When good friend and former colleague Bob Calandra told me he was publishing his newest book How to Keep Your Job in a Tough Competitive Market (available at Amazon.com), my first thought was it’s about time. That’s for two reasons: 1) the topic is as timely as it’s ever going to get, and 2) Bob and I commiserate regularly on the cyclical nature of our collective freelance existence. It’s about time he established a firm foothold in the book world. He was one of the two most reliable, trustworthy, and prolific freelancers I worked with in my former magazine position.
As I read through his excellent book recently, I realized that while the tips work well for corporate America, quite a few of them are easily adapted by us freelance types. Bob graciously agreed to answer a few questions about the book, his take on freelancing, and how we can keep the gigs we have by using tips from his book.
How did the book idea come about?
The book idea came from my agent Ed Claflin. A friend introduced us in June 2007 when I was trying to sell Rehirement. The premise of the book was that, given economic conditions and how leveraged Americans are, most boomers would not be able to retire and still maintain their lifestyle. My agent liked the proposal, but much to our surprise publishers didn’t.
A year later, Ed called. An editor from F&W Media wanted to know if Ed had a client who could write a book about how to keep your job when everyone else was losing theirs (the original title of the book). Ed thought of me. To add weight to the book I asked Michael J. Kitson, a friend and highly successful Fortune 50 executive coach and consultant, to become co-author.
How can freelancers use these tips to improve their careers?
When I started writing the book I never envisioned it being used by anyone other than corporate workers. But the more interviews I conducted and the more Michael and I talked, the more clear it became that these tips were for everyone earning a living. The book ultimately is about creating a career plan and then executing it. Take the tip, Think Like a Chess Player. World class chess players don’t think one move at a time. They think four, five or six moves ahead of the game. They know where they ultimately want their pieces to end up. By thinking and planning far in advance, they can adjust to their opponent’s move and still reach their goals.
For freelance writers the tip’s message is to think through your career, not just tomorrow but five years from now. What is your goal? Where do you want to be five years hence? Why do you want to be there? How do you plan to get there, and what are you willing to do to attain your goal?
People should view the 101 tips like a cafeteria menu where they can pick and choose what they need to advance their careers. Just glancing over the TOC I identified 46 tips that freelancers can apply to their work. For instance:
-Build a Reputation as a Hard Worker
-Be a Low-Maintenance Employee
-Set High Standards for Yourself, and Then Exceed Them
-If You Make a Mistake, Own Up to it Immediately
-Dress for Success
-Blow Your Own Horn, But Never Too Loudly.
-Add Technology to Your Brand
As a freelancer yourself, what were some of the tips in the book that you’ve found most useful?
Of course, Think Like a Chess Player. As a freelancer, I always prided myself in having a reputation as a hard worker. Also, I always strived to be low maintenance, while setting and then exceeding the highest standards for myself. Those things, if done right, become what you are known for, or what we call in the book, your brand. Editors look for people they can give a job and forget about it. As a freelancer for People Magazine I got the tough assignments, my editor once told me, because she knew that I would deliver with no fuss or muss.
I also try to be civil to everyone, even interviewees in an adversarial interview. A couple of others I use are:
-Always Carry a Business Card
-Get Experience Elsewhere – what you learn working for free can wind up becoming a story or develop into a good source.
-Create a Business Network
-Know How the Company Views Itself
-Represent the Company (Client) with Style and Grace
-Inspect and Maintain Your Bridges
-Be Self-Assured But Not Arrogant
A few of the sections in the book talk about dealing with conflict. How can freelancers apply that advice to dealing with clients?
I would say always take the high road. After all, you are a freelancer. When it flows downhill, you are always going to be the one it hits. Freelancer equals expendable. So why lower yourself? But it is also why it is important to establish your brand as a class act. In fact, your brand should exemplify civility, if for no other reason than it is simply the right way to treat people. In a dispute, assume that the other person is driven by the same thing as you – that is doing the best job possible. By doing that you create a common ground and a foundation for that person to trust you, which changes the dynamics of the situation. Of course, it may not change that person’s point of view or the outcome, but it will solidify your reputation and brand as someone who treats others with respect and civility.
As a freelancer, you know the constant battle we fight to secure a fair wage. Any advice within or beyond the book for freelancers facing a tough economy?
I think the book has a few good tips for any economy, but especially a bad one. First and foremost is Blow Your Own Horn, But Never Too Loudly. Translated it means market yourself. Another important tip is Quantify Your Value. Show your client how working with you works for them. To do that you have to Take Care of Your Customer (Client), and Know Your Customer’s (Client’s) Customer so that you can deliver focused, pertinent information in your story.
Also, in a down economy, be willing to Defer Some Rewards. That doesn’t mean giving work away. Never give your talent away. But instead of your normal per-word-rate be willing to give a one-time discount. Or offer to throw in a free sidebar or include a shorter version of your story for use online. A freelancer also has to know When to Trust What Management (Client) Says and be as aware as possible of Trends and Changes in your client’s office. In bad economic times your network can help you, if not find work, then with support.
Oh, and one piece of advice that is always important in good or bad times – Take Control of Your Career.
Freelancers – how do you hang on to your jobs? How do you create value right now?
Any questions for Bob? Feel free to leave them here in the comments section!
Fantastic advice — & reminiscent (to me, at least) of your "coffee shop atrocities" post from April.
While there are undoubtedly many individual points worth considering in this post (and in Mr. Calandra's article), I'm most taken by the prevalent & persistent reminders that we're never really "off the clock" when it comes to making positive impressions & creating new professional opportunities.
From dressing for success to cultivating a reputation for hard work to having a supply of business cards at the ready, achieving a state of consistent professionalism seems to be increasingly important.
Thanks for the reminder!
You remembered that too, Hugh? I saw those nasty-dressed people all over again when I read that!
Bob makes an excellent point about keeping a constant professional image. You never know when or where you'll meet your next client.
"Inspect and maintain your bridges" is a good one . . . some of my regular clients are people I worked with before I quit my cubefarm job. As tempting as it was to singe if not full-on torch those bridges immediately following my departure, I'm glad I was able to separate the people from the miserable circumstances I was so happy to be getting away from. Maintaining those relationships has gotten me through some lean times!
Lori: Remembered it?
That post & The Great WAHM Debate of March 09 were the reasons that I knew Words on the Page was going to be a must-read for me.
Hot topics, addressed with passion, professionalism, & just the right amount of what Cosmo Kramer would term "unbridled enthusiasm"? Sign me up! 🙂
As always, awesome advice, Lori. There's always room for improvement so I'm holding myself to a higher standard of performance these days. I'm big on customer service, so I completely agree with your advice on taking care of your clients. Treat them so well they won't think of going to someone else.
Great post!!
Thanks for sharing some important advices.
Looking for job!
freelance management is a comprehensive company that lists quality Job openings.
As someone who's been a freelancer my entire professional life, frankly, I don't want to know what each week holds or, (gasp!) what my income is. I know it'll be what I need, and often what I want. I want every day to be an adventure.
If all I have are the same clients for eternity, I might as well be in an office.
Do I have steady clients? Yes, because people like my work and keep hiring me back.
But I also do a lot of one-offs, because I like the variety. I don't like putting too many eggs into one basket; I don't want to rely on a particular client for the bulk of my work.
There are a lot of great tips in the article that can be applied to all kinds of freelancing.
But again, I see too many freelancers simply re-creating the corporate environment, albeit ona smaller scale, that they claim didn't work for them.
I am a FREE — LANCE.
I follow whatever interests me in the moment and get paid so to do.
Sometimes, I get to be six people before breakfast.
I know I can make a living at it, but the details change day to day, and that's the way I like it.
How do I "hang on" to my jobs? Because I'm one of the best at the job that my employer has ever worked with, and the clients keep coming back. I keep work by being GOOD AT THE JOB, not dlvling into market-speak or playing the same games everyone else out there hustling does.
Many people can talk a good game. But if you can't deliver, they won't come back.
There's the main crux of Bob's book, Devon – delivering above and beyond. And you're right – often freelancers will replace the 9-to-5 with hey, a 9-to-5. The key difference is the office politics has disappeared (for the most part).
Hugh, can I hire you as my cheerleader? 🙂 Thanks for the kind words, but I can't take all the credit. It's this active community here that makes this blog shine. Everyone who reads, comments, or comes back for more makes it all happen. Thank YOU for that.
Amie, I've fried some bridges in my day. I have to say the ones I burned were done so unintentionally, but were necessary. In my case, they were gunning for me. I gave them a reason and they leapt on it.
Kimberly, if you give even a minute amount of customer service, you're miles ahead of most people and businesses. You've hit on what we need to concentrate our efforts on – you and Devon. Deliver above and beyond.