So about rising talent......

[a_burns71]

I've been looking into this because I see it a lot on job postings, and I'm continuously being told that I don't meet the requirements when I submit proposals. I'm really struggling to get clients due to being new on Upwork, and at this point I'm having to take jobs for peanuts just to get feedback and experience. I'm almost spending more buying connects than I'm getting paid. As near as I can tell, I meet all of the requirements for it, but I haven't been invited by e-mail to complete the Readiness Test as the requirements suggest I should have. From this page. 

* I've completed and closed all of my contracts within 48-72 hours at most.

* I do not have a JSS.

* I have a 100% complete profile.

* My availability status is up to date.

* I'm submitting 10-20 proposals per day in my field and I complete all question fields.

* I have no TOS violations.

* I have been active in the last 90 days or joined with the last 30 days (both)

So clearly, there is some secret sauce in the recipe that isn't being disclosed publicly. I did a little searching, and the forum is filled with questions about this, along with canned responses from mods that carefully avoid answering the question. So please, no responses with "It's awarded automatically once you meet the requirements" or "Well, you'll have a JSS soon anyway, so don't worry about it." Those are deflections, not answers. Either I (and apparently a number of other people) am misunderstanding the published requirements, or there is something else required that isn't disclosed.

Does anyone know what the secret sauce is?

[mwiggenhorn]

Rising Talent is never a requirement, merely a preference.  Apply to those jobs emphasizing your experience and expertise off the platform.  And price yourself much higher.

[kirnazdogan]

The Rising Talent Badge is like rain. Even if all conditions are suitable, it may not rain. And what you are doing now is searching for new prayers for rain. It's unpredictable and mostly depends on luck. Just enjoy the sun if it isn't raining.

[AveryO · Accepted solution]

Hi Alan, 

I just want to clarify that you don't need to get invited to take the Upwork Readiness Test. You can take it anytime by going to the Upwork Readiness Test page in your account. 

I've seen a lot of Top Rated freelancers say that it took them some time to land a project that changed the trajectory of their freelancing career. When I started freelancing, it took me around six to eight months to get a client that became a 2-year long contract. 

I checked your profile, and it's actually good. I would recommend that you add more items in your portfolio for your writing, editing and proofreading skills/s. Here's a great help article to help you in that section of your profile - 4 Ways to Create a More Successful Portfolio Regardless of Your Skill Set. 

I hope this helps, Alan! Don't lose hope just yet!

[a_burns71]

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Avery O wrote:

Hi Alan, 

I just want to clarify that you don't need to get invited to take the Upwork Readiness Test. You can take it anytime by going to the Upwork Readiness Test page in your account. 

I've seen a lot of Top Rated freelancers say that it took them some time to land a project that changed the trajectory of their freelancing career. When I started freelancing, it took me around six to eight months to get a client that became a 2-year long contract. 

I checked your profile, and it's actually good. I would recommend that you add more items in your portfolio for your writing, editing and proofreading skills/s. Here's a great help article to help you in that section of your profile - 4 Ways to Create a More Successful Portfolio Regardless of Your Skill Set. 

I hope this helps, Alan! Don't lose hope just yet!

---

Thanks for the reply, Avery. That really needs to be made clear in the support page for rising talent, because it's not mentioned at all currently. This is what it says:  "New freelancers who qualify to become Rising Talent are invited to the program via email. If you received an invite, you can follow the link in your email invitation to take the Upwork Readiness Test and complete your enrollment in the Rising Talent program." That makes it sound like you have to be invited to take the test, and it's misleading at best. Moreover, all of the other requirements have hyperlinks either to the thing, or to information about the thing. There are no links for the Readiness Test, which reinforces the previous suggestion that it's invitation-only.

This may be why so many people have questions about rising talent. They might be, like me, waiting for the email so they can take the test. That page needs a re-write. I can do that for a small fee...... 🙂

[petra_r]

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Alan B wrote:

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This is what it says:  "New freelancers who qualify to become Rising Talent are invited to the program via email. If you received an invite, you can follow the link in your email invitation to take the Upwork Readiness Test and complete your enrollment in the Rising Talent program."

---

You are missing the point. The fact that you didn't receive an invite means you are not eligible anyway, Readiness Test or not.

If all that was missing was the readiness test, you'd have received an invite to take the readiness test.

You didn't, so you don't qualify. readiness test or no readiness test.

[a_burns71]

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Petra R wrote:

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Alan B wrote:

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This is what it says:  "New freelancers who qualify to become Rising Talent are invited to the program via email. If you received an invite, you can follow the link in your email invitation to take the Upwork Readiness Test and complete your enrollment in the Rising Talent program."

---

You are missing the point. The fact that you didn't receive an invite means you are not eligible anyway, Readiness Test or not.

If all that was missing was the readiness test, you'd have received an invite to take the readiness test.

You didn't, so you don't qualify. readiness test or no readiness test.

---

I actually did receive one this morning that said "You are almost Rising Talent. Take the test...." So either it's the most fantastic coincidence that after almost a month on Upwork I got it a few hours after posting my question, or someone saw my question and intervened. 

[a_burns71]

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Petra R wrote:

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Alan B wrote:

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This is what it says:  "New freelancers who qualify to become Rising Talent are invited to the program via email. If you received an invite, you can follow the link in your email invitation to take the Upwork Readiness Test and complete your enrollment in the Rising Talent program."

---

You are missing the point. The fact that you didn't receive an invite means you are not eligible anyway, Readiness Test or not.

If all that was missing was the readiness test, you'd have received an invite to take the readiness test.

You didn't, so you don't qualify. readiness test or no readiness test.

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I also need to add that this is not helpful, because it's just a restatement of my question. Because I DO meet all of the published requirements, so if there are additional requirements that are NOT published, I want to know what they are. I'm not sure how you got such a high solution score with non-answers like this.

[robin_hyman]

Rising talent won’t get you jobs. I would also remove the first line about helping students with papers.... you are opening the door for students to pay you to WRITE their papers for them.

[a_burns71]

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Robin H wrote:
Rising talent won’t get you jobs. I would also remove the first line about helping students with papers.... you are opening the door for students to pay you to WRITE their papers for them.

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Noooo... I don't do that, and I've never actually had anyone approach me about it. I used to be a paid writing consultant with Ole Miss when I was in school, so I know how to work with students and help them help themselves. I also do an unannounced plagiarism check on every paper I get, and if I find some I will call it out. I only provide feedback and suggestions, or in some cases help getting started with an outline. But I don't write papers.

[sergio-soria]

The secret sauce is to stop being fixated about it. Some people never receive the rising talent badge and they still make their way through this.

And I agree with Robin. Rising Talent badge does not guarantee you jobs, neither does the Top Rated badge. People think those badges are talismans or something. Rising Talent status is not a requirement to apply to jobs anyway, you can still apply.

And as a final piece of advice: don't work for peanuts, it hurts you, your profession and the rest of freelancers too.

[a_burns71]

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Sergio S wrote:

And I agree with Robin. Rising Talent badge does not guarantee you jobs, neither does the Top Rated badge. People think those badges are talismans or something. Rising Talent status is not a requirement to apply to jobs anyway, you can still apply.

And as a final piece of advice: don't work for peanuts, it hurts you, your profession and the rest of freelancers too.

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Well, that's pretty easy to say, but when I have potential clients straight up telling me that they are going with someone who has more reviews, I have to figure out how to get reviews. And when the only tool in your toolbox is price, that means cutting some hot deals. It's a chicken and egg problem, and I don't know about you, but I have a kid in college and bills to pay. I can't afford to fart around for 6 months hoping I'll eventually land a client and get a review.

I've never been under the illusion that Rising Talent, Top Rated, or any other badge guarantees work, nor did I make any such suggestion, so I'm not sure why you're bringing that up. But the fact is that it does carry weight with prospective clients, and it gives me a legitimacy in the eyes of clients that I don't otherwise have. It increases the odds that a potential client will see it and take a chance on me, and therefore increases my chances of getting work at a fairer price. 

Not to go off on a tangent here, or pick on you specifically, but this is typical of the responses that I found in my search that I really don't like. Instead of answering the question, people choose to mischaracterize and devalue the question by saying, "Don't worry about it, it doesn't matter anyway." That's no kind of answer, and it drives people away out of frustration when they can't get help. New people looking for help deserve better than that. If you don't know the answer, maybe just sit it out instead of trying to make the OP feel dumb for asking.

[ipv0ne]

I don't think it's luck. < newly rising talent here >

Laws of attraction. You attract whatever it is you focus on. You focus on how you're getting dwindled by the algorithms, then that's exactly what you attract.

You must believe your badge is on it's way to you. 

Disclaimer:

The information provided by Kevin L. on this comment is for general informational purposes only. All information in this comment provided in good faith, however I make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any information on this comment.

[jahid-jubair]

Good morning,
Maybe you are applying those jobs that you are unable to work.

Maybe you are using copy pasting formula in jobs applying.

You should have the actual knowledge for working submitted proposals.
Thank you

[a_burns71]

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Md.Jahidul I wrote:
Good morning,
Maybe you are applying those jobs that you are unable to work.

Maybe you are using copy pasting formula in jobs applying.

You should have the actual knowledge for working submitted proposals.
Thank you

---

Ummmmm....... no. But thanks for playing.

[yitwail]

Alan, the rising talent boat might already have sailed in your case, because typically it’s conferred on freelancers before they land any jobs, and once they’re rising talent, they’ll lose it at the first sign of imperfection, like your contract with no feedback and the one with 4.8 feedback. So a more realistic and to my mind more meaningful goal would be a Top Rated badge, but you’ll need to step up your game because it requires $1k earnings. You’re off to a good start so good luck going forward.

[a_burns71]

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John K wrote:
Alan, the rising talent boat might already have sailed in your case, because typically it’s conferred on freelancers before they land any jobs, and once they’re rising talent, they’ll lose it at the first sign of imperfection, like your contract with no feedback and the one with 4.8 feedback. So a more realistic and to my mind more meaningful goal would be a Top Rated badge, but you’ll need to step up your game because it requires $1k earnings. You’re off to a good start so good luck going forward.

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John, do you have an official source for that information, or is that guesswork?

I certainly hope that's not the case, because that would effectively mean Rising Talent is impossible to ever get. I've met all of the qualifications from day one - I set up my profile in one sitting - and one of the requirements is to submit proposals daily and close contracts on time.  I can't imagine that the requirement is to buy connects to submit proposals, and then turn down offers until you get Rising Talent. For one thing, that makes no sense, and for another thing, it's completely incompatible with the requirement of closing contracts on time.  

And it's setting a pretty unreasonable standard if the expectation is perfect 5* on every single project, because some clients are lazy, dishonest, or simply don't know how to leave feedback, and it's not reasonable to hold the freelancer responsible for that. In both of the cases you mention, I agreed to do those resumes for $10 flat fee in return for feedback that would help me get other clients, and in one case I closed the contract not knowing that the client needs to do it, and she couldn't figure out how to leave me feedback afterward. Both of those clients paid me bonuses on my low rate, so they were demonstrably happy.  So if Upwork's policy is to penalize me for not having the experience to know to let the client close the contract, or for the client not knowing how to do it, then there's clearly a philosophical problem at Upwork. 

[edit] I specifically did not request that they give me 5* reviews when I made my deals, because I felt it would be dishonest to solicit a specific rating prior to doing the work. I just asked them for honest feedback that would help me get established and get more clients, and then I busted my backside to make them happy. [/edit]

[edit2] I just got my email confirming my Rising Talent status. Either somebody noticed this thread, or this is all the most fantastic coincidence. Neither option sheds any light on how Rising Talent actually works. [/edit2]

[yitwail]

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Alan B wrote:

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John K wrote:
Alan, the rising talent boat might already have sailed in your case, because typically it’s conferred on freelancers before they land any jobs, and once they’re rising talent, they’ll lose it at the first sign of imperfection, like your contract with no feedback and the one with 4.8 feedback. So a more realistic and to my mind more meaningful goal would be a Top Rated badge, but you’ll need to step up your game because it requires $1k earnings. You’re off to a good start so good luck going forward.

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John, do you have an official source for that information, or is that guesswork?

I certainly hope that's not the case, because that would effectively mean Rising Talent is impossible to ever get. I've met all of the qualifications from day one

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Not guesswork, but I don't work for Upwork so don't have any official sources. However, Rising Talent is very possible to get for freelancers before they land any jobs because at that point, there's no imperfect star rating that could hinder receiving the badge. And no, you didn't meet all the qualifications from day one because you didn't take & pass the Upwork readiness test, which is one of the requirements. It's unfortunate that the Upwork article about the Rising Talent program was unclear and led you to think you could only take the test after Upwork invited you to do so, but a requirement is a requirement regardless.