Boosted Proposals Negatively Impacting My Ability to Filter and Vet Freelancers

[#1]

As a client this feature is not helping me find the most qualified freelancers. It is really just negatively impacting my ability to adjust the filtering to show me the most recent applicants or to sort by other categories. When I try to filter by newest so I can see and respond to the most recent ones, it keeps the boosted proposals on top, even though I've already both shortlisted those two and responded, and so I have to scroll down even further to see new proposals. I don't care who has boosted their post. I am looking for the best fit, not who paid to annoy me in my filtering ability. 

I understand why freelancers would think this would be useful, but whether or not the proposal is boosted is not going to impact my vetting and selection of a consultant. I look at each of the proposals and vet them based on specific criteria. And where they show up in the list is not part of that criteria. I think most discerning clients would agree. When you force these boosted proposals on top, it means I have to scroll more and makes it harder for me to organize who I've looked at and who I haven't.

Please remove this feature and just let me select freelancers based on how I want to select them. Also, the best match is ridiculous still. I posted for a health coach, and I didn't select any skills related to business coaching, but none of the health coaches are best matches, and all of the business coaches are best matches. 

[#2]

I think that the boosted proposals is only for that the freelancers that can pay for the position, can get it (or the ones that still can afford to pay it, at this step). Clients that don't want paid proposals, but vetting the freelancers, should not be blocked to do so. Else, Upwork is converting into a platform where one can buy a project, instead of the quality jobs marketplace that distinguished it from other platforms.

[#3]

Amanda,

LOCATING TALENT: There are two major ways to locate professional freelancing talent on Upwork. Your first step is to place the job post and freelancers that closely match the post will Apply for the job. Making the job available to all freelancers will - make the job available to all freelancers. Therefore, a wider range and typical more freelancers will apply. The second option is to use the Invite Only feature. Use Upwork's Talent search feature and on the top right of the screen type your keyword. Next, on the left side of the screen narrow down the exact qualities you are seeking such as category, location, consultations, job success, amount earned, etc. and then use the Invite Only feature to invite exact freelancers that you have handpicked to apply to your job post.

[#4]

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William T C wrote:

Amanda,

LOCATING TALENT: There are two major ways to locate professional freelancing talent on Upwork. Your first step is to place the job post and freelancers that closely match the post will Apply for the job. Making the job available to all freelancers will - make the job available to all freelancers. Therefore, a wider range and typical more freelancers will apply. The second option is to use the Invite Only feature. Use Upwork's Talent search feature and on the top right of the screen type your keyword. Next, on the left side of the screen narrow down the exact qualities you are seeking such as category, location, consultations, job success, amount earned, etc. and then use the Invite Only feature to invite exact freelancers that you have handpicked to apply to your job post.

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I think Amanda doesn't need you to explain this to her.
If you've read her post, she's complaining about something else.

[#5]

Perfecly Said. 

[#6]

Yes please.

I'm a very experienced, published medical writer, but it's difficult to get when noticed when my proposal is at the bottom of the list.

Boosting proposals is not only unfair, it's also expensive.

[#7]

How do you know your proposal is at the bottom of the list? 

[#8]

totally appretiate 

[#9]

Hello Amanda,  

I am really thankful to you that you have highlighted the concern. The boosted feature is of no use to anyone other than upwork. Please upwork remove this feature. I am not able to bear my expenses now honestly. Earllier, I was making profit of $3000 per month. 

[#10]

agreed 

[#11]

Well said, only Upwork is being benefited by that. BUT TO ALL FREELANCERS IS BEING MUCH HARDER to get a project. And when one lands a project, ¿why not? is a scammy client. that are like on the deserved bag. But real clients are like not in the deservage for most of us.

[#12]

It's interesting to hear this from a client's perspective. I am a new freelancer who does top-notch work. But, when I look at the metrics and habits of potential clients, it seems like I have no choice but to buy my way to getting jobs, and I don't like that.

[#13]

I think that Upwork should improve this platform's user-friendliness for clients, freelancers, and for themselves. This would create a win-win situation for every stakeholder connected. Everyone spending time here and want to grow business here to the next level. However, if we make it unbalanced, it will lead to a negative attitude and negative effects for everyone on this platform, giving competitors an advantage because so many other platforms have already joined into this race. Therefore, I advise Upwork to change some policies or strategies for high rates and high connect usage rates for applying to jobs and promoting proposal activities that impede real skilled freelancers. 

[#14]

Really annoying feature.

[#15]

I think clients should have to option of disabling the ability to boost an application if they desire.

[#16]

understand your frustration with boosted proposals on Upwork. It's important for the platform to prioritize merit-based selection. Sharing your feedback directly with Upwork's support could contribute to positive changes. Your insights matter.

[#17]

With the considerable reduction in real jobs (job postings that convert to awarded jobs) in recent months, Upwork had the bright idea to make money by selling connects, hence jobs that cost up to 16 connects to bid for and the boosted bids.

[#18]

Would you prefer to pay $10 or $15 per proposal? Do you understand if Upwork doesn't start making money, the shareholders are going to want heads?

[#19]

A freelancer should not have to pay anything to submit a proposal. That's like an employer charging an applicant to submit a job application.

[#20]

You are comparing self-employment with employment. They are entirely different. If you want someone to tell you what to do, train you, and pay you for doing a job, then you need to find an employer.

Freelancing means you pay for everything in your business. No platform is free, and the physical world is not free, either. If you don't want to be responsible for yourself, you need to find an employer to pay for all the expenses for you.

[#21]

This raises an interesting point.  If a Freelancer has paid, via connects, to submit a proposal, has also paid a percentage of earnings that you say denotes a self-employed relationship how do you justify expecting a fee from an empoyer who decides, after working with afreelancer to offer him an employed position?  The employer has already paid UpWork a fee as a percentage of the amounts paid to the freelancer.  If, as younow want to say, the freelancer is a self-employed contractor the freelancer is entitled to take any position offered after the freelance contract has ended.  UpWork is trying to act on the one hand as a channel between a freelance and a client but hen extending that into a service as a recruitment agence for employees.  You can't have both ways.

[#22]

If a Freelancer has paid, via connects, to submit a proposal, has also paid a percentage of earnings that you say denotes a self-employed relationship how do you justify expecting a fee from an empoyer who decides, after working with afreelancer to offer him an employed position?

If you mean taking a client outside of Upwork, after two years it is $1.00 with some minor qualifiers. Upwork does not want to lose money, and they charge to keep the client here.

If, as younow want to say, the freelancer is a self-employed contractor the freelancer is entitled to take any position offered after the freelance contract has ended.

I have been saying the same thing. Freelancers are independent contractors/self-employed/freelancer or however each person is established. You are not "entitled." Whether you read it, you agreed to follow the Terms of Service and any amendments, additions, inclusions, addendums, etc. Within that document, you agreed to follow all of Upwork's rules, or suffer the consequences. If you didn't read it, that's on you. If you didn't understand it, you should have contacted Upwork. I believe some freelancers don't understand the language, because it could be written better, especially considering many freelancers on the platform don't speak English as a first language.

UpWork is trying to act on the one hand as a channel between a freelance and a client but hen extending that into a service as a recruitment agence for employees.

So? If they want to be a recruitment agency, those businesses often charge as well.

Most contracts have some stipulation regarding leaving the platform or agency with a client.

I have stated, in other posts, what Upwork is doing, so I won't go into that here. Though I have issues with Upwork management, I recognize what is accurate. Upwork can change their direction, no matter how harmful to freelancers. The choice is to use the platform, or not.

[#23]

Actually, Adrian, in the US all temporary employment agencies provide for an additional fee from the employer of temporary workers and/from the workers themselves if the worker is hired permanently by the employer. 

[#24]

My point exactly. These are Employment Agencies. You try to say that
UpWork is for Freelancers who are self-employed not employees. As I said
you can't have it both ways.

[#25]

I'm not having anything both ways, Adrian H.

Upwork is an employment agency - it links workers looking for work with employers who need work done, resulting in some of those workers being employed by some of those employers. Whether or not the work is permanent or involves any sort of benefits beyond pre-agreed pay is irrelevant.

In your definition, you're making a false distinction without a difference between traditional "employees" and "freelancers who are looking for limited employment" with employers. 

[#26]

Sorry, but you are. On the one hand, there are those responding to
complaints about the cost of connects and the system saying that
Freelancers are "self-employed" and should accept these costs as equivalent
to any business advertising its services.

Now you are saying Upwork is an employment agency with " workers being
employed by employers. There is a very clear legal difference between an
employer-employee relationship and a "self-employed" or "contractor"
relationship.

If I apply for a "job" with an employer I do not need to pay a fee to make
an application nor do I if that position is advertised via a recruitment
agency where if an applicant is hired the employer pays the agency their
fee. Nor, in that situation, would the employee pay a percentage of the
salary to the recruitment agency as is the case with work found via Upwork

A similar situation applies if an "Employment Agency" is involved. In that
situation, the employer is the Agency that employs the worker and contracts
the worker out to clients. The agency earns a profit on the difference
between the salary paid to the worker and the rate charged to the client.
The worker does not pay a fee to the employment agency to find work. The
agency finds the work and places the worker with a suitable client.

It is for these reasons I am saying Upwork cannot have it both ways. It is
either a conduit where self-employed freelancers can find clients or is an
employment agency that should, therefore, employ freelancers, or a
recruitment agency where the employer should be the fee payer.