Upwork Should be Paying Me $10,000 for This

Important note: This is not a sponsored post. Upwork doesn't even know I'm writing this.

I was reflecting this past month on the hundreds of employees and contractors I've worked with since starting my first business in 2011. So many incredibly talented people. Brilliant people. People way smarter than me.

And you know what stood out?

The best hires didn't come from fancy recruiting firms or LinkedIn headhunters charging 30% fees. They came from Upwork.

I know, I know. Everyone loves to trash Upwork. "It's just cheap overseas labor." "You get what you pay for." "The quality is terrible."

That's all BS. And it's exactly why the smart operators are quietly building world-class teams while everyone else is complaining.

The Upwork Evolution Nobody Talks About

I've been hiring on Upwork since 2014 – back when it was still Elance and oDesk. Media buyers, ad creators, developers, designers. Some of the most talented people I've ever worked with came from that platform.

The technical designer who helped scale FEAT to eight figures? Found her on Upwork. The full-stack engineer who built systems that still run my businesses today? Upwork. The graphic designer who created assets that generated millions in revenue? You guessed it.

But here's what's really wild – the talent pool keeps getting better every year. The platform is attracting legitimate professionals who are choosing freelance lifestyle over traditional employment. We're talking former Google engineers, ex-agency creative directors, seasoned marketing managers who got tired of corporate politics.

These aren't desperate freelancers fighting for scraps. They're A-players who want flexibility and are willing to prove their worth.

Beyond the Obvious Roles

Sure, everyone knows you can find writers and virtual assistants on Upwork. But the depth of talent is insane:

• Technical Designers who understand both aesthetics and functionality

• Graphic Designers who actually get brand strategy

• Website Designers who build for conversion, not just looks

• Full-Stack Engineers who can architect entire systems

• Content Creators who understand your audience better than your internal team

• Media Buyers who've managed millions in ad spend across every platform

The key is knowing how to find them and separate the wheat from the chaff.

My 3-Step System for Finding Elite Talent

After hundreds of hires, here's exactly how I consistently find incredible people:

1. Do the Work (Talk to 40+ People Per Hire)

This is where most people fail. They post a job, interview 3-5 people, and hire whoever seems "good enough."

Wrong approach.

I talk to 40+ candidates for every serious hire. Sounds excessive? It's not. You're making a decision that could impact your business for months or years. Spend the extra time upfront to find the absolute best person for the role.

Most of your competition won't do this. They'll get frustrated after 10 conversations and settle for mediocre. That's their loss and your advantage.

2. Hire Short-Term with Long-Term Mindset

Here's my standard approach: "This is a 2-week trial project with the potential for ongoing work if it goes well."

This does two things:

• Takes pressure off both sides to make a perfect long-term decision immediately

• Motivates your hire to absolutely crush it because they want the ongoing work

The best freelancers love this approach because they're confident in their abilities. The mediocre ones avoid it because they know they can't deliver consistently.

I've turned dozens of 2-week projects into multi-year partnerships worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Start small, think big.

3. Use Upwork's Hour Tracker (At Least Initially)

I get it. Hour tracking feels micromanage-y. But for the first month or two, it's bulletproof protection for everyone involved.

The freelancer gets paid for every minute worked. You get transparency into how time is being spent. Upwork handles disputes if anything goes sideways.

Once trust is established, you can move to fixed-price projects or retainers. But the hour tracker removes friction and risk from getting started.

The Real Secret Nobody Talks About

Here's what separates the elite Upwork freelancers from everyone else: they treat it like a real business.

The best ones have professional portfolios, detailed case studies, and testimonials from previous clients. They ask intelligent questions about your business. They propose solutions, not just services.

These people aren't competing on price – they're competing on results. And they're worth every penny.

Stop Sleeping on This

While your competitors are burning cash on overpriced agencies and struggling to find good full-time employees, you could be building a world-class remote team for a fraction of the cost.

The talent is there. The platform works. The only question is whether you're willing to put in the work to find them.

Upwork should definitely be paying me for this post. But honestly, even if they were, everything I wrote would be exactly the same.

The platform has been a secret weapon for my businesses for over a decade. Use it wisely, and it'll be yours too.

-Parker Burr