As we come into August we are hitting the
peak months within the freelance design and creative market calendar. So, the
industry should be a hive of activity with relentless phone calls with offers
of work, right? Well, perhaps not. We have
the Olympics to deal with and we’re still feeling the affects of a double dip
recession. I found myself pondering over the level of
impact such events have on the market?
I noticed a flood of activity and increased
freelance requirements (10+ per day) during July, but as yet it hasn’t carried
on into Aug . It’s usual for people to jet off on holiday and this is also a
period of change from perm jobs over Q3, which leads to a demand for cover and
personnel.
In short, I feel confident that the coming
months will pick up rapidly and as a result it is vital to keep in touch with
your agent(s) if your availability changes, as this will increase your chances
of being called for bookings and briefs.
My top tips so far are:
- Update your agent with
availability weekly (if in short term bookings). We can’t read your mind and
don’t know when you can work if you don’t tell us
- Stay professional and conduct
yourself in an open and honest way. You make the type of candidate we want to
work with
- If working offsite, make sure
you are accessible and contactable throughout the 8 hour working day… you never
know when that call will come in
- Freshen up your cv and folio with a summer look and show
that you’re current and in touch with the season
- Agents - if you book
freelancers, make sure you have a strong relationship with people and offer the
right rates
- Honour your commitments. You
might have been out of work for a week or two,
but a pencil still needs to be followed up before taking other bookings
If you are based in London and work as a
freelancer with in the creative sector then why not join my group:
http://ht.ly/cEw8v and get involved in the conversations?!
