Turning Down a Invite...Feel Guilty?

jamesseligman · ‎08-02-2019

So I'm curious as I just turned down one.

With the new client membership plans and them limited on sending invitations, do feel guilty when you turn one down?

robin_hyman · ‎08-02-2019

James S wrote:
So I'm curious as I just turned down one.

With the new client membership plans and them limited on sending invitations, do feel guilty when you turn one down?

Not at all. But sometimes I add a line about why I'm declining. Do you think clients feel guilty when they post a job and then never return to the site? It's all part of this business.

shefen · ‎08-02-2019

I don't feel guilty, but I think the invitation should be "returned" to the client so they can try to find someone that is a better match.

melaniekhenson · ‎08-02-2019

I actually do feel a hair guilty, yes.

kbadeau · ‎08-03-2019

I don't feel guilty, because if I decline the budget is either way too low or the work is jut not something I really do. Or the client seems sketchy, or like they will be super high maintenance. "It's not show friends it's show business."

tlbp · ‎08-03-2019

Yup. an invite sent to me when I'm not the best fit means one less invite to send to someone who is a good match. But, I don't want to fill my profile with a list of topics I don't write about or social media tasks I don't do. So 🤷

I am being more proactive about setting myself to unavailable when I don't have the capacity to take on a new client.

robbie-b · ‎08-03-2019

Nope. Never. Mostly, I feel sorry for them because they're so irrelevant. Especially the so-called Talent Team. If I'm on a go-slow day, I'll consider what they're trying to accomplish and select other as the reason and suggest a category or alternative title for them to try searching for better-suited freelancers.

sergio-soria · ‎08-03-2019

I don't feel guilty. Most of the time the invites I receive don't match my profile, like they don't even read before sending the invitation. Some others want to pay $3 for an expert and some that are somehow interesting after I check them I sense that are clients very hard to please or clients who don't care much about their own projects. So I prefer not to invest my time on them. I am very proactive and I expect the same from the other side. A contract is successful when both parties are involved, not just one.

m_sharman · ‎08-03-2019

Robbie B wrote:
Nope. Never. Mostly, I feel sorry for them because they're so irrelevant. Especially the so-called Talent Team. If I'm on a go-slow day, I'll consider what they're trying to accomplish and select other as the reason and suggest a category or alternative title for them to try searching for better-suited freelancers.

Can anyone provide some insight into how the talent team comes into play? Does the client request their services? Does this mean the client can't invite anyone directly? I had one invitation last month (from a talent specialist) that did fit my skill set (hurrah!), but the client has not hired anyone, nor have they engaged with me directly.

robbie-b · ‎08-04-2019

I'm not exactly sure but I think it's for membership clients. They pay a monthly fee and the talent team scout the profiles for them. I'd imagine clients using it wouldn't be sending invites instead leaving it to the admin to do it for them.

The info page is here

https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003546407-Upwork-Talent-Specialists?flash_digest=151...

Looks like they can jump in to do the inviting if the jobs are featured too.

@m_sharman wrote:
Can anyone provide some insight into how the talent team comes into play? Does the client request their services? Does this mean the client can't invite anyone directly? I had one invitation last month (from a talent specialist) that did fit my skill set (hurrah!), but the client has not hired anyone, nor have they engaged with me directly.

kathy1010 · ‎08-03-2019

No guilt. I doubt that clients feel any guilt about not hiring someone after a proposal.

melaniekhenson · ‎08-03-2019

Virginia F wrote:
No guilt. I doubt that clients feel any guilt about not hiring someone after a proposal.

You might be surprised. 😞 I've had some very earnest proposals that I felt terrible about turning down.