Imagine taking two full afternoons off from work where you don’t open your laptop. Instead, you knuckle down with a questionnaire you’ve printed out. It lists some 50 values like integrity, self-development, variation and involvement. You give each value a number and whittle them down to a top-five. You do the same thing with your skills. Keeping your most important values and top skills in mind, you take a hard, critical look at your freelance gigs. Which clients trample all over your values? Which gigs truly allow you to apply your skills?
What I am describing here is a performance review for freelancers, if there is such a thing. Because assessing yourself … is hard. Yet it is exactly what I needed.
About a year ago, I announced that I had decided to quit journalism in this newsletter. And I have. I now programme events for a festival in a salaried capacity 50% of my time and freelance for the remainder of the time. When people ask me what I do, I usually manage to swallow the word ‘journalism’ just on time. I still occasionally write for a magazine because it’s hard not to, but I am no longer pitching outlets.
One thing hasn’t changed: I haven’t adjusted my website to reflect this new focus. I haven’t messaged my clients to inform them of my new offer. Instead, I have been content and comfortable with my part-time job and the freelance work that came across my path in the last year.
Although I did not do anything to reshape the freelance leg of my professional life, some of my clients did. They appeared to understand far better than I do what I enjoy doing and what I’m good at, and they gave me corresponding assignments. I for instance investigated the ways in which a Belgian news outlet might expand into the Netherlands over a three-month period. A nonprofit that is in the process of adopting a modern, decolonial approach of working hired me to help them communicate this new organisational approach in an accessible way. These were both assignments that allowed me to research, network, brainstorm and develop strategies. They represented something new. I wasn’t quite sure how to describe this work, but I knew I wanted more of it. It was time to take matters into my own hands and decide what I wanted my future as a non-journalist to look like.
I went looking for a career coach who could help me with this. (A pro tip for our Belgium-based readers: anyone who has worked in a salaried or self-employed capacity for more than seven years, is entitled to a few hours of career coaching at a discounted rate.) I wanted someone with an understanding of the job market to take a fresh look at the services I provide – from the kinds of assignments I take on and how I market myself, to my rates, my work schedule and my future prospects. I didn’t have anything to lose. To have someone prod me into reflecting on my career for a few years was valuable in and of itself. Because how often do you get to do this as a freelancer?
This is how I ended up getting my two afternoons with those questionnaires and a professional sounding board. The first two hours (!) were spent identifying and itemising all the services I provide – something which in itself made me realise that it was time to start scrapping some services. When I heard myself justify why I continued doing a poorly paid, time-consuming gig, i.e. force of habit, I immediately realised it was time to pull the plug on this client. The career coach also suggested I schedule a recurring, weekly slot for the passion projects that usually hover towards the bottom of my to-do list. This gave me hope that I might still be able to complete them this year.
And yup, we also came up with a step-by-step plan for me to attract more assignments that allow me to network, brainstorm and develop strategies. It is astonishing how much you can achieve in two afternoons with some professional help, and some homework.
When I completed my “value test”, the value of independence naturally made it into my top-five. Yet I’m happy that I was able to assess my performance together with an expert. Because there are limits to what you can independently achieve as a freelancer, especially when you are trying to reinvent yourself.
I’m super curious to hear more about your own experiences with career coaching and other types of self-assessment as a freelancer. You can reach us at freelancerthefriendly@gmail.com
Speak soon,
Selma