Hi, dearest collegues!
Wish you all the best in New Year!
I want to ask about your thoughts and experience with regard of test assignments.
So, recently, I had experience when client posted a job, then I passed an interview and this appeared to be a paid test assignment. So I was asked to do a short task with very little payment. Ok, no problem, I accepted this.
Contract started and I have done the task. Client didn't say anthing about something he considerd to be wrong. I just had some time to ask questions and receive answers, but generally feedback was very good, so I felt like it is going in a right way and proceeded with the rest of the test assignment.
Then it suddently appeared that client comprared my job with others and decided to assign the the job to the freelancer who "won".
I wanted to mention that the job generally was completed, general first feedback was good (something like great work!), so it is not like I have done something completely wrong or something. Just few moments that needed to be changes a little bit, usually clients discuss such things when I start a job. Like, ok, here should be done like this etc. It is not often, but generally I have this possiblity to do some part of the job, receive honest feedback and than proceed with.
Returing to the topic, than I was paid that 10$ and client left me crazy bad feedback... I do not consider it to be fair at all. So, just 10$ contract spoil everything. neglecting my 1000+$ contracts more than year period of work and great feedbacks. So, just few days contact with 10$ payment can spoil a lot.
I am wondering what should I do with test assignments on the competition basis. I am not confident the client will be adequate enough in his evaluation, whether I will have a chance to receive feedback and fix something client want to see in another way. This is usually disscussible, but in case of test assignments I can't be sure, because for the client there is no need to adjust anything, just choose from many.
There is a danger for client with such way of thinking:
= freelancer didn't do something like I imagined (not explained) = bad work = bad feedback.
When the adequate way is:
= freelancer didn't do something like I imagined, oh, let's tell him about this = cooperation with the client = good results.
So, we all know that all work should be paid and no free work/test assignments should be accepted. Clients know this and offer something liek first please do some work work 5-10$ ("and than I will spoil your JSS your worked on for years, just because I decided to do like this" )).
This is not first my experience with "test assignments" in the way of competition. My previous bad feeback was left also because of "test assignment", so I consider this to be system and a problem for me. I noticed that clients do not treat such contracts as something that have a value, as well as efforts of the freelancer. So this is easy to give an unfairly bad evaluation and just easily get rid of the freelancer withought any discussions and possibilty to adjust and meet a client's need.
I am really worried about that. I do not want to start any test assignments like 10,20,30$ just to try and have a high level of risk, but I am not doing for for free, so it looks like such task are not for me anymore.
Just wanted to know your experience and thoughts.
Thanks.
