Why does upwork have so many liars and fake freelancers??

[a1654756]

I have tried to hire coders on Upwork because of their nearly-perfect client reviews. I have manged to interview about 20+ coders with great ratings and reviews but i was shocked to discover that many of them could not answer my questions in english correctly.

For example:

Me: How old are you?

Coder from Upwork: 5 years in PHP

Me: How old are you?

Coder from Upwork: I know PHP for 5 years. 

Their glowing client reviews were all written in english but the freelancers seemed to have much difficulty in communicating in english. 

Why does upwork have so many liars and fake freelancers??

[a5780821]

I could reply, but apparently, my test constantly contains a "predefined bad word".  When there was nothing bad written.  Only the fact is that I've gone through several thousand interviews form this site and others.  Yet can not find one competent developer who can actually do the work requested.  

[prestonhunter]

I do not doubt your personal experience. I am certain you are sincere in your disappointment.

Upwork is NOT what you hoped it would be.

I personally believe that Upwork could and should do a better job of messaging to clients about what the services the platform does and does not provide, along with how clients can best succeed in achieving their goals.

I believe there are many freelance developers who shouldn't be on the platform. In the Forum, have read first hand accounts from many clients who commissioned development work on Upwork and were disappointed by their experiences.

As a user who is both a client and freelancer, my experience is not the same as what you describe.

I wonder:

How do you explain the large number of clients who successfully commission development work on Upwork?

Is their experience different from yours simply due to luck of the draw? Different niche industry? Different approach to hiring?

[tlsanders]

Perhaps different pay rates.

[a5780821]

Well, point me to a developer that can do full stack who has experience and requests a normal salary range.  Because I'm not going to pay an idiot $400/hr to write basic php to jump on board a government contract job, when the GOVERNMENT sets the minimum and maximum pay scales.

The reasonable developers who claim to develop, sit on their asses and Literally don't do anything and expect to get away with it.  I've seen it time and time again, the developers here are mostly nonsense bull**bleep** artists who literally can't develop.  They copy-paste GitHub resources and try to pass off free templates as a full-stack development build.  It's a Joke.
I mean, my federal contract clients don't have time to deal with fake nonsense and each hire I had from here was a waste of time.   There were maybe 3 people who knew what they were doing, but I still had to let them go because they refused to do the work hours that were requested.   They would literally login to the server with their access point, then just sit there and not write a single line of code.  

My post was based on just that.  Most of these people are fake and liars..  

[bobafett999]

That is nonsense.  How much are you willing to pay? 100,000 VNDs/hr?

[a5780821]

80k a year.  Yet, still no developer.  At least not from upwork or freelancer or any other website services.  

[25005175]

Only the fact is that I've gone through several thousand interviews form this site and others.  Yet can not find one competent developer who can actually do the work requested.  

---

Several thousand interviews on multiple websites and not a single competent developer? Are you using the obsolete definition of "competent" from when it was synonymous with "genius"?

[a5780821]

Competent.  AKA - Fake developers.  If a developer can not build a front end and tries to screenshot a PNG as a front end and then copies an image to the server index.  Then expects to be paid for "developing" the front end... It's a joke.    Literally 2 developers from the same company tried to pull that crap with me, from this site.  They made a screen shot, then filled the index page with that screen shot, then tried to pass it off as a task completed.......    Doesn't take a genius to do some basic development.  Still, the site is a waste of time.  I have not found 1 developer worth their price.

[25005175]

Why did you hire a second person from the same company if the first one failed so dramatically?

If you don't have any success on your search methods, then I suggest changing methods. More likely that the many good coders already have jobs and are no longer on the market. I reckon that there is a greater demand for good coders than there is supply. If you are looking for full-time contract hires, then Upwork is most likely not the place. Take a page out of What color is your parachute? and don't rely on digital marketplaces and job boards. Check your network. Go to the advisors and job fairs at colleges, universities, and trade schools to find skilled students, fresh grads, and recent alumni.

[tlsanders]

Several thousand interviews? So, after you had invested 1000 hours (6 months of full time work) in interviewing, you thought it was wise to devote another year or year and a half of full time work doing the same thing that was consistently failing? It seems possible the freelancers are not the problem in this story.

[a5780821]

Well, you must be incompetent for sure.  1,000's of interviews over 3 years of searching for a good developer for (ONE) specific project.  An interview doesn't take an hour and it also doesn't take "full-time work" to do an interview.  With 5 basic development questions, you can tell if someone does what they claim they do.  I mean, when I ask....  "What frame work do you work on, we are thinking about Laravel..."   Then have answers like... "oh, laravel is a good language...."    It stops the interview PRETTY darn fast.  

It's funny that I come here looking for specific things, then idiots like to make posts and question what I am doing.  Yet, I'm hiring and firing developers left and right doing government contracting.   Upwork is one of the worse freelancer sites we tend to use for my corporate manhunting.  

I kinda have a large portfolio that shows my government successes and development platforms.. soooo.  You're welcome to entertain your idiotic commentary, since you are a no body..  

[the-right-writer]

If you looked at Tiffany's profile, you would see she is far from incompetent.

I have an excellent idea why you have so many problems. Yes, it shows.

If you are "hiring and firing right and left", you do have a bizarre standard, and I pity the ones who do have to work for you.

If Upwork is so terrible, why are you here and hiring? It makes no sense.

If you do not want to have people respond, then you might reconsider posting on a public forum. People have a right to respond, just as you have a right to post. That's how forums work.

You know, I always say when people resort to insults, they have already lost the argument. And so you have.

[86c631fc]

A technical person does not need to be fluent in English, but if you're talking about writers or editors, you must be Native.
Btw I appreciate the humor of that freelancer who's life is absolute 5. 

[sajal36]

Are you concern with age of the freelancer or experience. If you ask non relevant question than be ready for non relevant answer. If you have non functional requirement for your project than please ensure that the same are posted along with the JD.

[sajjadsunyiad]

Hi Shane,
Hope you are doing great. It's understandable that you've had a frustrating experience encountering freelancers on Upwork who might not have met your expectations in terms of English language proficiency or communication skills. While it's true that there can be instances where freelancers are not as fluent in English as their reviews might suggest, there are a few factors to consider that might contribute to this situation:

1. Global Talent Pool: Upwork has a vast and diverse pool of freelancers from around the world. This diversity includes people with varying levels of English proficiency. Some freelancers might be exceptionally skilled in their technical fields but might struggle with English communication.

2. Technical Skills vs. Language Skills: As you rightly pointed out, technical skills and language skills are not always directly correlated. A talented programmer might excel in their coding abilities but might not be as proficient in communicating complex ideas in English.

3. Misunderstandings and Communication: Sometimes, misunderstandings can occur during interviews or conversations due to language barriers. It's possible that the freelancers you interviewed misunderstood your questions or were unable to express themselves clearly in English.

4. Cultural and Time Zone Differences: Freelancers on Upwork come from various cultural backgrounds and time zones. It's possible that some freelancers are operating in different time zones and might be responding to your queries quickly without fully comprehending them.

5. Speed and Pressure: In the fast-paced world of freelancing platforms, freelancers might feel pressured to respond to inquiries quickly. This rush to reply could lead to misunderstandings or incomplete responses.

6. Selective Reviews: While most platforms, including Upwork, try to maintain authenticity in reviews, it's possible that some freelancers have garnered glowing reviews despite language challenges, as clients might have been more focused on the delivered technical work rather than communication skills.

When dealing with freelancers, remember that excellent communication is essential, especially when communicating project requirements, updates, and feedback. If clear communication is critical for your project, you may consider hiring English-speaking freelancers or employing better communication channels to avoid misunderstandings.

Finally, Upwork provides a diverse choice of freelancers with varied talents and experiences. To achieve a successful relationship, customers must analyze not only the reviews but also the communication abilities of the freelancers. Before making a selection, it's a good idea to conduct detailed interviews or trial assignments to assess both technical competency and communication talents.

[ansarirabia]

Sorry to hear about your experience. This really sounds annoying to me as well. Although Upwork try to filter and verify freelancers at various level, even then there's always a threat of liars and fake persons with no or low skillsets. We can say that this is how this world works. 🙂 As a client, you can always verify the freelancer and their skillset with a video call prior to investing any time or money. I believe the first initial minutes of a video call meeting determine and clarify everything. 

[debi-f]

Hello

I work here for 13 years, I'm a freelancer, Top Rated, professional, with excellent feedbacks. 

In the last time, many clients even don't read the proposals I send (with samples of previous jobs, feedbacks, etc.), and they even don't hire anyone. 

Some of them ask for low prices, there are many scammers, new freelancers boosting their bids with 50 connects, etc.

The “old” freelancers, like me, feel that it is very unfair and frustrating. I send proposals for the jobs that fit exactly my skills, and clients even don't read them. 

I have some clients with a long term contract, but it is not easy to find new clients. It is not easy to trust and to find serious professional clients. 

As a professional, I will not accept a $5/hr job, so I don't even bid if a client asks for the “lowest prices”. It happened to me that clients decided to hire a “cheap” freelancer, and then they come back to me, asking to correct the products they received. Of course, I take money for that. So, why clients ask for a low price if they want a professional product? Search for good freelancers, even when you have to pay a little more.

It seems that both of us, clients and freelancers, have a difficult situation here. 

[django_expert]

I would suggest you to hire the coders from USA. It will give you a ind of confidence that you are in safe hands.

[the-right-writer]

How so? Coders from the US are no better or worse than coders from other countries.

[tgcodes]

Your issue with them is the fact that they have a poor command of written and spoken English, you can as well set up a zoom meeting with them on Upwork. also, I would suggest you check their github account as well or you hire an IT consultant to help with the hiring process whom you will hold responsible in the case of poor delivery. 

[debi-f]

Hello

I work here for 13 years, Top Rated, professional, with excellent feedbacks.

In the last time, many clients even don't read the proposals I send (with samples of previous jobs, feedbacks, etc.). Some of them ask for low prices, there are many scammers, new freelancers boost their bids with 50 connects, and the “old” freelancers, like me, feel that it is very unfair. I send proposals for the jobs that fit my skills, and clients even don't read them.

I have some clients with a long term contract, but it is not easy to find new clients. As a professional, I will not accept a $5/hr job, so I don't even bid if a client asks for the “lowest price”.

As there are many scammers and spam jobs, that Upwork is not deleting them, is not easy to trust and to find serious professional clients.

It seems that both of us, clients and freelancers, have a difficult situation here.