A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was employed as a junior copywriter. Salary 4.5K. 1-month holiday a year. 1½ hours for lunch. I was not the only junior in the creative dept mind. There were three others and one guy in particular had some very peculiar tendencies.
Archive for the ‘Freelancing’ Category
Lessons from a freelancer
Wednesday, February 29th, 2012
I was a human rights worker, specialising in gender and conflict in West Africa, when my first book was published. The freelance life appealed to my sense of adventure, so I tendered in my resignation.
Here, in no particular order, are the lessons I’ve learnt in my journey as a freelance writer.
Agency v freelance. Better pay, better work or better life?
Monday, February 27th, 2012
Years back it was said that creative people that chose to go freelance were either too old to be considered for full-time employment or simply not good enough to cut it in a top agency. In those days, I’m going back to the 80’s here, the freelancer was a rather put upon individual whose career was stuck in a creative cul-de-sac.
Room 101 – ten things to hate about TV advertising
Thursday, February 9th, 2012
If you look to the left, you’ll notice this is the one hundred and first column I’ve written for Creativepool. I must admit I let my century pass by unnoticed, which is rather typical of my lack of attention. But it does allow me the opportunity to pinch an idea from the BBC and consign ten aspects of TV advertising to a virtual dustbin with a yank of a handle and a sickening thud. Should you wish to disagree, I’d heartily encourage you to use the comments facility at the foot of this piece, rather than hunting me down like a frightened hound. Now, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll begin …
The four things you need to be a successful freelancer
Monday, February 6th, 2012
At some stage in your creative career you will reach a point when you pass beyond the world of corporate employment. For some people, the desire to ‘do your own thing’ happens early on, while others need longer before they feel they can cut it in self-employment.
Thanks but no thanks – the rejection letter from hell.
Tuesday, April 10th, 2012However, the most common complaint from job seekers tends not to be the rejections but the complete lack of any response whatsoever. Personally, I consider this to be the height of rudeness, demonstrating contempt for talented people and reflecting extremely badly on the company. That said, the ill-considered, conceited rejection letter can be just as bad.
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Tags: application, career, email, Facebook, job, job seeker, letter, money, recession, rejection letter, writer, writing
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