Proposals has been submitted but clients don't hire anyone

[#1]

Since I'm new. So, I want to know more about submitted proposals.

Client has posted jobs but don't hire anyone.. Submitted proposal still shows on my dashboard.

If I withdraw proposals, I know connects will never back.
But I want to completely cancel this kind of proposal.

Is there any other solution available?

[#2]

Most people who have been on Upwork for a while apparently submit proposals and then move on to other things.I know I do.

If the client responds to a proposal, great. If not, there are other fish in the sea.

But Upwork doesn't want freelancers to submit unlimited proposals, so the chits used for each proposal are returned to the freelancer only under limited circumstances.

[#3 · Accepted solution]

One solution is to be more selective about what projects you bid on. For one thing, I wouldn't waste my connects by bidding on projects that have extremely short and/or vague descriptions. For example: Client A says something like, "I need a brochure designed," whereas Client B says, "I need a 4-page A4 brochure designed on the subject of investment banking and my deadline is this Friday; I've attached a rough draft below." Which client do you think is more likely to actually choose someone? (And even if Client A does choose you, they might continue to be poor at communicating their needs while working with you - another reason to avoid them.) The other thing that you can look at is a client's track record; if someone has posted 45 projects but only selected a service provider for one of them, those are pretty bad odds. (Individual results may vary.) 

[#4]

Christine's point is very important for new freelancers - if a client cannot clearly express to you the work they want to have done, that is a very good reason not to work for them. (I don't respond to new project postings that show the client has no understanding of the work they think they want done.)

They either don't know what they need (but expect you will magically know) or they will ask for repeated changes to the work while they figure out what they need (not so bad if the project is hourly, but a big problem for you if the project is fixed price). 

[#5]

There is nothing wrong with working for imperfect clients.

Just be sure to use an hourly contract when doing so.

[#6]

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Preston H wrote:

There is nothing wrong with working for imperfect clients.

Just be sure to use an hourly contract when doing so.

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When I find the perfect client, I'm telling NO ONE. Meanwhile, new FLs should definitely avoid working for clients with the sorts of flaws that Will and Christine described. Even on an hourly contract, a client who can't get their mind around what they want/need will likely become frustrated eventually, and guess who they'll take it out on? Meanwhile, new FLs need to rack up tidy, completed contracts as rapidly as they can, to get every kind of momentum going for them, not get trapped down a rabbit hole.

[#7]

Phyllis:

Thank you for your comments.

I agree that new freelancers should stick to clients with clear requirements.

Client who have money but have no idea what they are doing should only work with experienced freelancers who have patience and the ability to help such clients formulate their ideas.

[#8]

Agreed - IF they end up working with anyone at all. My point was that in my experience, the vaguer the project description, the less likely it is that anyone will be hired. It's easy to see why: if you don't know what you're looking for, how will you know when you find it?

[#9]

I'm looking for an answer to the crux of this original question. If a freelancer is new and doesn't yet know which clients are reliable, can they get their connects refunded when a client collects more than 50 proposals and then hires nobody? Is there an expiration function on pending jobs that works similar to a withdrawn job where the freelancer does get a refund? It's not the freelancer's fault the client didn't follow through.

[#10]

re: "If a freelancer is new and doesn't yet know which clients are reliable, can they get their connects refunded when a client collects more than 50 proposals and then hires nobody?"

Forum Moderator Valeria told us:

"Connects are only returned when the job is cancelled by the client or Upwork team without a hire.

While some clients take time to hire on their jobs and often come back to review candidates weeks after they posted a job, postings with no activity for more than 30 days are automatically closed."

[#11]

So if a job times out after the 30 days with no hire, does the freelancer automatically get their connects back? Or does Upwork have to manually process the refund?

[#12]

Connects are refunded automatically if they are supposed to be refunded according to current policies. There are no manually-triggered refunds.

For example, if Upwork personnel remove a job posting from the site because it violates ToS, the associated connects will be automatically refunded. As a freelancer, you would not need to do anything to ensure the refund.

[#13]

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Kristin S wrote:

So if a job times out after the 30 days with no hire, does the freelancer automatically get their connects back? 

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No.

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Kristin S wrote:

Or does Upwork have to manually process the refund?

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There is no refund under those circumstances. Refunds only apply if Upwork cancels a job because it breaks TOS. 

A couple of moderators have hinted that Upwork are working on a solution. When/if that happens, and/or what the solution will be, remains to be seen.