5 things you can do to keep a 90%+ job score
You probably saw this percentage on top of your Upwork profile, and you wondered what that even means? Well, that percentage speaks volumes because it represents the overall customer/client satisfaction.
This little feature offers possible clients an idea about your overall experience with other clients and how well the project went.
The job score is calculated based on an internal algorithm it mostly takes into consideration the successful contract outcomes, the negative contract outcomes and total outcomes. The formula looks like this:
successful contract outcomes - negative contract outcomes /total outcomes
I still do not fully understand how this works, but I know for sure I am doing the following things and my score has been over 90% in the last few years.
HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW FIRST:
1. Upwork is pretty forgiving with bad feedback coming from clients who have a history of leaving bad feedback, meaning that the rating will not be taken into consideration for your score.
3. If you do not have a score yet, you will most likely get one after the first 5 jobs. I would advise taking a few small projects here and there and do a great job to start on the right foot. Who knows, maybe you will find an ongoing project and clients who will rehire you.
4. Your score is calculated every 6, 12 and 24 months.
5. Upwork is not entirely transparent about how they calculate the job score, and they make it clear that there are some things that they do not disclose because of the risk of cheating.
6. It is not clear when this article was posted by Upwork, but here is an article about "Job Success Score Changed"
HERE ARE 5 THINGS I DO TO KEEP A 90%+ JOB SCORE
#1 I ONLY APPLY FOR JOBS THAT FIT MY SKILLS AND I KNOW I CAN TAKE ON
Applying for jobs is definitely hard. I find it hard to find the perfect job, but I do my best to find the ones that fit my skills the best. I usually find 3 jobs in a day that I work on, which is pretty sweet. I made sure I have the time, the resources and the energy to work on it.
Applying for jobs that you are good at and you have a portfolio to show you experience for means that the chances to be hired for the job are higher. It also means that you will do a great job and the client is happy. This also means great feedback and great customer satisfaction.
#2 CLOSE ANY INACTIVE JOBS
It took me a while to realize that not closing the inactive jobs affected my score on Upwork.
I had instances when I worked with clients and everything went extremely well, but for some unknown reason, the client just stopped communicating with me and stopped sending me work. This doesn't affect the JSS but I was ghosted many times right after a client hired me and there was no income, and this actually hurts my JSS.
Some of the reasons were, as I found out, the person who hired me no longer worked for the company, the project didn't happen anymore, the client realized we didn't click right after they hired me.
No matter the reason, it is unprofessional to leave your freelancer in the dark.
So it came to my attention that all those open jobs with no income affected my score.
There is not much you, as a freelancer can do.
Here is what Upwork says:
"How do contracts with no earnings or feedback affect my score?
No Earnings – In general, when a contract fails to lead to any earnings your JSS will be negatively impacted.
No Feedback – Contracts with no client feedback, including ones you ended or left open and inactive, do not affect your score unless you have excessive contracts with no feedback.
Contract with past earnings, but your client has left no feedback for you
Contracts with a history of earnings but no feedback, whether closed or not, are mostly excluded from your JSS. However, if you have many contracts where no feedback has been given, it can impact your score (a little) negatively because it indicates some of your clients were dissatisfied."
TAKEAWAYS:
Make sure you start contracts that are real and good to go
Set up milestones and get at least a small amount of money paid upfront
Check the client's reputation and feedback. Feedback works both ways
Make sure you close inactive contracts
Leave feedback
#3 I AM VERY ACTIVE ON THE PLATFORM
I always answer my messages, I always apply for jobs and I accept or refuse job invitation.
At the end of the day, there is no messages unanswered, no proposals pending and no milestones waiting.
I communicate often, I give updates pretty much every day and I make sure the client knows where I am with the design. I also ask many questions and I set up milestones, goals and expectations.
This way, I know that I did everything in my power to communicate well and often.
TAKEWAYS:
Answer all your messages within a few hours
Apply for jobs every day
Answer all your job invitation within 24 hours
Communicate often
Set milestones/goals
Keep your promises
I do not take on jobs that I do not have time for
If something went wrong, let the client know and offer an alternative solution to the problem
#4 DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS THAT ALREADY LIKE YOU AND TRANSFORM THE ONE-TIME COLLABORATION INTO A LONG TERM PARTNERSHIP (PREFERABLY REPEATED PROJECTS)
One of my goals this year is to develop long term professional relationships on Upwork.
This means I am aiming to be rehired by the same client many times and receive positive feedback every time. This not only helped my rating, but it helps my client's rating as well.
Being rehired has a positive impact on your JSS but also on your mental health.
Working with somebody who already knows your style, your process and your schedule, it makes it so much easier. Plus, it is so much better not to jump from one brand to another every 2 hours.
TAKEAWAYS:
Mention your ideal client in your profile description
Come up with new project ideas for your existing clients
Make sure your client knows you like collaborating with them and you are interested in a long term collaboration
Be professional and communicate well and often
#5 CHECK YOUR CLIENT'S PAST PROJECTS
I almost never accept a job interview with a client with less than 4 stars. I like reading my client's reviews and see what other freelancers think about their experience with the client.
Sometimes, if I have a feeling that the reviews are not fair, I ask my client directly why that particular project went wrong and if they learned anything from it.
I do my best to make sure a client is happy with the results and I care very much about my client satisfaction score, so I believe my clients should care about it as well.
Feedback on Upwork is a two-way street.
TAKEAWAYS:
Client's feedback should be part of your screening process
Do not apply for jobs offered by clients who's score is lower than 3 stars
Always leave honest feedback for your clients
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below :)