Sheer wastage of Connects

[Douglas Michael M]

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@Mark C wrote:

It is all very well to say be selective, but for some people that is not possible - the better-paying jobs aren't available to many people due to restrictions placed by some clients. 

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Mark,

You mean (gasp!) there are jobs for which a given person might not be qualified? Drat, I guess I might have more trouble than I thought reinventing myself as a brain surgeon.

Best,

Michael

[Mark C]

Michael,

No, I didn't mean not qualified in the sense that they are incapable, more in the sense of looking for specific things like geographic location or a number of hours on Upwork etc.

[Douglas Michael M]

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@Mark C wrote:

Michael,

No, I didn't mean not qualified in the sense that they are incapable, more in the sense of looking for specific things like geographic location or a number of hours on Upwork etc.

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Ah, I see. So I can work from Paris and disregard any future reference to prior experience?

Mark, I'm not trying to make this a pissing match. My point is that employer specifications are attached to any job, and not all jobs are suitable for all workers, however competent they may be. Your original post seemed to imply rather broadly that employer requirements for higher-paying jobs are arbitrary. Any correlation between higher-paying jobs and more stringent requirements by clients and more demonstrated competence expected from providers—just as in the brick-and-mortar world—is not arbitrary. As in that world, if you want to be selective and go for the better jobs, you'd better have something to bring to the table, or figure out how to get it. That's not my problem, and it's not Upwork's problem.

Where we can agree, I think, is on the "100 hours on Upwork" requirement. Clearly that was dreamed up by Upwork (oDesk), has no inherent relationship to either competence or reliability, and would never be specified by a client if it weren't presented by Upwork as a checkbox of some sort. That's arbitrary, and another example of where Upwork intrudes its own marketing into a business negotiation they're supposed to be merely facilitating.

Best,

Michael

[Althea Maefe S]

When they changed the system to the current connects setup, a lot of freelancers I know, including me, were not at all happy about it but they changed it anyway. There is no use on asking and chatting the CS about things because it is simply just how we do it now. This is the setup we have to bid on projects now. I suggest reading up on it and knowing how to use it properly is the key. Like knowing what time of the month does your connect cycle refreshes so you can spend all towards it and by the time there is none, you won't have to wait that long.

I can say that I am getting used to it now, and there is indeed a significant decrease in the number of applicants on projects, though not gone, at least the spam applications have gone down. And just be picky about what project you want to bid on. build your profile and read on how to create good proposals. We have threads about that here. 

[Stephen R]

Thank you for the wise words Fergus.

Upwork help center has informed me you get back your Connects after clients decide to do nothing with there job post.

"Please note that job post closes after 30 days if client did not hire or update it. Once job post closes, your connects will be credited back to you."  -Upwork

So i am spending my connects on clients who are suppose to make a decision. Not piss around with no interviews and not hiring.  Did you read my post? Did you see my stats. Of the 25 current applications, 2 clients have hired freelancers. That's a horrible average. Where in the real world would i wait 30 days for employer to hire me? Its yes or no. To those who think the Connects have solved the "to many job applications" you are kidding yourselves. 

If a freelancer applies for a job and no action is taken, the freelancer better get his or her connects back.

Why wait 30 days? Does it take that long to figure out the clients in missing in action? Why should pay for unprofessional clowns? I guess my connects aren't locked up, they are spent? Spent on a thief who stole my connects. 

Just because connects are how we do business now, doesn't mean you have to like it. **edited for Community Guidelines**

Good day and good luck! I'm off to refine how i pick jobs. I'm top rated, whatever that means, and can't figure out to weed thru all the amazing Fortune 500 clients out there.

[Jennifer M]

Stephen, was that message by customer service? 

oh dear...

[Stephen R]

Hi Jenn,

Yes it was.  Im sure you could chime on the issue.  You have a funny twist on discussions. 

I currently have 7 jobs that state 28 days to 1 month ago.

I'm holding my breath ill get an interview.

[Fergus M]

If I haven't heard back in a week I basically forget about them. If they do ever get in touch it's just a bonus. Or a pain, if I've filled my planner in the meantime.

[Fergus M]

"So i am spending my connects on clients who are suppose to make a decision."

Actually they're not supposed to make a decision. They can if they want, but it's not compulsory. Clients post jobs to see what sort of offers they get; freelancers can spend two connects to bid if they want. The point of connects is to stop freelancers bidding on huge numbers of jobs they're not qualified for, a problem oDesk was notorious for.

"Spent on a thief who stole my connects."

Erm no. Just spent.

[Stephen R]

@ Fergus

"Actually they're not supposed to make a decision. They can if they want, but it's not compulsory. Clients post jobs to see what sort of offers they get"

You are kidding me right? 

Is that the Kool Aid talking?

1. I click Find Work.

2. I find a Job Feed.

3. I find a job

4. I apply.

The offer is stated on job post.

We all know they get from $5 bucks to thousands.

Where in Hades do i wait for "Hey man i dont have to decide if i want to hire anybody? Just checking it out Bro."

Really?

Riddle me this? So if they arent serious about hiring, why am I paying to apply to a job that may or may not be there? Isnt the deceptive? 

There are still huge numbers of freelancers applying its not solving anything. Its about the corporate dollar in Mountainview.