Re: So many proposals, so few responses

fowlercs · ‎06-17-2020

I have been on Upwork for quite a while with mixed results, mostly because of the lack of responsiveness from any proposal I send. I don't have much of a work history for this very reason. On the other hand, in offline work, I have quite a resume. At present, I am working to build my portfolio online.

All that said, I am puzzled at the lack of communication from potential clients. I have over 40 proposals out right now that have been sent over the last 1.5 months and have only heard from 3. The others are just sitting there. Is there any sort of code of conduct for potential clients, requiring some sort of response? All I see is wasted Upwork Connects. If they can't be bothered to respond, why invest in this platform at all?

petra_r · ‎06-17-2020

Jonathan F wrote:
All that said, I am puzzled at the lack of communication from potential clients. I have over 40 proposals out right now that have been sent over the last 1.5 months and have only heard from 3.

Little thing called a Global Pandemic has changed literally everything. The platform is flooded with freelancers trying to switch to online work....

Jonathan F wrote:
Is there any sort of code of conduct for potential clients, requiring some sort of response? All I see is wasted Upwork Connects.

No, there isn't. If you don't hear back, assume you're not hired. The most sensible tactic is to shoot off the proposal and forget all about it unless and until a client gets in touch.

fowlercs · ‎06-17-2020

I agree with the pandemic changing things, but why would clients post jobs mid-pandemic then completely ghost freelancers? It's not like these were posted months ago and then all of a sudden things changed. This was happening before the pandemic, which is one reason I have been less-than-pleased with Upwork.

Seems like Upwork is raking in the money for Connects that just fizzle out without any sort of action from the client. I could go post a job today and never actually have an intent to hire, and there doesn't seem to be anything Upwork cares to do about it.

petra_r · ‎06-17-2020

Jonathan F wrote:
there doesn't seem to be anything Upwork cares to do about it.

There isn't anything Upwork realistically CAN do about it. They can't force clients to respond to freelancers.

Connects are a business cost. If you are not getting a decent ROI on what you spend on connects, apply only to jobs from clients with a high hire rate for example. You haven't worked on Upwork for literally years. It's a hell of a lot more competitive now.

fowlercs · ‎06-17-2020

Well, thanks for telling me I'm a dinosaur and completely in the wrong. How has this place turned into a race to the bottom?

petra_r · ‎06-17-2020

Jonathan F wrote:
Well, thanks for telling me I'm a dinosaur and completely in the wrong.

I didn't say anything of the sort. My profile is the same age as yours, so if that makes you a dinosaur, then I am one too.

Jonathan F wrote:
How has this place turned into a race to the bottom?

It hasn't.

tlbp · ‎06-17-2020

Jonathan F wrote:
Well, thanks for telling me I'm a dinosaur and completely in the wrong. How has this place turned into a race to the bottom?

I wonder if clients are suspicious of your profile because you haven't worked via Upwork for several years. Can you bring in some non-Upwork client testimonials? Or display screenshots of some projects?