- stating everyone is blindly applyig to job posts they are not qualified for;
Never, ever, said that. You are not telling the truth, but using your opinion. I have never made that statement. I h ave said many freelancers, or the most or the majority or the unskilled, but I have never suggested or stated "everyone" is doing what you say. Wrong! Next.
- stating clients hate to read through 100s of proposals;
Well, that's a fact. Clients are fleeing this platform, and the big reason is garbage proposals from unskilled and scammer freelancers. I am not going to explain, again, that I deal with a lot of freelancers and clients in ways you could not imagine (helping for free). It is fact. It is a fact, most freelancers will never get a job (see Upwork)
- stating that people are saying they don't want to spend connects to apply for jobs;
They don't. Have you read the forum? Freelancers are mad, hurt, and ticked off in a big way they have to pay anything. Some are willing to pay .15 per job, and others refuse to pay anything because they are not guaranteed a job. Not to mention my private feeds full of unskilled people who demand jobs.
- dissing people for falling for scam schemes;
Fact: if freelancers would stop intentionally violating the Terms, the scammers would leave. I talk to freelancers every day that say, "I knew it was too good to be true", "I knew it was breaking the rules, but I wanted the job" "I knew it was wrong, but it was a lot of money", how many thousands of examples would you like me to use?
It IS the freelancers fault for breaking the rules. This is not kindergarten, this is adults being in business. If you don't have marketable skills, money, time, patience and again, those marketable skills, you will fail. Also, the understanding that you pay for everything. If freelancers don't want to play by the rules, they should seek employment where they are told what to do.
- stating the problem with the platform is there are too many freelancers on the platform;
Fact: there are far too many unskilled freelancers on the platform. If you received hundreds of garbage proposals, why would you use Upwork?
Upwork admits most never get a job, but the unskilled will throw connects like mad trying to get a job they never will. If 90% of the unskilled, inactive, and scammer freelancers were gone, every real freelancer would benefit. Clients would return, and the platform wouldn't be going down to the 5 v rr level.
- telling people they should stop complaining, stop working for little $ (I guess charge more?) which, OK, but is still a different subject;
Yep, you bet. Stop complaining about basic business costs and be an adult. Upwork has plenty of real issues that must be addressed, but paying your way ain't one of 'em. This is not "learn to be a freelancer 101." This is not the place to figure out how to make money, because it won't happen.
People should stop applying for dirt cheap jobs. What is the point? If you have skills, charge for them. It's one thing to give a bit of a discount when you are new, but quite another to be taking a real job for a pittance. It serves no one except for the cheap user clients.
I am not going to tell people soft little lies to boost their ego when they will not make it, or worse, they are spending their last dollars in a vain attempt to make money. I suppose you encourage people who have never been in water, can't swim, don't know how to get out of trouble in the water, can't afford a life jacket - to jump in and have a good ole swim.
The truth may not be pleasant to hear, but I believe everyone deserves to know. If I was not going to make it with my current skills, and be relegated to scams or a dirt cheap job occasionally, I would greatly appreciate knowing the truth.
