I am fairly new to the Upwork platform and have only had one job so far. Part of this comes from the fact that I am not submitting to many job posting, due to there being very few details and not wanting to waste connects.
I am a graphic designer and I can't really give an accurate quote if all the information that is given is "I need a logo." There is literally a job posting right now that has the title "Need a design for a company logo" and the description is only "I am looking for a professional logo for a new business. This will be used in all my content and needs to represent my branding." Not only does this tell me absolutely nothing about what the company is, there are no details of any sort, even the style of logo they are wanting.
Then on top of this they expect to get a top level person with over 100 Upwork hours and require questions answered like "What part of this project most appeals to you?", "What past project or job have you had that is most like this one and why?" and "What questions do you have about the project?" For the first question the most that can be said is that the fact that it is a logo design is what is appealing. The second again all that can be said is that I have worked on logos before. Then the last question, I would have to ask every question under the sun and hope to not sound like a complete jerk and hoping that I might even get a reply back and not have completed wasted connects.
First off, there really should be a minimum description length. This will help the clients be able to find someone that will actually be able to do what they want and reduce how many clients end up dropping projects because they can't find what they are looking for. Additionally, there should be some questions or guides within the form that will aid them in some key information that will help them find the best person for their job. Then if they have required questions they want answered there will be something of substance to help the freelancers accurately answer.
Lastly, it should be required to have a deadline or at least the same project length detail on fixed price jobs as well. This will help the freelancers know what sort of deadlines are expected before proposing to a job. If I know I can get the job done in two weeks because I have some current work that will need done within a week, however the job posted needs to be done in less than a week I will know that it is not a job I will be able to participate in. Additionally, if it is something that the client wants to spend more time on and take a couple of months, that will be helpful to know as well to understand how the projecrt needs to be paced.
None of these are overly complex features to incorporate, Plus, they would be extremely helpful in the long run for both the freelancers and clients.
