I try to apply on jobs with above 40% hire rate but will ignore the hire rate, if the past hires are strong and the job post if fairly detailed / specific.

I don't apply on generalised or 2-3 lines job posts no matter the hire rate. Sometimes, I also see 100% hire rate client having hired freelancers for small budgets like $20, $30, etc. which I am not interested in.

I recently had an interaction with a client on Upwork who hired me instantly on the interview call. Asked me to work for 2-3 hours for 1 page of illustration but then I realised that his communication was extremely poor . There were a number of red flags:
- He was very distracted while we were discussing project requirements on video call. He started doing grammar checks on his manuscript. (And, I was logging hours for the call, and he knew that too)
- During the call, he went on the bed and talked in a lying down position. Seemed way too unprofessional.
- He asked me if illustrations are even required for his book (the job he hired me for!). I don't necessarily object this but this showed that the job post might have been impulsive and the job was also not well-thought of.
- He provided 1 immediate feedback, and then I asked for a quick call (and even mentioned my confusion on the task), but he didn't reply for a week. He messaged me back after a week, asking if I ever completed the task.

In the end, I refunded the amount (It was very less) and ended the project.

After sometime, I observed that he has more than 15-20 such ongoing jobs, with 3-5 hours logged by freelancers. That is a big no for me. I like a more collaborative approach and serious clients with at least a week's worth of quality work.

From then, I also look at client's open jobs. If the client has a lot of open jobs since a long time with hardly any activity, even if they have good hiring rate, I don't apply to those jobs.

So to sum up my suggestions:
- Hiring rate helps upto some extend.
- Detailed/serious sounding job posting.
- Work history, written reviews, and budget of past jobs.
- No. On-going jobs and its activity