Job Offer Out Of Nowhere!

taha-al-lawati · ‎05-30-2019

10 days back, I received a job offer from a client without applying or having an interview with the client. The job was about organising and doing some calculations and linking in Google Sheets. The client offered $100 which I feel it is a fair amount. I thanked the client for the job and provided him with a suggestion on how to go about this task. I also created a sample Google Sheet (Disabled exporting and copying functions) to give him a feel about the work that I'm going to do. However, the client went silent and the offer expired so I thought that the client didn't like my approach.

Today, the client responded to me saying he is happy with the provided sample and offered the job again ($100 in escrow). It is great to receive offers like that. However, I'm relatively new and I have not done a lot of jobs. Therefore, I'm suspicious why the client have picked me while I'm certain that there are other freelancers who have more impressive track record compared to me which make them a more safer option for the client.

I don't want to accept the job and then ending up having troubles with the client. What steps should I take to ensure that I avoid future problems with the client? Some public information about the client:

- 22 jobs posted, 50% hire rate, 1 open job.

- $2k+ total spent, 11 hires, 1 active.

- $9.61/hr avg hourly rate paid, 159 hours.

- Member since 2012.

Thanks.

petra_r · ‎05-30-2019

Taha A wrote:

Today, the client responded to me saying he is happy with the provided sample and offered the job again ($100 in escrow). It is great to receive offers like that. However, I'm relatively new and I have not done a lot of jobs. Therefore, I'm suspicious

Why would this be any riskier than any other job you get via applying?

taha-al-lawati · ‎05-30-2019

Petra R wrote:
Why would this be any riskier than any other job you get via applying?

Well, if you were a client, would you hire freelancers without interviewing them? Personally, I won't. I'll interview them first to make sure that the selected client will be able to complete the job successfully. This particular point raised some flags for me.

petra_r · ‎05-30-2019

Taha A wrote:
Petra R wrote:
Why would this be any riskier than any other job you get via applying?
Well, if you were a client, would you hire freelancers without interviewing them? Personally, I won't. I'll interview them first to make sure that the selected client will be able to complete the job successfully. This particular point raised some flags for me.

That is why you didn't just accept, but communicated with the client first.

What do you think the client might do to you? (other than throw money and work your way?)

Never extrapolate what you think others do or don't do based on what you would and wouldn't do.

I've had some direct hire offers, no big deal.

If you want to job, accept it. If not, don't.

Simples.

tranvanhieu · ‎05-30-2019

Some easy-going clients just scroll through your profile, see something that fit and send you the offer.

Simple as that.

There are not a lot of them, but some.

If the client has good history, you can just accept the job.

If they are new client, you can... accept as well, as long as you know it is something you can do well and the client already paid money to the Escrow.

Hieu T
Vietnamese translator

prestonhunter · ‎05-30-2019

re: "Well, if you were a client, would you hire freelancers without interviewing them?"

I have hired over 80 freelancers.

I only interviewed a handful of them.

For the most part, I hire freelancers without talking to them at all.

Freelancers can see my history as a client before they agree to work for me. They can see the reviews previous freelancers have given me. They can see that they have nothing to worry about if they work for me.

petra_r · ‎05-30-2019

Preston H wrote:

Freelancers can see my history as a client before they agree to work for me. They can see the reviews previous freelancers have given me.

No they can't with a direct offer.

feed_my_eyes · ‎05-30-2019

Hieu T wrote:
Some easy-going clients just scroll through your profile, see something that fit and send you the offer.
Simple as that.
There are not a lot of them, but some.

If the client has good history, you can just accept the job.
If they are new client, you can... accept as well, as long as you know it is something you can do well and the client already paid money to the Escrow.

Well, this is all news to me, to be honest. I've never been hired by a client without having a bit of a discussion first, and now that I think about it, it WOULD make me a bit uncomfortable. (I'm not saying that the OP should unnecessarily worry about them being a bad client, though.) But there's nothing to stop you from messaging the client yourself and asking a few questions about the job before you accept.

martina_plaschka · ‎05-30-2019

Taha A wrote:
10 days back, I received a job offer from a client without applying or having an interview with the client. The job was about organising and doing some calculations and linking in Google Sheets. The client offered $100 which I feel it is a fair amount. I thanked the client for the job and provided him with a suggestion on how to go about this task. I also created a sample Google Sheet (Disabled exporting and copying functions) to give him a feel about the work that I'm going to do. However, the client went silent and the offer expired so I thought that the client didn't like my approach.
Today, the client responded to me saying he is happy with the provided sample and offered the job again ($100 in escrow). It is great to receive offers like that. However, I'm relatively new and I have not done a lot of jobs. Therefore, I'm suspicious why the client have picked me while I'm certain that there are other freelancers who have more impressive track record compared to me which make them a more safer option for the client.
I don't want to accept the job and then ending up having troubles with the client. What steps should I take to ensure that I avoid future problems with the client? Some public information about the client:
- 22 jobs posted, 50% hire rate, 1 open job.
- $2k+ total spent, 11 hires, 1 active.
- $9.61/hr avg hourly rate paid, 159 hours.
- Member since 2012.
Thanks.

There is always a risk that a project goes south, but that's a risk you will have to take. If you have what you need to perform the task, accept the offer. And no more free work or examples.

prestonhunter · ‎05-30-2019

There are two separate topics here:

- direct hire offers

- hiring without an interview

I agree that a direct offer to hire can be unnerving.

Most of the work I do as a freelancer stems from having received an invitation to interview, or in other words, to discuss the job. It is rare that I receive a "direct hire" offer.

As a client, I use a mix of posting public job postings, which freelancers then choose to apply to, or sending invitations to interview to freelancers I choose after doing a search.

I do not use the "direct hire" option after doing a search of freelancers.

The word "interview" can be confusing when discussing how people start work on Upwork. The word is used in two different ways on Upwork. Do we mean the "interview" button or "interview" stage was actually used at all? Or do we mean that there was any "interviewing" done, in the sense that a conversation took place between client and freelancer?

If, as a cient, I quickly hire a freelancer who responds to my detailed jost posting, then technically the freelancer went through Upwork's "interview" stage, even if I feel like I did not "interview" the freelancer.

Similarly, if I send an invitation to a selected freelancer to apply to my job, then technically there is an "interview" stage (because I did not click the "Hire" button when I find their profile). Even if I don't actually have a conversation with the freelancer beyond a few messaged words such as "Have you read the job description? Are you ready to start now?"

petra_r · ‎05-30-2019

Preston H wrote:
..... a long post .....

none of it has anything at all to do with direct offers (Client pressed the hire button, not the invite button)