Choosing the right talent is key to your success, and reviewing proposals is an important step in making your decision.
When you post a job, freelancers can send you their proposals for the work. You can also invite freelancers or agencies to submit a proposal or choose from a shortlist of potential matches we provide.
Proposals include the bid and a cover letter, and freelancers may attach work samples. Some may also include certifications, testimonials, or a portfolio to provide you with additional information.
From the proposal, you can open the freelancer’s profile to learn more about them.
Respond to proposals
- Go to All job posts from your dashboard and select a job post
- As you review their proposals, take one of these actions:
- Reach out to talent – Contact the freelancer or agency to discuss their proposal (interview and scope the project)
- Add the freelancer to your shortlist — your list of freelancers you’re seriously considering
- Hire – Set contract terms and, if accepted, hire the freelancer or agency
- Decline – Notify the freelancer or agency you are not interested and why
- Archive – Hide the proposal from your list without rejecting it
Organizing your proposals
To help you keep track of your proposals, we organize them according to your response. You’ll see tabs for Shortlisted, Messaged, and Archived proposals. You’ll also see an Invited tab, where you can see the invitations you sent to freelancers. You can see your pending offers under Hire > Offers.
Proposals you decline will no longer show in your list. If you want to move a proposal out of consideration but not delete it entirely, you can archive it. If you send an offer to a freelancer who has sent you a proposal and they decline the offer, we will also archive the proposal.
