Build Your Profile - Essential Items

For information on creating a 100% complete freelancer profile, click here.

We want DiligentSpace to be your home for work, and that means giving you the tools you need to be successful. An important element of becoming a successful freelancer on our platform is creating a winning profile.

Looking for help with a different section of your profile? Check out these articles.

Create your Profile Title and URL

The title of your profile is your first impression to potential clients. It gives you a spotlight to shine on your top skills and area of expertise.

To edit your profile title

1. Go to Find Work › Profile

2. Click the ✎ icon next to your title

3. Update your title and click Save

Tips

Be descriptive about the services you offer

Highlight your primary talents instead of trying to include every skill you have

Add an eye-catching title

Custom Profile URL

If you are a Plus plan member, you can create a customized URL for your freelancer profile. Your customized URL must be between 4 and 20 characters long and only include letters A-Z and numbers 0-9. You may not include "Diligent Space" in your URL.

Please note that it may take some time (up to a week) for Google and other search engines to start including your updated profile link in their search results.

To add a customized profile URL

Go to Find Work › Profile

Click the ✎ icon next to Profile Link in the right-hand column

Customize your URL and click Save

For Basic plan members, it isn't possible to customize your profile URL. You can upgrade to a Plus plan or click 'Copy link' and share the default profile URL as it appears in your browser.

Add Profile Photo

To complete your DiligentSpace  profile and start submitting proposals, you must upload a profile portrait photo. Profile photos must be an actual picture of you. This is important for both verifying your identity and connecting with potential clients.

To upload or change your profile photo

Go to Find Work › Profile

Click the ✎ icon next to your profile photo

Choose a file, adjust and crop the photo to your face, then click Save

Tips for choosing a great portrait photo

Clear, headshot-style photos work best

Sunglasses, logos, clip-art, group pictures, and digitally-altered images are not allowed

A How-To Guide for Your Perfect Profile Picture

If you would like to request a religious exemption for using a profile picture, please click here.

Add Profile Overview

Sometimes it’s okay to show off and brag a little bit — your overview is one of those times. This is where you set the tone for your whole profile — show your personality and give clients a reason to read more about your incredible skills and experience. But don’t go too long — only the first 250 or so characters will appear in the freelancer search results list. And remember, never include your contact information in your profile.

To add an overview to your profile

Go to Find Work › Profile

Scroll down to the Overview section and click the ✎ icon

Type in the message what you want clients to see about you first and click Save

Add Your Hourly Rate

Your hourly rate gives clients an idea of how much you generally charge and allows clients to filter freelancer searches by rate. This rate may be higher or lower than the actual rates in your DiligentSpace history, and it certainly does not prevent you from negotiating new contracts on a case-by-case basis.

When you change your rate on your profile, it will not affect your current contracts or proposals. You can change it as often as you like. Some freelancers update it to match each proposal they submit. Others use it as a baseline for negotiations, much like a store would publish a higher full retail price and then offer discounts.

To update your profile’s hourly rate

Go to Find Work › Profile

Hover over your hourly rate and choose the ✎ icon

Enter your rate and click Save

Add Skills

Having a complete profile with your work history and list of skills can help a potential client determine whether you are right for their project.

To add skills to your profile

Go to Find Work › Profile

Scroll down to the Skills section and click the ✎ icon

Start typing the name of a skill, then select the best match from the list and click Save

Repeat for all your skills

You can add up to 10 skills and choose their order by moving the tags in the editor window. How you arrange them here is how they will appear in your profile.

When adding your skills, be sure you're using the correct spelling and naming the skill in English. If you are having trouble finding your skill among the options, try some synonyms. For example, "fax" instead of "facsimile." Or be a little less specific. For example, try "technical documentation" instead of "electronics manual creation." Please note that we have purposefully excluded services that you can't directly sell in our marketplace, such as "dog groomer" or "ninja."

Set Your English Proficiency

 Diligent Space is operated in English, and you are required to share your proficiency in the language as part of your profile. You should self-assess your skill level; however, we do ask that you be truthful when assessing your language abilities. Setting inappropriate expectations may make it difficult to satisfy your clients and could adversely impact your reputation on Diligent Space . Being upfront helps establish trust with potential clients.

To edit your English proficiency

Go to Find Work › Profile

Scroll to the Languages section (in the right column near the top) and click the ✎ icon

Specify your proficiency and click Save

You can also add English certifications to your profile to verify your English proficiency.

Add Employment History

You can use your work history to establish the credibility that clients look for in a freelancer.

To add your work history to your profile

Go to Find Work › Profile

Scroll down to the Employment History section and click the Add (+) button

Enter the employment details and click the Save or, if you want to enter more, Save and Add More

Pro Tips

Feel free to include student jobs, internships, and volunteer experience

You can also include clients and projects from your freelance work outside of Diligent Space

Your Diligent Space contracts will appear in your work history automatically

If you have had an unusual combination of jobs, consider adding some of them to help you stand out

Your employment history will always appear in chronological order, with the most recent at the top. Generally, you only need to list the history relating to the types of projects you seek on Diligent Space. If a past job is not an exact match but helped you acquire skills that relate to your current work, be sure to highlight that in your job description.

Add Education

The Education section lets you add any degrees or diplomas you have earned.

To add your education

Go to Find Work › Profile

Scroll down to the Education section and click the Add (+) button

Enter your school and degree details and click Save or, if you want to enter more, Save and Add More

When adding a degree, type the first few letters (such as "B" or "Bach" for Bachelor of Science/B.S.) and then choose from the list of matches. You must choose from the standardized list, but if you can't find the option you need, select 'Other' and name the degree in your description.

Pro Tips

When adding your education, you can include a brief summary of your coursework

Feel free to add any clubs, groups, or societies that were part of your experience

Include any awards you received, your grade-point average, and/or class ranking (i.e., Magna Cum Laude)

If you studied a subject but didn't graduate, feel free to include that as well

Set Your Experience Level

Your experience level helps clients to match you with the most relevant projects. Be truthful in selecting your experience level. Setting inappropriate expectations may make it difficult to satisfy your client(s) and could adversely impact your reputation. Being upfront helps establish trust with potential clients.

To update your experience level

Go to Find Work › Profile, then click the Profile Settings button

Scroll down to Experience level and choose from Entry Level, Intermediate, or Expert

Set Your Service Categories

You can select up to 4 categories when you first create your freelancer account and up to 10 after you have been approved to join Upwork. Your profile will be displayed in these categories when clients search through them.

To update your profile categories

Go to Find Work › Profile, then click the Profile Settings button

Scroll down to the Categories section and click the ✎ icon

Select your categories and click Save

Focus on your strongest, most specialized services when selecting categories. Although we limit the number of categories your profile is viewable in, you're always welcome to submit proposals to projects in any category.