A Word for Freelancers of the World

I've been thinking about this subject for a long time. Part of my job as a producer is to hire teams of creative and production people to create media for events, websites, curriculum, etc. Many times, and with varying success, I will hire freelancers who are new to being in business for themselves.

I'm always rooting for people who dare to be in business for themselves in this tough economy and this industry in particular. Secretly, I wish I wasn't so attached to my company so that I could do this myself, and take vacations whenever I wanted, and make twice as much money. But it's a trade-off, and I love the place I work and it's benefits.

Over the years I've seen new freelancers make professional mistakes, not career-ending, but mistakes that make me not want to hire them again. I have been told by my peers that I am too nice, too patient and too forgiving, but I believe in giving people a chance. The more experience I have, the more I know how this needs to be managed so that I don't put my projects and my client relationships at risk.

Here is some advice that could be useful to a freelancer or contractor when first starting out. If you follow this advice, you will make yourself very valuable in a competitive market:

1. Work your contacts, but don't pester people. It's great to check in once a month or every couple of months to let someone know you want to work with them. Don't call them or email them every week. We know you're there, and if we like you and need your skills, we'll call.

2. Be very clear about what you offer. Have confidence in your skills and talents, and communicate those so that we know exactly how it is you could fit into a project. If you don't know what it is that you want, we can't help you. We often need someone to take a project and run with it. Uncertainty is a risk we can't afford to take.

3. Do some research and price yourself for the market. It's always good to negotiate for the first job with a new company, but know what your skills are worth. Whatever you do, don't ask us what you should be paid. If we haven't worked with you, we have no idea what your work is worth.

4. Research the company you are trying to work with. Know what they do and have some idea of how you can be of service.

5. Be honest and realistic about your capabilities, but also about your availability. The biggest mistake I see people make is taking on every job that comes along, and then running into a time crunch getting them all done. We do not want to hear about how many other projects you have going on. We want to know that our project is a priority for you, and that you have enough time to do a great job and deliver on time.

6. Don't tell me how great you are, show me. If you've gotten as far as a meeting or a phone call, I am impressed. Let your work speak for itself. Sales pitches are annoying.

7. Be responsive. If I do have a project and I call you, it is go-time. Things move so quickly in this world that I might not have two days to wait for you to get back to me. If I call you more than once, and response is slow, I will assume that you are busy and will probably put someone else at the top of the list for future projects.

8. Be professional, even when working with friends. I have a casual rapport with people, but I'm serious about the work. We can be friendly and joke around, but I need to know that you are as serious as I am, and that you're going to give it 100%. If you do, I will definitely refer you to my peers.

9. Treat every project like it's the most important thing you have going on, because it is. Repeat business and recommendations are what make your freelance career successful!

10. Don't be high maintenance. Make sure you have all the tools to do your job. Don't assume we will loan you a computer or give you a ride to a location shoot. Don't assume that we will be able to spend a lot of time training. We hire experts in their fields because we don't have the time or the skills to do what you do in-house.

11. Do what you say you're going to do, but if you run into challenges, tell me. If the scope expands beyond the budget we agreed upon, beyond your skills or beyond the timeline, tell me. I see this mistake all the time. Rather than raise a flag, people will get frustrated or feel resentful that they are doing more than they bargained for. I never want to take advantage of your time or make you do more work than I'm paying for, but I don't know what your limits are unless you tell me. I'm happy to push back for more time or more budget if there is a legitimate case for it.

12. This industry is in constant flux. A project very rarely hits every milestone and deliverable exactly as expected. There needs to be flexibility of mind on both sides to be successful.

13. Meet your deadlines to the best of your ability. If you consistently delay or miss deadlines, or don't communicate, it doesn't matter how talented you are, we won't ask you back for another project. And word gets around.

14. Leave a positive impression. A good attitude is the key to doing exactly what you want to do in the world. I will hire someone who has a great attitude and is resourceful over the most talented person with an entitled attitude any day.

15. And if you work with me and you don't have a good experience, for whatever reason, don't blog about me or my company by name. It's a smaller town than you think.

I'm often juggling multiple projects at a time, and I always need help with something. If you are freelancing - the work is out there, go for it! It's not easy to get started or to know the right way to handle things, so I hope these guidelines are helpful. Good luck and see you out there!