16 connects to apply for a job - has the connects required to apply gone up?

[#1]

I was just applying to jobs on Upwork, and noticed a job post required 16 connects to apply!

I though it was 2-8 for a job

[#2]

[#3]

It's out of control. 

[#4]

Loot by upwork. 

[#5]

Feeling really dissappointed and we should raise our voice to make this action reverse. 

12 And 16 connects are way enough to apply to jobs like 50$

[#6]

its ridiculous that we even have to pay anything! The job posters should pay... then maybe they would post REAL jobs, and they would take it seriously so we dont just waste our money. They just raised it to 8 connects recentlly, I thought that was ridiculous! NOW 16! I wont be applying to those jobs.... I hardly get any work on upwork, I have 20 years experience, Ive lowered my rates, use original cover letters, We stop applying, and the posters will stop posting. Its obnoxious! What other website CHARGES to apply to a job?? Its wrong

[#7]

You are self-employed. There are costs associated with freelancing. Who is paying your Internet? Who is paying for your phone or computer? Who is paying for those items you need to work? Where are you working from? There are expenses no matter where you go. Part of any business is deciding where to put the money, or even to fold the business and do something else.

Every platform that is any good charges. The ones I like have many rules. Rules about how many can be on the platform, tests for platform rules, native languages, and every skill you mention. And yes, there are fees. Most freelancers would never make it. If you think there is a better platform, it makes no business sense that you are still here.

[#8]

1 vs hunderds. Let's see how many freelancers you manage to convince to support & agree to this decision. 

The ones who don't need to apply to jobs anymore & fortunate enough to get much invites & rely on them will surely & gladly accepts this decision as they don't care enough obviously.

[#9]

Are you under the impression that anyone needs to convince freelancers? Upwork made a choice for its business. Now, freelancers can make a choice for their businesses and either continue to use the site or note.

Clients, established freelancers and Upwork will be better off if hundreds of thousands of freelancers leave. 

[#10]

Oh sorry, did I  mentioned that "you" were the one convincing anyone here? My point was directed towards the person whose response gave off a similar impression. In the second paragraph above, I've already made it clear how strongly I feel about this matter.

If you're comfortable not applying to these low-paying jobs, that's your choice. But please, take a moment to read the feedback from other freelancers in the community. This isn't just one person's opinion; it represents the collective voice of the community, which matters the most.

If there's a belief that making it harder for other freelancers to apply will somehow benefit or ease competition, then it's a misguided notion. We need to consider both sides of the equation. While eliminating spam and low-quality freelancers is important, it shouldn't come at the expense of genuine freelancers.

If the aim is to improve the quality of freelancers, why not apply the same scrutiny to job postings? Filter out the low-quality or scammy ones. But perhaps that idea doesn't sit well with those who enjoy low competition. It's essential to think about the impact of decisions on the entire freelance community, not just a select few.

[#11]

Why do you think I believed that was directed at me? Are you confused about what "anyone" means? 

I've seen the feelings of a lot of freelancers about this. What you don't seem to understand is that Upwork is not a charity. They are not in business to attend to freelancers' feelings. Freelancers who have to send 100 proposals to win one $50 job and pay Upwork $5 are a drain on Upwork's resources...unless they're spending a lot of money on connects. Without the connects revenue, freelancers who work on those tiny jobs hurt Upwork's business. 

Imagine that a landlord rented an apartment for $1,000, and everyone in the neighborhood clamored that he should instead charge $12. Would you think he should bend to their will and go bankrupt?

[#12]

You are absolutely right, Tiffany. 

[#13]

.

[#14]

Tiffany, you are correct.  Why are there so many conspiracy theories on this site, as if Upwork's sole purpose in life is to swindle people out of their connect money, like with bots putting up fake jobs to generate revenue. 

Hello people. This is no different than applying for jobs in a brick and mortar space. Upwork is a numbers game. If your proposals and/or profiles aren't landing you jobs, something needs to change.

Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. Write fewer and better, client-focused proposals, instead of the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. 

Connects cost money. As with the brick and mortar space, you'll have marketing expenses to get people to notice you. Same thing. Will you still need lots of proposals? You bet. Is it tough on this, and other platforms right now? Absolutely. Work smarter as well as harder.

What is your value proposition that noboby else is providing?

[#15]

Let's start with the fact that in my country, applying for a job costs 0 dollars, 0 cents, the task is to write a CV or call and go to an interview and it does not cost any money.

[#16]

I'm sure that's true in everyone's country. It certainly is in mine. On the other hand, if you want someone else to spend millions of dollars/month doing your marketing for you, you have to pay for that.

[#17]

Upwork isn't doing any marketing for me. I jumped through their hoops to join Talent Cloud. In a year there were 5 jobs all from the same company on there. There haven't been any posted for 9 months and now they're closing it down for some other program. I jumped through their hoops for skill certification. They've brought me zero jobs. I've never had a single invitation from on Upwork, in fact. If you look under my field, for someone to hire, you can't even find me because I'm buried pages deep under the people who've been here for 5+ years. The platform doesn't have a path for new Freelancers anymore, regardless of their skill or where they stand in the industry outside Upwork. 

[#18]

But you aren't applying for a job, you are a business owner.

[#19]

Get down to earth 90% of freelancers are freelancers, people, loners, professionals who are looking for work on their own.

A professional quit his job in his country to earn more and found an upwork

He is new to upwork, but he is a pro in his field. He doesn't have a business.

Therefore, it is not necessary to say that every freelancer has a business, this is nonsense.

Being a taxpayer or self-employed does not make me a businessman. A businessman has a huge capital, a team and the business itself.

Businessmen do not create a freelancer account, they create an agency account.

[#20]

No, you are applying for a job. Dude, there are "interviews." And if you are a business owner, then you ought to get business owner pay rates. Stop falling for this marketing lingo. "Business owner" pffft.

[#21]

Garrett is correct. Upwork is not an employer. You are applying for a self-employment job. Of course, you are your own business owner, and should expect to pay for any costs associated with your business.

It is not marketing lingo, it is business. If you are not willing or able to control all that you do in self-employment, perhaps it is not for you.

I'm constantly amazed at freelancers who complain about being in freelancing. I have expenses and the connects are the least expensive item in my budget. Every platform has expenses, the good ones, that is. Every self-employed business person has expenses. Such is the way of freelancing.

[#22]

I pay for a premium subscription on LinkedIn, BUT I don't pay to apply for any work through the platform. 

[#23]

I am not a business owner. I am single worker. Please differentiate businesses and then take decisions. 

[#24]

If you are here, you are self-employed. Freelancers are self-employed. You are not an employee. Being self-employed means you are responsible for every single thing you do, including putting money into your business. Too many freelancers make the mistake you are - assuming this is like employment, where everything is given to you. If you don't have marketable skills, time, and money to invest in basic costs, you will fail. That is a fact, not a condemnation of your abilities.

You are the one who makes the decisions. If you only have a couple of dollars to your name, don't freelance because you will lose those couple of dollars. If you want to be self-employed, and freelance, you need to start at the beginning at the Academy. People who expect Upwork to take care of them should not be freelancing because you will be scammed.

[#25]

I agree completely with what you're saying in principal, but when freelancers like myself were doing very well up until recently, getting frequent invites and replies from potential clients, I thought my top rated plus, %100 sucess rate, and $40,000 earnings were working for me. Now I'm looking elsewhere because how upwork is RUN is causing me and other qualified individuals (check out the upwork subreddit instead of this echo chamber) to look elsewhere, yes, I am being responsible by doing so. So instead of laying the blame solely on freelancers, why don't you think that there are smarter ways of running the  platform other than into the ground. #clownshoes