Why don't we have separate JSS for specialized profiles that we are allowed to build?

[mishraashish]

Upwork's leadership team is always trying to improve and do better. That's really great. I had the honor to work with Upwork for more than a year and meet wonderful people. 

As freelancing is evolving, there is a lot to refine and improve. Today I would like to bring your attention to JSS.

However, I feel there is still something missing logically. Freelancers are allowed to build 2 more specialized profiles. In this process, a freelancer gets to pick the best contracts and also re-write the profile description to get better clients. But the JSS shown on the specialized profile is an overall score. Why? When a freelancer is picking the contracts, at the backend the JSS score should also get picked. I raised this concern to customer care, and they said, that Upwork fears the manipulation of JSS scores. I think this is not manipulation, it is presentation. And, we do this presentation in the real world too. We always try to woo the clients with our best work and score to win more. 

A specialized JSS score will solve many concerns of freelancers

1. As Freelancers would have control, they would pitch the clients as per the presentation of their profile. I see it as a better skill - job matching. This would also help freelancers better discover themselves and work towards building a strong career where they are succeeding on the platform.

2. Only those freelancers, who developed a good history on the platform could do that. Imagine a freelancer who might not be able to perform at all in all the 3 profiles, they anyway would not have the opportunity to control JSS on their profiles.

3. Clients would also get realistic insights about the freelancers.  Right now, clients when looking at the specialized profiles, the JSS does not make much sense as this does not reflect the actual JSS the freelancer should have on their profile. 

4. This is likely to reduce the freelancer's concerns regarding their JSS as they would have some control over it. Hence the incoming volume of tickets to Upwork support pertaining to JSS should reduce 🙂

Kindly share your views and let me know what you think about it.

Thanks,
Ashish

[759e32fa]

Hi Ashish,

Thank you for sharing your feedback! Please note that your JSS measures your clients’ satisfaction with your overall work history on Upwork’s platform. It reflects your clients’ satisfaction as shown by relationships, feedback, and job outcomes over time.

Nevertheless, I'll share your feedback with the team. Have a great day!

[mishraashish]

Hi Annie! 

Thanks. I am aware of how JSS is calculated. As I am sure you have understood the request, I am actually suggesting having 3 different JSS. So a person might be not so good at marketing but could be a great Programmer. The JSS should reflect the freelancer's strong points too and not just the overall. This will also help freelancers craft a career path for themselves. 

Thanks for forwarding my suggestion to the decision-makers. 

Regards,

Ashish

[feed_my_eyes]

---

Ashish M wrote:

As I am sure you have understood the request, I am actually suggesting having 3 different JSS. So a person might be not so good at marketing but could be a great Programmer. 

---

If someone is "not so good at marketing" then they should stick with programming and not apply for marketing jobs. That would solve the problem.

It sounds like you don't understand the reasons for the JSS in the first place. It exists in order to help clients make hiring decisions, not to "help freelancers craft a career path for themselves."

[mishraashish]

"If someone is "not so good at marketing" then they should stick with programming and not apply for marketing jobs. That would solve the problem."  Yes!.

But if someone is good at programming then shouldn't that success be shown to the client? Why that person should be penalized for not doing good in Marketing? If freelancer is penalized for doing a bad job, then they should be given a reward for doing a good job. And this will happen when we would see separate JSS scores on the specialized profiles. 

If the JSS score is made for clients, then why its an overall score, while clients look for specialized profiles? So basically what we see is that if a client is looking to interview a great programmer then under the current JSS score the client gets to see the inclusion of bad marketing projects in the current JSS as well. Is it fair?

[the-right-writer]

One of your recent jobs was for one star. If the client is willing to publicly give you one star, what do you think they gave you privately? You also had a less than 4.5 public review, and again, the private was at least the same and likely worse. This is not old feedback. 

No one is being penalized. There are other factors that make up the JSS, but the private feedback accounts for a large percentage, according to how I have seen the JSS drop for many freelancers.

Two JSS would be a nightmare for everyone. The client sees whatever jobs you or your agency have completed. That is not unfair, you did the work, right?  Then it's fair. You can't pick the best review and toss out the others.

Your JSS isn't that bad. Focus on great proposals and making clients happy, and you can be top-rated before long.

[mishraashish]

Thanks for reviewing my profile and sparing time. Also, my overall score is 4.8+. So I am not sure whose profile you saw. The only logical point I am making here is between Overall JSS (we have now) and Specialized profile JSS. 

[feed_my_eyes]

Your suggestion would only allow freelancers to waste clients' time by experimenting with offering services that they aren't good at, while facing no consequences in their other profiles. And it would definitely lead to manipulation, because whenever a freelancer gets a bad review, they would move that job to their "bad" profile. 

I think that it's already easy enough to maintain a high JSS, especially since Upwork lets top-rated freelancers remove bad feedback occasionally. 

[mishraashish · Accepted solution]

So you are saying removing bad feedback is not a manipulation because it is allowed by Upwork and given as a luxury to Top Rated freelancers. 

Upwork can introduce some rules to pick the number of contracts. Also if we do simple math, it's not easy to make 90% JSS unless you have done a good job in 9 out of 10 total jobs and score at least 90% in NPS. 

Clients already see many profiles where JSS is high and still, the freelancer couldn't do a good job. That's why JSS is even losing its credibility. My current JSS is 87% and I still get invites and good responses to my cover letters. This is happening because clients are not getting the insights they are looking for from a freelancer's profile.