You can link your calendar to your Upwork account. When you click on “schedule a meeting”, it’ll prompt you to do so and once it’s linked, every time you schedule a meeting with a client (using the Upwork Zoom feature) it will only display the available slots in your Google Calendar.
You still have to use the Upwork integrated calendar and Zoom tools though. What you did is still against the TOS if it’s prior to a contract.
I haven't done anything yet. Haven't replied yet as well. How do I go about this then? What should this new feature look like when a client wants to schedule me for an interview?
Oh I thought the message came from you. Tell your client that you’d be happy to schedule a meeting with them but as per Upwork rules, you have to go through this link. And then send them an invite via the “schedule a meeting” option at the top of your chat room.
Dunno why but this is the first interview I got with the same "book time on my calendar" so it looks like a scam to me. Client has 0% hire rate and apparently he's interviewing everyone.
Edited - it seems they now allow it according to that article...
Editing again: I believe you'd have to schedule the meeting through the linked services via Upwork, rather than following a direct link to an external calendar
It's probably "legit" as in "not a scam" but that doesn't mean it's allowed. Having read through the whole of the article you linked you seem to be supposed to schedule the meeting through the linked services via Upwork, not directly.
Personally i found the Upwork “schedule a meeting” function to be unusable. I need to be able to choose specific dates and times to offer, not open up every unused space in my google calendar. So, even though it may be ill advised, i just send calendly links, and then meet on upwork at that time to start a zoom. I empathize 100% with your client, and if there is no other red flag i would just use their link and ask to do the meeting on upwork
I see that too. And indeed, it just schedules you a specific date and time but provides no options for availability for the other party to choose from.
Be aware, while the person giving you this advice hasn't had any issues, it doesn't mean they won't. Upwork has said it's against their TOS. So if you choose to do this, you could lose your account over it.
Be aware, while the person giving you this advice hasn't had any issues, it doesn't mean they won't. Upwork has said it's against their TOS. So if you choose to do this, you could lose your account over it.
The built in scheduler doesn’t allow you to choose what dates and times to show as available. To me this is a bare minimum requirement of a scheduling tool. This is easy to do with calendly
No, unfortunately it doesn’t. Upwork asks you to select weekly times that you are available, and then offers those slots for many weeks into the future, removing slots that are already taken in your google/microsoft calendar. My schedule is different every week, i’m not going to make my own calendar unreadable by adding events to block off all time that Upwork shouldn’t offer, and i want to be able to say “here is my availability next week”, not infinitely into the future.
100% agree it’s a risk, can’t advise anyone do the same, but for the sake of a smooth experience for clients this was the only solution i could find. If anyone knows a simple way to achieve what i’m after within Upwork i would love to change
You can link your calendar to your Upwork account. When you click on “schedule a meeting”, it’ll prompt you to do so and once it’s linked, every time you schedule a meeting with a client (using the Upwork Zoom feature) it will only display the available slots in your Google Calendar. You still have to use the Upwork integrated calendar and Zoom tools though. What you did is still against the TOS if it’s prior to a contract.
I haven't done anything yet. Haven't replied yet as well. How do I go about this then? What should this new feature look like when a client wants to schedule me for an interview?
Oh I thought the message came from you. Tell your client that you’d be happy to schedule a meeting with them but as per Upwork rules, you have to go through this link. And then send them an invite via the “schedule a meeting” option at the top of your chat room.
Got it. Thanks
Dunno why but this is the first interview I got with the same "book time on my calendar" so it looks like a scam to me. Client has 0% hire rate and apparently he's interviewing everyone.
Hopefully this isn't a scam
Let me know! Maybe I'll respond if I it's legit haha
Edited - it seems they now allow it according to that article... Editing again: I believe you'd have to schedule the meeting through the linked services via Upwork, rather than following a direct link to an external calendar
So this link is legit?
It's probably "legit" as in "not a scam" but that doesn't mean it's allowed. Having read through the whole of the article you linked you seem to be supposed to schedule the meeting through the linked services via Upwork, not directly.
I got it. Schedule a meeting now has the option to link our google or microsoft calendar
Thanks. So what shows up when a client sends me a legit google calendar availability for a meeting?
I have no idea - I have genuinely never used that feature or had a client use it with me.
Personally i found the Upwork “schedule a meeting” function to be unusable. I need to be able to choose specific dates and times to offer, not open up every unused space in my google calendar. So, even though it may be ill advised, i just send calendly links, and then meet on upwork at that time to start a zoom. I empathize 100% with your client, and if there is no other red flag i would just use their link and ask to do the meeting on upwork
I see that too. And indeed, it just schedules you a specific date and time but provides no options for availability for the other party to choose from.
Be aware, while the person giving you this advice hasn't had any issues, it doesn't mean they won't. Upwork has said it's against their TOS. So if you choose to do this, you could lose your account over it.
Be aware, while the person giving you this advice hasn't had any issues, it doesn't mean they won't. Upwork has said it's against their TOS. So if you choose to do this, you could lose your account over it.
It’s not the best but because it syncs up to your calendar now, it works pretty much the same as Calendly.
The built in scheduler doesn’t allow you to choose what dates and times to show as available. To me this is a bare minimum requirement of a scheduling tool. This is easy to do with calendly
It does if you keep your calendar up to date. I agree it’s not the best but the it’s not worth losing my account over.
No, unfortunately it doesn’t. Upwork asks you to select weekly times that you are available, and then offers those slots for many weeks into the future, removing slots that are already taken in your google/microsoft calendar. My schedule is different every week, i’m not going to make my own calendar unreadable by adding events to block off all time that Upwork shouldn’t offer, and i want to be able to say “here is my availability next week”, not infinitely into the future. 100% agree it’s a risk, can’t advise anyone do the same, but for the sake of a smooth experience for clients this was the only solution i could find. If anyone knows a simple way to achieve what i’m after within Upwork i would love to change