Aug 13, 2019 06:59:25 AM by Alecia M
Hi everyone,
I was just wondering if anyone else was experiencing a significant decline in invitations and offers since the new business model roll-out? I'm having to spend money I don't have on connects and literally haven't even received one reply. I used to easily get 1 out 5 jobs I applied to and at least 2 invitations a week. It's not my profile I'm top rated at 97% and I even specialized it. Am I missing something?
Really worried,
Alecia
Aug 13, 2019 07:04:02 AM Edited Aug 13, 2019 07:05:31 AM by Rene K
Now clients can invite three freelancers for free per job post. Many FLers, this one included, have seen an steep decrease in invites.
Also clients are strongly pushed towards paying a monthly fee of $50 or $500. Which means many are just leaving Upwork.
As for biding, the rate of success has never been high anyways. Having to pay for connects, however, may limit the amount of spam that clients receive, which is a good thing on the long run.
Aug 13, 2019 08:21:00 AM by Peter G
I've also experienced a significant drop in offers and invitations.
Aug 13, 2019 08:44:38 AM by Cheryl K
I've seen a downturn, but am not worried yet.
Many times the summer months are slow so I think that might be part of the slowness.
I don't doubt that asking clients to pay for memberships will reduce the number of clients, but I can see where it might increase the quality of clients.
Let's see how things are in October.
PS since invites have been limited, I've noticed a sharp decrease in the number of invites I receive but no appreciable increase in the quality of the invites.
Aug 13, 2019 02:36:25 PM by Miriam O
Me too. I have practically received one invitation. I'm top rated at 99% and I don't have any work. But I'm encouraged by Upwork to buy more connects to NOT get any jobs. I can see Upwork getting more profits from this, but what about the freelancer?
Aug 14, 2019 09:36:09 AM by Nestor V
Trust me you are not alone in that situation ... Its a pity that the top rated freelancers are getting close to zero new opportunities (hopefully not the majority). I am also in your shoes, but, hey, probably we have to be open-minded. I am even considering doing full-time after the autumn. So, instead of complaining probably we should raise the level and get more qualifications ....