Can't find myself in search

[#1]

No matter what filters I use or not, I do not show up when searching for writers. If I can't find myself when trying very hard to, then neither can clients. No wonder my profile views have dropped dramatically and my invites to none. What is up and when will it be fixed?

[#2]

It's pretty clear to me at this point that this forum is a waste of time for serious issues.

Either the moderators and managers here lack real access to information and the autonomy to provide honest answers, or they are trained to be evasive at all times. Probably a little of both.

For a company that relies on freelancers to exist, I just wish some of the higher-ups could chime in once in a while and simply listen. 

[#3]

Ha, why would they? Executives make millions in compensation, paid vacations, and if things go bad, they just dump their shares and buy them back at a even lower price they originally were granted by company options. Although I'd love for Upwork to remain #1 forever, but then reality kicks in. It's actually people like Valeria that is doing the real work... I'm guessing her hands are tied, you know how it is. Heck if I was getting paid millions in compensation, I'd be out by the beach outside one of my beach houses and just email my employees. In other words, I'd lost the hunger to work hard.

[#4]

That is not always the case. I used to use a 3D software package that was one of the most successful in its niche a few years ago, and I would frequently chat with the CEO of the company on their forums.

It's all about choices. Some people choose to run their businesses in a transparent manner, while others do not.

I believe in user-centered design: The more you listen to your customers, the more likely you are to build a successful product in the long run.

[#5]

That's why Amazon is so successful. If you ever listen to Jeff Bezos' interviews he's always saying "customer-centric" is the underlying philosophy. In the early days I'm sure he would be like that CEO replying to every email. Unfortunately, just like the ridiculous salary we pay toward football coaches (before winning any games), execs are oftentimes finding themselves in "oh my gosh I have so much money, let me live my life for once" - not all, but most in my experience. So in my opinion, we are part of the problem, we as a society have allowed the football coaches and execs to have such a high compensation without proving themselves. 

[#6]

If a moderator makes a statement, they should be able to explain it or tell the freelancers where to get more information. If one moderator cannot explain, another moderator should do so or elevate the problem to a more senior associate who can answer the question. Upwork is infamous for deciding to improve things with no input from the clients or freelancers. Forcing freelancers to try and connect with clients using two separate and unequal search parameters and listings under who knows what keywords is directly detrimental to freelancers, clients, and the money coming from contracts. So, when the moderator says, "Oh, I found you the search engine.", what search engine are they using? This matter must be resolved. It is one of the primary reasons clients can't connect with freelancers.

[#7]

Jeanne and others,

I would like to clarify that there are NOT two separate systems for talent search available to clients and freelancers. Below you can find screenshots of search results I see when viewing talent search from the freelancer context of my account versus the results I see from the client context of my account. They are identical.
However, as both Pradeep and I stated a number of factors go into search. For example, if I were searching talent for a job I posted using my client account, the parameters of that job would be taken into consideration along with other elements.

Freelancer context

Client context

[#8]

The Upwork moderator apparently wasn't supposed to tell us there were two different searches. Too late, he already informed us. I have checked, and the results are different. I know what I see in front of my face.

[#9]

Jeanne, 

Could you please share a screenshot of different results you see? Feel free to send me the details in a private message with more information about the account you're using to check as well. I tried but haven't been able to replicate the behavior you're describing. 

I'd like to reiterate again that there aren't two different search engines for talent search. You can even check the URL when accessing talent search from either freelancer or client account. It's the same URL.  

[#10]

I will do that.

[#11]

I see, so Pradeep wasn't supposed to tell us there were two different searches?

Pradeep wrote:

"Thank you for your message. I searched your profile and I was able to find your profile in the search results using one of the skills listed on your profile. You can refer to this screenshot here. Results vary depending on the type of profile used to conduct the search, since a number of factors are taken into account. Clients may get different search results for the same keywords and filters than freelancers using the same parameters. In addition, freelancer profiles are regularly rotated in search results in order to give everybody a fair chance of being discovered by clients."

This is my livelihood and the livelihood of every freelancer. Since I am getting nowhere, begging and pleading - I demand an explanation! I have tested the system, and you do get radically different results depending on if you are logged in as a freelancer or a client. This is real, do not tell me I am wrong. 

Stop sending generic messages and address the problem. If Upwork couldn't find your name to give you a paycheck, you wouldn't put up with it, and neither are we.

[#12]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for your message. I searched your profile and I was able to find your profile in the search results using one of the skills listed on your profile. You can refer to this screenshot here. Results vary depending on the type of profile used to conduct the search, since a number of factors are taken into account. Clients may get different search results for the same keywords and filters than freelancers using the same parameters. In addition, freelancer profiles are regularly rotated in search results in order to give everybody a fair chance of being discovered by clients.

Thank you,

Pradeep

[#13]

You give the same  answer to everyone but this is not a solution! Please answer the man's question "@Upwork, can you confirm with us that this issue is already worked upon? And could you give us a timeline on when this issue will be fixed?"

All the freelancers facing tha same issue. No views, no invitations, no new clients! Please answer the question, What is going on with the search results? I login with my client account and I see in the first pages profiles irrelevant with my keywords or profiles without earnings or porfolio. That is so frustrating!!

[#14]

Exactly Maria, when I log in through my client account the search keywords return pretty much irrelevant results. I am not so worried about my own account to be shown in the results but more about how the search itself that is  broken and returning irrelevant results.

[#15]

Yes, they should solve this problem ASAP

[#16]

This part right here is DISTURBING:  "Clients may get different search results for the same keywords and filters than freelancers using the same parameters."

That's not how keyword-based Search engines are supposed to work.  Not at all.   What is shown based on a keyword should not 'change' based on who is searching for it. 

If I run a search on Google - right now -  for a 'picture of apple' it shows me pictures of apples, regardless of WHO I am.  There should be no scenario where a  'search engine' shows a picture of apples for one group of users, but maybe, shows grapes, lemons, watermelons, and oranges for other people, all searching for the same 'picture of apples'.  That's not a 'search engine'.  If you go to Google, right now, and type in 'picture of apples' and get back something other than pictures of apples, you would not  be happy.   This is what the clients are complaining about, but UW won't listen to the bug reports.

The search feature is FAILING if it is doing that.  This explains why so many clients on the Client forum are complaining that when they look for, say, a 'graphic designer', they are getting unrelated JUNK, like profiles from stock brokers, construction workers, event planners, and accountants.   It has nothing to do with search 'rankings'. A search engine is FAILING if the results it is showing are irrelevant.

An apple is the same for everybody, regardless of who is searching for an 'apple'. 2+2 =4, always, regardless of who is using the calculator. When facts are 'adjusted' or 'modified' based on the 'audience', they are no longer facts at all.  They are falsehoods.  Search engines are supposed to show people relevant information  based on the words they type in, not what some algorithm 'thinks' they should see instead based on who they are.   The search engines should be returning what people ask for, not UW's 'interpretation' of what it thinks the user should see: In other words, facts, not 'spin' and falsehoods. 

[#17]

Yes, but what page was he found on, what filters did you use? The problem is whether or not our profiles can be found... it's "is my profile found on page 25, with like 8 filters, while profiles with less earnings, less qualifications, sometimes $0 earnings showing on page 1... And somehow they are Top Rated." What's the reasoning behind listing the top 1% so far behind that it's in reality impossible to find (yes you can find him if you spend 20 minutes) but would a client spend 20 minutes, with 8 filters, just to find someone who is more qualified than most people before him?

Is it because Upwork is trying to promote new comers? I have no problem with that however, I fail to see how a new comer can generate revenue for Upwork, clients come to Upwork to find top talent, not new talent... I fail to see how this is aligned with the goal of profit. You make money from marketplace on fees, and fees are based on the size of the project, do you expect a client to hire a new comer or a freelancer with much more experience and earnings?

Again, I love Upwork but like many others have said, there is something very very troubling about the search results. Is it perhaps Upwork leadership wants to test out "having freelancers use connects and actively bidding by purchasing connects?" If so, I urge a lower fee for freelancers, because I have never actively searched for jobs for the past 3 or 4 years, I'm happy to pay the 15 to 20% fee because I didn't have to spend time searching. But now if I have to spend time searching, I would expect the fees to go down.

[#18]

---

Tom Z wrote:

Is it because Upwork is trying to promote new comers? I have no problem with that however, I fail to see how a new comer can generate revenue for Upwork, clients come to Upwork to find top talent, not new talent... I fail to see how this is aligned with the goal of profit. You make money from marketplace on fees, and fees are based on the size of the project, do you expect a client to hire a new comer or a freelancer with much more experience and earnings?

---

I do think that they're actively trying to promote newcomers, but I also think that they're trying to starve freelancers like us out of invitations so that we have to spend money on connects. I don't think it's a coincidence that my invitations took a nosedive at the exact same time that the "boost" feature was reintroduced. I'm accustomed to the usual ups and downs of freelancing, especially summer being slow, but this has been going on for two months now - it's not normal.

If Upwork wants to earn more money from connects, great - then stop handing out freebies that only cause dishonest freelancers to post fake projects for themselves and their friends. In fact, raise the price of connects - I'll happily pay more, if it would stop people from spamming every project with 50+ proposals within an hour of each one being posted.

[#19]

Agreed. I saw the similar drop. One of my interviews the potential client made a comment about Upwork now looks like a bunch of fake outsourced freelancers whereas before, the searches actually showed the top talent they were looking for.

[#20]

Maybe if clients are now complaining about it, Upwork will switch it back to how it used to be.

[#21]

Maybe they are, but I highly doubt it. They're busy busy people. They'll give a platform maybe 30 minutes to perform, and if that first impression is bad, they're not going to waste another 30 minutes or days waiting on a reply from customer service, they're just going to cancel the account and maybe they'll tell their business friends about the bad experience, and... dominoes effect. No PR or rebranding will ever fix that.

And so from my observation the high quality clients with spend are leaving. So what we see now is a bunch of new clients that pays you $10 an hour and demand $100/hr worth of work and yes it has to be done by tomorrow. Comon.

[#22]

Great Observation Tom. The First 2-3 pages are filled with freelancers who have $0 earnings and the keyword searched is actually a talent that they have added to their profile but not their area of work. It seems to be consistent with the different keyword searches that I have tried. It is alarming and disturbing that all the effort over the years to be where we are as freelancers we have been dumped for nothing.

[#23]

It is strange that they have modified the search option. I wonder what the real goal is. Now everything seems messy and inefficient. While it's logical and fair to rotate professional profiles (so everyone gets a chance), it honestly feels a bit strange when a well-regarded professional (top rated, top rated plus, etc.) shows up in search positions far below behind workers who have bad JSS or who even have abandoned profiles (with jobs done a year ago, maybe more). I'm just saying it feels weird.

And yes, the invitations are completely forgotten 🙂

[#24]

I wasnt sure if posting a screenshot of search results is ok so i'll share the keywords instead. If i search for freelancers and type

"Script Doctor" Peter

It returns 2 results and you are one of them

[#25]

Not for me it doesn't.

[#26]

Well! The search should work without the name like the way you have searched above. Client's dont know the name of the freelancer they want to work with. They just look for the skill, and most of them are a single keyword based search and nothing more than that.