Should I take the offer?

[dadiorchen]

Hi, I am a new guy on Upwork, now I proposed a job, just after the proposal, client immediately send me an offer and gave me a task which they said is a test, would pay me money, So, what should I do? I still not know too much about the company and job ( we didn't chat too much), so if I accepted the offer, then I found I don't want the job, can I quit? If I quit, can the client blame me and affect my reputation on Upwork?

Thanks!

[florydev]

I wouldn’t take a job unless that I understand what it is that a client wants. It is hard for me to understand how any legitimate client would want to hire a freelancer that they are not comfortable knows what is to be done.

[dadiorchen]

Thanks, that's reasonable, but they at the same time gave me a test, it looks like a real examination for an employee, and they told me let me record the time and would pay me, in some way, it sounds reasonable too, right?

[feed_my_eyes]

Did they actually hire you and put money in escrow for you to take the test? If not, then don't do anything.

[dadiorchen]

I can't tell it because I just received an offer, and I haven't accepted it, nor decline

[feed_my_eyes]

Okay, one thing at a time. If you don't know much about the job, then can you ask the client for clarifications so that you know exactly what they want? If not, then taking a test would be a waste of your time and theirs.

If you do ask for clarifications and decide to take the test, then the client needs to actually hire you via Upwork, verify their payment method, and put money into escrow before you should do any work.

Where exactly did this "chat" with the client take place? Did you actually speak with them, or was it all writing back and forth? Were you on Google Hangouts, or in the chatroom here on Upwork?

[dadiorchen]

Thanks for your answer.

We did talk in the Upwork message, but that's a very short talk, then they gave me the offer and test task, when I tried to talk with them furtherly, I didn't get any response yet. 

About the company, they have verified and have good payment history looks like.

[dadiorchen]

And I just read the help document from Upwork, they declare:

"6. The client may propose a paid “test project” to get a better idea of your skills. This is a great way to find out how well you’ll work together. Just be sure to agree upon pricing terms before you begin. There are no free test projects on Upwork. This is a violation of our policy."

Interesting, maybe this is normal? But they didn't give me a new offer, seems like what they gave me is just what I applied.

[feed_my_eyes]

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Dadior C wrote:

And I just read the help document from Upwork, they declare:

"6. The client may propose a paid “test project” to get a better idea of your skills. This is a great way to find out how well you’ll work together. Just be sure to agree upon pricing terms before you begin. There are no free test projects on Upwork. This is a violation of our policy."

Interesting, maybe this is normal? But they didn't give me a new offer, seems like what they gave me is just what I applied.

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There's nothing wrong with doing a paid test, as long as they sent you an actual offer. But it sounds like you're confused about the job and you're not sure that you want it? I would advise discussing further with the client so that you're sure you understand everything. 

As for your original question, can you accept the job and then quit if you decide that you don't want it? Yes you can, but yes, the client could leave you a bad review, and yes, that would affect your reputation on Upwork. If you're not sure whether you're qualified to do the work, then it would be best to decline.