Client posting multiple/duplicate/similar Jobs

[#1]

How do you deal with multiple/duplicate/similar job posting of a single client that requires freelancers to submit pre-requisite samples.

Do you have some sort of algorythm that detects a single client posting multiple/duplicate/similar job posting?

You should be aware of this kind of of issue. As this kind of scam might still occur in the future, clients that are posting similar or duplicate jobs and asking freelancers for a sample work without even knowing if they'll get hire or not.

For example, Imagine if the client posts 4 duplicate/similar job postings for Lead Generation. And there were around 20 applicants in each job post. And that client will ask each and every freelancer a sample of 10 Leads (or records) for a prerequisite of some sort.

The client will then receive free 200 records for each job post, making it around a whopping 800 records from all of those job postings. These Leads/Records will be obtained from the Freelancers FREE OF CHARGE! Resulting that the client no longer needs to hire anyone.

So the Refund Connects if the client doesn't hire is a good start. But it's not taking the whole picture.

[#2]

Hi Rosalito, 

Thank you for sharing this here. If you haven't already, please flag the job post as inappropriate so that it goes to the team's queue and they can investigate it further. 

Alternatively, and when you have time, please send me a link to the job post so that I can look into it. 

[#3]

---

Rosalito U wrote:

For example, Imagine if the client posts 4 duplicate/similar job postings for Lead Generation. And there were around 20 applicants in each job post. And that client will ask each and every freelancer a sample of 10 Leads (or records) for a prerequisite of some sort.

The client will then receive free 200 records for each job post, making it around a whopping 800 records from all of those job postings. These Leads/Records will be obtained from the Freelancers FREE OF CHARGE! Resulting that the client no longer needs to hire anyone.

---

Multiple posts are not the real problem here - freelancers who provide free "samples" and "tests" are the problem. If people weren't so willing to work for free, then clients wouldn't be able to get free work, no matter how many times they post their job.

[#4]

That's exactly right! But still many freelancers out there still lack the initiative. It would be very great to have identical job post to be detected right of the bat. We cant always mark identical job post as inappropriate forever.

[#5]

This is still a major issue and it's starting to REALLY piss me off.

I've blasted through over 150 connects in the past month only to see way too many of the "clients" reposting the same job again, and again, and again.

I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR CONNECTS TO APPLY TO DEADBEAT CLIENTS!

It's absurd and Upwork has dropped the ball yet again.

[#6]

---

Tyler W wrote:

This is still a major issue and it's starting to REALLY piss me off.

I've blasted through over 150 connects in the past month only to see way too many of the "clients" reposting the same job again, and again, and again.

I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR CONNECTS TO APPLY TO DEADBEAT CLIENTS!

It's absurd and Upwork has dropped the ball yet again.

---

Part of what it takes to succeed here is learning to recognize and avoid deadbeat clients. There is no practical way for UW to prevent those job posts without interfering with a lot of legitimate clients and their posts. On UW as on other platforms and in the brick and mortar world, it's up to each freelancer to vet their own opportunities.

[#7]

I am exceptionally selective, and successful, as a whole in the UW market.

So while I continue to flag the beejeezus out of the scammers daily, "suck it up" (just as I always do) as a solution isn't gonna garner any kudos today.

Upwork should be evolving their Connects program to account for this.

[#8]

I'm not sure if they have an algorithm that detects a single client posting multiple/duplicate/similar job postings. Does anyone know?

[#9]

---

Peter G wrote:

I'm not sure if they have an algorithm that detects a single client posting multiple/duplicate/similar job postings. Does anyone know?

---

I don't know what good it would do as there are legitimate clients posting jobs multiple times. There's one in the Admin category that starts off "What you'll really like about this job...".  It's been posted for months.  If you look at the job and what other jobs the client has open, you'll see this same job posted and currently open over 50 times.

Why they do this? I have no idea.  The client has so-so feedback  and a low rate offered so I avoid it but it's there and from all accounts, a legitimate client with both closed jobs and jobs in progress,

[#10]

Yes, these are exactly the things I'm frustrated with.

I pay a monthly fee to be a Freelancer Plus (on top of the gouging fees) and Upwork should at least give recourse to flag postings for a review. If a job posting is found to be double post, then the connects should be returned and duplicate postings addressed with the client. 

Upwork admin need to be doing some work here for the price we are paying. 

[#11]

Agreed.