Why are my proposals not being viewed?

[ec713077]

Good day. Is there a reason my proposals are not being seen by the clients? Even when I boost them it doesn't seem as though they are being viewed. Is there something wrong with my account?

Please see attatchment

[bobafett999]

You have over saturated field.

[ec713077]

I'm afraid I don't understand? Could you elaborate please?

[celgins]

Hi Nivenka,

There could be dozens of reasons why clients may not view a profile. There probably isn't anything wrong with your account, but an Upwork Moderator can check that to confirm it. However, I have some suggestions about your profile.

There are thousands of profiles for Data Entry specialists on Upwork and many are them are between $5/hr - $10/hr for data entry services, and there is a lot of competition. I would suggest adding more information to your profile. For example, I would rewrite your profile like this:

Dear Hiring Manager,

Thank you for viewing my profile. I am a Data Entry Specialist with _______ years of experience producing accurate data entry and meeting deadlines. I expertly help clients with dictations and written documents and convert them into typed data.

I specialize in writing, typing, proofreading, and designing templates using Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint/ and others. I have been highly successful due to my reliability, professionalism, and dedication to precision.

Here is a quick overview of the data entry and other services I provide to my clients:

• Entering large volumes of data into Microsoft Excel as well as databases and other accounting and finance support platforms
• Compiling and sorting data for computer entry
• Copying information from one record to another (modifying, updating, correcting data)
• Performing data research and internet scraping
• Detecting errors in data with proofreading
• Following each client’s defined techniques and procedures for their data programs and meeting data entry requirements
• Learning any custom or proprietary processes to help meet your specific, unique needs

Since confidentiality is the key to success when performing data entry tasks, I offer personal integrity that assists me in managing sensitive data. Accuracy is my biggest virtue and for this reason, I have been commended on the quality of my work in previous companies.

I have many skills to contribute to your organization and I look forward to helping you be your best. Please feel free to contact me to discuss your project in detail and how I can help.

Thanks!

Nivenka S.

[ec713077]

Let's start the proposal right! Got it! I have been doing that and have noticed a few more views with 2 active proposals today. Let's hold thumbs 😃

[khawlamo]

Congratulations Nivenka! Fingers crossed forme as well!

[khawlamo]

Congratulations Nivenka! Fingers crossed for me as well!

[ec713077]

Absolutely! You got this!

[4a5caed4]

Delete

[williamtcooper · Accepted solution]

Nivenka,

Proposals don't get viewed for only three major reasons:

- The cover letter proposal doesn't appeal to the client.

- Applying for jobs that are not a good match.

- There are better suited freelancers applying for the job.

Have a great day!

[ec713077]

Ok thank you! I will work on those factors and keep trying!!

[williamtcooper]

Please click the Academy link on the top of this page and it will give your some success TIPS to improve in these and other areas. Thanks!

[ec713077]

I will do so now thank you!

[yofazza]

6 views out of 41 sent proposals (10-30% range) can be considered normal from what I've seen in this forum and myself. Smaller group of people has less or more percentage.

So I don't think you have problem with proposal view. Especially on a saturated field, you might be doing better than others.

From what I understand, proposal view is something out of our (or very tricky to) control. Cover letter has little effect, only the first 2 lines does, because that's the only thing visible before client click (view) your proposal. Variables that affects the views, from what I understand, is the placement of your proposal made by the secretive sorting algorithm. Most people agreed that most clients will only look at a few proposals on top, so if the algo decides your proposal shouldn't be be placed at the top, it's bad news for you.

But then again, I'll say you might be doing better than most others. You just need to polish the proposal more so views can be converted into more interviews, and work on the interviews so they can be converted into more hires. 

[ec713077]

---

Radia L wrote:

6 views out of 41 sent proposals (10-30% range) can be considered normal from what I've seen in this forum and myself. Smaller group of people has less or more percentage.

So I don't think you have problem with proposal view. Especially on a saturated field, you might be doing better than others.

From what I understand, proposal view is something out of our (or very tricky to) control. Cover letter has little effect, only the first 2 lines does, because that's the only thing visible before client click (view) your proposal. Variables that affects the views, from what I understand, is the placement of your proposal made by the secretive sorting algorithm. Most people agreed that most clients will only look at a few proposals on top, so if the algo decides your proposal shouldn't be be placed at the top, it's bad news for you.

But then again, I'll say you might be doing better than most others. You just need to polish the proposal more so views can be converted into more interviews, and work on the interviews so they can be converted into more hires. 

---

[ec713077]

Thank you! For everyone helping and trying to make our Upwork experience more understandable!

[ec713077]

Thank you so much for this! This helps me a lot and now I can focus on
that! I am enjoying the opportunity to work from home and want to make this
permanent.

[sinisa_rudan]

Sorry @William T C, but how improving the cover letter can help if they haven't even seen the proposal??
Shouldn't viewing the cover letter trigger "client viewed the proposal"?
Or if not, which interaction with the proposal counts as "viewed by the proposal"?

P.S. It would be like advice to make the content of our email more interesting so that the receiver gets a desire to open it to see the content 🙂

[williamtcooper]

Sinisa,

The Cover Letter is the proposal.

[sinisa_rudan]

the proposal is:

- cover letter

- terms (fee, etc)

- uploaded documents, like CV, screenshots

The cover letter is actually just one of the additional details. 

[williamtcooper]

Click the Academy link on the top of this page for success tips.

[yofazza]

Sinisa you're right. I posted on this thread (above) because I saw problems in the accepted answer.

"Overly simplified solutions" that are too-often posted by someone who claimed OpenAI told him that ChatGPT University is (used to be) theirs.

At least one other person (beside you) also got very confused on this thread's accepted answer when they ask me again about it. I think I'll post this mod's answer on similar topic. 

There are several possible reasons why this might happen. One is that the buyers receive a large number of proposals and they only have time to view a few of them. Another is that the buyers have specific criteria or preferences that they use to filter out the proposals that do not match them. A third is that the buyers may have already found a suitable freelancer and did not close the job.

It does not necessarily mean that your proposal quality is low or that you are doing something wrong. 

[wlyonsatl]

William T C,

How can a prospective client know they don't want to view a freelancer's proposal if they haven't read the freelancer's cover letter and so can't know whether the freelancer is an interesting match?

[williamtcooper]

Will,

Prospects read Cover Letters and then determine if they want to view the freelancer's Upwork Profile.

[wlyonsatl]

Nivenka S. originally asked, “Is there a reason my proposals are not being seen by the clients?”

You answered, “Proposals don’t get viewed (because)…The cover letter proposal doesn’t appeal to the client.”

Then you tell us, “The Cover Letter is the proposal.”

Those two statements are contradictory. If “The Cover Letter is the proposal” then the cover letter is seen by all clients who open freelancers’ proposals. The cover letter may not appeal to the client, but (s)he can only know that after they have opened the freelancer’s proposal.

NIvenka is saying her cover letters/proposals, according to Upwork's system, are not being viewed by clients. This has nothing to do with the quality of her cover letters, which clients can only see after they have viewed her submitted proposals.

Viewing a freelancer's profile is a different issue.

[williamtcooper]

Will,

When a cover letter is clicked off of, that is called an Upwork Profile.

If you or others are adding extra steps for the clients, bad idea.

[wlyonsatl]

That makes no sense, William TC.

"clicked off of" - do you mean when a prospective client opens a freelancer's proposal?

That is certainly not "an Upwork Profile." An Upwork profile is a static outline of a freelancer's skills, experience, work samples, etc. created by each freelancer that exists irrespective of whether anything is "clicked off of." And the cover letter and profile are completely separate documents that serve different purposes.

[louisduncan]

Genuine questions: How do they know the cover letter and proposal doesn't appeal to them if they are not viewing it? Wouldn't they need to view it for them to see that which would count as a view? 

[jackie_linn]

...Or there are just too many freelancers sending proposals for the same job, or the client already is interviewing someone.

[williamtcooper]

Yes, I have stated that fact in many of these community threads.

[e7c7e16c]

This is not a satisfying answer if you are a freelancer who makes music and apply for music production jobs with the highest bid over and over but it is still not viewed by the client!

[jeremy_zimmerman]

  The system does seem to have improved over the past couple months in terms of proposal views. I have also changed my approach. I send fewer proposals with more detail (the first two sentences are key as they are what prospective clients see when scrolling through proposals ... good idea to include a reference to the project title and the client name if you can find it in past project reviews.) I do boost at least 25 connects and, for more substantial projects, up to 40 connects. I cannot say that I am closing more projects as sites like this (similar to dating sites) encourage customers to keep looking rather than commit. Hope that helps, friends.

[moolardevar]

The system is broken since the boosting started. I've been here for 10 years since they ported me from eLance.. and all of a sudden 2 months ago since the boosting started, whether I boost or not, it's a sinking ship. Good luck.. find another boat while you still can.

[e7590b7f]

I am a graphic designer,I submit proposals immediately jobs are listed and still,no one has viewed any of my proposals.

Do you have any tips

[fbedce22]

Im super frustrated. 18 proposals... 1 view. Cover letter is concise and relevant and my experience fits the jobs I apply for. (construction management). I can't seem to get any traction. 

[lambamile]

Yeah, it's disheartening. I've been creating original samples that I've submitted with each proposal...only to have no views 😥 What a waste! 

[0e13d6cc]

upwork is not the platform of new comer and with out high bidding rate normal proposal has no value.

[jeremy_zimmerman]

Keep your chin up, Peter. Probabilities play a role here. I have submitted 34 proposals since the start of May and eleven were viewed resulting in five responses and two projects that promptly stalled. The Pareto Principle is at work here (20 percent of people get 80 percent of work) so we 80 percenters have to slog to acquire enough mass and momentum to become part of the 20 percenters. From what I gather from speaking with clients and what I've read here, most of our competition (fellow freelancers) lack skills so if we just keep taking swings, we are going to connect and we are going to succeed.

[yofazza]

Your view percentage is somewhat below the average.

You should be able to raise it, but not with cover letters. Only the first two lines of the cover letter is seen before a client click (view) your proposal.  Same with "samples" (@Rachel), they are not an affecting factor for views, unless if they're placed at the start I guess (but it could  be awkward when client saw links at the start?).

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

(if picture removed, you can Google it)

How to raise the view percentage is a mystery to me, I can only suggest to be more selective in applying.

Unless if Connects are not a concern (not just in terms of money but also as a matter of principle), I suppose you can "proposal-bomb" the job board which will surely increase the number of views (not the percentage). I believe some people are already doing this.

[0e13d6cc]

Look at the picture . I am so much disappointed. I got only one view by client among 7 proposals. Thus I have lost many connections which is not acceptable. Now I have only 12 connects. In a word upwork is not the platform of new comer and with out high bidding rate normal proposal has no value.

**Edited for Community Guidelines**