Purchase 100 Connects Before Sending Your First Proposal

[celgins]

I didn't realize that Upwork is now requiring new freelancers to buy 100 Connects before sending their first proposal. Upwork updated their Understanding and Using Connects page around May 17, 2024. It says:

When you join Upwork, you need to either purchase 100 Connects or subscribe to our Freelancer Plus plan if you want to submit proposals. Once you choose one, we’ll give you a one-time bonus of 50 Connects to help get you started on Upwork.

I guess this will help reduce the number of new freelancers who can send proposals, but it also might eliminate some of the fraudsters who create new accounts just to collect 50 free Connects.

Any freelancer can still create a new account. To me, that means a lot of abandoned new accounts because many freelancers might choose to avoid spending $15.00 just to send their first proposal.

[elisa_b]

Upwork is only interested in the money you spend, not in your success. The latest changes are a clear proof of how Upwork is desperately looking for money. Unfortunately, you are just wasting your time: your suggestions will remain unheard.

[the-right-writer]

Unfortunately, now that this topic has been smashed together with a different one, it's difficult to figure out where the posts go. The moderators can claim they are tidying up the forum by merging topics. If it's one or two posts, perhaps, but this repeated smashing of topics destroys the flow and hides posts that were in a logical progression. After watching this for years, I no longer can accept it is always about tidying up. Even if it is, it still destroys the conversation and the thread.

[8be3ae08]

we need the capability to ask questions before spending connects on proposal that clients dont respond to.

for example some of the jobs only list that they are in the US, does not say what City or State, listing the state should be a requirement.

[spectralua]

Yep, it will be useful but we have no option for that.

Forom other side many unskilled newbies and bots will spam clients with that option. Client will never found your question within that flood.

[d6ef26b3]

Hello, fellow freelancers!

I want to discuss the topic of spending connects when applying for clients. As we know, we spend our money to buy connects to apply for jobs, which means we’re spending money without a guaranteed return. As a first-timer, I find this unfair. I’ve used all my connects and only secured one client. I consider myself lucky to have even gotten that one.

What’s frustrating is that some clients become inactive after posting jobs. Perhaps they find the right person on other platforms or for other reasons, but it leaves us freelancers hanging. We spend our own money to apply for these jobs, and it's unfair that clients can just post and set the connect requirements without any commitment.

I believe newcomers should receive a few free connects to kickstart their careers. This would provide a fairer opportunity for those just starting out.

[dc70ffe7]

I  think the connect idea is outrageous. 

Newcomers may not have thousands to spend (as I've seen people mention). Personally, it's a side gig for me that I don't mind investing in. However, I will not be paying thousands of dollars to only apply for a job that I may/may not get and it may/may not be REAL. 

Instead, we should only be charged for connects when we accept a contract. In the real world, no one pays to submit a job application...it's free. Not to mention, we're charged an ADDITIONAL service fee just for doing the job and use more connects in hopes of getting our proposal noticed. As a result, we ask the client for more than our posted rate or lowball ourselves.

How much money do you want from us?

[adf34b91]

I’ve been using Upwork for a while, and I must say the Upwork Connects system has been quite a letdown. Here are a few issues I’ve encountered:

1. Costly and Restrictive: The number of Connects required to apply for jobs has increased significantly. It feels like a money grab, especially for freelancers who are just starting and don’t have much capital to invest.

2. Lack of Value: Despite spending Connects on multiple proposals, the return on investment is often disappointing. Many proposals go unanswered, making the cost of Connects feel unjustified.

3. Limited Monthly Allocation: The monthly allocation of free Connects is insufficient for actively seeking new opportunities. This forces freelancers to purchase additional Connects frequently, adding to the overall expense.

4. Favoritism Towards Established Freelancers: Newcomers find it harder to compete as established freelancers with better reviews and more completed projects can afford to spend more Connects, making it difficult for new talent to get noticed.

5. Pressure and Stress: The need to constantly buy Connects creates pressure and stress, detracting from the focus on delivering quality work and building relationships with clients.

[16c61f51]

Hello, Upwork community. 

I am forced to draft this post with a heavy heart. My simple question is, "Are the freelancers not transparent enough with their requests?" Why are we being ignored? I am shocked to see that even an average paying job now costs 22 connects. Why? Furthermore, scammers are becoming more and more comfortable posting on Upwork. Today, I got reached out on my eBook project. The person sent me an unsafe link. The webpage clearing felt like a phishing scheme. LinkedIn is filled with requests, and the forums are filled with requests but it seems that the Upwork team doesn't feel empathy anymore. 

No effort has been made to reduce the cost of connects per job and no efforts have been made to somehow deal with the scammers that pollute our job feed. A simple suggestion would be to no longer allow clients to post jobs without having their payment verified first. This feature alone would help mitigate the scammer dilemma. 

Please, pay heed to what the freelancers are saying. We are patient but we are also tired of not being listened to anymore. 

[7fef98a3]

Dear sir.

I have the honour to inform you that It would be better if you create easy process to buy connects for the new freelancer 

Regards

Alpana nasrin 

[eea5da00]

I should lay for something I haven't used before in my life...are you guys this unhelpful?... Shouldn't there be free connects offered to new users.. so they can know how your site works?.. 

You're demanding for purchase...

Why don't I just use another all where I know am paying for that I understand rather then using this scam you call UPWORK..

Funny enough you will purchase 100 connect and spend it all without ever being employed.

Your site should be destroyed?.

Scammmers 

[sofia2008]

You don't need Connects to learn how this work. You don't learn by sending proposals. There are plenty of Ressources accessible for free to learn the rules. For exemple, profile picture must represent you.

[miriam-ocampo]

Yes, it might mean a lot of abandoned new accounts but they will only do it once, perhaps it is a good idea, but the damage has been done now, I wonder if this will improve the quality or the number of jobs offered.... It's been awful for months now. 

[celgins]

It doesn't appear the quality of jobs has improved over the past few months. However, I suspect the number of new freelancers joining the platform has slowed because many are refusing to pay for Freelancer Plus or the 100 Connects to send their first proposal.

[rayjenscode]

Hello Upwork Community,

I've been reflecting on the way we use our Connects and had an idea that I believe could benefit many freelancers here. We all invest Connects to apply for projects, and sometimes even bid higher to attract the employer's attention. Connects can be expensive, and it can be disheartening after someone else is hired after all the effort and money we put in, leaving us with nothing.

We look for jobs to earn, but until we find one, the cost of Connects can drain us. It would make more sense to pay double the Connects once hired rather than continually spending until nothing left. Therefore, I propose that Upwork consider refunding even half of the Connects spent if a project ends up hiring another freelancer. This way, we can reallocate those Connects to new opportunities and maintain our momentum without feeling like our efforts were wasted. This would ensure that even if we don't get the project, we're not totally out of the game.

I believe this small change would encourage more applications, enhance freelancer morale, and ultimately lead to a more vibrant and active community.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this!

[celgins]

More applications is part of the problem. Clients usually receive 50 - 100 (or more) proposals and many of those are garbage applications.

Upwork is a pay-to-play platform, so returning Connects is not part of the model. Connects are only returned under a few conditions:

• If a client cancels a job before a contract is made, the Connects you used on that proposal will be returned. This does not apply to expired jobs.
• If a job is removed because Upwork believes it violates the Terms of Service.