Having trouble getting jobs since the Coronavirus?

[#1]

I have been with Upwork for years, but in the last couple of months, my jobs have practically stopped. Does anyone else have this problem?

[#2]

Jen, if you had been in England in the 16th century you would have been burnt at the stake. Maybe you were and you came back! 😛

[#3]

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Nichola L wrote:

Jen, if you had been in England in the 16th century you would have been burnt at the stake. Maybe you were and you came back! 😛

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Oh for sure. I'm absolutely useless when it comes to cooking, cleaning and not using swear words. 😄

[#4]

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Jennifer M wrote:

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7) Poop post on social media pretend to be a nurse and watch everyone say "thank you for your service." <~~ dis is me and it amuses me

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I'd like to thank you for your service, even though I know you're not a nurse. 😉

[#5]

I considered playing video games at first...

Then, I realised, this could be an opportunity to beat the competition...After trying hard for over a month, now I'm standing with no new Contract, lol...

[#6]

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Robin H wrote:

I considered playing video games at first...

Then, I realised, this could be an opportunity to beat the competition...After trying hard for over a month, now I'm standing with no new Contract, lol...

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake bro. It cost me like 10,000 connects. If I don't win the game, I better get them back.

[#7]

Yea I beat FF7R like a month ago lol. Took me 2 days, I'm going through hard mode now.

[#8]

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Tom Z wrote:

Yea I beat FF7R like a month ago lol. Took me 2 days, I'm going through hard mode now.

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two days? omg lol That's binging right there. You mean 48 hours of play time or like 20 hours? lol I'm 8 hours in and I feel like I have a long way to go. I guess having 70 hours of game time is long long gone. I might replay the FFX remake next.

[#9]

Yes I am also experienceing a slow period. My JSS just got up to 97% too (yay!).

It's probably all the newly laid off people searching for some extra income. I've also noticed the lower quality job posts that are immediately filling up with applicants. I am not getting responses from even the niche clients I would be perfect for.

So, I am taking this time to create art that I sell on stock websites like getty images and updating my personal website, among other things.

I thought my house would be cleaner with all this down time.

[#10]

I have submitted more proposals in the past two months than in the previous six since I started with Upwork, and received exactly one new contract. Thankfully, one long-term Upwork client and several private clients are still sending work my way. I thought top-rated status would be helpful, but it seems it has no impact now. I have not received a single response, other than the contract I did receive. I hope things improve for everyone soon, but it doesn't seem like something that is going to see a fast recovery. 

[#11]

fortunately, in mi case, I have had more work. ¡But now my payment has 2 days stuck!.

[#12]

Hello guys, i hope everyone is staying safe.

Do you think it is good time to buy connects and apply to jobs? I saw some freelancers having trouble with getting job even Top Rated ones.

[#13]

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Kanan I wrote:

Hello guys, i hope everyone is staying safe.

Do you think it is good time to buy connects and apply to jobs? I saw some freelancers having trouble with getting job even Top Rated ones.

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I dont' think anybody can really say.  When this first started out I personally assumed all my clients would drop their work with me like a hot rock and fortunately, and somewhat exhaustingly, that has not been the case.  Because I was concerned I started looking out on the market and was still seeing things that I could pursue but how serious they are and if I would catch a fish I cannot say.

I think logically there is going to be some contraction.  I live in the US and I cannot see how we can avoid deflation but the government seems very much excited to pound interest rates and print money to stop it so we shall see.

My approach would be  look for oppurtunities that are just perfect fits and then use connects  lavishly on those and just avoid anything that you can't make that best fit comparision.

[#14]

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Kanan I wrote:

Hello guys, i hope everyone is staying safe.

Do you think it is good time to buy connects and apply to jobs? I saw some freelancers having trouble with getting job even Top Rated ones.

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If you want to apply for jobs but have no connects, it is probably the best time to buy connects. Personally I cannot complain about lack of work.

[#15]

Has anyone noticed a decrease in opportunities since the Covid-19 began?  I have and am wondering of other freelancers have experienced the same thing.

[#16]

Hi, I have been facing real problem getting hired since last 1 month. I have been buying connects almost every week and have been bidding really well; not to mention, I am having very good experience here too, but I am not getting hired. Is this something others too are facing or it's just with me? Is there any solution?

[#17]

Your profile is strong.  You JSS is high.  It is not "just you".  Here are two data points.  I speak in facts, and not happily so in comparison. 

I work in business strategy down to the IP side.  Much like you do on the DM side.  I am seeing a 10-fold increase in invitation to the point of 10 a week or more, and exhaustion as I cull through the chaff to find the golden wheat.   So projects are being let out, but my category and skill set is rare.  It is simple fact, not boasting and necessary so you have a data point.'

What is probably happening is a mad rush to Upwork by Digital Markerters.  With COVID in place - marketers are among the first to be laid off.  Hence, your category is probably filling up with newcomers who will low-ball work or go hungry.  You can check this by seeing how many proposals have been placed with each job.  The data point to look for is "20 or more".  In those cases, you are dealing with the un-establisheds clawing around for work.

This is a time of survival for some.  Keep your proposal rate up, deal with the unpleasantness of rejection, and wait it out is my counsel.

I am sad this is happening to you.  I am sad for all quality Upworkers whose categories are filling up with the recently dead.

[#18]

Thanks man for this. I understand your point and it's true. I also heard someone say on Quora that it's raining in some industries while industries like writing have been crowded. Not sure what I can do, but I think I need to sit and think..

It's either I'll change my category, or add another category to find myself in a low crowded industry. And thanks for being sorry to some of us finding it hard at the moment. Thanks for the encouragement.

[#19]

Yes it's very much same for me. Jobs no over $10 are there. I am surprised!

[#20]

Well, my target was always tricky. I'm a portuguese native and there are not that many offers for my skills. So, most of the times I end by sending proposals to several projects with a very low budget because of that. Regarding my are of expertise (voice overs and content production) things are very slow around here. Let's see what happens. Stay safe everybody.

[#21]

Do you think the pandemic affected our activities at all, or don´t? 

[#22]

Yes! I'm glad I'm not the only one. I really don't know what to do. Upwork is my main source of income and last week was like $200 earnings only! This is pennies next to what I used to make. 

What am I doing about it? Trying to improve my profile, offer packages (new feature), and bid more! I just bought more connects today. I will also start bidding more on Guru.

But about my rates, I don't know if this is a factor or not. I thought it was a reasonable rate, my husband says to lower it, and I am inclined to actually INCREASE it to attract the more high-end corporate clients who should be looking for freelancers now that everyone is working from home. (Also saw a post that lowering your rates is not a good idea because then you are competing with low-quality freelancers.)

Am I doing something wrong? Any tips?

[#23]

So is Guru any better? I joined guru two years ago and couldn't figure out how it works. Maybe you could share some tips, though I still believe that Upwork is better than these other freelancing platforms.

Also, about improving your profile, are you using more keywords or what are you doing different. I'm not sure whether increasing rates is viable at this time, but need to test this.

But I still really blame Upwork for all this mess. They have allowed beginners to sign up for Upwork during this time, so one job gets up to 50 proposals, so the clients get overwhelmed.

We the top rated freelancers don't have meaning anymore. We are crowded with a pool of beginner writers so our proposals get lost. It's high time Upwork starts limiting the number of people a job can get after which the job is being extracted from the job feed.

Otherwise, at this rate, many of us are going to ditch Upwork.

[#24]

I have only worked with a couple clients on Guru. I wouldn't say it's better but I gotta cast a wider net. My family is depending on me. It's at least better than Fiverr!

As for my profile, I am adding more skills in each of the specialized profiles (which there should be more than 2 specialized profiles available, Upwork! I need one more) and just fine tuning the intro, etc. Also adding more recent projects to my Portfolios, reorganizing, relabeling titles to be more descriptive. 

Yes, I agree that there are too many freelancers now on Upwork. Upwork should have a better screening process for new Registrants or something. Maybe require verifiable references before being allowed to join, and/or tests that have to be taken. I don't know.

At this point, I'm considering teaching English online for $15/hr instead. It's less headache.

[#25]

I have only worked with a couple clients on Guru. I wouldn't say it's better but I gotta cast a wider net. My family is depending on me. It's at least better than Fiverr!

As for my profile, I am adding more skills in each of the specialized profiles (which there should be more than 2 specialized profiles available, Upwork! I need one more) and just fine tuning the intro, etc. Also adding more recent projects to my Portfolios, reorganizing, relabeling titles to be more descriptive. 

Yes, I agree that there are too many freelancers now on Upwork. Upwork should have a better screening process for new Registrants or something. Maybe require verifiable references before being allowed to join, and/or tests that have to be taken. I don't know.

At this point, I'm considering teaching English online for $15/hr instead. It's less headache.

I can help you!