Re: My proposals are archived!

Petra R · Jan 4, 2019 11:54:24 PM

@Mary W wrote:
I seldom send proposals any more because most of the legal jobs posted are not consistent, legally or skill-wise, with me and what I can do. But if I were more active right now, I would be LIVID to find that my proposal was archived.

The nasty part is that you likely won't find out.

That said, I applied to a job some little while ago (because it was a perfect fit for me and I was a perfect fit for the job) and the client then sent me an invite to a different job, which I nearly declined without reading it, because it was for something else. She told me that I had applied to her other job (I did) and she wanted to hire me, but that she could not, for the life of her, find my proposal, and could not invite me either.

So I had to withdraw my proposal and apply again, just so she could hire me. Had she not been so persistent and searched for me specifically to invite me (for a different job, because the system did not allow her to invite me to the one I had already applied for) I'd have lost out. Client would have lost out.

I thought that was odd and it's been niggling at me ever since. Now I know why...

Clearly one of those so-called "Talent-Specialists" - who almost certainly haven't the faintest whiff of a clue what I do and who would be a good fit for that particular job, took my proposal and chucked it in the trash.

Obviously that so-called "Talent-Specialist" thought my proposal was not a good fit despite the fact that I have years and thousands of hours history successfully doing EXACTLY what the client wanted, a 100% JSS, top rated etc. Clearly the client thought I was the perfect fit, considering she went to the lengths she did to find me after my proposal inexplicably vanished?

The whole thing is so hare-brained it absolutely beggars belief.

How can one of those people POSSIBLY know what is needed in all the wildly different categories from design to translation to app development to coding to whatever. Know better than the client, better than the professionals who work with the clients?

THEY CAN NOT!

I fitted EVERY criteria. The only reason I can think of is that I bid (and was subsequently hired at) significantly (70% +) above budget, but that should be no reason for those people to bin proposals. Upwork should be glad when freelancers make them more money!

And what about the Connects wasted when those clueless people thrash professionals' proposals?

What about the fact that Upwork sells us memberships and connects and then lets clueless entry level people throw our proposals in the trash?

You can not sell something to us and then sneakily send in those people to cluelessly go forth and take it away.

How in the WORLD can Upwork think that is ok? HOW?

Virginia F · Jan 5, 2019 08:45:55 AM

@Petra R wrote:
@Mary W wrote:
I seldom send proposals any more because most of the legal jobs posted are not consistent, legally or skill-wise, with me and what I can do. But if I were more active right now, I would be LIVID to find that my proposal was archived.
The nasty part is that you likely won't find out.

That said, I applied to a job some little while ago (because it was a perfect fit for me and I was a perfect fit for the job) and the client then sent me an invite to a different job, which I nearly declined without reading it, because it was for something else. She told me that I had applied to her other job (I did) and she wanted to hire me, but that she could not, for the life of her, find my proposal, and could not invite me either.

So I had to withdraw my proposal and apply again, just so she could hire me. Had she not been so persistent and searched for me specifically to invite me (for a different job, because the system did not allow her to invite me to the one I had already applied for) I'd have lost out. Client would have lost out.

I thought that was odd and it's been niggling at me ever since. Now I know why...

Clearly one of those so-called "Talent-Specialists" - who almost certainly haven't the faintest whiff of a clue what I do and who would be a good fit for that particular job, took my proposal and chucked it in the trash.

Obviously that so-called "Talent-Specialist" thought my proposal was not a good fit despite the fact that I have years and thousands of hours history successfully doing EXACTLY what the client wanted, a 100% JSS, top rated etc. Clearly the client thought I was the perfect fit, considering she went to the lengths she did to find me after my proposal inexplicably vanished?

The whole thing is so hare-brained it absolutely beggars belief.

How can one of those people POSSIBLY know what is needed in all the wildly different categories from design to translation to app development to coding to whatever. Know better than the client, better than the professionals who work with the clients?

THEY CAN NOT!

I fitted EVERY criteria. The only reason I can think of is that I bid (and was subsequently hired at) significantly (70% +) above budget, but that should be no reason for those people to bin proposals. Upwork should be glad when freelancers make them more money!

And what about the Connects wasted when those clueless people thrash professionals' proposals?
What about the fact that Upwork sells us memberships and connects and then lets clueless entry level people throw our proposals in the trash?

You can not sell something to us and then sneakily send in those people to cluelessly go forth and take it away.

How in the WORLD can Upwork think that is ok? HOW?

If this is what happened with that job, your bid, and that client, that's a bad story, Petra. I think there might be more crickets for awhile.

Petra R · Jan 5, 2019 09:48:51 AM

@Virginia F wrote:

If this is what happened with that job, your bid, and that client, that's a bad story, Petra. I think there might be more crickets for awhile.

Well, it seems it happens to our proposals day in, day out.

The thought that those people, who would not understand the finer details of translation (or programming, or design, or legal whatsit, or whatever your area of expertise may be) if they jumped up and bit them, whoosh in and decide to take our proposals (which we spend time on, and some pay money for) and remove them is making me so incredibly angry, especially when clients have little or no clear idea that it is happening.

Those so-called talent specialists are no such thing. They are not specialists in what the hundreds of thousands of freelancers in all the many different categories do and what their clients need.

This is Upwork stealing our time ( the time it takes to apply) and our Connects and in the case of freelancers who pay, our money.

AGAIN: Upwork, you can not take our money with one hand and then send those (BEEPS) in to secretly remove our proposals with the other hand. That simply, absolutely, ~~can~~ must not happen. It is wrong. It is underhand, and I am pretty certain the legality of such a business practice could be seriously questioned.

At any rate it is a deliberate, sly, secretive, unfair, evil, flat-handed, hard, insulting slap in the face of the freelancers.

If you want clients to receive less deadbeat proposals, kick all the deadbeats off the beeping site and be done with it already. Taking my careful proposals and flushing them down the toilet at the hands of someone who has no clue what my clients need is not the solution.

THIS is NOT the way to go about it.

I am so angry I am literally foaming at the mouth.

Lambertus L · Jan 5, 2019 10:05:50 AM

I am so thoroughly demoralized after reading this thread. I've been trying to get my foot in the door with Upwork for the last 5 months and have only been able to leverage two jobs so far. I've tried everything recommended (hey, I'm sure if you checked my profile you could find room for improvement so feel free to shout out anything that I could improve).

I've written long cover letters, short cover letters, 100% custom cover letters, pro-forma cover letters, bid high, bid low, bid in the middle, limited myself to one or two thoughtful proposals a day, and even tried going with dozens of template proposals daily to the point where I felt I was spamming, I always attach relevant work samples, and I've edited my profile at least half a dozen times. Nothing seems to really work.

To hear that my proposals are likely being filtered without the client's consent or knowledge by someone with questionable qualifications makes me wonder why I'm bothering with this platform...

Virginia F · Jan 5, 2019 10:08:54 AM

"If you want clients to receive less deadbeat proposals, kick all the deadbeats off the beeping site and be done with it already"

That pretty much sums it up. Even though UW says it's getting harder to have a profile approved, I don't believe it. All you have to do is read newbie forum posts to know that UW will take anyone.

Kathy T · Jan 5, 2019 10:18:57 AM

@Virginia F wrote:
"If you want clients to receive less deadbeat proposals, kick all the deadbeats off the beeping site and be done with it already"

That pretty much sums it up. Even though UW says it's getting harder to have a profile approved, I don't believe it. All you have to do is read newbie forum posts to know that UW will take anyone.

----------------

There's one OP, that I just replied to, (in the New to Upwork discussion section) who asks why can't I get a job. I looked at his profile, He has not a single word plus he has taken 2 tests with below average scores. yet he's able to send proposals.

Kathy T · Jan 5, 2019 10:20:51 AM

Petra - you know what? When a freelancer posts that they can not get a job, and their profile is good and complete, perhaps we can reply with a link to this discussion.

Baris A · Jan 5, 2019 10:51:44 AM

Remember when they were hiding jobs from freelancers after some number of top rated applications were received? Then they started to "not hide" them but there was a message from a mod saying they are still doing the experiment. This is the same experiment from what I understand from what a mod wrote here.

AND, there are NO talent specialists. There is an algorithm which was hiding jobs from freelancers, which is now hiding freelancers from clients.

Wendy C · Jan 5, 2019 11:11:27 AM

Petra wrote "If you want clients to receive less deadbeat proposals, kick all the deadbeats off the beeping site and be done with it already. Taking my careful proposals and flushing them down the toilet at the hands of someone who has no clue what my clients need is not the solution."

That sez it all. I'm "foaming at the mouth" right along with her ... and every other professional who has seen this thread.

Upwork's behavior is unacceptable. Devious. Very possibly illegal. And will not be allowed to be pushed aside and ignored as is so often the methodology used to end discussions of this nature.

We are a tenacious lot; that's how we survive and flourish as freelancers. We are also honest; none of the FLers who are so furious with this behavior cost Upwork a penny in 'neediness' or lost revenue. We are the key sources of U's 20%, 10%, and 5% revenue stream.

Maria T · Jan 5, 2019 11:04:32 AM

I have been following the thread without answering anyone because there are people here who, in addition to writing English correctly, explain everything in a detailed and precise way (Petra, you get the prize and I'm sorry about what happened to you)
It would be nice if @Dan R. and @Sarah H. (the clients) told us what explanations they have received from Upwork.
I see that no mod has followed with the thread and, really, what has happened to Petra is for give some explanation.
Angry, very angry !!