At the start of this year, I created an Upwork account to make more money freelancing after ditching my office job.
Fast forward to the end of the year, and Upwork has contributed $9,000+ to my income this year:
Granted, this is just from two clients and an ongoing contract, but it goes to show that you can get started on Upwork as a beginner and start to make money.
Now, I got pretty lucky with Upwork because of contacts I had made through This Online World.
However, I have other friends who turned to Upwork this year to start making money online, and they’re also finding success slowly but surely.
So, if you’re currently struggling with figuring out how to earn from Upwork, don’t despair!
Today, we’re covering 9 easy jobs on Upwork you can use to kickstart your freelancing journey.
Let’s get into it!
Table of Contents
A Quick Note On Easy Upwork Jobs
Just one thing before we get started.
Part of making money on Upwork requires getting reviews on your profile, networking with people, and also writing a robust description of the services you offer and what your skills are.
Now, unfortunately, this sometimes means you need to take lower-paying beginner jobs to get the ball rolling.
This is true for freelance writing, and pretty much any other type of freelancing.
However, once you complete a few easy jobs on Upwork and get some 5-star reviews, you’ll be able to gradually compete for higher paying jobs, so don’t give up!
The Best Upwork Jobs For Beginners
If you’re brand new to Upwork and have a fresh account, here are some job categories you can consider to start making money.
1. Grunt Work
Alright, this is a fairly broad category but it truly encapsulates the sorts of easy Upwork jobs that are out there.
The thing is, some clients on websites like MTurk and Upwork are willing to pay for people to do tasks they just don’t have time or patience to do.
Oftentimes, these are lower paying, labor intensive jobs that…well…kind of suck.
However, for a beginner Upwork job, this could be what you’re looking for.
Take a look at this example job I found today:
This gig involves finding 60 small and medium finance bloggers and putting them intro a spreadsheet…pretty straightforward.
There’s proposals on it, so it’s a competitive one, but if you were quick and pitched $10-$15 (to be under budget) you might get the job.
Upwork is, unfortunately, sometimes a race to the bottom this way, but this is part of the growing pains.
Another easier Upwork job I found that pays more just requires you to post pre-published articles for a newsletter:
These kinds of simple tasks are all over Upwork, so do some digging and don’t be afraid to bid aggressively to get some testimonials.
2. Location-Based Jobs
Upwork is a competitive marketplace.
However, one easy way to reduce your competition pool is to add location-based searches into your arsenal.
For example, this client has spent over $300,000 developing a new walking tour app for a bunch of European cities.
And, guess what: you can get paid to test out the app if you happen to live in one of the cities and get paid to walk around for a while:
This guy is also hiring 50 freelancers.
As long as you can walk and live in one of the dozens of cities the app is in, you’re golden.
These sort of Upwork jobs pop up all the time.
Sometimes people need a photographer, someone to interview, or a specific photo of something in a city.
If you happen to live there, you just scored the easiest Upwork job ever!
3. Transcription Gigs
Online transcription involves writing out the dialogue in audio files.
Online transcription jobs are generally lower paying gigs unless you put in a lot of practice and actually use equipment like a transcription pedal and software to boost your accuracy and WPM.
However, when it comes to Upwork jobs for beginners, transcription is a pretty commonly recommended route to try.
After all, if you can type, you can technically complete a transcription gig (and with high accuracy if you actually take the time, provided the audio recording isn’t terrible).
Upwork is also full of transcription work, many of which advertise themselves as being beginner friendly:
Again, these won’t always be the highest paying gig, but they’re another job people often want to outsource.
4. Native Language Jobs
Like location-based jobs, finding work in your native language (if you speak something besides English) can help narrow your competition when looking for your first Upwork job.
English is the most popular language on Upwork.
However, you can search for specific languages in the search bar to find work for other languages you speak.
This might lead you to doing translation work or simply ordinary Upwork-type jobs, just in another language.
Whatever the case, this is another way to earn from Upwork as a beginner, so leverage your competitive advantage!
5. Voice Recordings
When I was a beginner on Upwork, I remember stumbling across a job that was paying people to read 100 different words in English.
The bidding had gotten so low because of how easy this job was, but it goes to show you what type of work you can find on Upwork.
Research groups, audiobook writers, and random companies sometimes need voice clips for something. In these scenarios, they often turn to Upwork to find cheap workers.
Trust me, you don’t have to be a professional voice actor for this: you can find plenty of audio recording jobs on Upwork that are beginner friendly.
6. Content Writing
A lot of SEO-pros like to start niche blogs and then outsource most of the article writing since they aren’t skilled writers themselves.
Oftentimes, this means they post article writing gigs on websites like Upwork to try and find writers.
Now, if there’s one thing I can tell you as a full-time freelance writer, it’s that you probably don’t want to depend on Upwork for your long-term writing aspirations.
Ideally, things like starting your own blog or writing on Medium can help you craft a portfolio and pitch editors directly to get better paying gigs.
However, if you want to start making money on Upwork as a beginner, cheap content writing work is as easy as it gets.
Pro Tip: just make sure you apply for jobs that are actually completable and fast so you can get reviews on your profile.
Some Upwork clients hire for positions like ebook writer or even full on ghost writing for novels.
These projects can take weeks or months, so stick with 500 – 2,000 word article type assignments for quick testimonials.
7. Data Entry
My main Upwork job right now is basically a form of data entry and competitive research, and it pays pretty decently.
Plus, at its core, data entry is really a simple line of work that’s perfect if you’re just getting started on Upwork.
There are always data entry jobs out there. They kinda suck, but hey, it’s a pretty straightforward way to trade time for money.
Plus, you might find that certain niches have a lot of data entry type work available, which is useful if you want to expand further into that niche once you get some testimonials.
Again, just remember to apply to jobs that actually have an end in sight so you can get a positive review on your profile that much faster.
8. Website & App Testing Jobs
If you’re still looking for Upwork jobs for beginners, another category of jobs you can explore is website and app testing gigs.
Companies pay people to test websites and apps all the time because they want to ensure users have a good experience when they launch.
This is basically a type of quality assurance work, but hey, it’s one of the easiest Upwork jobs there is.
A lot of these user testing gigs sound complicated, but many of them are just simple QA jobs that don’t require much skill or prior experience.
The main thing with user testing work is to provide honest feedback about elements of a website or app you like and dislike to help the developers create a better experience.
If you can’t find user testing gigs on Upwork, you can also try sites like UserTesting to start making extra money!
9. Virtual Assistant
It wouldn’t be possible to write a list of the best Upwork jobs for beginners without mentioning virtual assistant work.
Virtual assistants, or VAs, are responsible for helping clients to organize and manage thier businesses.
Examples of common tasks virtual asisstants help with include:
- Booking travel arrangements
- Data entry
- Emailing clients or potential leads
- Organizing meetings
- Scheduling appointments
- Social media posting
But what makes virtual assistant work an easy job on Upwork is that many listings need help with very basic tasks, like data entry or sending email replies.
I’ve even found numerous VA jobs on Upwork that don’t require any previous work experience, so it’s perfect for beginner freelancers!
Pay can also range into $1,000 a week or more depending on your hours, so this is also an easy job on Upwork that can still pay very well.
Extra Reading – The Best Online Jobs That Pay Daily.
How To Get Work On Upwork With No Experience – Other Tips
In my opinion, the categories I just mentioned are the best place to begin your search for easy Upwork jobs.
However, if you’re still struggling to find work, I think there are a few other tips you can keep in mind.
1. Apply Quickly
Upwork is incredibly competitive, and it isn’t unusual for jobs to get dozens of proposals within a few hours or a day if it’s a solid gig that has a high budget.
If you want to find work, you need to search for jobs regularly and apply quickly.
You can also try using extensions like the Upwork Jobs Feed Tracker:
This extension lets you set up specific search filters and then receive notifications when new jobs are posted that meet your search criteria.
So, you can go about your day, browsing the web as normal, and this extension will notify you when there’s a new job opportunity.
If you’re not in a rush to start making money on Upwork, I’d recommend installing this extension and occasionally applying to jobs that come your way.
2. Use Keywords When Searching
If you’re struggling to find work, the job search bar is truly your best friend.
Search filters are great. However, searching for specific types of jobs you’re qualified for is ultimately the fastest route to finding work.
Plus, if you want easy Upwork jobs, add phrases like “beginner” or “no experience” into your searches:
A surprising amount of gigs advertise their lack of requirements in the headline or description, so this can yield a lot of promising results if you’re just getting started.
3. Accept Lower Prices…But Not Forever
Part of finding success as a beginner on Upwork involves grinding out some low paying gigs to get 5 star reviews.
So, when starting out, keep this in mind. It’s sort of part of learning the ropes and earning your stripes as a freelancer.
However, don’t stick with this mentality forever.
Ultimately, you want Upwork to boost your income and career opportunities, not trap you under a low income ceiling.
Gain as much as you can from this platform, but always work on landing better clients and better rates, be it on Upwork or another website.\
4. Create A Decent Profile
My last tip on finding jobs on Upwork is to spend some time creating a profile that sells your services.
Now, my profile is honestly so-so…Again, I found a lot of work from my blogging contacts so I wasn’t starting from scratch.
However, at the very least, make sure you add a nice profile photo, robust description of the services you offer and what kind of value you provide, your education, and the languages you speak.
You can create up to two specialized profiles to highlight your skills as well, but this isn’t always necessary.
Additionally, make sure you tag your profile with the categories of work you do and your experience level:
You can also add other things to your profile like certifications, a portfolio, employment history, and a list of skills.
Again, if you’re struggling to find work, beefing up these sections in your profile is probably a good call.
Finally, complete the Upwork readiness test.
This is a 10 question test that ensures you know Upwork best practices and how to stay safe on the platform, and makes you eligible for Upwork’s Rising Talent program, which highlights your profile in the marketplace.
Extra Reading – The Best Micro Task Websites To Make Money.
5. Watch Your Spending
Upwork Connects are Upwork’s token system that you use to apply to jobs. Basically, when you send in proposals for different Upwork jobs, you have to spend Connects to do so.
Freelancer Basic accounts get 10 free Connects per month, and you also get 40 free Connects when you first create an account.
Additional Connects cost $0.15 each, so if you want to apply to a ton of jobs, you’re probably going to spend some money.
This is why it’s important to look for Upwork jobs for beginners so you don’t waste your free Connects on very competitive jobs or jobs that require a lot of experience.
Pro Tip: If you complete the Upwork Readiness Test, you get another 40 Connects for free!
Extra Reading – How To Make $300 A Day – 10+ Methods.
Final Thoughts
As someone who works and hires freelancers on Upwork, I think I’m coming to understand this platform a little bit better every month.
At the end of the day, Upwork has millions of clients and even more freelancers…most of them won’t make a penny.
This is the brutal reality of this supply and demand ecosystem, and this doesn’t change on other freelance platforms either.
So, the only way to fight through the noise is to get great testimonials, grind to go above and beyond in your service, and to start getting new clients from word of mouth.
This is really the key if you ask me: word of mouth is everything.
Upwork is really just a payment platform with some security features at the end of the day…the real “aha” moment you’ll have as a freelancer won’t come from getting more and more Upwork proposals in, but rather from the leads you get from positive word of mouth and the connections you make.
So, don’t be afriad to search for easy jobs on Upwork, but don’t end your search there!
It’s never been more feasible to make money online, and Upwork is just one tiny piece of that puzzle!
I hope this post of the best Upwork jobs for beginners has helped you decide where to begin your job search!
If you’re interested in other useful freelance resources, I suggest checking out:
- The Best Websites Like Appen To Make Money Online.
- SolidGigs Review – What Should Freelancers Expect?
- How To Make Money As A Creative Writer.
Tom is a full-time blogger and freelance writer with a passion for side hustling, passive income, and the gig economy. His work has appeared on dozens of personal finance websites like Money Crashers, The College Investor, Investor Junkie, and more. This Online World is all about providing people with honest ways to make and save more money by using technology. To learn more about Tom, read his About Page!
If you’re interested in freelance writing services or want to partner with This Online World, please use our contact page to get in touch!