|
Stand Out as a Freelance Communicator
Anne Howard and Lynn Hazan
Lynn Hazan & Associates
We anticipate 2009-10 will be a busy time for freelancers. Despite the economic downturn, firms still need talent to produce content for print and online publication. However, companies are running lean. They may not have marketing, communications or PR departments, they may not be fully staffed, or they may need specialized expertise that is not available in house.
Due to a high number of recent layoffs, there are increasing numbers of candidates in the market. Many of them will hang out a freelance shingle as a stopgap measure. Are you serious about positioning yourself as a freelance communicator? Even if you are freelancing as interim employment, you don't want to appear to be doing it as a last resort. Whether this is your long-term career or a temporary measure, you will have more competition than ever. What can you do to stand out from the crowd?
Consider who might be hiring
Look for industries in growth mode—for example, energy, sustainability, and health care. Even companies that are laying off staff may need freelance help to handle projects.
Find a niche and fill it
What are your specialty areas? Are you an expert on issues that are of current interest, such as doing more with less, re-inventing your business, or crisis communications?
Position yourself as a thought leader
Be discoverable. Give presentations in your field. Leave an online trail. Post content on your own website, blog, and use discussion boards on LinkedIn and elsewhere.
Introduce yourself to recruiters
Companies often go through recruiters to source candidates for freelance assignments. These can include single projects, short term (three months, e.g.), ongoing needs, interim hires, and employee leaves, as well as full time hires.
Can you start today?
You must be set up for an immediate hire. Are your processes in place, like your billing system? Do you have a functioning office with up-to-date technology? Are you available beyond 9 to 5? Do you have appropriate samples to send out at a moment's notice?
Are your rates competitive?
Do your research through professional associations, LinkedIn, glassdoor.com, etc.
Keep up with your reading
If you are communicating for a living, you should be reading the communications of others. Read a variety of materials, both inside and outside of your expertise, online and offline. Keep up with the news in your field. Jill Elaine Hughes, a writer quoted in the Chicago Tribune, says, "Make reading an important part of your day, especially work similar to what you want to publish.... You have to learn from people who've mastered the craft."1
Look for non-traditional opportunities
Volunteer for projects through organizations you care about, like your children's school, house of worship, or chamber of commerce. This type of volunteer assignment can sometimes lead to paid projects. The key is to get work as a communicator. Become known as a communicator among the people you interact with. You want acquaintances to think of you foremost as an available communications professional, not the fellow soccer parent or the neighbor down the block.
Prepare to discuss business anytime
Do you have your elevator pitch down cold? Can you explain, in 30 and 60 seconds, why a company should hire you for their next writing project? You should have lots of opportunities to use it as you make yourself known as a communicator. Two tips: practice in front of a mirror with a stopwatch, and smile.
Expand your network
Is your LinkedIn profile up to date? Fill it with recommendations from colleagues and happy clients. Join and be active with professional associations, and consider alumni groups.
2009 marks the 10th year of Lynn Hazan & Associates, a Chicago recruiting firm specializing in marketing and communications searches. The firm places candidates in full-time, part-time and temporary positions with agencies, corporations and non-profits. LH&A also offers a service for candidates called The Empowered Job Seeker, which provides one-on-one consulting to help candidates position themselves as the candidates of choice.
1 Carlozo, Lewis. 4 Ways to Find Your Muse, Chicago Tribune, January 4, 2009.
© Lynn Hazan & Associates, 2009
|
