How to know if a job is working out

For this blog I’m going to pretend that I’m in conversation with a 20-something me. There I was at 22, full of personal philosophies and misdirected half-wisdom. Now that I’m sitting comfortably across the table from my younger self, I’m going to allow my imagination to leap. I’ll pretend that I have a captive audience (laughing) of freshly graduated employees waiting to hear what I have to say. The first two things would be: try to relax more, and getting older really does help with self confidence, if only through the magic of familiarity with – and exposure to – your environment.

Trust your emotions

This is sometimes known as ‘going with your gut’, which can also lead directly to your closest gastrointestinal specialist. For the purposes of this advice, I’m going to focus on permanent, full-time work, if that’s your fancy. Personally, I gained most of my professional mastery as a contractor. Putting that aside, how you feel in any role is important. This applies from the time you read a job description, to starting on your first day. On a number of jobs I’ve taken, I’ve kept a work journal. Over a period of say 3 to 6 months, this has allowed me to chart my emotional reactions over time. It’s almost not worth including the first month, as this generally always feels like someone’s pouring you tonic faster than you can drink it. If a job is genuinely offering you a valuable experience, the emotional trajectory should be an upward one. Start a work journal, then pick through it after 3 months. See how the job fits.

Sometimes stick it out

There are many reasons why a good number of people have to stick jobs out: bills, mortgage payments, child payments, and various other ‘real adulthood’ stuff. I’m choosing here to focus on a time in life when career experimentation – and it’s freedoms – are generally more common – i.e. for those making their way into the market.

Don’t give up too soon. Life’s responsibilities aren’t the only reason to persist. For example, take time to consider the breadth of experience you might be gaining, and what you might do with it down the line. This includes how you might learn to articulate that experience with a greater degree of eloquence, all in the name of persuasion. Hang around another 3 months and you might find that things get better. For example, that cherished individual who’s been looking to battle you with a rolled-up A4 pad has left. Maybe you’ll even manage to get more control over the output of your work. Return to your work journal, analyse what’s there, but don’t panic. Panic means less pay, and potentially, an unsmooth exit.

Try not to blame specific people

This includes yourself. It’s easier to draw quick conclusions about why a job’s not working than it is to analyse the subtleties. Sometimes the detail is where you’re likely to find the real issues. Three last things then. Keep both eyes open when taking a job. Maintain a written record of what’s going on – use a journal. Follow your emotional trajectory. Most decisions become easier with evidence, perspective, and emotional proof.

Some tips for finding new business as a content writer

This post could be useful for you if you’re a freelance or contract:

• copywriter (mainly web)
• content writer
• content designer
• web content manager
• editor

There’s never a bad time to look for freelance writing work, or even small projects where an intense burst of work is needed. There’s also no magic number for the length of time you should spend doing your research. It’s whenever you get a spare moment. Just spending 10 minutes jotting down names of companies you’d like to do work for or industries you’d like to work in, is useful. Everything’s a start And starting is good.

How I start

The processes and frame of mind required to write and edit for a living is surprisingly unlike that for finding new business. Most writers enter a reclusive bubble to focus on their craft. As writing is an art form, this is entirely necessary. By our very nature, we’re not naturally suited to selling ourselves. We’re at our best when quietly sharpening sentences, turning acid bowls of thorny, complex copy into the milk and honey readers deserve.

I start with what I know. And what I know is the industries I’ve already worked in. These include charity, vocational and higher education, financial technology (Fintech) and government. It’s healthy and necessary to look for work outside of your familiarity zone, but use it as a start. You’ll also be used to some of the language and terms used in the industries you’ve already worked in. Make a list of every single industry you’ve worked in. You may have even worked in industries you didn’t realise you’ve worked in, but until you make a list you won’t have a clear idea of the extent. As part of this process you might find that certain industries are known by different names. Once you’ve made your list, search Google to get a little refinement so you’re sure that your list of names is accurate.

The speculative business letter

Jane Austen used to write a lot of letters. They are works of art. But remember what you’re trying to do here – trying to find out if there may now, or in the future, be a need for your service in the most economic way you can. Some people say that forging an immaculate business letter and then posting it to a hiring manager is a worthwhile approach. Well, it is novel, and of course it might set you apart. But there is a quicker, less time consuming, and ultimately more tree-friendly method for achieving the goal of first written contact. It’s called email. And there is absolutely no good reason why an email can’t deliver the same milk and honey you might have had planned for your paper equivalent.

Or simply go for phone and email

There might be situations where this seems the right thing to do. In those cases, by all means do it. Mostly though, I think it’s just a waste of paper. Pick up your phone and call the company you’d like to offer your service to. Then try and get through to the right person. It’s the next best thing to speaking to them face-to-face. Try and skip the receptionist, the security guard, the third mate, the fourth mate, the ship handler, and anyone else who’s irrelevant to the main goal. Then get the relevant person’s email address. Ask them to read it back to you to check. Be nice. If someone’s rude or evasive, they might just be fighting over a falafel wrap with a seagull. These birds make humans angry because they invoke the law of the jungle we’ve spent so long pretending we’re no longer a part of.

Read ads for permanent jobs

Just because a job says permanent, doesn’t mean an organisation won’t consider taking on a contractor or freelancer. A project has multiple parts, so they might have certain tasks they want completing in isolation. It might also turn out that they’ve tried getting someone permanent (or even fixed-term) and been largely unsuccessful. Put yourself in their shoes. Think about the gaps, not always what’s staring you right in the face. Learn to analyse potential (a tomorrow), not simply the present. The world’s changing constantly. An organisation’s route to getting things delivered is rarely straightforward. Rather, it can often seem meandering, nonlinear, maybe even baffling.

Keep track of who you’ve contacted

I hate spreadsheets, but they’re useful for keeping track of who you’ve spoken to, about what, and when. There’s also Google Docs (Google’s answer to a stripped down online version of Microsoft Word) for keeping track of details (company / contact name, email address and phone number) of the organisations you’ve contacted. I use Trello to keep track of these details.

Remind yourself that you’re not a fraud

It’s easy to feel like a used car salesman when you’re trying to sell your services. There’s nothing wrong with user car salesman as long as they’re doing their job with honesty and integrity (some may laugh at what I’ve said here). It’s a basic human desire to strike for new opportunities, but sometimes embarrassing and anxiety-inducing to put this into practice. If you’re in content (the ‘Words’ business) like me, it’s generally regarded as a pretty straight up type of industry. Either there’s a need for my service or there isn’t.

Keep searching

It’s not something you stop doing because you’ve got a comfortable looking 6 month contract. A range of things could happen. The client could review the budget. In which case, you’re probably the one costing them the most in the short term. The seagulls could peck you from the seat you’ve grown so used to spinning round in on Mondays. When the seagulls turn up, nobody stands still. Anyone who’s eaten chips on a beach knows to piss off when they arrive.