee to deal with one client for a long time.
4. Difficulties with customer support – there are complaints about no answers to legitimate questions.
5. No refund of payment for not approved profiles.
6. Manipulating clients – many freelancers log for more hours to be paid bigger sums of money.
7. Challenges for newcomers – numerous bids give no results, so many experienced professionals just leave the website.

Upwork has been recognized by millions of people all around the world. It is a popular online platform that changes the way modern business works. This website is a good chance to prove the professionalism for freelancers and get worldwide recognition. At the same time, employers receive a chance to find specialists in some rare fields and that is completely free of charge. Of course, each platform has its drawbacks and Upwork is not an exception too.

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