connects

[cndaa]

Hello, someone explain about connects. and if i dont have connects i cant apply fo a job. 

Also will cancelling proposal that take long to be responded refund connect and is it advicable.

[pudingstudio · Accepted solution]

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Collins N wrote:

Hello, someone explain about connects. and if i dont have connects i cant apply fo a job. 

Also will cancelling proposal that take long to be responded refund connect and is it advicable.

---

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

About connects: buy them, than use them, then repeat.
If you don't have connects, yup - you can't "apply fo job".

Canceling proposal achieves nothing. Do that only if you made a mistake (e.g. sent proposal for a job you suddenly remembered that you actually can't provide).

[cndaa]

Yeah I am fluent in english.

May be why would you ask?

[luce-neidert]

Collins, I'm afraid many freelancers here on Upwork lack manners and love to use their level of English as a way to intimidate others. Don't pay attention to them.

I'm sorry to tell you that Upwork's policy of 60 free connects a month is over. Now, you have to buy them. In my opinion, now is not a good time to try to get jobs on Upwork. Due to the current global crisis, there aren't many jobs and even people who have been on Upwork for a long time are finding it hard to win jobs (my case). If I were you, I would not waste time (and money) on Upwork before this crisis is over.

[calado-marco]

HaHa!

Great first paragraph entrance, kudos just for that!

Nevertheless i think that the connects issue (and btw the jss) is really something that should be more discussed here in UpW.

Please notice that we are talking about issues that are continuously changing, and from my personal experience, they change accordingly to the "freelancing platforms" trends....:

The more and more freelancing turns more lucrative, the more and more they find ways to make it more lucrative...

Please don't take what i'm about to say as if i thought of you as a "noob", nothing of that kind! No patronizing here! So please bear with me! After what i'm about to say, you will really be disheartened towards the way freelancing is going.

I've started here in 2015 when it was still Elance, then they joined Odesk and made Upwork.

At the time i wasn't still a full time freelancer (just cheking it out for an extra monthly cash).

Elance gave at the time 60 free connects every month.

The average bid was for 2 connects, there was no 4, nor 3 nor 6 connects for bid. Just 1 or 2 connects per bid. That would alow you to make at least 30 bids.

At the end of the month the connects would reset regardless if i've spent them or not.

If you wanted to keep the connects then you would subscrib to the pro plan. It cost $12.

There was a 3 month max limit and i was able to gather up to 225 connects, that sometimes i didn't even spent 'cause the clients keep seending work.

I didn't pay for availability (that was within the pro pack), why do we even with a pro pack have to pay for that nowdays? And pay it weekly? 6 connects for that? Are you kidding?

This is just for the connects.

Let's go to the JSS:

On Elance the JSS was simple to calculate: you would get  your first score after the five first reviews from the clients and after that it was calculated upon the average of the total of the reviews and the last six months. That's was it!

No kind of jobs idles (fortunately that is gone now but that was an issue just two years ago).

This is just for what i remember, things have change so much that don't want to say something i'm not right about it....

Let's go to fees:

I started retaining 7% per job, regardless of the payment!

7%!!! For all jobs!

Now we pay 20% if it's a first client on the first $500. After that 10% and 5% when the client as payd you over $10 000.

Question: How many clients send jobs for a 10 000 value on they're first bid?

And when,  like me working in Europe, that still needs to make the exchange rate ( - 10% average from dollar to Euro) and obviously need to present their IRS (15% in my case),  how much would you get from a i.e. $200 job?

I've came to a point that i need to consider if freelancing is worth it...

Let's go to assistance:

The Forum is great, no doubt! Great people, awesome answers, great experience to guid us. No doubt and my kudos for that and to the great freelancing community on this site (the best of all freelancing platforms).

But only 3 years ago i had an issue and there was a number to call to, in less then five minutes they resolved that - on line, person to person.

Last month i had an issue that my account was suspended 'cause i've changed my paypal reference. I had my account blocked for over 2 weeks, to what they said was just a 3 days delay until they verified the new account.

After two weeks i couldn't find nothing in the forum except for a continuous loop on community boots and links to the same issues. I was trapped on some sort of moebius strip, driving me crazy!!!!

I miss that personal attention to the freelancers.

All the best to you Luce and sorry for the "mental breakdown".😆

[cndaa]

Okay thanks. I will work on it. 

[vazili]

Hi Antum. Do you know what determines how many connects a job application needs, whether its 2, 4, 6 or more connects, what does it depend on? Thanks.

[g_vasilevski]

Hi Vasili,

We calculate the number of Connects needed based on the projected job value -- determined using estimated duration and budget amount --  as well as marketplace demand. A longer-term job with a high budget will require more Connects than a  small project. Thank you.

[junnah_rose]

I hope free connects will be back. It so hard to apply for a job. And now we are almost out of connects. We're supposed to look for a job to earn. But now we have to spend in order to have a job. 😔
What are we gonna do with our account if we cant even apply for a job because we didn't buy connects? It would be useless. Ive been in Upwork for several years and its really frustrating how things changed in upwork.

[bijujx0a]

Yes. You are right.

Some job require 6 connect to apply. I cost almost $1.

[junnah_rose]

And even if we buy some connects, it is still not a guarantee that we will be hired when we apply knowing that there are also a lot of freelancers out there who is applying on the same job. It will just consume all the connects you bought and will be left with nothing again. So sad.

[andreag22]

Unfortunately, this connects policy does make it harder to start out here. But from what I’ve seen it was implemented in order for clients not to get too many proposals from maybe unqualified freelancers, and if clients get too many not so good proposals and get overwhelmed and don’t hire, it’s not good for anyone.

[junnah_rose]

So it was implemented base on speculations that a client may not hire if
they get overwhelmed with so many proposals? That is even why people send
proposals so they can choose the right person. There are even questions
that needs to be answer and qualification base on the profiles of the
freelancer to help them identify the most qualified for there project.
Compare to the thousands of freelancer who wont even get a chance to apply
for a job that they are (supposed to be) qualified just because they run
out of connects. What if there are still people who maybe unqualified but
has a money to buy some connects? and clients get to choose that person, so
there would still be chances they get upset about it. I still can't accept
the lame excuse. However, i know i can't change anything by my mere
opinion. But for sure many freelancer like me is frustrated about this
connect thing. 😞

[bijujx0a]

My suggestion is that upwork should do this connects setting per day basis as shown below:-

1. Applying for 5 or 6 jobs per day - Free

2. Buying next 20 connects  - a small amount 

3. Buying any extra connect - 10 % more than the amount of option # 2.

[AveryO]

Hi Biju, and Junnah, 

Thank you for sharing your suggestion with us, Biju, and for sharing your sentiments about the Connects system with us, Junnah. 

While there is a wide range in the number of proposals submitted, the most sought after jobs on Upwork can receive upwards of 100 proposals. This is overwhelming to many clients, and we can see that too often many of the proposals are submitted by freelancers whose skills may not be a good match. With paid Connects, we expect freelancers will be more selective about projects and submit fewer proposals. This, in turn, will make it easier for clients to identify high-quality talent and increase the likelihood of these freelancers winning projects.

Submitting a proposal has a financial cost, just like the other expenses you incur as a freelancer running your own business. If a client never hires but doesn’t close the job, your Connects are not returned. In this situation, we continue to encourage the client to hire or close the job, but ask that you consider the cost of Connects as part of your business expenses.

[junnah_rose]

I agree with Biju's suggestion. There should be at least (even small amount) of free connects daily or monthly. That would just roll over if not used. In that way, freelancers would still be selective in their application. Because the case now, it seems that you were just thinking about the clients welfare and feelings (not to frustrate them). How about us, freelancer? We are also upset, and at the same time spent some money for nothing. Imagine spending money buying for a few connects that would just be spent for 3-4 job posts. And to think each job post has also hundreds of other applicants which lessen the percentage of being hired. We look for a job to earn, not spend for nothing. I hope our concern will also be address not just the client's concern. 😞

[feed_my_eyes]

---

Junnah Rose S wrote:

And to think each job post has also hundreds of other applicants which lessen the percentage of being hired. 

---

If jobs have hundreds of other applicants and that decreases the chance of being hired, then what do you think will happen if everyone is given free connects? 

You're assuming that if you're given free connects, it means that you'll get more jobs. But everybody else will have more connects to spend, too. It doesn't increase your chances, it only increases the chance that a client will get overwhelmed with bids and not hire anyone.

[reneestahl]

I see what Upwork is getting at actually...

I never mentioned everyone should get free connects. If you reread my post
I really want to address how it is decided how many connections a job is
worth. It currently is flawed what jobs are 6 connections and which are 1.

And I was suggesting there needs to be more pre-vetting on the part of the
person looking to hire.

You have put a plan in place to eliminate freelancers from 'over-applying'
and 'overwhelming' the person hiring... but there is nothing (to my
knowledge) to stop the people who are looking to hire from posting 100's of
jobs that never actually hire or become a valid job. Yet freelancers are
paying for connects to apply to these jobs.

I had a person actually hire me... then she just disappeared... never
answered any of my correspondence (I gave her 3 months to get back with me
and I messaged her several times). I had to finally close the contract on
my end. I paid for connects to apply, she hired, but nothing happened.

YET... she didn't have to pay anything to WASTE my time and money.

So if you are gonna charge the freelancers... there needs to be a way to
monitor or vet the people hiring.

Thank you for your time.

[nolambert]

Andrea,

That is a great response. However, how do we get more connects if we are starting out? As several have pointed out, there are many new freelancers on Upwork due to the crises (myself included). Several of us lost our income and it is difficult to shell out fees for connects without knowing if there'll be a return or not. 

I'ms sure it is to everyone's benefit to have more qualified workers so maybe there is a system to allow free connects for proposals that one is highly qualified for? Just a thought.

[JoanneP]

Hi Nehikhare,

To help new freelancers get started, after their registration is accepted, they are given 20 free Connects that they can use to submit proposals. 

[chadchol]

With only 20 connects and you don't get refunded when you are rejected for no reason. That's not called 'helping'. It's called 'limited chances'.

[jlgaines]

I don't think that is the reason. The onus is on the one hiring that he/she is hiring correctly. Buying connects does not guarrante that the person hiring will get the correct person for the job. It just means you are hiring someone who can afford more. Someone can indeed get connects because he can afford but may not be fit to get the job done or worse mess it up completely thereby wasting the client's time vs someone who cannot afford to buy connects but can get the job done. It's not a merit-based way of hiring. 

I would like to look at it, to paraphrase what I read is, as thinning the herd. Not really related to those who are fit but to ensure that those who are really committed to the projects will be able to submit proposals, since you are investing as well. Basically, weeding out scenarios of freelancers who charge pennies and clients who only want to part with pennies for quality work.

What would be great to have in the platform is to return the connects you bought for the job that you didn't get or lose out from or at the those that you applied to that job that did not turn out to be what was advertised. Atleast you can re-use something that you paid for on something that are much more suitable at. There are a lot of dubious scenarios I read from forums.  Example :

1. A description (mostly in BPO space, based on what I read from forums) that requires only girls and the details are descently written but turns out to be lewd. You can't find out until you apply and waste your connects.

2. Some will ask for your Skype account and  will PM you to buy your account, hence wasting your connects.

And not all details written by those who hire are factual, which really misrepresents the job and also wastes connects of those who apply for them. There's no way to know more details about the job, until you apply and use connects. 

1. Some will post only 20 dollars and one time project but from the job description, it looks complex and then they will say its a long term one. When you check, its a  verified client. How can you be sure then that its long term or really just one time ?

2. Somes jobs have few liner description that seems so simple and does seem fit your profile. But when you apply and they explained it to you, what they are looking for does not equate to what they have posted. What happens to your connect then ?

I think It would also be good if the system will check the credibility of the posts and those who hire as well. 

[d2ee9be0]

Add you profile to Fiverr and any other work platform. Expand your chances.

[livia8792]

Yeah,I completely agree. It's frustrating and non sense

[zarklon]

Exactly , 6 connects on a job is utterly infrutiating.  At this point with the amount of bids I'm paying for and not even getting a reply back or a reason for declining my bid .. f we're payin to bid .. the client should be prompted to give a reason for declination for each bid received.  Its more than common courtesy.   Why would I want to keep pouring money into things at such a cost?  Also a lot of times the things I bid on land me somebody wanting to PM me on skype and buy my upwork account itself... Wasting connects on those bids are even more frustrating.

[reneestahl]

AND... I've seen jobs with a budget of $100 be 6 connects and they aren't long term either? How is this justified? Also, the person looking to hire is new to Upwork so the payment is not verified and the client has no feedback/history because they are new. This is a high risk for a freelancer... but yet we have to pay to play and find out if it is a legitimate job? OR ignore it and miss out on a potential opportunity? This system is seriously flawed and needs to be re-evaluated. Pre-vetting the people who are posting jobs better would be a helpful place to start.

You say you are charging for connects to we don't overwhelm the person looking to hire... what about us freelancers... we are overwhelmed with potential jobs that are not verified, might be looky-loo's or potential spam. Freelancers are overwhelmed at making a decision whether or not to submit a proposal and not get a job! If I have to pay so I don't throw out too many bids... then people looking to hire need to show more commitment by having some kind of upfront investment too.

If Upwork is charging for connects, $0.15/connects. 6 connects to a bid = $0.90. 100 freelancers bid on the job at 6 connects... that is $0.90 x 100 bids = $90 that Upwork makes just on the bidding system alone and 99 freelancers that didn't get the job who have to invest more... or worse... the unverified person chickens out and doesn't go through with it at all... or was just curious in the first place and not serious.

Anywho, please, please come up with a better system. During this 'pandemic' it is even harder and all Upwork has done is allowed us to get our money faster? But if I don't have a client then getting my money faster doesn't mean a thing! You have done nothing to help out society to get work to help pay bills.

Given all of this grief... I have appreciated how Upwork handles my jobs AFTER I get hired... thank you. BUT getting to that point is disappointing, frustrating, and poorly designed.

[sadiqpmp]

I have a  suggestion, if a job/project is cancelled or no one hired in a certain duration then everyone who applied for the job/project will get connect back.

[zarklon]

Makes sense... Also at the VERY LEAST .. the jobs that get reported for spam/scam/fraud .. as in those clients who post a "job" and instead message you about trying to buy your upwork account should have their account banned job , job post deleted , AND EVERYONE'S CONNECTS RETURNED....   

That's a #Duh .. but yea here we are.  

[junnah_rose]

Agree

[nolambert]

Fully Agree. I'm new to Upwork last few months due to job loss from the Pandemic and certainly dont have disposable income to buy connects to apply to jobs that are really one-sided right now. I realize its tough for everyone: Employers and Freelancers, but there has got to be a better way to monetize Upwwork? Maybe give Freelancers the opportunity to apply for work and pay for the connects if they actually win the job and get paid??

Also, aren't connects suppposed to get back to you when the job is closed or expired? I've had twio(2) jobs close/expire but never got the connects back and its been about two(2) weeks?  Thanks.

[melaniekhenson]

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Nehikhare L wrote:

Fully Agree. I'm new to Upwork last few months due to job loss from the Pandemic and certainly dont have disposable income to buy connects to apply to jobs that are really one-sided right now. I realize its tough for everyone: Employers and Freelancers, but there has got to be a better way to monetize Upwwork? Maybe give Freelancers the opportunity to apply for work and pay for the connects if they actually win the job and get paid??

Also, aren't connects suppposed to get back to you when the job is closed or expired? I've had twio(2) jobs close/expire but never got the connects back and its been about two(2) weeks?  Thanks.

---

I am so sorry to hear about your job loss. 😞

If you were to try to promote yourself without a platform like Upwork, you certainly would be spending money and possibly seeing none of it back. For example, Facebook ads cost money. And some add-ons or upgrades to initially free hosting sites (Wordpress, etc.) cost money. (So does your own personal non-WP URL, which is essential, in my opinion.)

If you want to self-promote without spending a dime of actual cash, put yourself out there on every free social media platform and be consistent with it. (Build a site showcasing your skills, history and work samples first so you have something solid to show potential clients.) Make sure your SEO is compliant but also solid, or you won't get much traffic. You can also cold-approach companies.

All of this takes time and may also earn you nothing. Or you may get jobs. But getting them will require solid skills PLUS either a money investment or a significant time investment.

Upwork does the visibility part for you, putting you in direct reach of clients, and yes, they charge you for that (via connects).

[wickedlnl]

You have to spend money in order to make money, its pretty simple. For example if you want to have your own  restaurant, you need to put in the money and not expect profit immediately. And if you think everyone getting free connects is giving you a better chance, you are wrong. Because even now in about 30 minutes theres over 20 applicants or more. If everyone was getting free, there would be a 100 applications in 5 minutes. You really think you are going to be chosen or stand out amongst so many people? Actually your chances are much much smaller.

You can put $10 and get 80 connects. If you are lucky or talented, that $10 can make you $500 in gigs. I spent like $40 before I made any money. And some people dont make anything ever. But that is not only about luck but your qualifications, the way you write your proposals and how convincing you are.

When you worked in real life, did you not spend money/time in order to get that job offer? Buy a new pair of shoes or a shirt for that interview, paid money to better yourself to get a certificate to have a higher chance of landing the job etc. You invested in yourself, and Upwork is the same concept. You cant get well paid jobs for free. Try Fiverr and tell me how that goes 🙂 Its free yet theres billions of freelancers and chances of them finding you for the job are like 1 in 10.000 because every day theres 50 new retouchers/copywriters/translators.

Fiverr is free, give that a try.

[reneestahl]

All good points... if you read my whole original post... I don't ask for
FREE connects... but I point out that there is no commitment from the
person looking to hire. They pay nothing and I have applied to jobs that
require 6 connects, they are not verified and have a budget of $150. It
doesn't add up the amount I have to commit to send a proposal to a job that
might just be someone who is being a Lookie - Lou and doesn't follow
through so the job sits or gets canceled.

So my suggestion was for Upwork to also have some kind of better vetting
process on the hiring end to make sure more people on the hiring end are
legit and invested in truly hiring someone.

Upwork put a lot of thought and structure in for the Freelancers to ensure
we don't apply for anything and everything, but not on the hiring end...
from what I can see.

Using your example of having to spend money to make money or buying a new
pair of shoes for a job interview - I remember the days when an employer
had to pay for a newspaper ad to find and hire employees!

Yes, I am that OLD! LOL! But it is an example of how there was also a
commitment to the 'hiring' side of things to find the right fit for their
job opening.

[wickedlnl]

@renee

Actually i wasnt replying to you but to Junnahs original post 🙂 To add to what you said, one thing i wouldn't mind getting fixed is clients estimated budget. Ive seen so many times $500 budget for the project and then you realize they hired someone for $40. Thats just then a scam because you are trying to make the ad more lucrative.

There should be a limit if you say your budget is lets say $200 for the project, that you arent allowed to drop the offer all the way down to $30. Kinda like when you bid on eBay, once that bid is in there aint no backing out.

[a_lipsey]

---

Renee S wrote:
All good points... if you read my whole original post... I don't ask for
FREE connects... but I point out that there is no commitment from the
person looking to hire. They pay nothing and I have applied to jobs that
require 6 connects, they are not verified and have a budget of $150. It
doesn't add up the amount I have to commit to send a proposal to a job that
might just be someone who is being a Lookie - Lou and doesn't follow
through so the job sits or gets canceled.

So my suggestion was for Upwork to also have some kind of better vetting
process on the hiring end to make sure more people on the hiring end are
legit and invested in truly hiring someone.

Upwork put a lot of thought and structure in for the Freelancers to ensure
we don't apply for anything and everything, but not on the hiring end...
from what I can see.

Using your example of having to spend money to make money or buying a new
pair of shoes for a job interview - I remember the days when an employer
had to pay for a newspaper ad to find and hire employees!

Yes, I am that OLD! LOL! But it is an example of how there was also a
commitment to the 'hiring' side of things to find the right fit for their
job opening.

---

Why, when you know better, are you applying for jobs with a budget of $150 that cost 6 connects?  

The fact that whatever settings the client put in spat out 6 connects as the cost to apply is a red flag that the job and client may be problematic. I actually appreciate that kind of information so I don't waste my time. 

[nolambert]

@ Nemanja

You raise some valuable points, yes we do all have to invest in ourselves to become better qualified. In my opinion, the difference I see in your examples are that one can use the certificate, the new shirt and new shoes multiple times and for multiple opportunities. Also, by the time you are being called in to interview and are making those clothing or other interview investments, one has typically gone through the initial screening etc. so has a better chance at the Opportunity.

Numerous comments regarding this have been shared so I think the key takeaway I am seeing is that there should be a more effective/creative way to achieve the same goals of not overwhelming potential Employees without putting the burden solely on freelancers as a cost with little to no end in site. 

[5ff37937]

Would there be connects replenshed every month according to the current policy ?

[LuiggiR]

Hi Larry,

Every month you will get a set of free Connects based on the membership plan you have and every time your billing cycle renews. I can see that you currently have the Freelancer Basic, which means that you will get 10 free Connects every month with your plan. 

[clayr321]

What I applied and later I realized that my schedules with the job I applied conflicts, then I canceled the Application. How can I get my connects back?? will I ever get it back?

[PradeepH]

Hi Vivian,

Connects are not returned for withdrawn proposals. Check out this help page for more information.

Thank you,