You’ve created an Upwork account and now you’re ready to get to work. Depending on your project requirements, there are two ways to search for talent on your own:
- Check out Project Catalog, a collection of services—predefined by the independent professionals who do the work—that makes it easy for you to browse, compare, and buy.
- Post a job to reach out to talented professionals and agencies in Upwork’s work marketplace, who can tailor a solution to fit the specific needs of your project.
In this article, we’ll go through the seven steps needed to post your job on Upwork:
- Step 1 — Job Post Title
- Step 2 — Job Post Description
- Step 3 — Job Post Details
- Step 4 — Identify Expertise
- Step 5 — Job Post Visibility
- Step 6 — Project Budget
- Step 7 — Review and Post
Don’t worry if you don’t have a job posting drafted already. We’ve created templates to help you get started and have built-in tips and prompts along the way so the most important information is included.
Let’s get started!
7 steps to a published job post
To begin, go to your client account dashboard—the page you land on when you first log in.
From this page, you have two options:
- Create your own job post: Click “Jobs” on the menu along the top of the page, then select “Post a Job”. As shown in the image below, you’ll then be prompted to create a new post for a short-term project or longer-term work. You can also choose to edit an existing draft (if you have one) or reuse a previous job post.
- Start with a job post template: You can also explore popular project types highlighted on the right side of the page under Job Templates and select a template that aligns with your project. If you’re part of a team, you can also use previous job posts from your colleagues as a starting point.
Whichever option you choose, the next steps will take you through the process to get your job post online.
If you’ve chosen to work with a template, many of the fields will be pre-populated with suggestions that the Upwork team has adapted from similar projects. This includes tips to help you customize the content and add custom details, such as information about your industry or technical requirements.
We strongly suggest that you review the drafted text and make any tweaks to ensure the information reflects your project and your business!
Step 1: Job post title
First, give your job post a name. A clear title makes it easy for talent to quickly decide whether they can deliver what your project requires or not.
It can be helpful to:
- Include your end goal or deliverable (i.e., launch a new website, publish a series of blog posts)
- List the most essential skill requirements (i.e., WordPress developer services)
- Give a brief description of the project and the expected deliverable (i.e., Need a designer to create a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation for a webinar)
You’ll also be prompted to choose a job category. We’ll use this information to make suggestions as you go through this process and to help match your project with independent professionals and agencies on Upwork’s work marketplace
Step 2: Job description
Getting your job description right is tricky but important.
A long description may not be necessary, but Upwork has also found that job posts with descriptions that are too short often get a poor response. Just as it’s unlikely that a one-line proposal would make your shortlist, high-quality talent is looking for more!
It can be helpful to anticipate the questions you may be asked about your project and include that information in your job post. Here are a few ideas:
- Explain your project and deliverable(s), as well as problems to be solved—skilled professionals love a good challenge
- Describe the type of expertise you’re looking for (i.e. skill level, type of experience)
- Highlight anything that’s unique about your project or organization, such as a compelling mission or use case
It may also be helpful to share relevant files for professionals or agencies to check out when they’re putting their proposals together. This could include:
- A document with more detailed project specifications
- A style guide or similar reference
- Inspiration or ideas, such as examples or a concept or mood board
And don’t hesitate to mention if you need help figuring out the scope of your main project.
Step 3: Job post details
The next two sections—Details and Expertise—capture more information about the type of project you have and the work to be complete.
On the Details page, we’ll ask you to:
- Indicate the type of commitment your project requires so professionals can better understand whether they have the experience and capacity to meet your expectations.
- Consider adding screening questions. They’re optional to the hiring process but can make it easier for you to scan and shortlist proposals as they come in.
- Decide whether to ask for a cover letter. If you don’t add screening questions to your job post, we’ll require that a cover letter be included instead.
Step 4: Identify expertise
In the Expertise section, Upwork gives you the option to highlight relevant skills and the level of expertise you feel would be ideal.
Based on the information you’ve already entered—such as the category you chose up front—Upwork will automatically offer suggestions. You can then choose from these suggested skill sets or add new ones if they’re a better fit.
For example, if you indicated that you’re looking for a CMS developer, you may be asked about:
- Project deliverables
- Programming languages
- Databases
- Other technology your project may rely on
This information is all optional but it helps us match your post with more relevant talent.
How many skills should you select? Upwork’s own analysis shows that choosing just two or three skills is the sweet spot: It’s specific enough to be relevant without the noise of related-but-not-essential skills.
Step 5: Job post visibility
How widely do you want to promote your job post? You have the option to:
- Share it with the public, whether they have an Upwork profile or not
- Limit visibility to talent within the Upwork community
- Share it only with a select few that you approach through direct invitations.
If your post is invite-only, it’s important to emphasize that you won’t receive any unsolicited proposals. This may create more work upfront as you search for and invite individual professionals and agencies to consider your project and submit a proposal. But it can also mean a shorter and more curated list of proposals to review.
Even if you set the visibility of your post to “Anyone,” consider sending invites to specific professionals: You’re 80 percent more likely to connect with top talent when you get their attention with an invitation to check out your job post.
If you’re part of a team, you’ll also have an option to invite professionals your company has worked with in the past. You can do this by going directly to a professional’s profile and clicking “Invite.” You’ll then be able to send them a pre-filled or customized invitation to your job post.
Tell us more about your talent preferences
None of the details in the Talent Preferences section will prevent otherwise qualified professionals or agencies from submitting their proposals. But the more information you include, the better the talent matches Upwork will be able to make.
You’ll be asked for more information about:
- Independent professionals vs agencies
- Location
- Existing Job Success Score
- Fluency with English
- Amount earned on Upwork
- Members of an underrepresented group, such as U.S. Veterans
Step 6: Project budget
The Budget section boils down to one question: Will you pay the professional you work with on an hourly basis or opt for a fixed price? Your answer will determine the other questions you’ll be asked on this page.
We provide a brief overview of each payment structure below but, if a more in-depth look would be helpful, review the difference between fixed price and hourly projects here.
Pay by the hour
With an hourly project, an hour worked is an hour paid by you: The professional tracks the time they spend working using the Upwork Desktop App—or manually, if you enable it—and you’re billed on a weekly basis. You can set a cap on the number of hours billed every week to help keep your budget in check.
You’ll be prompted for:
- An hourly range
- The length of your project
- A weekly time requirement
While these numbers reflect your expectations and project needs, expect requirements such as the hourly rate and project timeline to be further negotiated and confirmed before the contract is finalized.
Pay a fixed price
With a fixed-price project, pricing is predetermined and you either pay all at once or by milestone—predetermined deadlines that break your project into smaller pieces of work.
The funds are deposited into escrow at the beginning of the project and/or milestone, then released as you approve the work.
Step 7: Review and post
Your job post is almost ready to publish! The next page captures all the information you’ve entered so you can double-check the details.
If there’s anything you want to change, click on the pencil icon in the upper-right corner of each section, or click on the relevant section on the menu on the left side of the page.
Use the job post checklist below to help avoid missing any of the basics.
Upwork dashboard or Check your symptom safely
Is there chest pain, breathing trouble, fainting, confusion, severe bleeding, stroke-like weakness, severe injury, or pregnancy danger sign?
Choose quickly
Important: This tool is educational only. It cannot diagnose, treat, or replace a doctor. OTC information is not a prescription. In an emergency, contact local emergency services or go to the nearest hospital.
Prepare before seeing a doctor
A simple rural-patient checklist to help you explain symptoms clearly, ask better questions, and avoid unsafe self-treatment.
Which doctor may help?
Start with a registered doctor or the nearest qualified health center.
What to tell the doctor
- Write when the problem started and how it changed.
- Bring old prescriptions, investigation reports, and current medicines.
- Write allergies, pregnancy status, diabetes, kidney/liver disease, and major past illnesses.
- Bring one family member if the patient is weak, elderly, confused, or a child.
Questions to ask
- What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
- Which danger signs mean I should go to hospital quickly?
- Which tests are necessary now, and which can wait?
- How should I take medicines safely and what side effects should I watch for?
- When should I come for follow-up?
Tests to discuss
- Vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation
- Basic physical examination by a clinician
- CBC, urine test, blood sugar, or imaging only when clinically needed
Avoid these mistakes
- Do not use antibiotics, steroid tablets/injections, or strong painkillers without proper medical advice.
- Do not hide pregnancy, kidney disease, ulcer, allergy, or blood thinner use.
- Do not delay emergency care when danger signs are present.
Medicine safety and first-aid guide
This section is for patient education only. It does not replace a doctor, pharmacist, or emergency care.
Safe first steps
- Rest, drink safe water, and observe symptoms carefully.
- Keep a written note of symptoms, duration, temperature, medicines already taken, and allergy history.
- Seek medical care quickly if symptoms are severe, worsening, or unusual for the patient.
OTC medicine safety
- For mild pain or fever, ask a registered pharmacist or doctor before using common over-the-counter pain/fever medicines.
- Do not combine multiple pain medicines without advice, especially if you have kidney disease, liver disease, stomach ulcer, asthma, pregnancy, or take blood thinners.
- Do not give adult medicines to children unless a qualified clinician advises it.
Avoid these mistakes
- Do not start antibiotics without a proper medical decision.
- Do not use steroid tablets or injections casually for quick relief.
- Do not delay emergency care because of home remedies.
Get urgent help if
- Severe symptoms, confusion, fainting, breathing difficulty, chest pain, severe dehydration, or sudden weakness need urgent medical care.
For rural patients and family caregivers
Patient health record and symptom diary
Write your symptoms, medicines already taken, test results, and questions before visiting a doctor. This note stays on your device unless you print or copy it.
Tests to discuss with doctor
- Basic vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level if needed
- Relevant blood, urine, imaging, or specialist tests only after clinical assessment
Questions to ask
- What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
- Which warning signs mean I should go to emergency care?
- Which tests are really needed now?
- Which medicines are safe for my age, pregnancy status, allergy, kidney/liver/stomach condition, and current medicines?
Emergency warning signs such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe dehydration, major injury, or loss of bladder/bowel control need urgent medical care. Do not wait for online information.
Safe pathway to proper treatment
Patient care roadmap
Use this simple roadmap to understand the next safe steps. It is educational and does not replace examination by a doctor.
- Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms
- Breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, confusion, severe weakness, major injury, or severe dehydration
-
Step 1
Check danger signs first
If danger signs are present, seek emergency care and do not wait for online information.
-
Step 2
Record the symptom story
Write when symptoms started, severity, medicines already taken, allergies, pregnancy status, and test results.
-
Step 3
Visit a qualified clinician
A doctor, nurse, or qualified healthcare provider can examine you and decide which tests or treatment are needed.
-
Step 4
Do only useful tests
Do tests after clinical assessment. Avoid unnecessary tests, random antibiotics, or repeated medicines without diagnosis.
-
Step 5
Follow up and return early if worse
If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.
Rural patient practical tips
- Take a written symptom diary and all previous prescriptions/test reports.
- Do not hide medicines already taken, even herbal or over-the-counter medicines.
- Ask which warning signs mean urgent referral to hospital.
This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.
Ask a health question safely
Write your symptom story. A health professional or site editor can review it before any answer is prepared. This box is not for emergency care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this article a replacement for a doctor?
No. It is educational content only. Patients should consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis and treatment.
When should I seek urgent care?
Seek urgent care for severe symptoms, rapidly worsening condition, breathing difficulty, severe pain, neurological changes, or any emergency warning sign.
References
Add references, clinical guidelines, textbooks, journal articles, or trusted medical sources here. You can edit this area from the RX Article Professional Blocks panel.
