As this affects JSSs, shouldn't UPWORK tell us what their definition of a "higher value project" is?

[luce-neidert]

My perfect 100% JSS of many years is currently under attack! It's now 95% and this is making me rather uncomfortable! After reading the new rules about the calculation of JSS, I came across this new concept of "higher value project".

I know what I consider a higher value project, but these are getting rare in the translation sector. In the "old days", not only there were enough jobs for you to pick the ones you thought were worth applying to, but also you could bid higher prices without risking to lose more than 2 connects...  Besides, not everyone here means to work full time, which is my case. I don't have much time available for freelancing, and when I can't get anything better, a small but interesting job here and there is perfect for me. And sometimes, I will  answer a job offer just because I need to buy more connects and I know that the chances of getting the job I'm applying to are high.

Now things have changed and Upwork is rewarding more than the quality of your work. They are taking into consideration the fact that you were lucky enough to get what they call "a higher value project".

Well, first I'd like Upwork to clearly say what they define being a "higher value project", as this definition is much too vague. Also, I'd be interested in knowing more on this topic. Does it vary with the sector you work in? How is it calculated? Does it vary with the country where the freelancer is?

Then I'd like Upwork to consider the client's point of view. Sometimes they propose a "lower value project" because they are stingy, but sometimes it's just because they need a very simple job done. Does this new policy mean that only new freelancers will be interested in getting the job offered? Imagine that the client is new and posted a job just to see whether Upwork had good freelancers. He gets to work with a newcomer who is not yet very knowledgeable about Upwork and gives the client a bad image of Upwork. This won't help Upwork get new clients!

So what do I do, do I still try to get "good" jobs on Upwork, knowing that at the moment, this is nearly impossible? Do I try harder to get jobs elsewhere, which is sad because Upwork is still my favourite freelance platform? Do I keep applying to whatever I can apply to, knowing that this might mean that as a result my JSS is probably going to continue collapsing? 

I hope Upwork is monitoring the results of this new policy, because I really don't think it's the brightest idea they had.

[LuiggiR]

Hi Luce,

I want to clarify that to ensure fairness and avoid manipulation, we don't share the specifics about how we calculate the Job Success Score.

Receiving positive feedback on smaller-budget jobs can still get you to a JSS of 100%. We only change the impact of jobs based on your earnings. Strong client feedback on a higher-budget job will boost your score more than a lower-budget job. In other words, we are just giving more weight to jobs you complete with higher earnings; there's no penalty for only working small jobs.

Don't hesitate to let us know if you have additional questions. 

[calado-marco]

Hi Luiggi, just noticed this topic.

I went to look and what i got was this: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211068358-Job-Success-Score.

Here's the thing; i don't know when this new policy was applied because the page doesn't show the date.

Nonetheless not long ago (maybe 12 months) we freelancers knew the basic "equation" to calculate our JSS.  That was fair.

What i'm questioning is this;

 - how fair is that from hiding the calculus from the freelancers?

 - how fair is to give a higher rating to the most paying jobs when currently the payments have decreased in all categories and there are more low paying jobs available and also there's a great difference in payment between the categories?

 - how fair can that be (for guys like me and many like me) that have long time clients that keep sending low paying jobs but don't no longer give a feedback? What's the impact on the JSS?

 - Do continuous small paying jobs without feedback count?

All the best!

P.S: I don't have a feedback for over a year...

[IvygailJ]

Hello Marco,

I am stepping in for Luiggi. I understand that you'd like to make sure that the changes on the Job Success Score and added features are fair for all freelancers, which is great to hear. I want to highlight that Job Success now has an insights page with a view of your Job Success Score (JSS). This tool is designed to help you understand, build, and maintain your reputation on Upwork. It provides detailed information tailored just for you based on your activity and contracts. With this resource, you can find transparency and discover how your score is calculated, what factors influence it, and some helpful tips to enhance your reputation on Upwork, which freelancers may find beneficial.

Additionally, I'd like to confirm that contracts become ineligible or not considered in your JSS calculation if the client does not leave feedback. We reward your long-term relationships with clients. Contracts with clients you've worked with longer than 90 days are automatically considered successful, both when they are in progress as well as if the contract ends without client feedback. I'd also like to share these coaching tips on how you can boost your Job Success Score. 

[calado-marco]

I again Ivygail, thanks for the reply.

i've took a look at the page for the new JSS,  and i have to say that according to the new evaluation model, it looks fair. Nonetheless it would help to know the "weight" (percentage) that all of the points can count for the final score.

Currently it loks good on paper but there is no value applied to the topics, and that can lead to misjudgments to the way UW gives the JSS...

Numbers don't lie, and if we freelancers can keep a track of the numbers we will know were to "press on"...

All the best

[IvygailJ]

Marco, do you mean you would like to see a percentage displayed with each eligible contract sharing how much of your JSS is made up of that contract's influence? We'll be happy to note your feedback on this and share it with the team.

[luce-neidert]

Luigi, thank you for your answer. However, let's say that the mystery thickens. I know that Upwork does not give much information about JSS, and totally understand why. But I'm trying to understand what happened to my JSS. If you say there's no penalty for working on small jobs, what on earth happened?

I had the very unusual experience of having 2 "unhappy" clients in the last few moths. The first one caused me to lose 1%, the one 2%. (by the way I had not bothered to apply for feedback removal, now I'm going to see if it's still time to apply for it). One day, I noticed my JSS had dropped by another 2% without logical explanation. So here I am freaking out because I would hate it to continue dropping without reason.

My JSS had not gone under 100%  for so long that I'm absolutely astonished by this situation.

Anyway, if you say there's no penalty for working on small jobs, I'm a bit less worried, because as you may know, there are not many "big jobs" available in the translation sector, at the moment.

[feed_my_eyes]

You're not being penalized for working on small jobs; Luiggi was trying to explain that higher value jobs are weighted more heavily in the JSS calculation than smaller jobs are - for better or for worse. And there's no definition of what a small job is vs. a large job, because it's all relative, depending on the freelancer. For example, if somebody has a bunch of $500 jobs with good feedback and a single $50 job with bad feedback, the $50 job probably won't bring down their JSS by more than a point or two because it's "low value" compared with the rest of their jobs. But if they have a bunch of $5 jobs and one $50 job, then the $50 job is "high value" in that case, and whatever feedback they get on that (good or bad) will count more towards their JSS. 

Your JSS can also go down if good feedback reviews age out of the calculation window, even if you haven't received any new feedback, e.g. good reviews that you received more than two years ago no longer count towards your JSS.

[luce-neidert]

Hi Christine, thanks for your clarification. I still don't know what made my JSS go down another 2%, as I have regularly had good feedback but I'm very relieved to know that I can still take small jobs - as larger ones are really hard to get, nowadays.

[yofazza]

I still don't know what made my JSS go down another 2%

1. People could give less-than-perfect private feedback even when they provide a full 5-star public one. I mentioned that I almost always give full stars on any gig-based service, mostly because I'm older, but I might still give 4 out of 5 if the service isn't 100% satisfactory when they tell me that the feedback I provide is private.
   
   
2. Let's say you have five perfect scores, and then receive one score of 0. Your average will start decreasing and will eventually reach 0, as the five previous perfect scores are removed from the calculation. Not that simple (considering other complex/secret variables and algo used in the JSS calculation), but basically that is.

As for low-value jobs, as Christine explained they don't directly impact the score reduction.

[6e492d23]

My JSS dropped a client cancelled a project because he got a cheaper alternative ,so we didn't exchange any amount ,why did my JSS drop yet we didn't exchange any amount

[IvygailJ]

Hello Duncan,

I’m sorry to hear about your score drop. Your Job Success Score can change for a number of reasons, even without recent activity. We won't be able to comment on an individual score or how specific contracts affect it. It is important to note that your Job Success Score can fluctuate for various reasons, such as:

• Receiving less favorable public or private feedback from one or more clients.
• Getting positive public or private feedback from one or more clients.
• A higher-value job is added to your score, which can outweigh lower-value jobs.
• Jobs you completed in the past may no longer count if they fall outside the score's time frame.

For more details, feel free to check out the "Why did my JSS change?" section in this article.