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Job size will now be factored into your JSS

lenaellis
Community Member

UPDATE: The JSS Metric has been updated to reflect the changes that were announced below. As of today, March 1st, all Job Success Scores are now displaying the updated value.


We will soon update JSS metrics to reflect job value in the calculation. Today, a one-week $20 job typically carries the same weight as a one-week $1,000 job in JSS. Soon, JSS will be weighted by job earnings. For example, a one-week $1,000 job will be weighted more than a one-week $20 job. JSS will also exclude contracts with $0 earned and positive feedback. All other JSS policies will remain unchanged.



What does this mean?

We are making this change so a freelancer’s Job Success Score will display a more comprehensive representation of their freelancer workWe understand not all jobs are equal. We know higher budget contracts require more work and freelancers who complete these more complex contracts successfully should get credit for them. Just as longer-term contracts hold more weight in JSS calculations than shorter ones, we believe contract value should also hold significance in the calculation. By giving these jobs more weight, these jobs will have a greater influence on a JSS. 

 

Many freelancers will see an increase in their scores if they’ve successfully completed higher budget contracts in the past. At the same time, a small percentage of freelancers may lose their JSS, see a drop in their scores, or lose their Top Rated badge. Today, we are emailing freelancers whose JSS will see a decline of 5% or more, to let them know they will be affected.  Freelancers that see a drop in their score can improve their JSS by completing more jobs with positive feedback, as it works today. Larger budget contracts with positive feedback will result in a higher increase in JSS, however, all great feedback contributes to JSS and whether you work on large or small contracts you can still reach 100% JSS.

 

This change will take effect in March, at which time all Job Success Scores will be updated retroactively. We know many of you will have questions about this update. We won’t be able to discuss your individual score or outcomes of specific contracts. We have listed some anticipated questions below, let us know if you have any additional questions.



FAQS:

 

Can I know what my new JSS is now before this launches?

We will not be able to provide you with your updated score until the JSS calculation refreshes at launch, in March.

 

Does this mean if I don’t get big contracts I’ll never be able to get a JSS of 100%?

Receiving stellar feedback on smaller budget jobs can still get you to a JSS of 100%. We are only changing the impact of jobs based on earnings. This means that strong client feedback on a higher-budget job could boost your score more than a lower-budget job. All other aspects of JSS will remain the same.

 

How will I know if it affects me?

The majority of freelancers will be affected positively by this change and will see an increase in their scores. We are sending out emails to those who will likely see a drop in their score once the new JSS calculation goes into effect in March. 

 

Can this affect me positively, will my JSS go up?

Yes! The vast majority of freelancers on the platform will see an increase or very little change in their scores. This is because you may have worked on one or more higher paying contracts in the past, and because you received great feedback that great feedback is being weighted more. 

 

Can I lose my JSS?

A small percentage of freelancers may lose their JSS. This is because they had one or more jobs with no earnings. Positive feedback on contracts with no earnings will not be factored into JSS once we move to the new calculation. As a result, some freelancers won’t have enough outcomes to be eligible for a JSS until they successfully complete more jobs. Nearly all freelancers have scores after completing eight projects. 

 

How does weighting work specifically? 

To ensure fairness and avoid manipulation, we don’t share the specifics about how we calculate the Job Success Score. Thanks for your understanding.

 

So if I take a bigger job and get negative feedback that counts more than positive feedback on smaller jobs?
Yes. A job with higher earnings will always impact your Job Success Score (JSS) more than a smaller job. For example, feedback on a $1,000 job carries more weight on your JSS compared to a $20 job. However, receiving poor feedback on a job with more earnings can be balanced out by doing well on a job of the same size in the future or on a number of smaller jobs. 

 

Can I lose my Top Rated badge?

Yes, a small percentage of freelancers who see a decline in their JSS may drop below 90% and lose their Top Rated badge. This is because they received less-than-positive public or private feedback on one or more of their higher-paying contracts. Feedback on contracts with higher earnings will affect JSS more after this new change.

925 Comments
andrew_croft
Community Member

Samantha K.... exactly. This is what I have been saying repeatedly, and being questioned on. This is what dozens/hundreds/thoustands of Upwork users have been experiencing, Upwork doesn't care.

 

*WE* are the ones supporting this site through our fees and through the ridiculous 20% share Upwork takes from our projects.

 

I have made a good amount of money on the side - believe me Upwork is not my main source of income. If it was, I certainly couldn't afford to take the time to respond to these messges. But seeing now how Upwork does not give one single drop of care for us... really disheartening.

 

To have to bid on literally hundreds of projects and get a handful of responses - pathetic. This was never a problem before the JSS crap started happening. Last fall I would get at least 3-4 responses per week, 1 job per week. Upwork - if you don't believe me - take a look at my earnings Oct-Dec 2019.

 

If that isn't proof your platform is failing good freelancers - and Samantha K's clear proof that aligns with many others who have been following these threads... then... I really don't know how you can live with yourselves.

 

Truly pathetic.

knock-samantha
Community Member

Andrew, thank you so much for taking the time to respond.

 

I am definitely hoping for a variety of feedback on this situation, even if it is negative. It has been my strong suspicion that not only do clients very much care about JSS, but that there are some kind of low quality flags in the algorithm that are also hindering my success on this platform, because my drastic slowdown in quality jobs started even before I had a JSS. I really appreciate that you let me know that I'm not on crazy pills!

 

It does seem that different people have different experiences. For example, Robin mentioned that she went from an 80% JSS to being top rated. Although I would like to be optimistic, I have a feeling that clawing my way out of a 66% JSS will be more of a challenge.

 

To your point about UpWork and their huge cut, I find that pretty curious as well! I have to believe that it would be to the platform's benefit that more freelancers are getting more quality jobs, so something about situations like this (especially if they're so common) is extremely strange.

 

Anyway, all of that to say thank you so much for your response, and I'm looking forward to finding/hearing more stories because I would love to have as much information as possible from experienced freelancers on all sides of this issue. That way, whatever course of action I take will be as informed as possible!

 

Thanks again Andrew!

 

 

herman-sanghera
Community Member

How will a cancelled contract with 0 earnings (everything in escrow was refunded) and no feedback given affect a freelancer's Job Sucess Score?

 

Thanks!

knock-samantha
Community Member

UPDATE:

 

I severed the ties with my client as diplomatically as possible. He responded late that night, saying that my "work has been fine" and that he'd write a review when he "[comes] up for air." He also said I should let him know if I'd like to do more work together next week!

 

I also submitted 10 more job proposals using my remaining connects. I haven't heard from a single one of those proposals! 

 

Hopefully, other freelancers will avoid the quandary I have found myself in. It seems that all they have to do is get reliable, responsive, and empathetic clients every time they get a job on UpWork!

 

When those freelancers do manage to work for exclusively perfect clients, I hope they will share their secrets with the community. It will be quite informative for all freelancers to find out how to get feedback from every single client without pestering them!

 

All in all, UpWork is a heck of a platform! Learning a lot!

petra_r
Community Member

Samantha K wrote:

 

Hopefully, other freelancers will avoid the quandary I have found myself in. It seems that all they have to do is get reliable, responsive, and empathetic clients every time they get a job on UpWork!

 

When those freelancers do manage to work for exclusively perfect clients, I hope they will share their secrets with the community. It will be quite informative for all freelancers to find out how to get feedback from every single client without pestering them!


You don't have to get feedback every time. "Most of the time" is just fine. You also don't have to get only "perfect" clients every time. Just don't work with clients who are more difficult than you can handle.

 

Weed out obvious red flags during the interview process. Carefully check the prospective client's history. 

 

Avoid cheap clients. More often than not, they are as mean with feedback as they are with money.

 

There is no need to ever ask a client for feedback. In fact, I never have and never would. You want to encourage clients to close the contract. When they do so, they can't avoid leaving feedback. If you close a contract, the client can leave feedback, but may simply not care enough to do so.

 

It's all about basic client- and contract-management.

aati707
Community Member

Hi Vladimir,

My JSS has changed 100% to 93% today. I don't know why it has happened. As I didn't have any negative feedback previously nor any negative Job outcome. However, I have a long term contract from march 2020 with no activity after 1st milestone completed. I have asked my client to close the contract. Could this be the reason? Could you please tell me how long a contract with no activity could affect my JSS. And if the client close the contract with positive feedback could help in retriving my previous 100% JSS back?

Thank you.

JoanneP
Moderator

Hi Atif,

 

The Upwork system takes snapshots of your six-, 12- and 24-month history in the marketplace and calculates a score for each. The best score out of these moving time windows is displayed on your profile and updated about every two weeks. This help article gives a detailed overview of how JSS is calculated and what may cause changes in the score when it updates. I also encourage you to check this announcement with information about the recent update to JSS calculation. 

a_yakimycheva
Community Member
My job success score went 7% down even though I hadn't interacted with anyone around the time it happened. The only thing I did was submitting not more than 2 proposals but I can't believe that it could have such an impact on my profile. Overall, I'm interested in why is my JSS so low when all my clients rated me 5 stars except the one that just started ignoring me after my job was done and sent out (which was not my fault in the first place)? Does submitting proposals and not getting an interview/contract affect my JSS?
wlyonsatl
Community Member

Alina,

 

The most recent calculation of your JSS can go down either because client response in the most recent two week period was not strongly positive or because older ratings that were very good from clients cycled out of the calculation period.

 

And keep in mind that we have been told that the public feedback a client has left for a freelancer has very little impact on the JSS calculation, especially when compared to the very significant effect on the JSS of the same client's private feedback, which no one outside of Upwork will ever see.

 

 

 

 

arslanali800
Community Member

Hi,

 

I would like to ask one thing and will appreciate if anyone can comment. 

 

I am working on two jobs with funded milstones and both are from same client. However, due to priority the client would like to first finished second job and then we can continue the first job. 

 

- If contract is active for more than 2 week with amount in escrow but have not paid anything yet, will it start affecting JSS ? I read some where it will start effecting if no thing is paid and its been  2 months. 

 

Thanks

 

Arslan