I opted OUT of all "Talent Specialist" and "Talent Scout" email postings but keep receiving SPAM

[ericaandrews]

This needs to stop....IMMEDIATELY. I have already "opted out" of both Upwork's 'Talent Specialist' program where they SPAM random unrelated JUINK into your inbox, and apparently, I made the GRAVE mistake of even starting the 'talent pool'/'talent scout'....nonsense.   am not receiving irrelevent NONSENSE after opting out of BOTH. Please STOP.....just ....STOP.  I don't want Upwork "specialists" to be "inviting" me to ANYTHING, because everything they "invite" me to is complete GARBAGE and totallly off base from my profile. Please....STOP with the SPAM/ Example. My profile says NOTHING about  'react' skills,yet some**Edited for community guidelines**on your staff spammed me with this post anyways.  Please. Just STOP. I don't need any "help" from Upwork, especially if it's USELESS SPAM, so please, just STOP.  I OPTED OUT of this program and that means I want you to to LEAVE ME ALONE. I got this. So, PLEASE stop emailing me this NONSENSE. Just STOP. STOP

https://www.upwork.com/ab/proposals/interview/uid/1515066902226423808?frkscc=Fol90bbrQEjs

[JoanneP]

Hi CJ,

I've escalated your concern to the team. One of our agents will reach out and assist you directly via a support ticket.

[ericaandrews]

This does NOT appear to have worked. 

Just to be clear:   I have opted out of BOTH the 'Talent Scout' program where freelancers are 'expert' vetted, and I also opted out of the 'Talent specialist' e-mails several weeks ago due to receiving a constant bombardment of job invites  that just are not a match.  Unfortunately, I received another UNWANTED 'Talent Specialist' e-mail today, so whoever is sending these is NOT respecting the 'opt out' list.  I want to be 100% clear:

1. I do not want to receive any 'Talent Specialist' emails:  I decided not to complete the 'vetting' program and opted OUT of the program several weeks ago because it did not appear to align with my technical interests

2. I do not want to receive any 'Talent Scout' emails: I opted OUT of this program several weeks ago due to being 'spammed' mismatched jobs constantly

I have had a VERY poor experience with both programs 'recommending' jobs to me that are simply NOT a match because whoever is staffing the position does not know enough about IT to know my profile is not a match or is not reading both my profile and the job description all the way through to verify a match:

So, the 'specialist' finds one matching keyword on my profile like 'java' and just 'spams' out a job invite that I have to log into Upwork and 'decline' or have my 'responsiveness' score penalized.  I'm literally being forced to respond to spam/junk sent by these 'specialists' ever since Upwork added 'responsiveness' scores to our profiles.

This is the job I was invited to just minutes ago by the 'Talent Specialist' that doesn't respect that I opted out of the program.  This is an example of what your 'specialists' are doing wrong and why I opted out of both programs in the first place.

You can see the 'specialist' sent me the invite just based on seeing 'Java' in my profile, but my profile says NOTHING about having any skills in 'angular', 'node', Mulesoft, or 'spring boot'.  If the person actually KNEW something about IT, they would know that it does matter if the client needs Node' skills and the freelancer doesn't have them.

I received mis-matched JUNK like this all the time for almost 2 years, which was why I opted out of BOTH programs. Easily 99% of the 'invites' I received looked like this.  It's a complete waste of my time.  I don't need any UW specialists trying to 'staff' me on anything, because they simply don't know what they are doing.  They aren't 'helping' me in any way, shape, or form and are simply creating more work for me to do in terms of having to 'close' out their spam invites.

What do I  have to do to get OFF of these lists for good.  Not for a day or 2, but for good?

[kochubei_valeria]

Hi CJ,
I'm following up on your request to make sure you don't receive invites for any of the teams. 

Apologies for the inconvenience caused by this. 

[ericaandrews]

I am STILL having this problem and received yet another unwanted 'Talent Specialist' invitation today  (see attached).  Upwork is now bordering on simply being DISREPECTFUL.  

I've "opted out" of everything, opened tickets to 'opt out', posted messages here asking to 'opt out' and am still get slammed with unwanted invite 'spam'.

I double-checked today to make sure that I was 'opted out' of Talent Specialist emails by going here:

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000316328-Upwork-Talent-Specialists

I selected "I would like to find my own jobs, can I opt out?" then clicked the link provided in "

You can request to be removed from the program here."

And your system confirms that I have already OPTED-OUT.

"You've already responded

You can fill out this form only once.

Try contacting the owner of the form if you think this is a mistake."

see attachment.

However, despite ALL my requests and attempts to opt-out, I am once again getting slammed with unwanted spam.  This needs to stop.  This is completely disrespectful for Upwork to refuse to honor a freelancer's wishes and just continue to pummel their inboxes with Spam and unwanted invites that they must login and decline or be punished with a publicly-visible 'bad' responsiveness 'score' on their profile. 

So, I am asking again: What do I need to do to get this to stop?  Why are your Talent Specialists and Talent Scouts not respecting a freelancer's wishes not to receive emails from them and simple funneling non-stop spam into their inboxes anyway?  Talent 'Specialist'  is becoming more like Talent 'Stalker'.   This is disrespectful and completely inappropriate.
**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[kochubei_valeria]

I understand your frustration, CJ. We're still working on a permanent solution that would ensure you do not receive the invites from any of the teams, including those working with Enterprise clients, Talent Scout, etc.

[ericaandrews]

Now, I am utterly CONFUSED.  I thought a freelancer OPTING OUT of an email campaign WAS the 'permenant solution", but now you're basically telling me that "opting out" has no effect?   Why are you offering "opt out" lists if they really have NO effect and freelancers are going to keep getting spam regardless?  It doesn't compute. There is an opt out list. If people have opted OUT, and your "Talent Specialists" continue to send them invites ANYWAY.  Let me propose a MANUAL "solution" you can implement in the interim to solve thi sproblem: You pull those "talent specialists" aside and tell if even ONE more invite goes out to somebody that that "opted out", they will LOSE their jobs and be immediately TERMINATED.  .  I worked for the government for many years and it works:  "Stop doing so and so, or get FIRED".   Trust me, it WORKS.   When you tell people they won't have a way to EAT if they don't correct their behavior, they almost always CORRECT their behavior. They are either NOT reading the opt-out list, don't UNDERSTAND it, or are being disrespectful and simply don't care

This is getting ridiculous.  It almost seems like Upwork is trying to do everything under the sun to RUN freelancers OFF this platform by bombarding them with e-mail spam from know-nothing "specialists", letting job boards be flooded and over-run with scams and spam -  it is out of control.    When exactly will we freelancers  start getting treated with some DIGNITY and RESPECT.  Your company is EARNING money off every HOUR I work.  If I have INFORMED you that I do not want these types of e-mails and invites coming to my inbox anymore, you have 2 chooses: You can make those invites STOP, or I can take my business ELSEWHERE.  I am the PRODUCT you "sell" and your "product" is about to LEAVE the shelves of your stores if this doesn't stop.   I came here to WORK and provide services, not to be spammed, and STALKED non-stop by some type of "Talent Specialist" AI Robot that just spams out invites faster than drunks vomit up gin and tonic.  This is beyond ridiculous.

[tjmisny]

Just wanted to say that I am in agreement that the Talent Specialist program has not been helpful whatsoever.  Not a single job sent has been even close to my profile rate and many have been insultingly low pay jobs.  There has to be a better system!

[geri_kol]

I feel your pain, CJ. Last year I opted out of the Talent Cloud program because it was completely useless for me and I don't remember ever having received a useful invitation by an Upwork 'Talent Specialist.' Case in point: I am a healthcare technical WRITER (not a software developer, nor a systems engineer), yet I was constantly receiving invites to jobs that needed someone to develop a healthcare app, a healthcare dashboard, a HIPAA-compliant interface, and even an electronic health record for cats and dogs - all because these jobs had the word "healthcare" in them. 

As I see it, the Talent Specialist program is completely worthless - so much so that it adds far more hassle and inconvenience to freelancers than any actual value. 

[ericaandrews]

I don't consider the program "worthless" because I have heard of a few 'success stories' from fellow freelancers.  However, it is NOT a match for ME: I KNOW what types of projects interest and motivate me, and I know how to find them.  I am not asking for the specialist program to be 'shutdown' (Some folks like it!), but I am just asking not to PARTICIPATE in the program because it has not WORKED for me in 2 years.   If others like it and benefit, great: My hat is off to them and I wish them all the profitable contracts in the world.  For me, it's just garbage and spam and I just want....OUT