Why does Guru even have the "Recommended" number if it's completely meaningless?

The recommended number is not about skill-set, it's a score given to freelancers within a given category and ranks them based on their past work history.

I see how this can be confusing especially if an employer relies on the ranking recommendation. Use your best judgement and spend time reading the freelancer's profile to find the best match for your project.

Or if you feel you posted the project under the wrong category, repost it and mention the skill-set you require is mandatory and to not bid if they do not have proof of experience.

A freelancer's Total Marketing Score is the basis for the Recommended ranking. Maarit is right in that it is based on the freelancer's previous project history -- yet there are some important distinctions that should be noted:

The TMS is calculated by multiplying the Customer Aquisition Rate (CAR) X Customer Earning Rate (CER) X the Customer Retention Rate (CRR).

- CAR = is the success rate for acquiring new employers. "Only projects associated with your last 100 proposals are considered in the calculation."

- CER = payments made through Guru per months for the last 12 months -- NOT all of the freelancer's completed projects.

- CRR =The average number of months you retain a client, per Guru. Again, only projects completed within the last 12 months are used to calculate this rate.

The term "Recommendation" is a confusing term used for what is really the ranking of freelancers by Guru using its TMS scoring system.