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Adding the below items to your profile can help you stand out to potential clients and boost your chances of winning jobs. Choose an option for assistance and advice.
Looking for help with a different section of your profile? Check out these articles.
Your portfolio is where you have the opportunity to impress potential clients with real-life examples of your skills and expertise. For freelancers in the Design & Creative category, the first item in your portfolio will appear alongside your profile in search results.
Use your portfolio to show off projects related to any or all of your skills, so long as you personally have worked on every item you add and adhere to all of Upwork’s Terms of Service.
Portfolios aren’t just for writing and artwork samples. You can describe the work you did and add relevant skills for projects you’ve completed related any category Upwork offers, from Admin Support to Web Development and everything in between.
To add a project to your portfolio
- Go to Find Work › Profile
- Scroll down to the Portfolio section and click the Add (+) button
- Enter the details of the project and select Publish Project
Guidelines for Videos
- Upload to YouTube or Vimeo
- Disable monetization (no ads on your video)
- Ensure your video is public
- Adhere to all other Upwork Terms of Service
Thumbnail images, URL, and/or project files can be attached for clients to view. Images can be in .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, or .png format. The minimum dimensions for images are 400px width x 300px height , however 1000px width x 750px height is recommended. Attachments can be in .doc, .swf, or .pdf format. The maximum size is 5 MB for the thumbnail and 25 MB for attachments.
You can tag the project with relevant skills to help clients find your work more easily. When possible, link it to an Upwork contract, too.
Like the rest of your profile, posting contact info isn’t allowed in your portfolio. That means these files (and linked sites) can’t include your email address, phone number, or chat ID.
Freelancers with effective portfolios tend to follow these best practices
- Be selective and show your best work rather than everything you have ever created
- Highlight skills & technologies
- Keep your portfolio updated, as you complete new projects, remove examples that are outdated or irrelevant
Where possible, you can link items to past Upwork contracts. These items will be displayed more prominently and help build your credibility in the marketplace. We’ll automatically email the client when a portfolio item has been linked, giving them three days to reject it before the item will be publicly linked to their history.
Tip
- Be sure your clients are ok with you posting the work
Adding a professional video to your profile is an excellent way to market your relevant experience and expertise to prospective clients. You can give your proposals a competitive edge by uploading a video that is polished and concisely showcases your skills. For tips on taking your profile to the next level is an awesome intro video, drop by our blog.
To add a video to your profile
Adding a video to your profile is optional. But if you do, creating a high-quality video that highlights your expertise is key. If your video is off topic or unprofessional, the video could hurt rather than help your chances of landing a project.
Guidelines for Profile Videos
- Upload to YouTube
- Disable monetization via YouTube (no ads on your video)
- Adhere to all other Upwork Terms of Service
Upwork draws users from around the globe and many prefer to collaborate in languages other than English. In addition, some projects may require the ability to read and write (or translate) certain languages. Therefore languages are searchable on profiles. You can help your profile stand out to global clients by including all languages in which you feel comfortable communicating.
To add a language (other than English)
- Go to Find Work › Profile
- Scroll to the Languages section and click the Add (+) button
- Enter the name of the language and specify your proficiency
Click the Save button or, if you want to enter more, click the Save and Add More button.
Adding certifications to your profile that you've earned outside Upwork is a great way to show off your skills and qualifications.
To add a certification
- Go to Find Work › Profile
- Scroll down to the Certifications section and click the Add (+) button
- Select a verifiable certification from the list and follow the instructions provided
By completing the verification process, your profile will feature the official certification logo, a 'Verified' badge on your certification, and which can help you access opportunities that match your level of skill.
If you try to enter a certification that is not on the list, you’ll have the opportunity to Suggest a Certification. Occasional additions will be made to the Add form as well as to the list below.
| Name | Provider |
|---|---|
| Adobe Certified Expert | Adobe |
| Appcelerator Titanium Certified Application Developer | Appcelerator |
| Appcelerator Titanium Certified Mobile Developer | Appcelerator |
| BlackBerry Certified Builder for Native Application Development | BlackBerry |
| BlackBerry Certified Builder for Web Application Development | BlackBerry |
| Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) | Cambridge English |
| Cambridge English: Business Vantage or Higher | Cambridge English |
| Cambridge English: First (FCE) | Cambridge English |
| Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) | Cambridge English |
| Cisco Certified Design Associate | Cisco |
| Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician | Cisco |
| Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert | Cisco |
| Cisco Certified Network Associate | Cisco |
| Cisco Certified Network Associate Security | Cisco |
| Cisco Certified Network Professional | Cisco |
| Cisco Firewall Security Specialist | Cisco |
| Cisco IOS Security Specialist | Cisco |
| CompTIA A+ Certification | CompTIA |
| CompTIA Network+ Certification | CompTIA |
| CompTIA Project+ Certification | CompTIA |
| CompTIA Security+ Certification | CompTIA |
| Duolingo Proficiency Exam in English | Duolingo |
| Google Ads Display Certification | |
| Google Ads Mobile Certification | |
| Google Ads Search Certification | |
| Google Ads Shopping Certification | |
| Google Ads Video Certification | |
| Analytics Certification | |
| Associate Android Developer | |
| Hubspot Marketing Software Certification | Hubspot |
| Hubspot Contextual Marketing Certification | Hubspot |
| Hubspot Design Certification | Hubspot |
| Hubspot Agency Partner Certification | Hubspot |
| Hubspot Inbound Certification (2017 Version) | Hubspot |
| IELTS - English Proficiency Exam | IELTS |
| Linux Professional Institute Certification - Level 1 | Linux Professional Institute |
| Linux Professional Institute Certification - Level 2 | Linux Professional Institute |
| Linux Professional Institute Certification - Level 3 | Linux Professional Institute |
| Magento Certified Developer | Magento |
| Magento Certified Developer Plus | Magento |
| Magento Certified Front End Developer | Magento |
| Microsoft Certified Professional | Microsoft |
| MongoDB Certified DBA Associate | MongoDB University |
| MongoDB Certified Developer, Associate | MongoDB University |
| Oracle Certified Associate | Oracle |
| Oracle Certified Associate - Java | Oracle |
| Oracle Certified Expert | Oracle |
| Oracle Certified Expert - Java | Oracle |
| Oracle Certified Master | Oracle |
| Oracle Certified Master - Java | Oracle |
| Oracle Certified Professional | Oracle |
| Oracle Certified Professional - Java | Oracle |
| Red Hat Certified Engineer | Red Hat |
| Red Hat Certified System Administrator | Red Hat |
| Salesforce Certified Administrator | Salesforce |
| Salesforce Certified Force.com Developer | Salesforce |
| Zend Certified Engineer | Zend |
| Zend Framework Certified Engineer | Zend |
The Other Experiences section is where you can add anything that doesn't easily fit into the other sections of your profile but is relevant to the types of projects you seek through Upwork. This could include personal interests, research projects, informal education, or any background information that helps support your expertise or marketability. Your experiences will be listed in alphabetical order.
To add other experiences to your freelancer profile
- Go to Find Work › Profile
- Scroll down to the Other Experiences section and click the Add (+) button
- Enter a subject and description then click the Save button or, if you want to enter more, click the Save and Add More button
You can link a number of different social media accounts to help you create a 100% complete profile.
Linking an account provides Upwork with additional information that we can use to show you the right jobs so you can find your next client faster. Upwork will not post or interact with these sites on your behalf and will not display the account on your Upwork profile.
To link a social account
- Go to Find Work › Profile
- Click the Profile Settings button
- Scroll down to Linked accounts and select the account you want to add
- Enter your account details and follow the instructions to complete the process
