Proposals are not being opened

jeffreymorris26 · ‎07-17-2023

I recently look at the last twenty proposal that I've submitted and less than a third have been opened. Of the twenty, three have been outbid. What gives with that?

celgins · ‎07-18-2023

This is quite normal. Many freelancers are not getting most (or any) of their proposals viewed, and being outbid happens often.

Unless you are opposed to it for some reason, you might want to make your profile public so that clients can see you in searches. There is always the possibilty of being invited to a job, but clients cannot invite you if they cannot see you.

jeffreymorris26 · ‎07-19-2023

Thanks for your reply. For me, Upwork is for filler work. The fees on this site are much less than what I would get from my own clients or from other referrals that, in all honesty, I don't want others to know that I'm on it. It does play an important role in that I publish finished projects (if they turn out well) on Linked In so it appears to my preferred clients that I'm busy with good paying projects.

As others have indicated, jobs seem harder to get. I think that is due to their Advertising and getting more to join and to the realization by many designers that you have to be on it. As a designer, we may be in a similar position (although I hope not) as photographers were many years ago when stock agenices took over. Combine that with A.I. and it gets depressing, although I still love what I do and know that I offer a vauable service.

alejandrocrespo · ‎07-18-2023

"Outbid"? Try to not participate in the bidding unless you are extremely sure you are the perfect candidate for the job and you really (and I mean REALLY) want to land it. Otherwise you are just wasting connects (16+20 or more for bidding), that's 1+USD per proposal, which is basically just gambling...

Many clients even purposefully avoid viewing these proposals since they are seen as "spammy" (Upwork basically copied the worst things from fr**lancer.com...lol)

To improve your chances of success naturally, try to bid to job posts where there are fewer than 20 proposals (ideally 5-10), that way you will always be in the first results and will be viewed by clients regardless of any bidding :). Try to keep an open browser window with the job feed, and refresh it regularly to catch the new ads as soon as they appear!

PS. Also remember that we're in the summer season, so there are less job posts out there with more competition, and many clients go on vacation after placing the job posts.

Good luck!

jeffreymorris26 · ‎07-19-2023

Yes. I hate this whole bidding thing, however the cost of the contacts in relationshiop to the fees that I get are not that bad. I just hate the whole process. For my other clients I don't even write an estimate untill I know they want to go with me. What costs money is the time that it takes to answer these posts. Its far more than the cost of the contacts if you add up your hourly rate (at least as a Design Consultant). So for me to go through that trouble and then have them not open the fricking proposal is adding insult to injury. Sorry to complain.

alejandrocrespo · ‎07-19-2023

I mean, if you continue to participate in a predatory system, why complain then?

You are basically participating in a "lootbox" gambling mechanic designed to milk you out of connects. They are already charging you 2+$ for each 16 connect proposal as "chance to win", and are additionally trying to get more from you like some cheap mobile game to supposedly give you an "edge". IMO this business model will end up with some class action suit calling for anti-gambling regulation and fines lol.

About the quetions, I personally don´t send proposals to jobs where clients ask 20 questions, and if I do I just direct to what was written in the cover letter or attached as sample. The clients that ask questions are usually the worst btw.