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meropa
Community Member

Projects canceled by freelancer

A few time ago I canceled one of the my contracts (is not important reason)
Can it affect on my upwork profile and success score? If yes how can I fix it?

ACCEPTED SOLUTION
AleksandarD
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Armen,

 

Thanks for reaching out to us. Canceling contract won't necessarily affect the Job Success score in a negative way. Even if no money has been paid on a contract, both parties have a chance to provide private feedback and if that feedback is positive, the affect of that contract can also be positive.

If you are awarded a contract but no work materializes in the first days or weeks, we suggest talking to the client about the project and why it isn't moving forward. If the contract won't move forward, closing it as soon as possible or asking the client to do so and leave feedback will counter the negative impact on your score. When client feedback is received, even without earnings, it will be factored into your Job Success Score. Best practice is to request the client to close the contract as they will be more apt to leave the freelancer feedback.

 

You can follow up on this article to learn more about JSS, how it's calculated and what impacts it the most.

Feel free to contact us for any questions.

 

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar
Upwork

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17 REPLIES 17
colettelewis
Community Member

It depends what you cancelled. Your eventual JSS will be affected if you cancelled a job without being paid for it. 

 

Was it a fixed-rate or hourly job?  

Dear Nichola
Thank you Nichola for your reply
Yes the job is fixed-rate project, the client sent me contract about 13$ and then added new requirements and new tasks so it was my first project and I did not thought that it can affect on my profile and I cancelled it without being paid for it. 

AleksandarD
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Armen,

 

Thanks for reaching out to us. Canceling contract won't necessarily affect the Job Success score in a negative way. Even if no money has been paid on a contract, both parties have a chance to provide private feedback and if that feedback is positive, the affect of that contract can also be positive.

If you are awarded a contract but no work materializes in the first days or weeks, we suggest talking to the client about the project and why it isn't moving forward. If the contract won't move forward, closing it as soon as possible or asking the client to do so and leave feedback will counter the negative impact on your score. When client feedback is received, even without earnings, it will be factored into your Job Success Score. Best practice is to request the client to close the contract as they will be more apt to leave the freelancer feedback.

 

You can follow up on this article to learn more about JSS, how it's calculated and what impacts it the most.

Feel free to contact us for any questions.

 

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar
Upwork


Aleksandar D wrote:

Hi Armen,

 

Thanks for reaching out to us. Canceling contract won't necessarily affect the Job Success score in a negative way. Even if no money has been paid on a contract, both parties have a chance to provide private feedback and if that feedback is positive, the affect of that contract can also be positive.

If you are awarded a contract but no work materializes in the first days or weeks, we suggest talking to the client about the project and why it isn't moving forward. If the contract won't move forward, closing it as soon as possible or asking the client to do so and leave feedback will counter the negative impact on your score. When client feedback is received, even without earnings, it will be factored into your Job Success Score. Best practice is to request the client to close the contract as they will be more apt to leave the freelancer feedback.

 

You can follow up on this article to learn more about JSS, how it's calculated and what impacts it the most.

Feel free to contact us for any questions.

 

Thank you.


This has been bugging me for years! If no work is carried out - what is a client supposed to rate a freelancer on? Their ability to write email reminders?

 

When contracts are cancelled or closed because a project never got off the ground/the client never provided work - why does that in itself negatively affect a freelancer? Why do we then need positive feedback to balance out that non-contract? 

I still think these contracts simply shouldn't count at all. Because they didn't happen.

 

If I book a room at a hotel and then cancel my trip and never set foot in said hotel - why would I leave a review about my stay and that room in particular?


Ela K wrote:

Aleksandar D wrote:

Hi Armen,

 

Thanks for reaching out to us. Canceling contract won't necessarily affect the Job Success score in a negative way. Even if no money has been paid on a contract, both parties have a chance to provide private feedback and if that feedback is positive, the affect of that contract can also be positive.

If you are awarded a contract but no work materializes in the first days or weeks, we suggest talking to the client about the project and why it isn't moving forward. If the contract won't move forward, closing it as soon as possible or asking the client to do so and leave feedback will counter the negative impact on your score. When client feedback is received, even without earnings, it will be factored into your Job Success Score. Best practice is to request the client to close the contract as they will be more apt to leave the freelancer feedback.

 

You can follow up on this article to learn more about JSS, how it's calculated and what impacts it the most.

Feel free to contact us for any questions.

 

Thank you.


This has been bugging me for years! If no work is carried out - what is a client supposed to rate a freelancer on? Their ability to write email reminders?

 

When contracts are cancelled or closed because a project never got off the ground/the client never provided work - why does that in itself negatively affect a freelancer? Why do we then need positive feedback to balance out that non-contract? 

I still think these contracts simply shouldn't count at all. Because they didn't happen.

 

If I book a room at a hotel and then cancel my trip and never set foot in said hotel - why would I leave a review about my stay and that room in particular?


I'm going out on a limb to say his advice ain't all that accurate. $0 contracts are a very bad thing on your profile. 


Jennifer M wrote:

Ela K wrote:

Aleksandar D wrote:

Hi Armen,

 

Thanks for reaching out to us. Canceling contract won't necessarily affect the Job Success score in a negative way. Even if no money has been paid on a contract, both parties have a chance to provide private feedback and if that feedback is positive, the affect of that contract can also be positive.

If you are awarded a contract but no work materializes in the first days or weeks, we suggest talking to the client about the project and why it isn't moving forward. If the contract won't move forward, closing it as soon as possible or asking the client to do so and leave feedback will counter the negative impact on your score. When client feedback is received, even without earnings, it will be factored into your Job Success Score. Best practice is to request the client to close the contract as they will be more apt to leave the freelancer feedback.

 

You can follow up on this article to learn more about JSS, how it's calculated and what impacts it the most.

Feel free to contact us for any questions.

 

Thank you.


This has been bugging me for years! If no work is carried out - what is a client supposed to rate a freelancer on? Their ability to write email reminders?

 

When contracts are cancelled or closed because a project never got off the ground/the client never provided work - why does that in itself negatively affect a freelancer? Why do we then need positive feedback to balance out that non-contract? 

I still think these contracts simply shouldn't count at all. Because they didn't happen.

 

If I book a room at a hotel and then cancel my trip and never set foot in said hotel - why would I leave a review about my stay and that room in particular?


I'm going out on a limb to say his advice ain't all that accurate. $0 contracts are a very bad thing on your profile. 


Yep. We all know that the only positive outcome/reason for closing a contract is when a job was completed successfully. All other reasons affect the JSS negatively.


Ela K wrote:

 

Yep. We all know that the only positive outcome/reason for closing a contract is when a job was completed successfully. All other reasons affect the JSS negatively.

I think it's more complicated than that. The client is asked two or more questions in private feedback. One is the reason the contract ended. Another is how likely they are to recommend the freelancer. I believe that one of the reasons the client can give for ending the contract is something like "work no longer needed".

 

QUESTION FOR A MODERATOR. If the client says that they ended the contract because the work was no longer needed, is this sufficient to prevent the freelancer from being penalised for having $0 earnings on the contract? And if not, why not?


Richard W wrote:

Ela K wrote:

 

Yep. We all know that the only positive outcome/reason for closing a contract is when a job was completed successfully. All other reasons affect the JSS negatively.

I think it's more complicated than that. The client is asked two or more questions in private feedback. One is the reason the contract ended. Another is how likely they are to recommend the freelancer. I believe that one of the reasons the client can give for ending the contract is something like "work no longer needed".

 

QUESTION FOR A MODERATOR. If the client says that they ended the contract because the work was no longer needed, is this sufficient to prevent the freelancer from being penalised for having $0 earnings on the contract? And if not, why not?


No, it's actually not more complicated than that.

 

Once a contract with 0 earnings is closed and the reason for closing the contract selected from the drop-down menu isn't "job completed successfully" (which in most cases it won't be...), all the client's other private feedback (recommend the FL on a scale from... to ) can achieve is soften the blow. There are no "neutral" reasons. 

 

I have been asking "why" for more than 4 years now. Good luck with getting a satisfying reply.

Hi Richard,

 

Unfortunately, we won't be able to advise on your question since we can't share the Job Success Score calculation specifics.

 

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar
Upwork

Well, it seems the only solution is not to accept a job until you're ready to start work. I've adopted that policy now, but it can be a nuisance at times. I had a client recently who offered me an hourly job, but didn't want me to start until we'd discussed the details, which he wouldn't have time for until the next week. So I had to explain (briefly) why I wasn't going to accept the job until then, in case he assumed it was because I wasn't interested. 

 

It's particularly tough on newbies, who are probably not aware of this arcane rule, and so won't take precautions against it. But I guess that makes it good for those of us who've managed to survive the Upwork baptism of fire, and now benefit from such barriers to entry which serve to keep down the competition!


Ela K wrote:


Yep. We all know that the only positive outcome/reason for closing a contract is when a job was completed successfully. All other reasons affect the JSS negatively.


I tried getting around it and asked my one $0 client to let me close the contract. She let me do it and didn't review me, and nope that doesn't work either lol

meropa
Community Member

Hi Ela
Yes I hope so but you know after that very job which I cancelled , I got 2 more jobs and ended successfully, I have a good relationship whit my clients. Also I passed upwork tests minimum result is Top 10% and now I don't have any success score or "Raising Talent" status. How can I know what is the reason for this? And who can give me the right reasons?

Hi Armen,

 

More than 90% of freelancers have a score after 5 projects. Since not all projects and clients are equal, the length of time will vary. Nearly all freelancers have scores after completing eight projects. The projects need to be with at least three different clients and take place within a 24-month period.

 

Jennifer, if you're referring to my advice to communicate with the client in order for them to leave private feedback, I'd like to clarify that private feedback is not displayed publicly and contracts without earnings also aren't shown in freelancers' Work History.

 

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar
Upwork


Aleksandar D wrote:

Hi Armen,

 

More than 90% of freelancers have a score after 5 projects. Since not all projects and clients are equal, the length of time will vary. Nearly all freelancers have scores after completing eight projects. The projects need to be with at least three different clients and take place within a 24-month period.

 

Jennifer, if you're referring to my advice to communicate with the client in order for them to leave private feedback, I'd like to clarify that private feedback is not displayed publicly and contracts without earnings also aren't shown in freelancers' Work History.

 

Thank you.


I understood you, friendo, and I don't think what you laid out is 100% accurate. Perhaps it's just the way you worded it, but saying that a client can give positive feedback on a cancelled contract is a catch-22 that I wish you guys wouldn't keep pushing, because IME sure they can MITIGATE damages by giving positive feedback but the $0 contract is gonna hit your JSS.

 

I know all about the public display and all that jazz.

What happens when freelancer cancels the contract and client does not leave any private feedback? Does it affect the JSS?

Hi there,

 

Contracts without feedback are not included in your JSS calculation.

 

Thanks!

~Andrea
Upwork

What happens when a freelancer cancels the contract and client does not leave any private feedback? Does it still affect the JSS? 

Thank you for your response.

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