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110c1ff5
Community Member

Applying for Upwork - Requirements unclear.

Hi, I would like to know if there are clear guidelines somewhere that explains why or why not an applicant is accepted.

I have 8+ years of experience in my industry. And I am successful on other platforms (5/5 stars on Fiverr with over 30 different clients).  But Upwork rejected my application. There is no indication why in their email or which part of my application I should improve, and I find that a bit insulting.. I completed my profile at 100%. Could anyone help me to know what I should do so that my account get approved.

Thank you very much.

11 REPLIES 11
wlyonsatl
Community Member

Other freelancers here have claimed Upwork only accepts a very tiny fraction of the new freelancer applications it receives each week.

 

Your skillset might have just been so similar to so many other freelancers already registered with Upwork that Upwork didn't think adding you would have been beneficial to clients who list jobs on Upwork.

110c1ff5
Community Member

Actually I checked the job offers related to my field and there not so many applying while there are a lot of jobs.

I understand your point of not allowing too many. But that doesn't help to know what I should do to get accepted. Right now it seems very random. Its just like one random person looking like that at the profile and choosing yes or no and they give no reason for their decision.
I think upwork should be a bit more transparent about their process.

What should I do if I want to be accepted?


Marc-Antoine D wrote:

Actually I checked the job offers related to my field and there not so many applying while there are a lot of jobs.

I understand your point of not allowing too many. But that doesn't help to know what I should do to get accepted. Right now it seems very random. Its just like one random person looking like that at the profile and choosing yes or no and they give no reason for their decision.
I think upwork should be a bit more transparent about their process.

What should I do if I want to be accepted?


I don't think that there is an actual person evaluating the applications, as there are 10000 new ones every day. I assume they have an algorithm that cross-checks skills in the profile with a list of skills that are rated from underrepresented to overrepresented. So no, you are not rejected by an actual person who has done an in-depth review of your profile, which is why you should not take it personally, or compare yourself to others who might have joined at other times in different circumstances. They will not make the process any more transparent, because that would encourage manipulation. 

Only 10% of the over 2 million freelancers on upwork have ever earned any money, in their whole upwork career, which is around 200000 people, and according to the latest SEC filing, only around 41000 have been actively earning as of September last year. 

 

Hi Martina,
Thank you for your reply

I am definitely not worry about my skill or taking it personally.

I am more worry about that there is no way to have your profile approved.

Are you saying that upwork works like a lottery and when the algorithm want to, they kinda choose randomly who get approved based on who applied that day?
That seems like a terrible approval system.

At least if it was my skills I would know what I need to improve.
But now how can I get accepted on the platform?

Why only upwork has an artificial "random" limit and no other platforms?

Thanks.


Marc-Antoine D wrote:
Hi Martina,
Thank you for your reply

I am definitely not worry about my skill or taking it personally.

I am more worry about that there is no way to have your profile approved.

Are you saying that upwork works like a lottery and when the algorithm want to, they kinda choose randomly who get approved based on who applied that day?
That seems like a terrible approval system.

At least if it was my skills I would know what I need to improve.
But now how can I get accepted on the platform?

Why only upwork has an artificial "random" limit and no other platforms?

Thanks.

I am basing my assumptions on what I observe, but I am no upwork employee or have definite answers for you, also I have no knowledge on how other platforms work or what they do.

 

petra_r
Community Member


Marc-Antoine D wrote:

Are you saying that upwork works like a lottery and when the algorithm want to, they kinda choose randomly who get approved based on who applied that day?


It is not random. It is based on supply and demand. If a specific demographic of freelancer is in high demand based on what is available on the marketplace, they are given a go (remember that the vast majority of people who ARE approved never win a single job)

If there are already too many freelancers of a specific demographic who are not getting enough or any jobs, it makes no sense to add any more.

 


Marc-Antoine D wrote:


Why only upwork has an artificial "random" limit and no other platforms?

It is not random and it is because everyone wants to be here, not the other platforms. Every day ten thousand people try to get onto Upwork. The system would collapse if a significant percentage were accepted.

There are WAY too many freelancers here already. Upwork could (and arguably should) get rid of half or more in most categories and still function, and arguably function better.

 

Not accepting  people also prevents freelancers wasting their time on a platform they have little chance of being successful.

110c1ff5
Community Member

Hey thank you for your reply.

I get it that its supply and demand. And this is exactly why I say that its random, based on what people explained.
So when there is demand: they will pick new people that applied that day. If there is no demand, they will refuse people. So if you apply on a 'lucky day' with demand. Then you will be approved. Is it how it works?

Otherwise what do you suggest so that my profile get approved?
Should I keep applying everyday until it get approved?

 

Im not worried about finding projects after that. Theres no freelancer limits on other platforms like fiverr. Anyone can join, and I can still find projects and be successful there.  So it should be 10x easier here since not everyone is accepted. The only thing that prevent me on Upwork is the 'artificial random selection'.

 

 


Marc-Antoine D wrote:

Hey thank you for your reply.

I get it that its supply and demand. And this is exactly why I say that its random, based on what people explained.
So when there is demand: they will pick new people that applied that day. If there is no demand, they will refuse people. So if you apply on a 'lucky day' with demand. Then you will be approved. Is it how it works?

Otherwise what do you suggest so that my profile get approved?
Should I keep applying everyday until it get approved?

 

Im not worried about finding projects after that. Theres no freelancer limits on other platforms like fiverr. Anyone can join, and I can still find projects and be successful there.  So it should be 10x easier here since not everyone is accepted. The only thing that prevent me on Upwork is the 'artificial random selection'.

 

 


https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/random

 

Thanks Phyllis, this is exactly what i mean:
It seems like Upwork has a approval policy that is 'without definite aim, direction, rule, or method'. Which is the title of my post: Unclear requirements.

 

My goal by posting here is to get a better idea of what are the real requirements and what I can do to increase my chances to get approved. As well as helping others in the same situation. But at the moment all I was told (both by upwork email and people here), is that its not my fault I have to be in the 'right circonstences', in other words: luck.

But that kind of reply doesn't help at all. And I also dont believe that. Its probably my fault and my profile is probably not good enough. I'm trying to see how to improve it. I did some research and I found this useful article: 

**Edited for community guidelines**

 

I think the best tip here is 'bring your own client'. They can invite you to a project and this will greatly help the approval process. This is the kind of tips I am looking for. If you have any other tips, you can post here.

Cheers.

 

 


Marc-Antoine D wrote:

I think the best tip here is 'bring your own client'. They can invite you to a project and this will greatly help the approval process. This is the kind of tips I am looking for. If you have any other tips, you can post here.

Cheers.

 

 


What you mean is "bring your own freelancer" meaning that the client brings the freelancer on board, which means that the freelancer can only work for this one client. Bring your own client is a program that allows a freelancer to bring a client to the platform and never have to pay fees for the corresponding contracts, but that obviously requires that the freelancer is approved first. 

BojanS
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Marc-Antoine,

 

Please note only a small percentage of freelancers have their registration accepted upon resubmission. We accept new freelancers based on the demand in the marketplace, which varies over months (not days). Having a complete profile helps us determine if there is a sufficient demand for your skills and experience, but does not guarantee admittance. We hope this information helps and thanks for your interest in Upwork!

~ Bojan
Upwork
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