Connects for Interviews Won

[2c724a5e]

This week, we are making two significant changes, we are no longer awarding free Connects for every interview won or disclosing the number of Connects rewarded in these cases. 

Check out the product update for Connects for Interviews Won and let us know your thoughts about this update in the comments below.

[prestonhunter]

Policy changed.

Don't count on any more connects for winning interviews.

[ac57ebfc]

What is the latest policy

[paywell]

"Connects are rewarded for interviews won with established clients"

No info on what this means, but the client must probably have hires.

[414d5335]

Monthly, replying and other things used to get free connects added. Now? Nothing. What happened?

[LuiggiR]

Hi Daniel,

I'd like to clarify that you are still getting free Connects every month based on the membership plan you have, whenever your billing cycle renews. This help article has more information about other ways in which you can earn Connects. That said, we are no longer awarding free Connects for every interview won or disclosing the number of Connects rewarded in these cases.

Unfortunately, we learned from our community that some dishonest customers were gaming the system to get free Connects they didn’t deserve. We made these changes in response, to ensure fairness and preserve the value of Connects for those who honestly earn and buy them. Check out our announcement section for more information.

[asadkhalid3105]

What is the latest policy??

[paywell]

"Connects are rewarded for interviews won with established clients"

[bb3d3039]

Hi,
I didnot recieve any connect after interview of job. I am called in interview on 6 Oct 2022

[williamtcooper]

Many users have been talking about not receiving Connects back. Must be a bug in the system, otherwise it usually happens within 48 hours.

[martina_plaschka]

---

William T C wrote:

Many users have been talking about not receiving Connects back. Must be a bug in the system, otherwise it usually happens within 48 hours.

---

You have not read the new connects policy it seems? It's not a bug.

[LuiggiR]

Hi Wasif,

Please note that we recently put out an update that we're no longer awarding Free Connects for every interview won or disclosing the number of connects rewarded in these cases. You may want to check this recently posted update about the Connects for Interview Won.

[44c60899]

Hello there
Yesterday I apply for a job and client respond  to me after read my proposal but im not recive 10 free connect Why?

[sofia2008]

Since September 19, 2022, Upwork does not give Connects on all interviews.

You can see the details in Update-Products in the Forum.

[saima_faisal]

SO what happens if we run short of connects? Any other way to bring in some more of such connects? 

[sheelukashyap]

Hi

I was interviewed by two client this week also got contracts too and there should be a 20 connects as a reward but I get nothing so I wanna know what is the problem?! Please update my connect balance. 

[sealvlservices]

Yeah, I was interviewed by two clients last week and awarded one project, and pretty sure I didn't recieve any connects either 😒

[martina_plaschka]

You will find the new connects policy in announcements or product updates. 

[saima_faisal]

this sounds too good to be true, but I just read in comments somehwere. Is it such that if I apply on a client's job who has an unverified payment method, I will get free connects??

[martina_plaschka]

You don't get connects for applying to jobs. 

[e1e8cb5b]

Hello Supporter, I have been facing an issue for the last 10 days, I have received 3 clients responses to my proposals but didn't get any connects for that. It is frustrating.

Please help.

Thanks

[florinalexandros]

Hello!
The Connects are used for applying for a Job. The only possibility to receive back Connects is when the client cancels the Job.
If the client replies to you and even if you get that job or not, the connects used to apply to that particular job will not be sent back to your account. 

[dcapdevielle]

Alexandru, That is clear, if the job gets "cancelled" MOST of the time jobs remain open for months with no response from the client, not hiring anyone. And our connects ? inside Upwork´s pocket.

[ArjayM]

Hi Daniela,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Please note that we return Connects when a client closes their job without hiring or we find a job post has violated our Terms of Service. You can find more information here.

[dcapdevielle]

Please notice Upwork DOES NOT return connects when a job is open for months with no interviews and not prospect to hire anyone after so long. That is what I said if you could please read carefully. 

[fuentescarlosok]

I agree with you. Especially when you tell them to read carefully. It happened to me yesterday that I asked customer service a question. And the operators always answer you with the policies. And they never answer the concise question you ask them. It's not the first time it's happened to me. But I always ask again and the third time is when they understand you or pay attention and that is when they answer the question. Try writing to him 2 more times. Maybe there they can understand you. Unlike them, I did read you carefully and understood you perfectly. But I suspect that in this case they prefer to pretend to be distracted, perhaps?

[dcapdevielle]

Exactly! 

[ArjayM]

Hi Daniela,

I certainly understand your concern. However, we only return Connects when a client closes their job without hiring or we find a job post has violated our Terms of Service. Your feedback really means a lot to us here and I'll surely forward your report to the appropriate team for further review. All users will be updated whenever we have announcements or changes regarding this feature.

[dcapdevielle]

Arjay, Yes Please. Let the appropiate team know that there are open "frozen" jobs for months with no hiring process or anything happening. A waste of our time and money (connects) There should be a limit  of time for the hiring process.(the client can select that limit) After that if no one is hired connects go back to Applicants.

[PradeepH]

Hi Waseem,

Thank you for your message. We are no longer awarding free Connects for every interview won or disclosing the number of Connects rewarded in these cases. Unfortunately, we learned from our community that some dishonest customers were gaming the system to get free Connects they didn’t deserve. We made the changes above in response, to ensure fairness and preserve the value of Connects for those who honestly earn and buy them. Check out our announcement section for more information.

Thank you,

Pradeep

[a64cdb7b]

Client responded to my proposal but i have not received connects yet. it has been more than 36 hours since client responded to my proposal.

[LuiggiR]

Hi Muskan,

Please know that we are no longer awarding free Connects for every interview won or disclosing the number of Connects rewarded in these cases.

Unfortunately, we learned from our community that some dishonest customers were gaming the system to get free Connects they didn’t deserve. We made these changes in response, to ensure fairness and preserve the value of Connects for those who honestly earn and buy them. Check out our announcement section for more information.

[a64cdb7b]

I have sent a proposal to a job. client responded to my proposal through message.

But i have not received connects

I should be getting 10 connects right??

It is mentioned in announcement too

Freelancers receive free Connects (the number may vary) when they win an interview with an established client on Upwork

[Anonymous-User]

So, by eliminating this you are getting rid of the "Upwork hack" to get over the monetisation of proposals.

i don't agree with the hack but i wholeheartedly disagree with the connects system and believe me when the Gen z tribe start freelancing they aren't going to be keen on paying to get an invitation for maybe a job.

You guys are going to have the think of soemthing to attract them, or get left behind.

ps

Kindergatrten badges IS NOT the ansswer.

[asad_nadeem]

It is not really helpful given the competition is fierce and the new connect sponsoring system has made it incredibly difficult for small freelancers to compete in any way.

I would request the Upwork team to give siginficant connects to every freelancer at the beginning of billing cycle. 10 connects per month do no suffice the need in any way. 

Spam project could have been simply avoided by asking clients to make a small payment before awarding the project.

Limiting the number of new projects a new client can post.

By giving free connects to only 3 interviews in a project.

Make connects cheaper. Or half down the connects required for bidding on a project.

2 could be 1, 4 could be 2, 6 could be 3 connects needed to bid on a project.

The current solution seems to be a punishment to the genuie freelancers. The team should have facilitated freelancers in someway by enforcing this policy. There should have been an act of balance/compensation. 

Connects are expensive if you purchase them. Clients budgets have shrunk over the years. I truly believe Upwork is milking the poor and small freelancers.

[2522ff5f]

Most of freelencer especially upcoming need that connect by starting

[martina_plaschka]

And bring back the flood of scam job posts that those people created to invite each other, making their fellow freelancers apply and lose their connects? Nope. 

[mancm]

People are creating fake accounts to build up their profiles (for an example to fake the JSS) and not to win free connects, this is ongoing issue and Upwork has not found a solution for several years, when the Video Verification was brough, it was an initiative by Freelancers, among them myself too.

But here we see that Upwork is publcy admitting their incompetence, just like with the JSS, they are asking me to Force the client to provide a Feedback for the same job twice, because of the change of terms they have counted it as New Project, they are not even checking if it's a duplicate or different job, also they are allowing the clients to provide Poor Feedback without Evidence, and I have proven it to they Support multiple times, but they simply do not want to hear about it and what they don't understand or see is that that JSS is causing huge damage to many freelancers and is one of the main reasons for Fake accounts, Fake Job Posts and most of all for FAKE RATING, to keep the JSS high, but the Upwork staff is simply not intelligent enough to see that and to find a way to fix it.

I worked for 5 years with a serious company and I stayed dedicated and wasn't applying to new jobs, and the jobs prior that period are NOT calculated in the overall JSS which they are showing to the client and which is tremedously FALSE and MISLEADING!

I have begged them, but they are simply too arrogant to admit that their system SUCKS, and they are NOT capable to FIX IT!.

Remeber,  that's where the people like me with problem-solbing mind come into play, but those with that ability are 1/5 of the humans, and it is NOT a skill to develop, it is a natural way of how one's brain works, sometimes it is advantage but other times it is a flaw, I know from huge life and professional experience.

[ericaandrews]

No they do not because people were simple creating fake job posts, applying to their own jobs (or their friend's jobs), and the 'interviewing' themselves/each other to keep collecting 'connects' from fake 'interview' invites to fake jobs.  The point of Upwork controlling how many connects people have is so that you don't have new freelancers simple 'slamming' millions of proposals on every single job that hits the board, flooding clients with irrelevant bids and running them off the platform.  People having to earn or buy connects stops the past problem of new freelancers simply bidding on "everything" to get a job.

[fuentescarlosok]

I'm not sure that these people are scammers (at least not all of them). There are people who live in countries where paying 15 dollars for connections is impossible. Maybe that's why many did that of making false accounts. It's good to have a job right? It's good to be the best valued here right? But I try to put myself in the place of that person who comes here to get a job and finds that they have to pay to get a job. It's a bit strange, and maybe once again your child will not have to eat (do we even know the situation of that person?). The problem is with "Upwork" that at this point should already implement an artificial intelligence to solve these cases. I am better valued and I wish with all my strength that they do not give me connections. But what if they give them to newcomers. They should give you 100 connections a month. Especially in the poorest countries.

[zanmeru]

As a Top Rated Plus freelancer on Upwork who has never sought or used connects inappropriately, this feels completely unfair. It will significantly limit the number of projects I can apply to (and in my line of work many projects are one-off and short-term), and I'm afraid that with this news I will start transitioning off of Upwork. I already feel that the platform is often skewed against freelancers, and this latest update has a significant impact on my ability to work, so after using up my last connects I will be seeking work elsewhere until I am off of Upwork completely. I hope that you listen to freelancers and find an alternative way to prevent people from "gaming the system." If you'd like collaboration from freelancers to help find a solution, you can always reach out to me, as I have been loyal to Upwork up until this point.