u/KBh_kv

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some clarification regarding the UMA Recruiter invite process.

Over the past 2–3 weeks, I've received and applied to around 10 invites sent by UMA Recruiter. After submitting my proposals, I was added to the corresponding chat rooms, but in none of these cases has the actual client joined the conversation, even after several weeks.

I'm trying to understand how this process works:

• Does the client have the option to join the chat room later if they're interested?
• Does UMA Recruiter first screen candidates and only add the client at a later stage?
• At what stage does the original client become involved?

Would appreciate any insights from freelancers who have experience with UMA Recruiter invites.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some clarification regarding the UMA Recruiter invite process.

Over the past 2–3 weeks, I've received and applied to around 10 invites sent by UMA Recruiter. After submitting my proposals, I was added to the corresponding chat rooms, but in none of these cases has the actual client joined the conversation, even after several weeks.

I'm trying to understand how this process works:

• Does the client have the option to join the chat room later if they're interested?
• Does UMA Recruiter first screen candidates and only add the client at a later stage?
• At what stage does the original client become involved?

Would appreciate any insights from freelancers who have experience with UMA Recruiter invites.

Thanks!

Freelancers spend valuable Connects applying to jobs that never result in a hire. Should Upwork introduce refunds, partial credits, or another solution for proposals submitted to inactive or abandoned job posts?

Many job posts receive a lot of proposals but never lead to a hire, leaving freelancers with spent Connects and no opportunity. What improvements to the Connects system would you suggest to make the process more transparent and fair?

https://preview.redd.it/hj11jtjyof5h1.png?width=1387&format=png&auto=webp&s=f5fbe7e9a3d446656fbcb721cb21bb540977c4ac

I came across a job post on Upwork that had 447 proposals submitted.

At first, I thought about how difficult it is for freelancers to stand out. But then I started thinking about the client's perspective.

How does a client realistically review 447 proposals?

Even if they spent just 1 minute on each proposal, that's more than 7 hours of reading. Realistically, most clients won't review all of them.

Among those 447 applicants, there are likely:

• Top Rated Plus freelancers
• Top Rated freelancers
• Rising Talent freelancers
• Experienced specialists with strong portfolios
• New freelancers who might actually be the best fit

This creates a challenge for freelancers, even those with excellent profiles and long histories of successful projects. Many qualified candidates may never get seen.

At the same time, clients are faced with the opposite problem: finding the right person among hundreds of applications.

It feels like the balance between clients and freelancers has become increasingly uneven. Competition keeps growing, proposal counts keep rising, and visibility becomes harder for everyone.

https://preview.redd.it/ky1g1bnolf5h1.png?width=1387&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9da733b4b3167f1209faa5d05b500d6e9d58cd5

I came across a job post on Upwork that had 447 proposals submitted.

At first, I thought about how difficult it is for freelancers to stand out. But then I started thinking about the client's perspective.

How does a client realistically review 447 proposals?

Even if they spent just 1 minute on each proposal, that's more than 7 hours of reading. Realistically, most clients won't review all of them.

Among those 447 applicants, there are likely:

• Top Rated Plus freelancers
• Top Rated freelancers
• Rising Talent freelancers
• Experienced specialists with strong portfolios
• New freelancers who might actually be the best fit

This creates a challenge for freelancers, even those with excellent profiles and long histories of successful projects. Many qualified candidates may never get seen.

At the same time, clients are faced with the opposite problem: finding the right person among hundreds of applications.

It feels like the balance between clients and freelancers has become increasingly uneven. Competition keeps growing, proposal counts keep rising, and visibility becomes harder for everyone.

One thing that genuinely frustrates me on Upwork:

Why are freelancers spending connects on jobs where the client may have already decided who they want to hire?

Sometimes it feels like the job is posted only as a formality, while the client already has a preferred freelancer in mind. Freelancers still spend time writing proposals, boosting connects, and waiting for responses with no real chance.

Why not add clearer indicators like:

• “Client already has a preferred freelancer”
• “Internal/pre-selected hire”

This would save freelancers a lot of wasted connects, time, and frustration.

Curious if other freelancers feel the same way.

Hey everyone,

I am facing a strange issue on Upwork. After applying to invitations, they don’t appear directly now in the Inbox notifications like before. I have faced it for multiple invitations.

Invitation proposals are showing in Active proposals but not in the inbox. What's happening there??

Is anyone else experiencing this recently?

• Is this an Upwork new update?
• Are interview messages delayed now?
• Any way to make them appear normally in the Inbox again?

Would appreciate any help or suggestions. Thanks!