A test they say ?!

[Wahiba A]

Hi guys,

What is it with clients wanting you to start working on their project before awarding you the job ?

How can someone ask you to send a project simple or a test as they say, while a test in my case which is market research, means that I will spend time and once I start I will delever a whole work logically ?!

I really don't get it ...

[Kamarudheen C]

Exactly, I do see few job posts the same as that, as I'm a graphic designer, I will send my previous works to them, that will be no use for them, but in your case, that is not possible as every research is useful for your future projects.

[Wahiba A]

Most of my researches are confidential, it is not really an area where we can test things, because even if I deliver an incomplete research, the client can ask me for more deep details

[Mikko R · Accepted solution]

Yes, those are mostly scammers. Asking for free work is against the ToS and there is guidance on how to run test projects: make a small assignment and pay for it. Then expand the work with another bigger project.

You can flag them and let the admins check them out.

[Wahiba A]

Thank you Mikko for the clarification I doubted that there is something wrong with the situation ...

[Mikko R]

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Wahiba A wrote:

Thank you Mikko for the clarification I doubted that there is something wrong with the situation ...

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Your sixth sense will develop pretty fast, I'm thinking. 

Don't worry, keep going.

[Preston H]

Wahiba:

If YOU wanted a freelancer to work for you, then you would hire her using an official contract and you would pay her for her time.

You can expect other people to do the same.

If you have doubts about a client's behavioral, the put yourself in their shoes and consider what YOU would do.

[Will L]

Wahiba,

In many areas on Upwork I'd expect few clients will hire a freelancer without some indication of their skills or experience and samples of previous work product.

You can remove all identifying or other customer-specific information from some of the samples of your best work for previous clients, such that the resulting samples do not violate your existing NDAs. Or just create some dummy examples.

If you have any doubts about your samples based on actual work, run the idea and samples by an attorney to ensure you are making sufficient changes to the documents so you are not violating your existing NDAs.

These examples/samples will be usable for future proposals you submit on new projects, so they're worth their initial cost and effort.

By no means should you agree to do a small unpaid "test" (a violation of Upwork's rules) or even a small paid "test" for a client you don't trust. If the client is a scammer, by doing even a small paid project through Upwork you'll be giving them leverage to make unfair demands of you under the threat of negative feedback, which they could exploit if they are scammers.

[Wahiba A]

Thank you Will, I understand perfectly what you're saying, so kind of you !

[Deborah P]

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@wlyonsatl wrote:

Wahiba,

In many areas on Upwork I'd expect few clients will hire a freelancer without some indication of their skills or experience and samples of previous work product.

You can remove all identifying or other customer-specific information from some of the samples of your best work for previous clients, such that the resulting samples do not violate your existing NDAs. Or just create some dummy examples.

If you have any doubts about your samples based on actual work, run the idea and samples by an attorney to ensure you are making sufficient changes to the documents so you are not violating your existing NDAs.

These examples/samples will be usable for future proposals you submit on new projects, so they're worth their initial cost and effort.

By no means should you agree to do a small unpaid "test" (a violation of Upwork's rules) or even a small paid "test" for a client you don't trust. If the client is a scammer, by doing even a small paid project through Upwork you'll be giving them leverage to make unfair demands of you under the threat of negative feedback, which they could exploit if they are scammers.

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I am in a similar situation right now: I am in an active contract with a client who, after I delivedered the first and entirely legitimate milestone, positioned on me a 2nd milestone with instructions that are against the TOS and had not been agreed with me previously.

All this has been duly flagged and I am awaiting for developments however, I wonder: wouldn't it be better if, as freelancers, we were allowed and required to approve individual milestones too, so that an open contract does not become an avenue for inappropriate requests?