Whenever you send a proposal to a client, there are often tens of other freelancers competing for the client's attention as well.
Most clients will only glance through some briefly and will only click to fully open even fewer.
However, if you are lucky enough that the client saw your proposal and you want them to actually open it so that they can read it in full, here are the 6 things that will influence that decision - each of them can influence a client's hiring decision on its own!.
Your Location
Depending on the job post and the hiring preferences of the client, this could be the first or only thing that disqualifies you. Some clients need freelancers from certain regions for various reasons. While some of them might specify in the job post itself, some might not.
Also, some just don't like hiring from certain locations due to various personal reasons, stereotypes, or prejudices that they might have.
In fact, I know a previous colleague who mostly hired from a certain country!
There is nothing you can do about this!
Your Profile Title
Your profile title serves as a summary of your profile description, and many clients will instantly guess your skills and expertise just from that alone. So, ensure your profile title reflects that you are an expert in what you are applying for.
Your Job Success Score (JSS)
If possible, try your best to keep your score at 100%. If you can't, then don't let it go below 90%. If you can't, then don't let it go below 80%. Some clients will specify in the job post itself that they don't want people below 90% or 80% to apply, but some might not. So, you never know when this is what scares off clients from your proposal.
And who can blame them? Many of them won't read your actual reviews to know how other clients are raving about your work! The JSS is over enough for them to conclude - even if your low JSS is caused by a bad experience with a bad client!
Your Budget (Hourly or Fixed)
Guys/ladies, this one also is huuuggeee!!! Lots and lots of clients will ignore your proposal just by seeing your charges. And it's funny that even if you bid within the client's budget range, they can still very easily ignore you if they find someone who bid within their real intended budget for that job - unfortunately, you can never know this!
And let me tell you something funnier: in case you think bidding lower will surely put you at an advantage, there are tons of freelancers who have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars who will bid as low as, or even lower than you!
Fun Fact: I have ignored many proposals before just because they bid too low! Of course, I have also ignored many just because they bid too high! So, good luck bro/sis!
Your Cover Letter
Most of you think that this is what actually makes clients view or ignore a proposal! Lols, it is surely very important, but it is just one of those things!
The true goal of every freelancer sending a proposal is for the client to click on the "view more" in the cover letter section of the client's proposal view - even though only very few of you know that this is actually what it means for your proposal to be "viewed," as shown in your Upwork stats page.
However, even if all the other 5 reasons are perfect and suit the client's real needs, the first few words of your cover letter can still properly disqualify you. So ensure your first few words are good enough to convince the client to click "view more," which will make them view the rest of the cover letter.
The words that Upwork clients first see are often between 175 - 195 characters (with spaces) or between 25 - 33 words (assuming you don't use any special characters or text-converting tools like textconverter, etc.) Note that it counts by characters, not by words.
Boosted Status
There is a feature on Upwork that allows you to boost your Upwork proposal and be in the top 4! If you have the connects in abundance, the job is highly relevant, and the bidding amount is reasonable, then you can bid - it can be worth it depending on many factors.
However, depending on the type of client, some might view it as an unfair advantage, or some might not care for it at all - so put that in mind.
In a company I worked with previously, for example, we rarely hire people who boost their proposals. I very rarely did; my co-senior teammates rarely did; the top management rarely did! I can understand the hiring preference of some of my colleagues, but I don't know exactly why the top management also rarely does!
But I do know that I try my best to give everyone equal chances- so, boosting your proposal means nothing to me.
For some clients, it is possible that it rubs off the wrong way - you know, the same way many people ignore ad results on a Google search page and go for organic search results! It can give similar vibes, to be honest.
However, that is just pure speculation!!!
So, now you know that anybody who promises you that they have a sure code or secret tactic that they will teach you which will make clients surely hire you, is just lying to you!
Upwork is a very complicated marketplace, and lots and lots of things are out of your control!
So, just ensure you do your best and hope for the best!
On this website, I have more Upwork resources - Free and Paid! Navigate our forum, articles, and course to check them out.
Thanks for reading👌
fantastic! Thanks for this😮