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yeechyeech
Community Member

Not sure what to make out of it: Is it just me or do things normally work like that here?

And so I signed up for Upwork in July and diligently put up my profile. Made some headway when contacted by a Talent Manager and was interviewed for 'Expert-vetted'. Much was promised: access to exclusive jobs, invites to propose for such jobs, quality clients, Talent Managers who could match me with jobs, etc. and who I can communicate with. Sounds great, I say!

I was awarded the 'Expert-vetted' badge, sure enough. Along, later with something called the Talent Cloud, which possibly further enhance my chance at good jobs. Then, Upwork Skill Certificate.

Well, all these are good, except, I gain nothing out of it. It's been 3 months and I've not had a single invite to propose any jobs by "Fortune 500/Enterprise" clients. I've also tried to check in with the Talent Manager, initially post-interview via email which I was told I could do that if I had any questions. There was no reply. I initiated contact again today. Nothing.

Can someone communicate with me? Or at least tell me what's going on?

20 REPLIES 20
9f22c812
Community Member

Oh Cheyenne, 

We don't get to see posts in the community from Expert-Vetted freelancers so often, so I don't think many people will relate to your problem. BUT, I would like to say that I got my "Top Rated" badge a few weeks ago, and I was so excited about all the promised stuff that "should" come with it. Yet, just like you, the badge added no noteworthy value to my freelancing experience on Upwork except its aesthetic one.

 

It looks great on my profile tho! yours looks better.

lol!

Really? But glad to hear from you though Lemya M!

Hmm... don't see a lot of Expert-Vetted freelancers? Now it makes me feel kinda lonely here. haha

I'm 'supposed' to have a designated Talent Manager. She's kinda gone missing or something...

 

I hope some moderator here can help you find your Talent Manager haha. Or maybe you could try contacting the customer service directly using the "Get Support" button? they usually reply promptly. Good luck!

Hi Cheyenne,

 

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We checked with the team and they've reached out to you to share more info and better support.

 

~Andrea
Upwork


Andrea G wrote:

Hi Cheyenne,

 

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We checked with the team and they've reached out to you to share more info and better support.

 


Andrea, I was told (over a month ago) that I would get a "reach out" with more information as well, but never heard anything.

Hi Christine, 

Let me go ahead and look into this. I'll come back here once I have more information. 


~ Avery
Upwork

Hi Christine, 

The team will reach out to you through an email to assist you further. 


~ Avery
Upwork

Thank you Andrea G


Cheyenne Y wrote:

lol!

Really? But glad to hear from you though Lemya M!

Hmm... don't see a lot of Expert-Vetted freelancers? Now it makes me feel kinda lonely here. haha

I'm 'supposed' to have a designated Talent Manager. She's kinda gone missing or something...


I'm expert vetted (since July 2020), skill certified, and also in the Talent Scout program (since June of this year) and my experience has been similar to yours. I've had a few invitations as a result of EV (but never had any communication from my rep after the initial interview; I sent one follow-up email and, like you, never got a response) and I've only seen 2-3 graphic design jobs listed in the Talent Scout cloud in the past four months. I'm afraid that you'll just have to keep sending proposals and not expect much from either of these programmes. Try to qualify for the Top Rated + badge, if you can - my invitations went up significantly after I got that.

 

I do wonder why there's been so little mentioned about the EV or Talent Scout programmes in the forum, though. Maybe everyone except us is getting loads of work?

gilbert-phyllis
Community Member

I am EV and TR+. The quantity and quality of invitations received increased after getting those new badges (which I obtained within a few months of each other). I can't tell how much impact, if any, either badge has had because UW rotates search results throughout the year; they seem to tinker with the matching algorithms and/or how results are displayed for clients; I adjusted my rate last year; and things naturally ebb and flow independent of any of those factors. Also, Covid. 

 

I agree with Christine that TR+ is more valuable than EV but I have no empirical evidence, it's just my gut feeling. 

 

I've never heard from the EV person, either, and am not really surprised. IMO there are no shortcuts to getting established here -- you have to work the listings, if not every day then several times a week. Search and sift and pursue the projects you want until you start landing them; vet clients and projects carefully before accepting and deliver impeccably; rinse and repeat. 

The term 'expert-vetted' just sounds wrong to me.

It sounds negative, almost as though the freelancer has had to be 'vetted' after suspicion of wrong-doing. To me it sounds like "we looked into this person and found nothing wrong", giving it the wrong vibes, in my humble opinion. 


Jamie F wrote:

The term 'expert-vetted' just sounds wrong to me.

It sounds negative, almost as though the freelancer has had to be 'vetted' after suspicion of wrong-doing. To me it sounds like "we looked into this person and found nothing wrong", giving it the wrong vibes, in my humble opinion. 


It does sound weird, plus it sounds worse than top-rated or top-rated plus. Also, vetting IMO is an unusual word in the sense that many non-English speakers will not have heard of it. It is not universal. Top on the other hand is. 


Martina P wrote:

Also, vetting IMO is an unusual word in the sense that many non-English speakers will not have heard of it. It is not universal. Top on the other hand is. 

🙂 🙂 🙂 Honestly, it sounds a bit like the freelancer is a strange kind of animal that has just had an appointment with UpWork veterinarian, been vaccinated against scam clients, checked for any internal diseases, proved to be in a good health, and is now ready to operate on the platform 😉


Jamie F wrote:

The term 'expert-vetted' just sounds wrong to me.

It sounds negative, almost as though the freelancer has had to be 'vetted' after suspicion of wrong-doing. To me it sounds like "we looked into this person and found nothing wrong", giving it the wrong vibes, in my humble opinion. 


I've always felt it should be 'vetted expert'. UW gets it upside down. Again.

 

 


Phyllis G wrote:

Jamie F wrote:

The term 'expert-vetted' just sounds wrong to me.

It sounds negative, almost as though the freelancer has had to be 'vetted' after suspicion of wrong-doing. To me it sounds like "we looked into this person and found nothing wrong", giving it the wrong vibes, in my humble opinion. 


I've always felt it should be 'vetted expert'. UW gets it upside down. Again.

 

 


Well, I guess the expert vets you, meaning you are not the expert. 


Martina P wrote:


Well, I guess the expert vets you, meaning you are not the expert. 


That's exactly the problem - we ARE supposed to be experts, that's the point of the badge, surely?

 

allergywriter
Community Member

Just out of curiosity....how many jobs have you hustled up on your own. Do you scan job postings to see something that's up your alley and in your price range?

Since you are just getting started, maybe you should be pitching yourself.

I'm not part of any talent cloud and my writing isn't vetted, but I keep busy because I've established a track record that makes me top rated.

Maybe you could work on building that proven track record while you wait for the other things to shake out.

Yes, I pitch for jobs, as usual.
EV is something that was promised to come with certain explicit benefits, so of course I'm expecting them. But so far, I haven't heard anything or see anything that is different. Hence, my question, is it me or are other EVs facing the same issues. I think reading the thread, I'm getting the vibe that I'm not alone. That's really all I'm asking.

But good news! After posting this, a rep did indeed message me!! Smiley LOL


Cheryl K wrote:

Just out of curiosity....how many jobs have you hustled up on your own. Do you scan job postings to see something that's up your alley and in your price range?

Since you are just getting started, maybe you should be pitching yourself.

I'm not part of any talent cloud and my writing isn't vetted, but I keep busy because I've established a track record that makes me top rated.

Maybe you could work on building that proven track record while you wait for the other things to shake out.


This is the  thing. Upwork can promise the moon and stars but the people getting gigs are the ones doing it for themselves. The TR+ and EV can help your profile stand out once you apply, but don't wait for Upwork to put you in front of prospects. 

yeechyeech
Community Member

Yea, I probably get around it, but I just utterly curious about the ins and the outs since I'm new here lol

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