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Patty McIntosh wondered whether it's realistic to hire a freelancer under
certain circumstances: <<I must say that, if I were in their shoes, unless
there was a guarantee of future work *on paper* I would be reluctant to
promise anything...
It would be extremely unwise for a contract tech writer to turn down other
offers based on a "we'll probably have more work for you in 3 months, so
stick around" request on our part. If we can't step to the line with any
guarantees, what's in it for them to commit to an ongoing relationship with
us? And what incentive is there for them to follow through on that if they
get another offer prior to our being ready for them to return for project
#2?>>
All the freelancers I know (a remarkably high proportion of my friends <g>)
work more or less on this basis: multitasking, doing their best to keep the
really lucrative or enjoyable clients happy, and occasionally disappointing
the less good clients when they arrive with unreasonable demands. It leads
to some awfully long weeks when two good clients both demand a quick
turnaround, and while my kids are young enough to still want me around, I'm
happier being a wage slave and avoiding this situation. I've given a fair
bit of thought to the day the kids leave home and I'm willing to consider
full-time freelancing, and my current plans are to promise availability only
if I know I'll be available. Since I don't expect to know that, I'd be
unwilling to commit myself to turning down other work in the absence of a
firm contract that guarantees I'm going to be paid for the times when I'm
turning down other work. I'm a firm believer in the notion that a
client-contractor relationship requires a degree of mutual respect on both
sides, and that if the client isn't going to respect my needs, then I'll
find another one who does. In fact, I've done so a few times in the past.
Note: Lest anyone take this manifesto as my recommendation for standard
operating procedure, I hasten to add that as a full-time wage slave and
part-time freelancer, I have the enormous luxury of being able to fire
clients more or less at will because I still have a regular paycheck coming
in. My freelancer friends always raise an eyebrow when I express this
viewpoint, and note--with considerable justice--that when you've been a
month between jobs and the cats are starting to look at you as if you're a
viable food source if the catfood runs low, even a bad client is better than
no client at all. Can't argue with that!
--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
"User's advocate" online monthly at
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A landmark hotel, one of America's most beautiful cities, and
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IPCC 01, Oct. 24-27 in Santa Fe. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
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