Upwork Unveils the 5 Key Factors Used to Calculate Job Success Scores

The freelancing platform Upwork has always kept certain secrets close to its digital chest. For years, one of those secrets has been how they calculated freelancer Job Success Scores. That is, until a recent update to the platform introduced a new page called “Job Success Insights.”

What is the Job Success Score?

For the uninitiated, the Job Success Score (JSS) on Upwork is a performance metric that reflects a freelancer's overall success on the platform. It is a percentage score ranging from 0% to 100%.

These scores are usually displayed across the platform in various places associated with a freelancer’s profile. Maintaining a high JSS is crucial to a freelancer’s ability to win jobs and earn special designations like Top Rated and Top Rated Plus.

5 Factors That Go Into Calculating the Job Success Score

According to Upwork, there are 5 main factors that go into calculating a freelancer’s Job Success Score.

• Basic Requirements: Freelancers are eligible to receive a JSS if they work with at least two clients and complete two eligible jobs in the past 24 months. Jobs are considered ineligible if they produce no earnings, no feedback, or feature feedback that was removed.
• Client Satisfaction: Three components shape client satisfaction, and freelancers must consistently receive positive scores in all three areas. These areas include public feedback, private feedback, and the reason for ending the contract.
• Long-Term Relationships: Freelancers should strive to maintain long-term relationships on the platform. Long-term relationships are considered to be jobs where a second payment is made at least 90 days after the first. For ongoing jobs or jobs without feedback, long-term relationships are rewarded in place of positive feedback left by a client.
• Higher Earnings: Jobs with higher earnings are weighted more heavily than those with lower earnings. These can either positively or negatively impact your Job Success Score depending on the above-mentioned outcomes of those jobs. The weighting is as follows:
• $1+ Weighted as 1 job
• $250+ Weighted as 1.25 jobs
• $1,001+ Weighted as 1.5 jobs
• Contract Length: A single contract with a payment every 90 days is counted as an “extra job” toward a freelancer’s JSS (up to a maximum of eight). For example, a contract that runs for 180 days would be considered to be 2 jobs, while a contract that runs for 270 days would be counted as 3.

How to Find the Job Success Score Insights Page

The new Job Success Score Insights page can be found under the Job Success Score section of a freelancer’s stats page. To view this page, log in to your freelancer account on Upwork, click on your profile picture in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, click on “Stats and Trends,” navigate to the Job Success Score section, and click on “View Insights.”

What do you think about the new insights page? Does this change the way you think about jobs on the Upwork platform? Let us know in the comments below.