5 Types of Clients I Won’t Work With Anymore as a Virtual Assistant on Upwork
3. Clients whose average paid hourly rate is less than $25/hour.
Having been on Upwork for almost two years with a Top Rated badge and a 100% Job Success rate, I have my pick of Upwork clients these days. In fact, my availability is set to “as needed” and I rarely submit proposals anymore. I consistently get “Invitations to Interview” and I decline over 85% of those invitations.
I’ve had an amazing experience on Upwork. I’ve made over 20K, met some incredible people, and learned how to better pitch myself and my work. However, having also had a few experiences ranging from mildly annoying to downright awful, I now know better how to protect my time and sanity.
I no longer entertain invitations from or submit proposals to these 5 types of clients.
1. Clients whose payment methods aren’t verified.
It’s relatively easy to get payment methods verified on Upwork, so when I get an invitation from a potential client whose payment methods aren’t verified, it tells me two things: 1) They’re not serious about hiring or they’re not ready to hire; or 2) They’re too new. Either way, I immediately don’t want to engage with them. They have no credibility.
When I was new to Upwork and was not receiving invitations to interview, it didn’t matter to me how long they had been on the site. However, after too many interviews with people who decided that Upwork isn’t for them, didn’t quite understand what they were hiring for, or asked for free work, it’s an immediate rejection from me.
2. Clients who have less than a stellar rating or multiple poor reviews.
In a working relationship, oftentimes, the person who is paying has the power and leverage over the person who is being paid, even after the contract is closed. I believe it’s really hard for a client to get under a 4.0 rating, even when they deserve it. I rarely see it, so when I do, it catches my attention.
About a year ago, I overrated a client — I don’t even know why I did it. I didn’t want to work for him again. I knew I would never accept a job from him again, but I still rated the client 4.2 out of 5 when really, I should have rated him at 2 out of 5. Instead of reviewing all the things other freelancers should look out for, I wrote about the things I did appreciate, like getting paid on time and having coworkers who were easy to work with. I didn’t write that the CEO pushed boundaries, had unclear and unrealistic deadlines, and was generally an asshole.
The most frustrating part of that experience was that I should have known. Upwork showed the previous jobs he had hired for, and in just the 11 months prior to hiring me, there were 5 postings for the same positions, and none of them had not lasted over a month. All the reviews but one were generally positive, and had the skeleton of the same story: client is demanding (one freelancer called it “motivated”) and it was not a good fit. The odd one out flatly said, “My experience was not great.” I should have trusted that.
Tip: If you see that a freelancer left a poor review or rating on a potential client, click on their profile to view what their other clients have left about them. This gives me more information about the source of the poor review or rating. If the freelancer has had multiple successful projects and great reviews from other clients, I am more inclined to trust their poor review of the potential client.
3. Clients whose average paid hourly rate is less than $25/hour.
This one is not for everyone, and the CEOs who outsource their VA work or pay minimum, or close to minimum, wage in the U.S. may feel some type of way about this, but I will reject any client whose average hourly rate is under $25/hour. A client who has paid $5/hour for a VA in a different country or $15/hour in the U.S. is not my ideal client because we are so far off in hourly pay. At this point in my Upwork journey, my hourly rate is $55/hour.
I take a quick look at the client’s previous jobs and will reject clients who have paid under $10/hour to any freelancer in the past year.
When I first started on Upwork, this was not a boundary for me. In fact, I started out as a virtual assistant at $23/hour. However, after having worked with clients who previously paid $5/hour for a VA and with clients who have previously paid $55/hour for a VA, I want to work with the clients who pay $55/hour.
It gives me more information about the organization and its financial health, willingness to invest in talent, and opportunities for growth and learning.
Additionally, the type of work that is expected at $5/hour and at $55/hour is different. I want to be challenged. I want to learn. I want more responsibilities and skills I can add to my resume and profile. Working at $5/hour most likely is not going to give me those opportunities.
I want to be clear that I do not think VAs in other countries are not talented or should not work. However, they are not my competition when it comes to Upwork. I want to compete with the freelancers who are charging $50, $60, $75 an hour for their services and being given responsibilities that match the higher pay.
4. Clients who don’t know what they are looking for.
When I jump on phone calls or zooms with potential clients, I am interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing me. If they can’t tell me where they are struggling, the need that I would be filling, or the type of person that they believe would thrive in this role, I become less interested. A lack of clear expectations leads to disappointing working relationships.
They are not ready to hire at that point, which made that 30 minute phone call or zoom a free consultation from me to them on how to hire and manage a VA.
5. Clients who lag.
From sending a proposal to hiring should take no longer than one week. I don’t go back and forth with any potential clients for more than a week. I respond to messages within 8 hours, most likely under 3 hours, so if there is a delay in the conversation, it is most often on the potential client’s side.
This shows me that they’re not ready to hire, or not interested in hiring me.
Either way, they are not the right fit for me. They will either hire someone else, or they will continue to be slow and unclear communicators as clients.
The interview process is indicative of the types of clients they will be, and early on, I mitigate the risk of being hired by clients who do not match my ideal client type.
My 5 types of clients that I won’t work with may not be your 5. My list is curated based on my personal experiences. However, whether my 5 are your 5 or not, every freelancer should have their types of clients they will no longer work with.
Boundaries are good for freelancers, especially those of us who are hungry and driven. Boundaries allow this work to be sustainable.
To continue reading stories on Medium and to join my Medium community, get your $5/month membership here. Joining through this link supports me with a small fee.
Read more stories like this by subscribing to The Side Hustle Club’s newsletter.
