Connects and Bids: A slap in the face to Upwork veterans

[j_sykora]

I've been with Upwork since 2017 and grew my business to have a nice client base and more interview requests than I could handle. My business was booming, and I could afford to be picky about the projects while raising my rate. Life was good until I went out of town for three weeks in April and didn't actively look for projects. When I returned and dove back in, I thought something was broken with the system. There were no invites except for the same repeated scam. 

Then I learned about this bidding system and started playing the game when I had around 150 connects, maybe more, and now I'm down to 30. Listen, at the beginning of the year, Upwork sent a lovely email saying that only 10% of freelancers are top-rated and even fewer than that have sustained that top-rated status for as long as I have. I can see that's meaningless now. 😞

Where am I at now? I've worked my ass off to build this business, and this recent change has ripped that away from me overnight.  😠 If this continues, I won't be able to sustain this low-to-no activity level and will be forced to pivot. 

Am I alone in this? 

I am open to experiences, practical suggestions, or any insights that I may be overlooking. 💚

[a_lipsey]

I'm not sure I understand why you're upset. You've had to pay for connects to bid on jobs since before 2017. The number of connects changed during that time, but well before your break in April. Upwork doesn't control the number of invites you get, which has helped you not have to bid. You can still go and actually bid on the jobs in your feed. All businesses have client acquisition costs. And all businesses go through times of change and transition where they have to adjust due to economic conditions or other changes in the world. 

I'm not sure how your business is being ripped away from you simply because your invites have decreased. Invites come from clients who choose to invite you. Perhaps it's time for a profile overhaul or simply to use your monthly connects to bid. For every unsolicited bid that gets a response, you get 10 free connects. With your success rate it sounds like you wouldn't have any trouble getting responses from clients. 

150 connects is only $22.50. It's true that there's much more competition on the platform right now, but it's still a pretty nominal amount of money in comparison to what it would cost to do all your own online marketing to find clients. 

[j_sykora]

[Sigh] I'd direct you to the thread I found after I posted this that announced this new brilliant scheme that's nothing like how the hiring system worked until a couple of months ago. Then you'll understand. 

[a_lipsey]

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Julie S wrote:

[Sigh] I'd direct you to the thread I found after I posted this that announced this new brilliant scheme that's nothing like how the hiring system worked until a couple of months ago. Then you'll understand. 

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Hi Julie, unlike you I haven't taken Upwork breaks, and I follow all announcements, and I am an Upwork client as well as a freelancer. So I assure you, I understand quite well how the hiring system works. The fact is, you continue to be vague about what it is that is actually bothering you. You refer to numerous different things, but not one of them is "boosting" proposals, which is a specific thing, and certainly not the ONLY factor in the hiring process. If you are indeed talking about boosts, which you did not even reference in your response to me, and I certainly am not a mindreader, then you can find my own comments and thoughts on that subject in the thread you referenced. 

[sofia2008]

Are you talking about the feature to "Boost" proposals with extra Connects?

[j_sykora]

Yes, Sophie. I shouldn't have posted here about it because there's a thread that speaks to this with over 200 replies mirroring my experience. 

[911edit]

I'm one of the, Julie. About to give up on Upwork after 4 very successful years and obtaining Top Rated ststus. There is something going on. I just can't figure out what--and neither can those others whose replies mirror your response.  And BTW, isn't this supposed to be a supportive forum?

[j_sykora]

It breaks my heart to hear that you are in the same boat. I've done all the things--rewritten my profile introduction, created projects, and written kick-ass proposals that traditionally would have resulted in an offer the next day. My 300 five-star reviews are meaningless at this point, but that feedback also means that I don't need to be lectured by somebody who has the luxury of spending time on the forum, time that I usually spend working. In fact, this is the first time since asking a question in 2017 that I've been here because I'm usually so busy working and living my life. 

If clients treat the top three candidates like a recommendation from Upwork that these are the best of the best, a couple of things can happen. Clients WILL get wind of how Upwork operates on the freelancer side, and those top three listings will lose credibility. Most of those clients taking the top three at face value will be dissatisfied. No doubt. I've had to fix botched jobs of other so-called editors. Let's hope Upwork realizes this is a disastrous model and does what's best for clients and freelancers. If not, time will tell. But in the meantime, they have no idea of the suffering they're causing and shame on them.