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New talent badges are now available!

ilianamontauk
Community Member

Earlier this year, we shared some of our upcoming plans to highlight top talent on Upwork. We understood that you are looking for more ways to stand out and want better access to high-value opportunities with quality clients. As we continue to attract more businesses seeking flexible talent solutions, we have also heard their need to more quickly find talent they can trust for complex, strategic, and long-term work. To further our continued efforts towards this vision, we're excited to announce two new talent badges: Top Rated Plus and Expert-Vetted.



Screen Shot 2020-07-07 at 8.54.10 AM.png

TOP RATED PLUS

 

What is Top Rated Plus?

 

Top Rated Plus is a new status for talent that has a proven track record of excelling on large or long-term contracts on Upwork. On average their contracts last 7 months. These professionals and agencies are highlighted because they have delighted clients on large contracts. Businesses frequently seek talent for large projects or longer-term relationships, and trust talent with this proven experience on Upwork. Right now Top Rated Plus talent has earned more than $100K on average through Upwork, four times as much as Top Rated talent.  



What are the benefits?

  • Priority access to work with Upwork Enterprise and Business clients: they will be able to find you more easily in search, and our Talent Services teams will prioritize inviting you to their invite-only jobs. 
  • A Top Rated Plus badge displayed on your profile visible to clients on Upwork’s Enterprise, Business, and Plus plans (to all other clients you will continue to appear as Top Rated)

 

What are the requirements to become a Top Rated Plus freelancer?

  • Earned $10,000+ in total earnings (all contracts included) the past 12 months
  • Worked on one of more large projects in the past 12 months without negative feedback. What is considered a large project can vary depending on the skill category:
    • $5,000: Design & Creative, Engineering & Architecture, Legal, Translation, Writing
    • $10,000: Accounting & Consulting, Admin, Data Science & Analytics, IT & Networking, Sales & Marketing
    • $15,000: Web, Mobile & Software Dev
    • $20,000: Customer Support
  • Are not an exclusive agency contractor
  • Maintained Top Rated status

 

What are the requirements to be Top Rated Plus as an agency?

  • Earned $20,000+ in total earnings (all contracts included)
  • Worked on one or more large projects in the past 12 months and no more than 10 percent of the contracts had negative outcomes. What is considered a large project can vary depending on the skill category:
    • $10,000: Design & Creative, Engineering & Architecture, Legal, Translation, Writing
    • $20,000: Accounting & Consulting, Admin, Customer Service, Data Science & Analytics, IT & Networking, Sales & Marketing
    • $30,000: Web, Mobile & Software Dev
  • Maintained Top Rated status

Timing

  • The Top Rated Plus badge was released today to some clients. If you qualify for this badge, clients on Upwork’s Enterprise and Business plans will now see it on your profile, as will some clients on Upwork’s Plus plan. You will start seeing the badge on your own profile and MyStats later this summer - we’ll notify you by email once you can see it there.

 

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EXPERT-VETTED 

 

What is Expert-Vetted Talent?

 

Expert-Vetted Talent is a new status for talent that has deep experience in their field, on or off Upwork. Upwork invites this talent to participate in a rigorous pre-screening process. We chose to highlight these professionals because businesses frequently seek talent with a strong combination of expertise and soft skills, and they trust talent that has been pre-screened by professionals in the relevant field. This talent will get prioritized for clients on Upwork’s Enterprise and Business plans, whose average project value is over $8,000. 

 

What are the benefits?

 

  • An Expert-Vetted badge on your profile to help you more easily stand out and find quality work with top clients on Upwork’s Enterprise and Business plans. All other clients will see your Rising Talent, Top Rated, or Top Rated Plus badge if you have one.
  • Priority access to work with clients on Upwork’s Enterprise and Business plans
  • A personal relationship with an Upwork Talent Manager who helps match you to opportunities aligned with your goals

 

Our team is hard at work to further enhance the Expert-Vetted experience, so expect more exciting updates on the horizon including opportunities to engage with this exclusive community of professionals like you and other ways to more easily access high-value work.

 

What are the requirements to become an Expert-Vetted freelancer or agency?

This opportunity is available by invitation only. Keep your eyes peeled for an invitation in your email inbox or when you log into Upwork. Once we are able to offer this opportunity to more people, we will provide an update here.

 

If you are invited to participate, you will need to pass a rigorous pre-screening process which may include a portfolio review, coding tests, interviews, or other steps relevant to your area of expertise. Agencies participate in a similar process to assess the agency’s expertise.

 

Our initial focus is Design & Creative; Web, Mobile, and Software Development; and Sales & Marketing.   



How is this different from previous programs, like Upwork Premium?

Expert-Vetted replaces previous programs for expert-level talent. We’ve done extensive research with businesses seeking expert-level talent on Upwork for large projects and created new criteria in line with current client expectations. If you’ve previously taken an assessment for Upwork Premium or Upwork Pro, thank you! We have your results on file and will take them into consideration as we grow the program and extend additional invitations. Your results also continue to be available to our Talent Services teams which take them into consideration when sending invitations to jobs.

 

Timing

  • The Expert-Vetted badge was released today to some clients. If you qualify for this badge, clients on Upwork’s Enterprise and Business plans will now see it. You will start seeing the badge on your own profile and MyStats later this summer - we’ll notify you by email once you can see it there



RISING TALENT & TOP RATED

 

Freelancers who are currently Rising Talent or Top Rated will continue to keep those badges and benefits. Expert-Vetted and Top Rated Plus are not replacing Rising Talent or Top Rated.

 

When you earn Expert-Vetted or Top Rated Plus status, your new badge is only visible to Upwork's Enterprise and Business clients—as well as select Plus clients for Top Rated Plus.* All other clients will see your Rising Talent or Top Rated badge if you have one.

 

See the chart below to learn which badge clients see when they look at your profile, depending on the client type.

Screen Shot 2020-08-17 at 6.57.38 AM.png

 

 

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We care deeply about helping you succeed on Upwork. There is plenty more to come! We will continue to invest in our talent badges and other solutions. We'd love to hear your thoughts on how these new statuses impact your work and other ways we can help you achieve your goals.

 

Thanks!

 

Iliana Montauk

Product Manager

 

*Beta test update July 2021: We are always working to improve features on our platform, from time to time some users may see options while we test changes for this reason. Over the next few weeks we'll be testing a way for badges be visible to all clients when searching Project Catalog. If there are any changes that will permanently take effect we will update you here!


559 Comments
m_acc_des
Community Member

I received an E-mail minutes ago informing me that I received this plus badge.

So all what I get is the new icon, and an access to premium and enterprise clients?, I would love to have an extra perk, like a bigger control over our JSS for example.

Thank You.

richardrader
Community Member

Congrats! I have just been sent the same email. I thing the next "promotion" will be Freelance Plus Squared. Now UpWork, where is my free UpWork Tshirt ;).

bappe_md_kaosar_
Community Member

Congrats 

jessicasimko
Community Member

Isabelle Anne A wrote:

Valeria K wrote:

Isabelle Anne,

 

We are taking steps to educate clients so they understand that Top Rated Plus is only an indicator that a freelancer worked on a successful large contract and had earnings of at least $10,000 in the past year on Upwork. It does not mean these freelancers are better or have a higher Job Success Score than those with traditional Top Rated status.

 


Isabelle Anne A wrote:


 I do well on large projects / long-term projects, but I won't get this badge.


 

Actually, you already have this badge and will be able to see it yourself on your profile later this summer. 


Thanks so much for the update! I'm not going to pretend I'm not relieved to hear this, but all the points Jessica made below are very valid. Obviously I'm happy that I qualify for the badge because I need all the advantages I can get, but if someone like Jessica, who is arguably much successful than me on Upwork, doesn't qualify, then these badges are misrepresentative. I dislike using the word "unfair" online since people tend to mock it, but can't think of a more accurate way to describe this situation 😞

 

And the "vetted" badge is even more confusing -- how can Upwork be a fair judge of which freelancers deserve to get this particular badge? Plus, those who get the vetted badge will seem far superior to the rest of us (whether rightfully or unrightfully so)

 

Since I have been a client in the past and will probably be again sometime, it's all a bit concerning. I hope Upwork will indeed find a way to better outline the differences regarding these badges -- other than putting little "?" icons next to them ... as I don't know how many clients actually look at or understand those.


Thanks Isabelle, but you definitely deserve this. 🙂

 

I have LONG felt that Upwork needed to do something better for the best top-rated freelancers - Perhaps something as simple as making a top-rated plus type of badge for top rated freelancers who have held that consistently for 12 months or even 24 months - and that these can come with additional JSS-related perks. Never did I imagine this would manifest in a form that excludes many top rated freelancers who don't work on long-term or high-priced jobs. Obviously, it would have to be something ANYONE can earn if they work hard - it can't have aspects to it that simply don't apply to everyone.   

 

 I guess there is a sliver lining - not many in my category will likely have this badge since we all do the same short term jobs. I guess I won't appear "lesser" than most others when being considered for jobs except when coming up against those who do what I do plus other longer term writing jobs (I have seen a few of those). Then it simply becomes "unfair" because a client wouldn't know why that freelancer has the badge and I don't other than he/she must be better. But... Upwork doesn't care so I shall just continue to try to get myself off this platform altogether. 🙂

joduxbury
Community Member

Any chance of another perk: Top Rated Plus freelancers to be exempt from the silly new 'no off-Upwork contact before a contract is in place' rule...?

 

It's pretty obvious that TR+ (and, arguably TR) Upworkers are not going to try to contract off-site. 

 

 

amt17
Community Member

Jessica S wrote:

I have LONG felt that Upwork needed to do something better for the best top-rated freelancers - Perhaps something as simple as making a top-rated plus type of badge for top rated freelancers who have held that consistently for 12 months or even 24 months - and that these can come with additional JSS-related perks. Never did I imagine this would manifest in a form that excludes many top rated freelancers who don't work on long-term or high-priced jobs. Obviously, it would have to be something ANYONE can earn if they work hard - it can't have aspects to it that simply don't apply to everyone.   

 

 I guess there is a sliver lining - not many in my category will likely have this badge since we all do the same short term jobs. I guess I won't appear "lesser" than most others when being considered for jobs except when coming up against those who do what I do plus other longer term writing jobs (I have seen a few of those). Then it simply becomes "unfair" because a client wouldn't know why that freelancer has the badge and I don't other than he/she must be better. But... Upwork doesn't care so I shall just continue to try to get myself off this platform altogether. 🙂


It is a brilliant way to prevent freelancers taking clients off the platform after 2 years when it's allowed to do so.

 

When it comes to translation, I don't see how this will work - neither the vetting by 'experts' nor the long/high priced contracts (worst case scenario: Upwork hires cheap (unskilled) translators to assess other translators' work - anyone can call themself 'translator' since it's not a protected title). Furthermore, the demand for different languages depends on how many people speak the language so for e.g. an English/Icelandic translator it would be might be more difficult reaching the threshold than a Spanish/English translator and Upwork might end up with multiple languages that don't have Top Rated+ or vetted translators as it could very well be impossible to implement due to lack of demand for specific language pairs.

 

 

browersr
Community Member

If you could, please add one additional perk to the list. That is the ability to take a pre-sale call via whatever communications channel the client wants. Surely if we have done enough to earn these additional badges, we have done enough to demonstrate that we aren't taking payments off platform and we don't need help protecting ourselves from the evil doers. I do know the restriction doesn't apply to enterprise clients, but it does for everyone else. Something to consider.

jmlaidlaw
Community Member

I heard from a number of Upwork freelancers that they had received email notifications saying that they are now designated "Top Rated Plus," even though these freelancers cannot yet see the badge on their own profiles. Significantly, potential clients can see the designation.

 

I did not receive such a notification, despite the fact that my earnings and stats clearly make me eligible (indisputably) as "Top Rated Plus" according to the metrics outlined.

 

A few minutes ago, I called Upwork Support to ask about this. A very pleasant young man checked into this, and confirmed that my numbers and profile make me eligible for the program. However, as he 'splained to me, Upwork is implementing this program "over time." (Guess it takes a while for the central computer to run these complicated numbers?) So, I am not to be among the lucky first wave chosen for the badge.

 

Naturally, I asked when I might receive the coveted email. Alas, the CS person did not know that. He could offer no idea at all. Not even an educated guess.

 

I feel like one of the sad little green stuffed alien toys who populate the claw machine, in the old "Toy Story" movie. As my companions are lifted out by the magical mechanism who chooses the Select Ones, I am left on the bottom of the machine, staring up sadly and calling out in a piteous voice: "The Claw... The Claw..."

 

I breathlessly await my own Selection. Based on whatever random [inscrutable? opaque?] criteria Upwork uses.

tlsanders
Community Member

Janean L wrote:

I heard from a number of Upwork freelancers that they had received email notifications saying that they are now designated "Top Rated Plus," even though these freelancers cannot yet see the badge on their own profiles. Significantly, potential clients can see the designation.

 

I did not receive such a notification, despite the fact that my earnings and stats clearly make me eligible (indisputably) as "Top Rated Plus" according to the metrics outlined.

 

A few minutes ago, I called Upwork Support to ask about this. A very pleasant young man checked into this, and confirmed that my numbers and profile make me eligible for the program. However, as he 'splained to me, Upwork is implementing this program "over time." (Guess it takes a while for the central computer to run these complicated numbers?) So, I am not to be among the lucky first wave chosen for the badge.


That's ridiculous. Unless Upwork is making a point of making it very clear to clients that this is just being rolled out and not everyone qualified has it yet (I'm sure they're not, and that wouldn't fully mitigate, anyway), you're now being compared unfavorably with other freelancers because they have a badge that says they're more top rated than you...even though it's a lie. 

 

There's no justification for rolling out something that clients will use to compare your value with that of other freelancers on a staggered basis.

ttblancer
Community Member

I'm working in the admin support category also working with a client for about two years. My concern is, I have earned $10k+ from the client but from different contracts instead of a single contract. So, am I eligible for the plus badge? FYI: I believe I have met the all other criteria.