About to get a JSS and one client is unresponsive on practically finished job

[dape_97]

I'm on the verge of getting a JSS and then getting a Top Rated badge.

As a matter of fact, I have 4 closed contracts with 3 different clients and good feedback in all of them (I've preserved Rising Talent for over 16 weeks now, and my relationship with all former clients was/has been pretty good).

I think that in order to get an JSS I need to complete at least one more job (or at least that's what I'm hoping) and it just so happens that I have an hour-based open contract at the moment. I haven't billed a single hour over almost two months now, and all the work on my end has finished. I'm waiting for the client to test to see if I need to do any additional work or if we can call it a wrap, but the point is that scope of the job was met with my last submission.

Around 3 weeks ago I reached the client telling him that I wanted to get a review on my work since that would help me a lot, and he initially said that he was going to give me a good review. He then expressed that he wanted to test things, and I told him that best for both of us is that he tests.

Fast forward a couple of weeks later and he hasn't told me anything else. I reached him almost a week ago, but he's become unresponsive. I'd say he has been a good client, but I guess due to time constraints he hasn't let the job end.

What I'm trying to ask here is: Is there something I can do to get a JSS? The reality is that the job is technically finished - we just need confirmation (and that's what testing is for). I don't think that closing the contract on my end should elicit a negative sentiment on the client, but I still think that I should thread lightly. I'm looking for a second opinion here, since I could really use the additional exposition that comes with the Top Rated badge.

I want to know if closing the contract and not getting a review immediately could still help me to get a JSS. My interest in closing the contract not only lies in getting the JSS or getting a good review, I'm also concerned about having an inactive contract open for too long. I think that could hurt me in the long run.

[gilbert-phyllis]

Don't pester the client. Stop thinking in terms of your JSS and TR badge hinging on that one contract. Even if that client closed the contract and left you perfect fb today, there's no guarantee that would qualify you for a JSS, you might still need one or two more contracts. In any case, Rising Talent doesn't have anything to do with becoming Top Rated. For the latter, you have to maintain a JSS of 90 or higher for 13 out of 16 consecutive weeks. So the clock on qualifying for TR starts when you get your JSS. 

Keep going after contracts that are good fits with your skills and capabilities, and delivering excellent outcomes, and your JSS will take care of itself and you will become Top Rated. But never, ever let your UW stats or credentials be your client's concern, that's unprofessional and can only hurt you in the long run.