Are you jumping through hoops?
I applied to a writing job the other day. They said they needed an editor and writer to help sort through hundreds of submissions they receive each day. I followed their instructions and asked for more information.
Turns out, there is no job currently being offered. They want writers to submit 3 or 4 stories (under a pseudonym, no less) and then a determination will be made in a few weeks based on “Content, Creativity, page-views, and finally reader feedback/responses to those stories.”
Nice. They are not looking for an editor, they are looking for unpaid (and UNCREDITED) writers to populate their site with content. I mean really, if you had hundreds of submissions pouring in, would you be wasting time placing Craigslist ads on every city? When your slush pile gets “over-whelming [sic],” perhaps you should focus on getting through it rather than making it larger.
Unfortunately, they are not the only ones employing these deceptive practices. Every week, I see a new site posting ads directing you to audition for the job by “proving” yourself on their site.
In order to demonstrate your skills in this area, preferably sign up…per our normal sign up terms, create a strong compelling profile and post a few sample blogs (macro and micro).
As if the blogs and samples you have already created are not demonstrative of your skills.
Are They Crazy?
No, not really.
They are just part of the general “something for nothing” attitude so prevalent online. Some of them may even have the best intentions. They may have deluded themselves into believing that someday their site will catch on, make lots of money, and then they will go back and reward those responsible for their success.
Of course, by the time that happens, they will have convinced themselves that it was their own ingenuity and not the writing efforts of those foolish enough to write for free that led to the site’s success.
You Aren’t Crazy
You know better. You know you deserve to get paid for the work you do. Let those websites get what they pay for, while you build your foundation on paid credits.
- Develop a portfolio, so you won’t have to create samples from scratch.
- Specialize in a niche, so you have credibility that can’t be ignored.
- Remember: Freelance isn’t free.
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photo courtesy of Will Ellis
Hi Tammi,
This is such an excellent article to post. I would love it if, as writers, we all could get together and refuse to contribute to these kinds of things. I know that will never happen though, so writers need to know that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
George
Thank you, George.
I just don’t understand how anyone thinks this would work for them. So you sign up and you post, and miracle of miracles they agree to hire you. What are the odds that the pay they offer would be anywhere in your ballpark? They can offer you a dollar a post and to them that’s a huge raise over what they paid you to start.
One thing we can do as writers is let the hosts of the ads know the ads are misleading. I saw one of these “jobs” on Freelance Writing Jobs, and they removed the listing as soon as I notified them there was not an actual job offered. Some of these sites post on multiple cities on Craigslist, which is a violation we can report with a click. If looks like a scam, or there just isn’t a job being offered, Craigslist has a button for that too.
I applied for the same job Tammi. I asked how much they were offering for pay and they said $20 per post. But why would they pay anyone when all those people are submitting for free. Crazy people out there.
Danielle McGaw´s last [type] ..Web Hosting – You’ve Got Options
Hi Danielle,
I feel like these sites are misunderstanding the purpose of samples. Samples show what you can do, so a client can determine whether you are a good fit. If they will be published on the client’s site, you should be paid for the work.
Thanks for commenting.
I had something similar happen, I was told that the company wanted to ‘let the readers’ decide so we were all to contribute a post and let readers pick the ones that would then (theoretically) be hired to write for this particular blog. I didn’t even bother to respond with a no thanks. I’d rather starve than give away my writing…unless it’s on my own terms as a guest poster.
Thanks for sharing this Tammi.
Walker´s last [type] ..Dealing with Challenging People-Clients Too
Hi Walker,
I believe they add the voting aspect so you will get invested in driving traffic to the website. There isn’t any value to the writer at all in writing for an unproven site.
Thanks for commenting.
Can you imagine twenty people working for free at McDonalds so the company can decide after a couple of weeks of free labor who, if any will be hired? After that, why would they hire anyone. They can start with a new crop next week. They get away with it because it is a “glamor job.”
Until we are used to getting paid for our creative work, (and even then,) most of us are insecure to some extent. With writing, as with any creative work, there is often call for freebies and demos when you’re getting established. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is up to you to decide what, if anything, you are willing to offer up for free.
Any “job” that begins with deception has nowhere to go but down.
Laurel L. Russwurm´s last [type] ..Copyright and Me
Hi, Tammi,
thanx for the warning. I like your observation on this issue, especially because you are approaching it professionally, so you do not even blame them, but understand that such persons have, as you say, a general “something for nothing” attitude.
Nobody should work for free, that is for sure, and one does need to specialize in certain category rather than just to work for nothing.
Kristina L.´s last [type] ..Napster Coupon Code
I suppose its one up on scraping content in the eyes of the search engines but one down in terms of stealing peoples time/effort and work, I cant see it taking off but I get a few people get suckered in, thanks for highlighting it.
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