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]

Can you give a basic explanation for this layman please?

[#3]

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We've closely followed this conversation and thank the participants for their valuable input. Several comments have been removed or edited because they violated the Community Guidelines. Since the arguments have been exhausted and the conversation is moving in an unproductive direction, we will be closing the thread. Please, be mindful of the Community Guidelines and be respectful toward other members when posting.

[#4]

Just saw a posting that required 12 connects to submit a proposal!!  Upwork just recently took the boots to freelancers with their increases connects cost (with ZERO incremental value to freelancers) and now they have the audacity to charge 12 connects??

Just begging someone to offer a competing site and freelancers to go elsewhere.

[#5]

They charge 16 connects  for some jobs.

[#6]

We can pay 16 connects as well, but these job posts, i have seen job posts for 50$ asking for 16 connects. these people don't even know how much it costs to buy these connects. they just post.

[#7]

Hey Upwork team,

I would like to talk regarding the Upwork change policy of connects. Why upwork was charging more connects from freelancers? If they would to charge the things then why not take a payout from the client end side to post the job at $10? Why do every time things happen from the freelancer side only?

If you need to charge a higher connects rate then also refund our connect when we apply to any project if the project delete or higher someone else. Here is the voice of one freelancer who was working on small projects.

Best regards,

[#8]

The influx of job proposal connections is on a significant rise at the moment.

[#9]

I just came back from vacation and found out that now it requires 16 connects just to apply for a job post..

The quality of the jobs has decreased tremendously, Upwork is full of scammers and terrible employers and is just getting way too expensive to even be profitable, this makes the freelancers increase their ratings while people are looking for Fractional CMOs under a $5 hourly budget. 

I'm just baffled.. 

[#10]

welcome back

[#11]

Upwork is not making money.  Previously they thought they would make money on the commission on the completed jobs.  But now the focus has shifted to make money from the millions of freelancers when they apply.  

Also,  they were losing money on chargebacks.  Now there is no chargeback.   It is guranteed.

[#12]

Remember the good old days when 150 connects you could at least submit 18/19 proposal. It was good at those time because even if the competition was high, you caould always wait for your opportunity win a project, earn some money and let UpWork benefit from your hard work (UPWORK WAS TAKING 20% FOR YOUR JOB AND THAT S FINE SINCE YOU R USING THEIR PLATFORM).

Later in 2022 a new way of submit proposals was released:
a bidding method that allowed people who DONT have to much exposure to risk a bet on the bidding to have the chance of interact with a customer. A interesting way to have a spot on the top of the proposals 

Then all of a sudden another interesting change, a sign of humanity from upwork that decided to reduce the percentage to 10%. we were all incredibly happy to receive such a miracle sign of humanity from our Job seeker UpWork.

Altough the struggle to find a job with all of these biddings, lower hourly rate , the stress of being umiliated by clients that are over protected by the system, YOU CAN STILL HAVE A JOB, MAYBE, AFTER YOU SPEND COUPLE OF 50$ MORE THEN USUAL, BUT EHY!! COMPETITION IS GOOD, NO??

After couple of months another very interesting way of working on UpWork with cooperation: CLients would have the chance to increase the number of freelancer needed by createing big, huge project requiring more then 1 freelncer in a single project. Ok, the cost to bid on a project was 16 connects but that s ok. It is shared between the freelancer or at least is managed by an agency. But who need multiple freelancer anyway when the request is use upwork to spend the less budget ever in the world.

this created a big black hole. Without any earlier advert, from one day to another, the budget of ANY projects can be increased till 16 connects. BASICALLY ALL THE PROJECTS NOW COST 12/16 CONNECTS. AGAIN ANOTHER ASSIST TO CLIENTS WHO ARE UNEDUCATED ON THIS PLATFORM AND THEY ACT LIKE SLAVERS ON TOP OF OUR WORK!

And now we arrive at today situation: Incredibly, almost 80% of the client project requires 12/16 connects to apply.

16 CONNECTS!!!!! 

that s doubled compared to last year! compared to the start. Let s do the math with my personal 3+ years exp.
That means if you were spending 27$ to get 150 Connects that allowed you to submit 18 proposals, and out of 18 proposals probably turns in 4 interview, that MAYBE turns to 1 PROJECT.... Maybe.
so you spent 27$ and the average project maybe is 150/300 dollars...
so in the worst scenario you were earning 120 $ -10% = 108$


It wos good after all.

the situation now is ABSURD.... so you can send 9 proposals with 27$. Thats probably .. 2 interview.... and 0 Project.
So you buy other 27$ pack of 150 connects, and again.... 0 Project.

so maybe after you have spent 75$... you get your project... yes. but let s do the math... 
150 dollars project ----> 75 dollars earnings - 10% = 67 $.

108$ against 67% they have reduced our power of independency by almost 50%.

IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY UPWORK. COULD WE GO BACK TO OUR OLD 8 CONNECTS STANDARD PLEASE?

[#13]

Hello, I'm a freelancer here on Upwork for a couple of years now, and the platform turned out to be an ally of mine, helping me conquer my independence of working on my own time and from anywhere. But for a few weeks, I've been noticing the increasing number of connections required to apply for most jobs. I decided to come here just to rant about this because I feel like many freelancers can understand my consternation and my indignation.

I just think it's unfair for Upwork and the clients to raise the number of needed connections so high for us freelancers, especially since Upwork only gives us 10 free connects per month. When the bidding tool was released, it didn't bother me that much, I just didn't and still don't use it to this day. I also feel like the bidding tool is more competitive for people who are already premium users or used to buying connects. But with the sudden increase in connections required for every kind of job, I feel that this obligates us freelancers to spend more money on the platform.

16 connects for jobs that don't last a month? 16 connects for a job that is not from an enterprise client? 16 connects for jobs that are, at best, an 8-connects job? Once again, I just think it's unfair for Upwork to give such advantages to the clients and to continue making it more and more difficult for us freelancers to get jobs. Sadly, I think they're doing this to force us to spend money on the platform and to decrease the number of freelancers active on the site. And unfortunately, for those of us who are not from the US, it's very expensive to buy connects all the time, and personally speaking, the premium version of Upwork is not very attractive to me. So I just wanted to let my frustration here and maybe hear from other fellow freelancers how they feel about this.

[#14]

Ana, you're speaking my mind. Same as you, I've been using Upwork for years and I gained a few important clients from here. Now I'm a top-rated worker, but I hesitate to apply for jobs because of the increased connects required.
I have only 130 connects left for the moment, which are not enough for me to bid for more than 10 jobs, and the outcomes are not predictable. I believe only newcomers who don't understand the importance of connects would freely squander so many connects on jobs they are not sure of getting. Anyone with a long-term career plan here would be more thrifty about connects spending. 
By drastically increasing the bidding connects, Upwork is encouraging opportunists who just squander away their connects and leave if they get no jobs and driving away old workers who gave quality work. It's not only hurting our careers, but also damaging Upwork's talent pool.

[#15]

upwork really need to think over these issues now, 80connects for monthly membership of $17 is absoutely a JOKE...and there was another feature profile booster and since i opted for that invitations have almost gone to nil...and lastly boost proposal doesnt make any sense...

seriously thinking of halting bidding all together since getting new clients is getting more and more difficult and expensive..its just old clients which are giving me most of the work...