Although it is best to apply within the first couple of days, you can still apply 7 or even 15 days later, depending on:
- When was the last time client checked the job page? If the client is still actively looking at the post, it could mean he is still interested in looking at proposals.
- Does the job post show anyone hired? If no, there's a chance client is still looking. If yes, does the job post say client is looking for more than one freelancer? And if so, you can still apply.
- How many proposals have been sent in total? If you are a very good fit, this does not matter and you can apply, but in general if there are too many applicants, chances are less.
- How many invites has the client sent out? For me, if I see a client has invited 50+ freelancers, he/she doesn't really know what/who he wants and/or he just wants a lot of people to check his job post (maybe there's a link there that he wants ppl to click on, or there's some other fishy thing going on), and I don't want to waste my time and connects on this.
- If there are fewer invites like 10-15, in my opinion the client possibly spent time looking for candidates that look good, so he has an idea of who he wants. Look at how many he is interviewing (No. of people who accepted the invite + people whose proposals he replied to). If it is 8-10, I usually don't apply, because it shows client is further narrowing down who he wants. Again, it's your call, if you think you are a really great fit.
- So again, if there are no people or just a few people being interviewed, I still apply to the position.
- As an additional thing to notice, look at the client's past hire rate. If the client has regularly hired people, and paid consistently, there's a good chance they will hire again, and just haven't found someone yet. If its a new client or has a very poor hire rate, then there's a chance your application will be wasted.
