🐈
» Forums » Clients » Boosted Proposals Negatively Impacting My Abi...
Page options
Amanda's avatar
Amanda L Community Member

Boosted Proposals Negatively Impacting My Ability to Filter and Vet Freelancers

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. 

153 REPLIES 153
Tiffany's avatar
Tiffany S Community Member

I'm very curious about when they were "wonderful and supportive." I started using Upwork around 2015-16, and customer service has been beyond useless and often actively counterproductive that whole time. They've ignored both freelancer and client requests and invested in implementing features that no one asked for the whole time I've been here. 

Ian David John's avatar
Ian David John E Community Member

Dear Upwork (Arjay),

I never bid for jobs I don't want! Wasting 50 to 70 connects on one project with no idea if the client will hire anyone is just crazy. THIS IS HARMING THE UPWORK PLATFORM LONG TERM. Just to be at the top of the list only means some freelancers don't mind throwing their money away.  It does not mean they are the best for the project, it does not mean they are keener. It does mean they are desperate...

Ian

Amanda's avatar
Amanda L Community Member

Still no response that makes any sense? 

Claudia's avatar
Claudia Z Community Member

You mentioned that you shortlisted and responded to the top boosted proposals. I suppose their proposal was good enough to consider them. Imagine you had to scroll/check 50+ proposals to actually see these boosted proposals.


My guess is that if you decline or archive a boosted proposal it will no longer be displayed at the top?

Amanda's avatar
Amanda L Community Member

I would have shortlisted them anyways. It had nothing to do with where they were placed. I review each applicant based on certain criteria, and where their proposal is listed has nothing to do with it. Sorting proposals allows me to manage the hiring process more easily. Boosting doesn't help me make that choice or give them a better chance. On my additional rounds of review I have now eliminated all the boosted proposals entirely. So no one who was boosted got this job. So no, didn't help them. And I did not shortlist ALL the boosted proposals, so for some people who boosted, it only highlighted what a bad proposal they submitted. 

 

Have you ever actually hired? Sometimes you aren't ready to make a decision on a proposal to archive or decline yet. From your suggestion, I should just archive and decline all boosted proposals. Enjoy wasting your connects. 

Claudia's avatar
Claudia Z Community Member

It's been a very long time since I even posted a job. After a few hires I've realised my budget was too low for what I had on mind to accomplish. Some criteria are just out of Upwork's control.


I don't know if boosting a proposal is actually a waste of connects. I know it's a double-edged sword. I submit proposals occasionally, I wouldn't use the booster for every job, it's just business. Maybe some freelancers didn't boost for your post but they do/did it on others.


In a comment I made last year on the booster announcement post I said that it may look or feel like intrusive, unsolicited, and maybe Upwork should offer the clients the option to turn off the boosting feature. It got no kudo! 


Anyways, it would be great if more clients posted feedback about their experience with boosted proposals.

Amanda's avatar
Amanda L Community Member

I think it you happen to be that magic fit then it's genius but I also think it's a huge risk to do so. It also depends. I think clients should have the option to hide boosted posts at least if they are filtering by newest or oldest, that still means when you open the page every time the boosts are on top. Give us at least SOME option to sort our candidates without having to just archive those right away to get them out of sight. 

 

I think that if you are applying to a gig that is a rush job or short turnaround, then it might be of some use and a good strategy, but otherwise, it can look different to different clients. I think we can all agree that unless you really are the right fit from the client's perspective, it's a waste. 

 

ETA: sorry hit post before I finished my thought. I was saying it's a waste because freelancers boost from their own perspective that they are the best fit, and most freelancers really aren't reading carefully and considering carefully if they are actually the best fit. Especially we see new freelancers blowing all their connects on jobs that are vague and they come here and say "oh I know I only applied to those that I was the best fit!" 

Mohammed's avatar
Mohammed A Community Member


Claudia Z wrote:

You mentioned that you shortlisted and responded to the top boosted proposals. I suppose their proposal was good enough to consider them. Imagine you had to scroll/check 50+ proposals to actually see these boosted proposals.


Imagine you had to scroll/check 50+ proposals


Upwork is used to sort the proposals depending on how much they match the job description and requirements.

Viktoria's avatar
Viktoria A Community Member

Good to know. As a freelancer I never liked this feature, makes me feel like it is a competition of spending the connects rather than skills and knowledge someone has. 

Anick Mahmud's avatar
Anick Mahmud K Community Member

Yes Tottaly Agree with you!

Volha's avatar
Volha S Community Member

So true. I'm very confused when see that someone spends more than 30 connects on one job😲

Rian's avatar
Rian M Community Member

Yes, and the others one spend more than 50 to get the job, it makes mem, Huh 😑

Jeremiah's avatar
Jeremiah B Community Member

Don't be confused.  Just come to the community forums and read the different posts in both the client and freelancer sections.  You'll begin to understand why some (many) people feel the need to bid on jobs using rediculous amounts of connects.

Some possibilities:
1. New freelancers trying to land their first client - if this is the case, there will always be a stream of overbidding that heavily skews the bidding feature.  The good news is that new freelancers won't have any reviews or work history and that will offset their overbidding.  Freelancers with history and reviews still have a chance in landing the client.  The unfortunate part, is that this stream of new freelancers overbidding on jobs will lead to seasoned freelancers spending 2-3x the connects just to get a spot in the client's top 3 roster.  

2. Some freelancers are likely to believe that by bidding with connects, the highest bid determines who wins the job.  In an effort to "buy" work, they overbid and create an atmosphere where legitimate bidding can not take place.  This causes seasoned freelancers who do not "bid to buy" stop participating in the bidding process.  This also likely runs counter to what Upwork intended for this feature.

This is the resulting condition that I believe we are seeing.  I arrive at this opinion due to the overwhelming number of freelancer posts that are desperate for work.

3. Upwork claims that the bidding feature is to "help freelancers who have a particular interest in a job or project be more visible to the client".  This is a terrible narrative.  Just because a freelancer bids 200 connects on a job does not mean they will get the job.  It only puts them on the top of the pile for review by the client.  The client is going to select the best fit for the job, regardless of who is on the top of the pile or not.  

And for the elephant in the room...

Upwork implemented this bidding feature in an attempt to provide greater visibiity to freelancers who are interested in some jobs.  Upwork's primary business model is the derivation of profit and revenue from clientele hiring freelancers - nothing more and nothing less. 

By implementing the bidding process, Upwork has introduced an additional roadblock to that profit and revenue stream.  When freelancers with good reviews and work history start seeing a decline in the amount of work they are able to secure, they are faced with three options - 1. bid more on each proposal, 2. stop bidding altogether, or 3. leave the site altogether.

When seasoned freelancers regularly see jobs with 20, 50, 100, or even 200+ connects, outbidding becomes impractical and discouraging.

When seasoned freelancers stop bidding, it creates additional and unnecessary work for the client to review each proposal (from what I understand).  This slows the turnover of contracts on the site, slows the revenue and cashflow for Upwork, and can easily drive clients from doing additional business on the site.  

When freelancers leave the site, other freelancers win by having a smaller pool of competition.  However, the supply of freelancers is so great that this is an unreasonable way to thin that supply.  When clients leave the site, so does Upworks revenue and profits.  Losing clients hurts both freelancers and Upwork - this also causes there to be a greater ratio of freelancers to clients which negates the purpose of thinning the freelancer supply through bidding.

If you were a client that needed to get a job or project done, your primary concern should be hiring the best fit for the job.  I think most clients would agree that they would rather hire someone with experience and good reviews that provides them with value over someone who simply spent 100 bids to be on the top of the pile.

In order to remain competitive, Upwork needs to stop trying to manipulate supply and demand.  As with economics, the supply and demand of both freelancers and clients needs to be allowed to reach equilibrium.  This is the optimal point in which both freelancers and clients are most successful.  Tipping the scale in either direction results in price ceilings and floors, which can severely damage markets and labor pools.

Dian's avatar
Dian J Community Member

Thank you Jeremiah, for your explanation. I believe the method needs some tweaking somewhat.

Jeremiah's avatar
Jeremiah B Community Member

I believe upwork needs to eliminate it completely.  

This is going to be widely unpopular to say, but if Upwork wants to thin some of the freelancer volume, they need to raise the price on connects. 

One caveat - Raising the price for connects AND having a bidding feature are not compatible with one another.  

By sticking with the original business model (paying for connects, no bidding feature), and raising prices for those connects, it will push out the least successful and least productive freelancers.  This attrition is not happening at a high enough rate, leading to a surplus in freelancers.

Luce's avatar
Luce N Community Member

I'm starting to wonder whether this is true. I have my doubts about freelancers willing to spend so many connects on jobs that are not that interesting.

Tiffany's avatar
Tiffany S Community Member

Is one job one job, though?  A significant percentage of my one-off jobs on Upwork turn into years-long relationships.

Mykola's avatar
Mykola A Community Member

Upwork can earn even more if you allow clients not to see boosts for money. There are already a lot of extra paid features that should be free (for example, the Available label). There will be one more.

Amanda, sorry for the jokey post in your thread, but some of the stuff Upwork has done really non seriously.

Thomas J's avatar
Thomas J M Community Member

I fully agree that Best Match is a joke.  I rarely am matched with anyone qualified.  Rather, Upwork "Best Matches" me with someone cheap... why?  Because Upwork wants me to hire SOMEBODY.  They don't care if that person is actually qualified, or even if that person is in the field in which I'm hiring.

 

Upwork: fix this broken platform!  

Julian's avatar
Julian D Community Member

Sometimes freelancers have split specialisms, so maybe they forget to change from a 'health coach' to a 'business coach,' When bidding. Freelancers definitely need this feature, if used responsibly it can really help them. Or they are just never going to get anywhere with this platform. 

Amanda's avatar
Amanda L Community Member


Julian D wrote:

Sometimes freelancers have split specialisms, so maybe they forget to change from a 'health coach' to a 'business coach,' When bidding. Freelancers definitely need this feature, if used responsibly it can really help them. Or they are just never going to get anywhere with this platform. 


Julian, I'm both a freelancer and a client, and yes, they may have specialized profiles, which is why it is IMPERATIVE that freelancers apply with the RIGHT profile and make sure that the profile they apply with matches the job description. When clients are quickly culling proposals, one of the easiest ways to do so is right off the bat with profile titles. 

Pavlo's avatar
Pavlo L Community Member

I have a request:

Could you post the screen which you see with boosted proposals (without ID or any private information)? 

I would like to see what the client view of those proposals are. 

And to see, how hard it is to get through to non-boosted proposals.

 

Amanda's avatar
Amanda L Community Member


Pavlo L wrote:

I have a request:

Could you post the screen which you see with boosted proposals (without ID or any private information)? 

I would like to see what the client view of those proposals are. 

And to see, how hard it is to get through to non-boosted proposals.

 


Hi Pavlov, I don't have an open job currently, but if you go over to the Platform section of the forum and look at Upwork's posts about boosting, I believe they have screenshots from the client dashboard. 

Tauseef's avatar
Tauseef A Community Member

I view this 'boosted proposal' as kind of purchasing your job. The one who pays the most gets the job. 

For instance, I haven't boosted any of my proposals in last like 7 months and out of 22 proposals that I sent, only two were viewed and I was hired on both of them. 

 

I'm 100% sure that my tailored, manually written, relevant proposals are better than most of other proposals yet I lose a chance to get hired because someone else's purchased the job which sounds a vicious idea. 

I'm a top-rated freelancer with 100 percent job success score yet my proposals aren't opened because I might end up sending my proposals to the last row of the juxtaposition.  

 

 

Jonathan's avatar
Jonathan L Community Member

Boosting is advertising, not purchasing a job. Advertising and lobbying are normal business practices.