Is Upwork Expert-Vetted Worth It?

A valuable trust signal in a marketplace built on trust.

Clients want to know that they're hiring a so-called expert. They want to work with someone who has demonstrable work history, relevant portfolio items, and strong, industry-specific testimonials. As my Talent Manager said during my Expert-Vetted interview, enterprise clients want freelancers who know how to work with enterprises. Many freelancers don't.

Achieving the Expert-Vetted badge is a no-brainer then, right?

Right!?

Image of the message I received upon acceptance into the Upwork Expert-Vetted program

My take on Expert-Vetted so far: TBD

I haven't noticed much difference since earning the Expert-Vetted badge. I'd give you the numbers in terms of profile metrics (views, invites, impressions, and clicks), but Upwork Stats only go back 90 days. My sense is that the numbers would show what I feel: across the board, metrics have remained steady.

I'm not alone in this sentiment.

That said, I have noticed more invites to Enterprise-Client jobs. Is that because of the badge, specifically? Hard to say. It's my understanding that only Enterprise clients see the Expert-Vetted badge on your profile, so it follows that I'm receiving more Enterprise invites since earning the top badge.

Screenshot of an Enterprise Client review for a job that I won and completed before earning Expert-Vetted status on Upwork

Overall, I'm glad to have the Expert-Vetted badge, especially since it doesn't replace my Top Rated Plus status, but appears alongside it. Over the long term, I anticipate gaining access to, and winning, more enterprise contracts, which has always been my goal.

A screenshot of the Badges area of my Upwork profile, which displays all of the badges that I've earned (including Expert-Vetted

What does Upwork Expert-Vetted mean?

I don't want to overlook what this badge ostensibly means. What Upwork Expert-Vetted means is that you are in the top 1% of Upwork freelancers within your category. For me, that category is writing. Here are the other categories eligible for Upwork Expert-Vetted status:

  • Web, Mobile, and Software Development

  • IT and Networking

  • Data Science and Analytics

  • Design and Creative

  • Sales and Marketing

  • HR

  • Consulting

Among other purported benefits (higher average hourly pay and better rehire rate, for example), Expert-Vetted status gives you access to a dedicated Talent Manager that "can provide tips on optimizing your profile for clients you want and projects that earn."

With respect to the Talent Manager part, my own Talent Manager has been consistently absent; I've followed up multiple times to signal my openness to optimizations and jobs—no response yet.

Additional benefits of Upwork Expert-Vetted for freelancers

  • Ability to offer paid consultations that clients can book through your profile

  • Visibility in "expert-talent" client searches

  • Priority invites to private Upwork jobs

  • Priority access to Business Plus and Enterprise clients

Benefits of Upwork Expert-Vetted for clients

  • Quality assurance: Hiring an Expert-Vetted freelancer should give clients the confidence that they are working with a top-tier professional—that they can expect a higher level of quality and less risk of mistakes.

  • Time savings: Business Plus, Enterprise, and private-job clients should be able to shorten hiring by focusing on freelancers who have already been vetted for excellence.

How do you get Upwork Expert-Vetted?

One day, I received an email inviting me to interview for the program.

I've read elsewhere that one can trade connects (something like 300) for an interview. Perhaps this is what Upwork means when they say that they "may occasionally offer opportunities to submit an application proactively, without being invited, to become Expert-Vetted."

What made me eligible to interview? That I couldn't tell you, specifically, though I think it comes down to track record on the platform. To give you an idea of what my profile looks like, here's a snapshot:

  • $200k in earnings

  • 300+ total jobs

  • 1,419 hours

Image of the Upwork profile for Martin Ceisel, an Expert-Vetted freelance content and copywriter

What's the Upwork Expert-Vetted interview like?

An Upwork Talent Manager conducted my 30-minute interview. Our discussion was specific to my background and experience, as well as my approach to writing projects. I came ready with examples from my work history, including names of some of my top clients for reference.

For more technical fields, such as IT and networking, or software development, I believe the interview includes assessments of both soft and hard skills (for obvious reasons).

Check out this Reddit thread to see how freelancers in other fields prepared for their Expert-Vetted interviews—good tips here!

Is Upwork Expert-Vetted worth it? I think so.

On paper, yes it is. There are numerous advantages of Expert-Vetted status that I'm happy to have. Why wouldn't I want priority access to expert-level job invites, or better visibility in search results?

That said, when I can honestly say that these benefits definitively affected my material reality—that they opened the door to actual contracts and paid works—I'll come back and change my answer to a resounding yes.

In reality, your experience with Expert-Vetted will be as subjective as your experience on the Upwork platform overall. You might think Upwork is a waste of time, until you land your next two or three steady, high paying clients. The same goes for Expert-Vetted: everything will turn peachy keen when the invites roll in more consistently, and those invites turn into steady, high-quality freelance work.