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chrisdlt
Community Member

How can I land a job if I'm new to Upwork and all jobs require a job success score of 90%?

I'm new to Upwork. Most of the desireable jobs I've seen require a job success score of 90% or above. To have a high success score, I need to land jobs and do well. I can't land a job without a success score. How can I build my job success score if I can't land any jobs? Please help. Thanks!

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purplepony
Community Member

Chris, firstly you need to read Moderator Vladimir G.'s post at the very beginning of "New to Upwork."  It's entitled:  "Getting Started on Upwork."  Here's the link:  https://community.upwork.com/t5/New-to-Upwork/Getting-Started-on-Upwork/m-p/264214#M2460

 

There's an absolute abundance of information on this site within "Help and Support" and within this Community.  Simply search for what you're curious about and Voila!

 

Whenever there are projects you are qualified to do, Chris, and would like to do apply.  Many Clients aren't even aware that 90% or above is selected.  It's a default setting in many cases.

 

We were all new once without any projects under our belts or any JSS.  Good Luck t you!

 

 

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purplepony
Community Member

Chris, firstly you need to read Moderator Vladimir G.'s post at the very beginning of "New to Upwork."  It's entitled:  "Getting Started on Upwork."  Here's the link:  https://community.upwork.com/t5/New-to-Upwork/Getting-Started-on-Upwork/m-p/264214#M2460

 

There's an absolute abundance of information on this site within "Help and Support" and within this Community.  Simply search for what you're curious about and Voila!

 

Whenever there are projects you are qualified to do, Chris, and would like to do apply.  Many Clients aren't even aware that 90% or above is selected.  It's a default setting in many cases.

 

We were all new once without any projects under our belts or any JSS.  Good Luck t you!

 

 

Thanks, Pat. That helps put my mind at ease! I'll check the link. Excited to jump in!

You can certainly apply to jobs that "require" 90% or more.  Be sure when applying that you highlight your experience and expertise, on or off Upwork, and that your profile and portfolio reflect the same.

Why is 90% the default? Why not lower?  I apply and apply for those that I don't qualify for on my %. And I may not be "right" for the but all proposals come back saying that I don't qualify. Is there someone that can help with some advisements?


@Kristin P wrote:

Why is 90% the default? Why not lower?  I apply and apply for those that I don't qualify for on my %. And I may not be "right" for the but all proposals come back saying that I don't qualify. Is there someone that can help with some advisements?


I don't represent Upwork so this is just my opinion but it's probably set at 90% because that's the cut-off for a Top Rated badge. And even if the default were set to the next lower level, at 80%, you still wouldn't "qualify", but that really doesn't matter because the 90% Job Success is a 'preferred qualification", not a required qualification, so clients do receive your proposals. If you actually received a notification from Upwork saying your proposal doesn't qualify, then you should take a screenshot of it and post it here so support can look at it, because proposals are not supposed to be rejected automatically due to lack of a particular Job Success Score.

__________________________________________________
"No good deed goes unpunished." -- Clare Boothe Luce


@John K wrote:

 

that really doesn't matter because the 90% Job Success is a 'preferred qualification", not a required qualification, so clients do receive your proposals. If you actually received a notification from Upwork saying your proposal doesn't qualify, then you should take a screenshot of it and post it here so support can look at it, because proposals are not supposed to be rejected automatically due to lack of a particular Job Success Score.

 This answer should be right above the OP. And EVERY time I see this exact question I cringe, because NOWHERE is this question properly answered except in the many, many forum posts that new members start about the same **bleep** topic

 

To the OP: It's a real shame you had to post to get this answer. But at least you got some additional tips out of it 🙂 Welcome to Upwork.

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. 

craiggabriel
Community Member

"Many Clients aren't even aware that 90% or above is selected.  It's a default setting in many cases."

 

Very interesting and valuable to know for a newbie.

caldus
Community Member

Honestly, when I was new, the way I got my 1st job was to write a really good proposal to the client and charge a lower rate than I normally would. I think the proposal is key to getting jobs. The client wants to know that you read their post, tell them how you're going to implement the project from a higher level, and just showing a general interest in their project. Don't send the same generic proposal to every client. Tailor each one to their needs and actually read their post. That in combination with the lower rate eventually landed me my 1st job on here. It may take some time to win a job but it is possible. It would help to write a good profile with some portfolio examples if you have any. Then once you get your 1st job and a good rating, you can charge a little bit more next time.

yitwail
Community Member

Andrew, well said; that's how I got started at oDesk many years ago. And while it's true you don't want to be pigeonholed as an entry level freelancer, that will only happen if you take an hourly job for a low rate, so start with small fixed price jobs. Not many legit clients will hire a brand new freelancer on an hourly basis anyway. (A careful client will be aware that quality of work cannot be disputed if time tracker is used, so will hesitate to offer hourly work to an unproven freelancer.)

__________________________________________________
"No good deed goes unpunished." -- Clare Boothe Luce
caldus
Community Member

That is a great point John. I guess I got lucky with getting an hourly job as my first job. But yes it's probably better to get a Fixed Price job so that you can still charge a higher hourly rate afterwards and the clients won't see that you just did a job for a much lower rate.

89a731c8
Community Member

I'm new on Upwork and really needed to hear this. None of my proposals have received any invite yet. I was getting a bit worried. I guess I'll focus on small fixed priced jobs for now. I'll be glad if you can take a look at my profile and offer some suggestions. Thanks.

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