Solved: New to Upwork: How to know if your proposals ...

Caroline M · ‎03-19-2021

Hi Upwork community,

I'm new to the app and honestly am feeling a bit discouraged by the proposal system. All but one of my proposals (of which I've sent about 20) are either in limbo or have been archived for unknown reasons (no one ever seems to leave a comment in the "Reason" column). I've applied to jobs in several different fields that I have experience in, usually either editing/proofreading or illustration work. I apply to jobs that have been posted within the hour, and hours later, they're already closed, sometimes without even giving me a notification that my proposal was archived.

Additionally, I've had two clients (one who accepted my proposal and one who didn't) both tell me that they have either never or only rarely received notifications of my offer or my messages. The client who didn't choose me actually messaged to let me know that, had he seen my proposal when it was sent, he would have considered me for the position. This lack of communication-- through no fault of my own, or even his-- cost me a potential job.

TL;DR It seems to me that Upwork has issues when it comes to its communication options between clients and freelancers, stymying valuable opportunities. I feel like it's costing me work. Any idea as to fixes for this, or if it's an issue others experience with their proposals?

Thanks so much,

Caroline

Mikko R · ‎03-19-2021

Caroline M wrote:
Hi Upwork community,

I'm new to the app and honestly am feeling a bit discouraged by the proposal system. All but one of my proposals (of which I've sent about 20) are either in limbo or have been archived for unknown reasons (no one ever seems to leave a comment in the "Reason" column). I've applied to jobs in several different fields that I have experience in, usually either editing/proofreading or illustration work. I apply to jobs that have been posted within the hour, and hours later, they're already closed, sometimes without even giving me a notification that my proposal was archived.

Caroline, Phyllis had valid tips, so I try to dig a bit deeper here.

I've suffered a bit from missing notifications, disappearing messages, and such things from time to time. But they don't play any bigger role in how well my business runs over here. I report bugs, someone goes and fixes it, and we go on, business as usual. No system is flawless, so what YOU can do is try to improve it and work around the problems.

But in general, I think you have not yet thought through this thing called freelancing. I cannot see your profile, I have no idea how good your proposals are, or whether or not you're in a saturated field, so I won't go there. I'm assuming you're after your first Upwork contract. Is that the case?

I noticed that many who join Upwork think that signing up makes them freelancers. That's not how it works! More like the other way round. Those struggling with identifying their niche, defining their best types of clients, formulating their value proposition for each individual won't make it out here any better than elsewhere. I've seen some trying to build an Upwork-based business of a type that cannot even be done in an efficient way online!

Good freelancers figure out very quickly if some platform helps them find the best kinds of clients or not. If not, try something else (why settle for the second-best). Blaming some system's features sounds like avoiding the responsibility of one's own business. Who else's responsibility could it be?

There is no "investment" of any kind other than what you'd need to "invest" somewhere else. Some details are different in terms of the process, that's all.

For a comparison, imagine you need to go to a physical meeting to have a chance to talk with every potential client in the same numbers as what chance you have out here. I bet it would take MORE time than writing just 20 proposals. These kinds of online platforms are highly efficient in making connections with people who might need you. Still, you'd need to have a good offering and a solid process for converting them to paying customers, and some consideration to the market in general. Without these, you'd be in limbo in the physical world too. Just a different kind of limbo. Running after customers (literally!), having endless coffee or lunch meetings, attending day-long meetups, calling a dozen guys a day, etc. (I know because this is what I did my first 6 months.)

So, maybe put your efforts into figuring out your unique offering, practice your writing to make it obvious in your proposals, make sure the profile repeats the message, and keep going. You've probably seen all the official guides on profiles and proposals, I'd imagine.

You have all the tools you need, as perfect or imperfect as they might be. There is no system that can build your business for you. Keep going, make your business. 👍

Good luck, Caroline!

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Phyllis G · ‎03-19-2021

First of all, UW is a platform, not an app. (I'm not being pedantic, the differences matter when it comes to how you understand it and how you learn to use it to make money.) Second of all, 20 proposals is less than a drop in the bucket. I joined UW with >20 years of freelancing experience and it took me a month and 30 proposals to land my first contract; another month and about 30 more to land the second; and a good six months after that to begin getting real traction. This is simply to say that it's a long game, especially when you don't yet have an established track record of working as an independent contractor.

In not quite five years, I can count on one hand the number of times I heard from a client who wasn't interested in hiring me. It just rarely happens, so just place your bid and move on.

Look for projects that are a precise match for your strongest skills and capabilities, where you are absolutely sure you can deliver beyond expectations, and bid on those. You are probably wasting your time bidding on editing/proofreading when your profile is all about being an illustrator. The platform is awash in highly qualified editors and proofreaders. Don't waste your time trying to compete with them.

Search for FLs who are doing the kind of work you want to do, earning what you'd like to charge, and study their profiles and the types of projects they've done. Be prepared to charge a bit less than you feel you're worth, to get started. But not much less because you don't want to attract bottom feeders and you also don't want a bunch of cheap jobs in your history, that can be tough to climb away from.

Good luck!

Caroline M · ‎03-19-2021

Hi Phyllis,

Thanks for your reply. I get what you mean about it being a big time investment to get any kind of results. I'm not new to the freelancing scene, but I am new to this platform, so I'm aware of the time it takes. I guess it's just frustrating to not know why my proposals are not getting through: is there something wrong with them, something I need to improve on, or is it simply that a potential client didn't even see my proposal? In that case, it could be that nothing was wrong with my proposal at all; I simply wasn't quick enough on the draw.

I do feel like I'm applying to jobs that work to my strengths-- but again, it doesn't seem to matter either way. As someone who has a decent client base elsewhere, but is looking to expand on that, it's strange to see my pool of interested clients shrink to a mere fraction, simply because of... I don't even know what. Do I need to display more of my work? Do I need to display my credentials more prominently? I have no idea.

What I meant when I said a client contacted me but didn't hire me, is that he reached out AFTER he'd already hired someone else for the job. He then messaged me to say that he hadn't gotten any notification of my proposal, but that if he had, he would have considered me for the position instead of tacitly rejecting me. I don't mean at all that he wasn't interested in hiring me: I mean that he WAS, but that Upwork's notification system led to a miscommunication that I found frustrating. I don't expect it to happen often, but wanted to bring it up here regardless, as it seems to me it might have to do with how notifications on Upwork are sent.

I guess in the end it really is a trial and error game until you start reaching those who are interested in your work. From there, you can sort of begin to snowball your reputation into something bigger. I just wish it would snowball faster (and who doesn't?).

Caroline

Ela K · ‎03-21-2021

Caroline M wrote:
....
What I meant when I said a client contacted me but didn't hire me, is that he reached out AFTER he'd already hired someone else for the job. He then messaged me to say that he hadn't gotten any notification of my proposal, but that if he had, he would have considered me for the position instead of tacitly rejecting me. I don't mean at all that he wasn't interested in hiring me: I mean that he WAS, but that Upwork's notification system led to a miscommunication that I found frustrating.
...

This is the bit I don't understand: he says he rejected (=archived) your proposal but somehow posits he didn't see it? How does that work? And only after hiring somebody else he then starts going through all the bids he received?

As other people have said, there is no alert on the client side for every single proposal. So either this client is also new to this and/or doesn't understand how it's supposed to work, or he's after sth else.

Mikko R · ‎03-19-2021