Upwork Job Success Score: What You Need To Know


What It Is and How You Can Improve It

Since Upwork’s inception, they’ve always tried to ensure that both clients and freelancers have a great experience on the platform. To do this, they implemented the Upwork Job Success Score (JSS). The JSS is a percentage measurement of client satisfaction that is displayed publicly.

In this article, we’ll explain why Upwork implemented the Job Success Score, how Upwork calculates it, how often it’s updated, reasons it can change and how to recover from a bad Job Success Score.

You likely already know that Upwork is the world’s largest freelancing website. It connects millions of businesses with freelancers in every field, from web development and design to writing, marketing, accounting, and more.

Upwork in a nutshell

Businesses post jobs or projects on Upwork. Freelancers can then apply to work on those jobs or projects. After a freelancer is hired, they complete the work and submit it to the client. Once the client is happy with the work, they release payment to Upwork, which then forwards payment to the freelancer minus Upwork’s fees.

When was the Upwork Job Success Score implemented?

The Upwork Job Success Score was implemented on May 18, 2016, to help freelancers better understand how they were performing on the platform and to give potential clients more confidence when hiring.

Before the Job Success Score, Upwork used a star rating system to get feedback from clients. They found that this system was not very effective in helping freelancers improve their performance or in giving potential clients confidence when hiring.

How is the Upwork Job Success Score calculated?

The Upwork Job Success Score is calculated based on the quality, quantity, and recent feedback freelancers receive from clients. A freelancer’s Job Success Score will be displayed publicly on their Upwork profile so clients can see at a glance how satisfied other clients have been with their work.

  • The quality of your work: Upwork uses a combination of feedback from clients and data from their internal tracking systems to determine the quality of your work.
  • The quantity of your work: Upwork looks at how much work you’ve done on Upwork, as well as the variety of skills you’ve demonstrated.
  • The recency of your work: Upwork gives more weight to recent feedback than older feedback. This is because they want to encourage freelancers to continually strive for excellence, rather than resting on their laurels.

We’ve noticed that multiple jobs from the same client will help your Job Success Score more than having one ongoing job. We also know that positive reviews from different clients are better than positive reviews from the same client over and over again.

Another thing, larger jobs have a bigger impact on your Job Success Score than smaller jobs. So if you knock a thousand-dollar job out of the park and you screw up a $20 job, the bigger job will help your score. And obviously, knocking a $20 job out of the park and screwing up a thousand-dollar job will hurt your score.

JSS primarily benefits clients

It’s important to note that even though Upwork says the Job Success Score helps freelancers and clients, here’s why it primarily benefits clients: There are more service providers than there are people who need a service, resulting in high competition among freelancers.

The Job Success Score allows prospective clients to quickly sort through freelancers to find the one who best meets their needs. With the Job Success Score, clients don’t need to spend time and energy going through every single review listed in a freelancer’s profile.

How often is the Upwork Job Success Score updated?

The Upwork Job Success Score is updated every Monday, based on the feedback and data received from clients over the previous two weeks. Four different Job Success Scores are calculated:

  • Overall Score: The average of all the feedback you’ve received from clients, regardless of when it was left.
  • Recent Score (last 90 days): The average of all the feedback you’ve received from clients in the last 90 days.
  • Past Year Score: The average of all the feedback you’ve received from clients in the last year.
  • Lifetime Score: The average of all the feedback you’ve received from clients since you joined Upwork.

These scores are displayed on your Upwork profile so that clients can see how you’re performing over different time periods.

Reasons your Upwork Job Success Score may change

There are a few reasons why your Upwork Job Success Score may change:

  • You’ve received new feedback: As we mentioned, Upwork gives more weight to recent feedback than older feedback. So, if you receive positive feedback from a client, your JSS will go up. Conversely, if you receive negative feedback, your JSS will go down.
  • You’ve done more work: Upwork also looks at the quantity of your work when calculating your JSS. So, if you’ve been working hard and completing a lot of projects, your JSS will go up.
  • You’ve changed jobs: Upwork looks at the variety of skills you demonstrate when calculating your JSS. So, if you switch to a new job that requires different skills, your JSS may go up or down.
  • The Upwork algorithm has been updated. Upwork is constantly working to improve the Job Success Score algorithm to make it more accurate and effective.
  • Your account has been flagged for quality or performance issues.

When do I get my Upwork Job Success Score?

Your Upwork Job Success Score is calculated automatically based on the feedback you receive from clients. You will not be able to see your JSS until you have completed at least one job on Upwork.

How to recover from a bad Upwork Job Success Score

If you have a low Upwork Job Success Score, don’t despair! There are a few things you can do to improve your score:

  • Take a look at the feedback you’ve received from clients and see if there are any areas you can improve in. Upwork gives more weight to recent feedback, so if you’ve received negative feedback, try to do better on your next job.
  • Make sure you’re delivering quality work that meets or exceeds your clients’ expectations.
  • Be responsive to your clients’ needs and requests.
  • Communicate proactively with your clients to prevent misunderstandings.
  • Make sure you’re working on a variety of skills so that you can show Upwork that you’re a well-rounded freelancer.
  • Do your best to complete jobs quickly and efficiently. Upwork looks at the quantity of your work when calculating your JSS, so if you can show that you’re a productive freelancer, your score will improve.
  • Ask for feedback from clients after every job.
  • Respond promptly to any negative feedback you receive.
  • Proactively manage any Upwork account flags. Proactively managing your Upwork account is the best way to ensure a high Upwork Job Success Score.

What factors don’t affect my Job Success Score?

There are a few factors that Upwork does not take into account when calculating your JSS:

  • The amount of money you’ve earned on Upwork: Your JSS is not affected by how much money you’ve earned on Upwork.
  • The number of jobs you’ve completed on Upwork: For the most part, your JSS is not affected by the number of jobs you’ve completed on Upwork.
  • The number of hours you’ve worked on Upwork: Your JSS is not affected by the number of hours you’ve worked on Upwork.

What do freelancers think of the Job Success Score?

While the Upwork Job Success Score is generally considered to be a good thing, there are some concerns that have been raised about it.

Some freelancers are concerned that the Upwork Job Success Score is not an accurate measure of their skills or work. Upwork has said that the Job Success Score is only one factor that clients consider when hiring freelancers and that it is not the only thing that determines whether or not a freelancer will be hired.

Another concern is that the Upwork Job Success Score could be used to discriminate against certain groups of freelancers. Upwork has said that the Job Success Score is not a factor in search results and that it cannot be used to discriminate against any group of freelancers.

These are valid concerns, but overall the Upwork Job Success Score is a good thing for both businesses and freelancers. It offers protection and peace of mind for both parties and makes it easy to find and communicate with each other.

Upwork says it is constantly working to improve the Job Success Score algorithm to make it more accurate and effective. In the meantime, freelancers can proactively manage their Upwork accounts to ensure a high Upwork Job Success Score.

Upwork is a great platform for freelancers who want to make money online. But like any online marketplace, there’s a lot of competition. That’s why it’s important to have a high Upwork Job Success Score.

How Upwork benefits businesses

There are a few different ways that Upwork benefits businesses.

  • It’s a great way to find talent from all over the world. Upwork freelancers are located in 170 different countries and regions. This gives businesses access to a much wider pool of talent than they would have if they were only looking for local freelancers.
  • Upwork makes it easy to find the right person for the job. Businesses can post their jobs or projects on Upwork and then receive proposals from freelancers who are interested in and qualified to do the work.
  • Upwork also makes it easy to manage freelancers. Businesses can use Upwork’s platform to communicate with freelancers, track their work, and make payments.
  • Upwork protects businesses by holding payments until the work is completed and approved. This gives businesses peace of mind knowing that they won’t be taken advantage of by a freelancer who decides not to do the work or deliver it.

How Upwork benefits freelancers

Upwork is a great platform for freelancers for a few different reasons.

  • Upwork makes it easy to find work. You can browse jobs or projects that are posted on Upwork and then submit proposals to the businesses who have posted them.
  • Upwork makes it easy to get paid. Once you complete the work and the client approves it, Upwork will release the payment to you. Upwork also offers a service called Upwork Payment Protection which reimburses freelancers for work that they complete but don’t get paid for.
  • Upwork protects freelancers by holding payments until the work is completed and approved. This gives freelancers peace of mind knowing that they won’t be taken advantage of by a client who decides not to pay for the work.