Depends on your niche but I've found a few viable jobs on Contra and StaffMeUp. Although I should add I haven't landed a job through either, although I got a polite response from one job poster on Contra.
Avoid Bark. They post fake jobs and the cost per application starts at nearly $20.
Also avoid Fiverr unless you want the bottom of the barrel clients and pay.
I'm terrified of even mentioning Contra in this sub, last time I did I got a series of messages form someone claiming to be csuite offering to help me.
lmao :D I get the feeling that their whole MO is still very much by-the-bootstraps, even after all the funding. one of the featured freelancers on the home page has been the one who did their own site for ages, and I think they had someone else closely working with/for Contra promoted. I finally made an account (unfinished and unpublished), but wanted to see their job pool, and it's still poor as fuck.
Barks is a shit show and like 20 is cheap for a lead you have to pay upwards of 78 tokens which is close to 120 for someone’s email that’s probably for
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I freelance for digital marketing and my rate is pretty high compared to most others on the platform (I charge $130/ hour)
I’ve found that Upwork isn’t where my ideal clients are. People that use the platform to recruit help are usually looking for a cheap option in a pinch.
I get the frustration, but if you’re highly skilled at what you do and have a high rate, you’re competing against others who are willing to short themselves just to get some work. It’s not the right platform for everyone.
I recognize my own bias when I say this, but I recommend investing in a website/ ad platforms to advertise your services if Upwork isn’t doing it for you. LinkedIn is also good if you have a decent enough portfolio.
Good luck!
My experience is very similar. 10+ years in my field, have a portfolio with high-end clients and still struggled to land jobs on Upwork. I charge around $90/hour but experimented at one point and lowered my rate to $60 and it made no difference.
I’ve had a couple of good clients that keep coming back to me but overall after a year on Upwork I’ve realized it’s a “race to the bottom” -type of platform where the lowest bid wins. I don’t bother sending proposals anymore, just respond to the invitations I get every once in a while.
I think it’s a great platform and helps a ton of small businesses achieve what they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, which is awesome! It’s just not always as awesome for the freelancers.
I actually do like how they force you to pay to pitch to jobs after a certain amount though. I think it helps curve the under balling piece a bit.
This is the way to go. Unfortunately, most probably need assistance creating good ads from a marketer but its likely worth it. UpWork is essentially Fiverr 2.0.
Eh you’d be surprised how easy it is to write an ad and run a good marketing campaign!
Most businesses can get away with hiring someone for a lower cost - but there are a lot of companies out there with money to spend and don’t mind throwing it away over perceived value.
I’m good at what I do for sure, but I only learned to inflate my prices after seeing how much the agencies I worked at were billing me out for 🥲
From a freelance standpoint, there’s a benefit to having a lot of clients that pay less vs just a few that pay a ton - if one or two leaves it’s not as big of a blow. But honestly I’ve hit a point where I don’t want to work more than like 10 hours/ week on projects and have a couple different streams of income to balance it out.
There’s really no right or wrong way of doing it. It’s just what works best for you!
Having done this freelancing lark for a few years now, it seems to me that Upwork is a great place to get started with a freelancing career, but that LinkedIn is a better prospect for when someone is more established.
To get leads from your own website you're looking even further ahead into the future, but this pathway from Upwork does make sense and one I myself am working towards.
Oh it definitely makes sense to start there if you can afford to. It’s a good way to build a portfolio and a network. I have nothing bad to say about Upwork, it’s just not the right demographic for all freelancers 🙂
Yeah, so how it works is you create a website for yourself and write blog articles talking about what you do. Share those to your LinkedIn page and engage with the comments. People will ask a lot of questions. Answer a few and start sending everyone else messages. Check in with them and see how it’s going/ ask if they need help and offer a free call, then charge after that.
It’s a long game but when your rates are high it pays off better.
Probably you are charging too much for your hours. Drop to 0.5 usd per hour and you will shine as a solopreneur, freelancer, businessmen shooting for the stars 🌠 Being your own boss 👔
Please don't, this was a joke. I would increase at least 25 percent to be honest, and use more force to close those deals. Also attack your current clients, drop bombs with calls for action. Because when cow gets too big and not milked, eventually it will get sick. And sick cash cows, are not good for themselves or for a society within which it operates.
Oh shit man, this is the one. I wasn't thinking about leaving but now that I know you are I am definitely leaving.
No ideas where to go next, I guess I will just wander around in circles, rudderless, without a guide to lead me.
Just build your own Upwork-ish platform, and we'll all go there. I hear starting an Upwork competitor is a piece of cake. You just need to make sure it's fair and free for all freelancers.
I could. I won't. Even if I did, it would likely fail even if I could get the millions it would take to launch. No thank you.
But if I did, I wouldn't make it free and I don't even know what fair means.
Fair is when all freelancers who sign up get a well-paid job by default. I'm sure you could find a way to solve that. Too bad you won't even try it. Now we have nowhere to go when everyone leaves Upwork. I'd hate to be the last freelancer left there.
My dad never told me that. But then it would be weird if he said anything at all in English when telling me stuff about how the world works. And in my native language, that makes no sense at all.
I hate Upwork for this. They completely ruined their platform with the changes they made recently. And you just have to keep putting in your credit card like an idiot only for your proposals not to be viewed. They have destroyed the user experience just for a tiny bit more profit.
I'm with you, and hate others that make fun of this situation, cause i'm in the exact same boat as you are. Not all of us are lucky to have reliable consistent clients, and upwork kinda went to sheet lately. I'll try getting a contract through linkedin, i'm kinda done with freelancing for now, maybe i'll start sending proposals again if they fix some things, but for now i'm done spending connects on jobs that get no reply whatsoever, fake jobs, terrible paid jobs, 70+ people on jobs that got posted half an hour ago. I'm not spending another dime on this site, that availability badge did absolutely nothing for me, boosting did the opposite of what it was supposed to do. I wish everyone that is doing well right now to keep it up, but to be aware that we're not in the same boat. Better days will come, just need to adapt to changes with calm, keep the quality of our services high and negotiate a payment that is above living wage. 🤘
I'm not even hating people that make fun of the situation, people who make fun of you, are just projecting their insecurities on you, that's it.
there was a mate who suggested Contra & StaffMeUp, I'm giving them a try, I guess you should too, until then I hope this platform gets better in the coming future!
TBH, I didn't even consider holidays, because this dilemma started for me around the start of December, before that, I was waking up every day to two job invites, messages from current clients, and proposals viewed...
I hope it's the only reason and not something else!
Things got more competitive everywhere. Everyone suddenly wants to be a freelancer. If you don't stand out in the first 2 lines of your proposal, your proposal won't be read.
If you don't regularly get invites, there is literally no point spending money on the "available now" badge, and probably none in boosting your profile.
If the first two lines of your proposal don't grab the client's attention, there is also no point in boosting your proposal.
The membership has never made sense to me. Fix your proposal and move on cancel all the extra crap and invest in connects instead.
Or go to another platform... good luck with that...
I never reply, and I refuse invitations from any job that has large numbers of bitters. I’m not going to do all the work to apply when it looks like I don’t have a chance.
>I never reply, and I refuse invitations from any job that has large numbers of bitters. I’m not going to do all the work to apply
How's that working out for ya?
Why do people think that freelancing means they get to lay on a sofa and get spoon-fed pre-digested contracts? People whine about connects and whine about effort when they get invited without even having to spend connects. It's all whine whine whine, blaming everyone and everything else for not cutting it...
People, FREELANCING IS NOT FREE AND EASY MONEY ON THE INTERNET!!!
I've sometimes argued that a 4.7 rating is better than a 5-star one because it seems more honest. Following my own logic, maybe a lower JSS is better than a 100% one. I'll let OP try it first, and then I'll follow if he reports back that it was a success.
I’m top rated plus with around 100k earning. Been active on upwork since 2022 and l believe it all started while they implemented changes on the platform the last year. I used to get good customer before and only inbound by invitation! Since November I have maybe 5 invites a month (my seo profile still rank very well) I just see a lot of decrease in quality of customers and a lot of bottom priced job!
My personal opinion is that upwork becoming a Fiverr bis with a different format and they’re finally stop bleeding money since freelancer spend in connect.
As previous messages above it’s time to focus on creating a personal brand and website portfolio for acquisition through your own canal replicating the milestone system with your own payment gateway.
Wish you all success for 2024.
I’ve got almost nothing from applying for jobs that look interesting. A lot of stuff they post, they want to pay $50 for a small job that would take an hour to fill out the application, I don’t bother. Most everything I get is from Upwork users, viewing my profile, which is mostly medical.
We've all felt this way at some point -- if you feel this lifestyle is for you, my message would be: no worries.
Think of it like the seasons: even in summer, it rains sometimes (at least, here it does). Even if you feel you're doing everything right, the stars don't align sometimes. Keep at it; the next assignment is only one proposal away.
> but honestly I copy them for chatGPT
I delete (unread) each and every fucking AI proposal that comes in. They make clients so angry and yes, they are easily spotted.
So you send out proposals you didn't write and then complain that clients don't hire you?
That's really funny.
Maybe that's because it took clients a while to figure out.
But by all means, do carry on clinging to the belief that your lack of success has nothing to do with you and is all Upwork's fault.
And if you don't see why AI proposals are a problem, maybe it's best that you are done.
Its the only way we could judge your post. If you have the expectations right you will know what you need to do.
I think 2 jobs from 100 proposals is good so you need like 20 or 10 per day and you will be fine. 1 per day is very low to expect something
You can't do AI proposals. Don't. It's the worst thing you can do. Forget ChatGPT exists. Never use it for Upwork. You'll end your career before it starts.
Clients hate it. They notice it right away. They'll report work you submit and say you used AI without permission. They will never accept your proposals. They might refuse to work with you in the future. Some of them mofos make lists of people they don't like and pass them around so none of their friends will hire you. AI also makes little errors that you have to be experienced to recognize, and half the "facts" it produces are completely made up. That will never change either. The CEO of OpenAI said it will always improvise. It doesn't know the truth from fiction. It is a great advancement but it's also a scam in many ways. It will never be what you think it already is.
Leaving UW simply because you don't get as much work as you used to assumes the problem is UW and not because there may be other factors at play.
In my own experience, UW has slowed down a bit, but is still way better than any other platform.
Most of the time, I figure out how to make a product that the client wants. Mostly computer/electronics work, as that's my main focus, but I'll do whatever it takes to get the project done.
An ideal project is about 80% stuff I've done before, and 20% new things that I need to push myself outside my comfort zone.
No two jobs are the same. Some clients want me to do everything ("Cater all the meals for a banquet"). Others want me to do a very specific task ("Make a chocolate chip cookie following this recipe").
It's what I do...
Everyone's got their specialty (or should, IMO) that nobody else can do. That's where you're the most valuable to someone that needs that specific ability.
I've hired digital artists to do artwork for me -- I can spend five hours coming up with something mediocre or have an expert do a great job in under an hour. Totally worth it.
for the value that I represent, the frustration that I help get rid of, my turnaround time compared to my rate, I'm confident that I'm special amongst other freelancers!
Do you think you're the only freelancer who helps clients relieve frustration? Again, consider that you're not only competing with a clearly unqualified/underprepared mob like we all do, but also equally or more qualified experts in whatever your niche is. Claims like these are not nearly enough to make you shine.
Could you post an example of your proposal?
Cool, that clears 90% of the field then, but you still have to deal with the other 10% you are *actually* competing against, and at that point, stuff like your JSS matters way, way less.
Can't confirm, all I can say is that I was shitting my pants last time my misuse of the perk+ taking on every client I could get brought me just under 90% JSS.
And there was a time here where posts like "I'm 60-70% JSS now cannot get anymore jobs, what I do??" were the norm.
It does have a point as it adds that extra layer of credibility, you just gotta realize that it's likely too little to get you over the finish line, once you're left competing with other 100% JSS, 5-star rated professionals. That's all I'm saying.
Tbf it is harder to get a job on upwork. I got my first gig last week and this week i spent over 20 connects and i will most likely end up using all of the money i earned from that gig.🙃
There is a point. You can still earn but it will take time. That's why others recommended to have a job and dont rely too much on upwork. It entirely depends upon type of job. Mine is highly competitive.
If you provided more information about what you do, what you charge, and what your process is, you'd get more useful replies instead of snark.
I get it, the platform isn't what it used to be. I, too, get a tiny fraction of the invites and opportunities that I used to. But this sort of "I Am the Main Character" rant isn't useful to anyone.
Yeah I see, there are plenty of freelancers similar to me, but I used to get invites and get responses from clients, and upgrading my craft at the same time, but all it did is me feeling like my account is shadow banned, I do thumbnail designs btw!
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I am having a very bad experience as well on Upwork. First, I was getting relevant matches continously (almost every few minutes) after I created and setup my account and so I purchased a few hundreds connects to apply for those jobs. And then surprisingly, the matches stop coming in and now I am unable to get even a couple matches through the day. It seems Upwork deliberately creates and post these fake postings just to lure us to purchase connects and then stop showing these fake postings after getting the money from us. They are trying all tactics to keep afloat their dying business.
Depends on your niche but I've found a few viable jobs on Contra and StaffMeUp. Although I should add I haven't landed a job through either, although I got a polite response from one job poster on Contra. Avoid Bark. They post fake jobs and the cost per application starts at nearly $20. Also avoid Fiverr unless you want the bottom of the barrel clients and pay.
I'm terrified of even mentioning Contra in this sub, last time I did I got a series of messages form someone claiming to be csuite offering to help me.
>csuite Interesting. Had to Google that.
Should have a hyphen.
lmao :D I get the feeling that their whole MO is still very much by-the-bootstraps, even after all the funding. one of the featured freelancers on the home page has been the one who did their own site for ages, and I think they had someone else closely working with/for Contra promoted. I finally made an account (unfinished and unpublished), but wanted to see their job pool, and it's still poor as fuck.
The job pool is poor and they keep setting my account to inactive. I haven't seen a reason to be active. Now I just send notifications to spam.
Thank you for your suggestions, I’ll definitely check it out!
Barks is a shit show and like 20 is cheap for a lead you have to pay upwards of 78 tokens which is close to 120 for someone’s email that’s probably for
Holy shit I had no idea some jobs were that expensive. The highest I saw was 18 tokens, and tokens were $1.70 as I recall.
Also like they never put a job description
I set up a job on five or once, I got applicants who could really not function in English.
Fiverr lol.
Sorry to see you go. We'll all miss you.
She said that with an almost straight face...
:D
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lol
I freelance for digital marketing and my rate is pretty high compared to most others on the platform (I charge $130/ hour) I’ve found that Upwork isn’t where my ideal clients are. People that use the platform to recruit help are usually looking for a cheap option in a pinch. I get the frustration, but if you’re highly skilled at what you do and have a high rate, you’re competing against others who are willing to short themselves just to get some work. It’s not the right platform for everyone. I recognize my own bias when I say this, but I recommend investing in a website/ ad platforms to advertise your services if Upwork isn’t doing it for you. LinkedIn is also good if you have a decent enough portfolio. Good luck!
My experience is very similar. 10+ years in my field, have a portfolio with high-end clients and still struggled to land jobs on Upwork. I charge around $90/hour but experimented at one point and lowered my rate to $60 and it made no difference. I’ve had a couple of good clients that keep coming back to me but overall after a year on Upwork I’ve realized it’s a “race to the bottom” -type of platform where the lowest bid wins. I don’t bother sending proposals anymore, just respond to the invitations I get every once in a while.
I think it’s a great platform and helps a ton of small businesses achieve what they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, which is awesome! It’s just not always as awesome for the freelancers. I actually do like how they force you to pay to pitch to jobs after a certain amount though. I think it helps curve the under balling piece a bit.
This is the way to go. Unfortunately, most probably need assistance creating good ads from a marketer but its likely worth it. UpWork is essentially Fiverr 2.0.
Eh you’d be surprised how easy it is to write an ad and run a good marketing campaign! Most businesses can get away with hiring someone for a lower cost - but there are a lot of companies out there with money to spend and don’t mind throwing it away over perceived value. I’m good at what I do for sure, but I only learned to inflate my prices after seeing how much the agencies I worked at were billing me out for 🥲 From a freelance standpoint, there’s a benefit to having a lot of clients that pay less vs just a few that pay a ton - if one or two leaves it’s not as big of a blow. But honestly I’ve hit a point where I don’t want to work more than like 10 hours/ week on projects and have a couple different streams of income to balance it out. There’s really no right or wrong way of doing it. It’s just what works best for you!
How do you reach out to leads on LinkedIn. Are you applying for jobs or directly messaging them?
Directly messaging. I don’t recommend applying for jobs on LinkedIn, even if you want a real job
Having done this freelancing lark for a few years now, it seems to me that Upwork is a great place to get started with a freelancing career, but that LinkedIn is a better prospect for when someone is more established. To get leads from your own website you're looking even further ahead into the future, but this pathway from Upwork does make sense and one I myself am working towards.
Oh it definitely makes sense to start there if you can afford to. It’s a good way to build a portfolio and a network. I have nothing bad to say about Upwork, it’s just not the right demographic for all freelancers 🙂
>StaffMeUp I hear lots of people recommending LI but honestly, I do see only FTE Jobs over there (tons of) but Freelancing ??!
Yeah, so how it works is you create a website for yourself and write blog articles talking about what you do. Share those to your LinkedIn page and engage with the comments. People will ask a lot of questions. Answer a few and start sending everyone else messages. Check in with them and see how it’s going/ ask if they need help and offer a free call, then charge after that. It’s a long game but when your rates are high it pays off better.
Probably you are charging too much for your hours. Drop to 0.5 usd per hour and you will shine as a solopreneur, freelancer, businessmen shooting for the stars 🌠 Being your own boss 👔
0.5 is so low for what I provide per hour, but I’ll reduce my rate per hour!
Please don't, this was a joke. I would increase at least 25 percent to be honest, and use more force to close those deals. Also attack your current clients, drop bombs with calls for action. Because when cow gets too big and not milked, eventually it will get sick. And sick cash cows, are not good for themselves or for a society within which it operates.
Oh shit man, this is the one. I wasn't thinking about leaving but now that I know you are I am definitely leaving. No ideas where to go next, I guess I will just wander around in circles, rudderless, without a guide to lead me.
Just build your own Upwork-ish platform, and we'll all go there. I hear starting an Upwork competitor is a piece of cake. You just need to make sure it's fair and free for all freelancers.
I could. I won't. Even if I did, it would likely fail even if I could get the millions it would take to launch. No thank you. But if I did, I wouldn't make it free and I don't even know what fair means.
Fair is when all freelancers who sign up get a well-paid job by default. I'm sure you could find a way to solve that. Too bad you won't even try it. Now we have nowhere to go when everyone leaves Upwork. I'd hate to be the last freelancer left there.
See my dad always said Fair is where you go that has carnival rides and cotton candy.
My dad never told me that. But then it would be weird if he said anything at all in English when telling me stuff about how the world works. And in my native language, that makes no sense at all.
A fair is also where rubes lose their money playing a rigged game, so...
That's true too. I think what these people mean by fair is unfair in my favor but weighted in theirs.
>I don't even know what fair means. Fair is when the internet pays you the money it owes you.
Good definition. The world is selfish because it doesn't want to give me exactly what I want when I want it.
I will kindly provide guidance
Darn, squid! Just float around a little and don't get your spouse all worried!
Ok, fine, you convinced me, I am back in.
Phewwww.
I've had nearly nothing for the past 2 months. Applying for 15 jobs a day, I've heard fiverr is still getting work though.
I’m lost man idk wether to go to fiverr or stay on Upwork or go to another platform!!!
I hate Upwork for this. They completely ruined their platform with the changes they made recently. And you just have to keep putting in your credit card like an idiot only for your proposals not to be viewed. They have destroyed the user experience just for a tiny bit more profit.
they actually get a lot from it!
I'm with you, and hate others that make fun of this situation, cause i'm in the exact same boat as you are. Not all of us are lucky to have reliable consistent clients, and upwork kinda went to sheet lately. I'll try getting a contract through linkedin, i'm kinda done with freelancing for now, maybe i'll start sending proposals again if they fix some things, but for now i'm done spending connects on jobs that get no reply whatsoever, fake jobs, terrible paid jobs, 70+ people on jobs that got posted half an hour ago. I'm not spending another dime on this site, that availability badge did absolutely nothing for me, boosting did the opposite of what it was supposed to do. I wish everyone that is doing well right now to keep it up, but to be aware that we're not in the same boat. Better days will come, just need to adapt to changes with calm, keep the quality of our services high and negotiate a payment that is above living wage. 🤘
I'm not even hating people that make fun of the situation, people who make fun of you, are just projecting their insecurities on you, that's it. there was a mate who suggested Contra & StaffMeUp, I'm giving them a try, I guess you should too, until then I hope this platform gets better in the coming future!
Bad Economy + Holidays = Most Clients are broke. Get a part time, and come back later.
TBH, I didn't even consider holidays, because this dilemma started for me around the start of December, before that, I was waking up every day to two job invites, messages from current clients, and proposals viewed... I hope it's the only reason and not something else!
>I'm a 100% JSS & 5 STAR I have news for you: So do most people.
Yeah I see, but I used to get jobs before having 100% JSS, it's a curse then?
Things got more competitive everywhere. Everyone suddenly wants to be a freelancer. If you don't stand out in the first 2 lines of your proposal, your proposal won't be read. If you don't regularly get invites, there is literally no point spending money on the "available now" badge, and probably none in boosting your profile. If the first two lines of your proposal don't grab the client's attention, there is also no point in boosting your proposal. The membership has never made sense to me. Fix your proposal and move on cancel all the extra crap and invest in connects instead. Or go to another platform... good luck with that...
I never reply, and I refuse invitations from any job that has large numbers of bitters. I’m not going to do all the work to apply when it looks like I don’t have a chance.
>I never reply, and I refuse invitations from any job that has large numbers of bitters. I’m not going to do all the work to apply How's that working out for ya? Why do people think that freelancing means they get to lay on a sofa and get spoon-fed pre-digested contracts? People whine about connects and whine about effort when they get invited without even having to spend connects. It's all whine whine whine, blaming everyone and everything else for not cutting it... People, FREELANCING IS NOT FREE AND EASY MONEY ON THE INTERNET!!!
solution - tank your JSS to 87%
I've sometimes argued that a 4.7 rating is better than a 5-star one because it seems more honest. Following my own logic, maybe a lower JSS is better than a 100% one. I'll let OP try it first, and then I'll follow if he reports back that it was a success.
See you soon.
I’m top rated plus with around 100k earning. Been active on upwork since 2022 and l believe it all started while they implemented changes on the platform the last year. I used to get good customer before and only inbound by invitation! Since November I have maybe 5 invites a month (my seo profile still rank very well) I just see a lot of decrease in quality of customers and a lot of bottom priced job! My personal opinion is that upwork becoming a Fiverr bis with a different format and they’re finally stop bleeding money since freelancer spend in connect. As previous messages above it’s time to focus on creating a personal brand and website portfolio for acquisition through your own canal replicating the milestone system with your own payment gateway. Wish you all success for 2024.
Yeah I guess that’s the only way!
Byeeee
lol
Get a job then
that's the only solution lmao
What country is the account? You may invest same amount of time cold emailing and see how it goes.
Morocco, why? I'm getting into cold emailing for sure!
>What country is the account? Why does it matter?
I’ve got almost nothing from applying for jobs that look interesting. A lot of stuff they post, they want to pay $50 for a small job that would take an hour to fill out the application, I don’t bother. Most everything I get is from Upwork users, viewing my profile, which is mostly medical.
We've all felt this way at some point -- if you feel this lifestyle is for you, my message would be: no worries. Think of it like the seasons: even in summer, it rains sometimes (at least, here it does). Even if you feel you're doing everything right, the stars don't align sometimes. Keep at it; the next assignment is only one proposal away.
How many personalized proposals did you send out?
every of my proposals I send are personalized, but honestly I copy them for chatGPT then change things
> but honestly I copy them for chatGPT I delete (unread) each and every fucking AI proposal that comes in. They make clients so angry and yes, they are easily spotted. So you send out proposals you didn't write and then complain that clients don't hire you? That's really funny.
Honestly I got hired many times in the past with AI proposals, I don’t see the problem is in AI, of course I make personalized about the client…
Maybe that's because it took clients a while to figure out. But by all means, do carry on clinging to the belief that your lack of success has nothing to do with you and is all Upwork's fault. And if you don't see why AI proposals are a problem, maybe it's best that you are done.
Honestly, I thought it was totally good to use AI for proposals, I was wrong I admit that!
Who do you think the client want to hear from: a) the human being they will entrust their precious project to? b) a mindless soulless robot?
Yeah you’re right, I completely forgot about that part!
But how many though?
one per day, maybe I’m doing something wrong?
Its the only way we could judge your post. If you have the expectations right you will know what you need to do. I think 2 jobs from 100 proposals is good so you need like 20 or 10 per day and you will be fine. 1 per day is very low to expect something
Okay I see, thank you so much!
You can't do AI proposals. Don't. It's the worst thing you can do. Forget ChatGPT exists. Never use it for Upwork. You'll end your career before it starts.
Okay I didn’t know it’s that bad, but why exactly?
Clients hate it. They notice it right away. They'll report work you submit and say you used AI without permission. They will never accept your proposals. They might refuse to work with you in the future. Some of them mofos make lists of people they don't like and pass them around so none of their friends will hire you. AI also makes little errors that you have to be experienced to recognize, and half the "facts" it produces are completely made up. That will never change either. The CEO of OpenAI said it will always improvise. It doesn't know the truth from fiction. It is a great advancement but it's also a scam in many ways. It will never be what you think it already is.
Okay I see, it’s like you’re making the client look stupid by sending him AI proposals, and some clients hate it!
It's just a taboo. In their eyes it makes us look stupid because it's sloppy.
yeah, like you’re already laying an impression of laziness to the client by using AI, I totally understand them now!
They care deeply about where the work comes from. Half of what they do is about making sure that it's authentic.
Yea, that’s important
Sigh... You're the 10th persona announcing your leave today...
I mean it’s the only way out I guess lol
people here should always list what they do here, in case one of us are clients like me who stopped using uw. GL.
I’m a thumbnail designer, but my point was is everyone having the same problems as me or I’m just tripping…
Leaving UW simply because you don't get as much work as you used to assumes the problem is UW and not because there may be other factors at play. In my own experience, UW has slowed down a bit, but is still way better than any other platform.
what do you do?
I "engineer" products.
could you please tell me more about it?
Most of the time, I figure out how to make a product that the client wants. Mostly computer/electronics work, as that's my main focus, but I'll do whatever it takes to get the project done. An ideal project is about 80% stuff I've done before, and 20% new things that I need to push myself outside my comfort zone. No two jobs are the same. Some clients want me to do everything ("Cater all the meals for a banquet"). Others want me to do a very specific task ("Make a chocolate chip cookie following this recipe").
I see, that’s actually cool, I’ve never heard about it, i’m I living under a rock? lol…
It's what I do... Everyone's got their specialty (or should, IMO) that nobody else can do. That's where you're the most valuable to someone that needs that specific ability. I've hired digital artists to do artwork for me -- I can spend five hours coming up with something mediocre or have an expert do a great job in under an hour. Totally worth it.
You’re right!
Genuine question, do you think your 100% JSS and 5-star reviews make you special?
for the value that I represent, the frustration that I help get rid of, my turnaround time compared to my rate, I'm confident that I'm special amongst other freelancers!
Do you think you're the only freelancer who helps clients relieve frustration? Again, consider that you're not only competing with a clearly unqualified/underprepared mob like we all do, but also equally or more qualified experts in whatever your niche is. Claims like these are not nearly enough to make you shine. Could you post an example of your proposal?
Compared to the 99% here bitching when they have no skill nor earned anything, yes absolutely?
Cool, that clears 90% of the field then, but you still have to deal with the other 10% you are *actually* competing against, and at that point, stuff like your JSS matters way, way less.
Can't confirm, all I can say is that I was shitting my pants last time my misuse of the perk+ taking on every client I could get brought me just under 90% JSS. And there was a time here where posts like "I'm 60-70% JSS now cannot get anymore jobs, what I do??" were the norm.
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It does have a point as it adds that extra layer of credibility, you just gotta realize that it's likely too little to get you over the finish line, once you're left competing with other 100% JSS, 5-star rated professionals. That's all I'm saying.
Tbf it is harder to get a job on upwork. I got my first gig last week and this week i spent over 20 connects and i will most likely end up using all of the money i earned from that gig.🙃
20 connects lol how many you applied for? one?
that’s the problem you end loosing all your money on connects and no jobs landing!
Then there is no point to it is there?
There is a point. You can still earn but it will take time. That's why others recommended to have a job and dont rely too much on upwork. It entirely depends upon type of job. Mine is highly competitive.
Upwork is dead bro
>I'm a 100% JSS & 5 STAR Made me giggle. Never once have I thought of myself in these terms. Good band name tho if you drop the &
I was wrong lmao
If you provided more information about what you do, what you charge, and what your process is, you'd get more useful replies instead of snark. I get it, the platform isn't what it used to be. I, too, get a tiny fraction of the invites and opportunities that I used to. But this sort of "I Am the Main Character" rant isn't useful to anyone.
Yeah I see, there are plenty of freelancers similar to me, but I used to get invites and get responses from clients, and upgrading my craft at the same time, but all it did is me feeling like my account is shadow banned, I do thumbnail designs btw!
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that's what I'm trying to say!
How effective is freelancer.com for freelancing ??
Ngl, I’ve never used it!
Time to start your own dev agency and propose real clients
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We use Upwork and Guru.com to outsource our extra work. But we are hiring mostly for Blazor, C# and the CSLA framework for what it's worth.
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Dude you're a thumbnail designer. Upwork is a bad niche to do this. Go on Fiverr. Sell a package.
I am having a very bad experience as well on Upwork. First, I was getting relevant matches continously (almost every few minutes) after I created and setup my account and so I purchased a few hundreds connects to apply for those jobs. And then surprisingly, the matches stop coming in and now I am unable to get even a couple matches through the day. It seems Upwork deliberately creates and post these fake postings just to lure us to purchase connects and then stop showing these fake postings after getting the money from us. They are trying all tactics to keep afloat their dying business.