Are You Desperate For Work?
Loolwa Khazzoom, aside from having a cool name, narrates how she got her foot in the door:
“I would go on [publication] sites and try to find info on how to reach editors, but especially with the big swanky magazines, you can’t find their phone numbers,” she said. “So I kept trying to twist it and turn it and think about how to [get a hold of them]. I eventually figured out they were listed by their publishing companies, so I’d call and ask how to get a hold of the editors that way. I would talk to the editor’s assistants, and often they wouldn’t put me through to editors or give me their email info, so I’d ask for the assistant’s email instead. Then I figured the company email [addresses] were a formula, so I ended up just emailing the editor directly.
“That’s part of it; being borderline obnoxious to make sure you get through.”
Some may say Loolwa actions smack of desperation. But there are always different ways of looking at the same thing:
- Loolwa was so desperate for work that she literally threw herself at clients. Shame on her.
- Loolwa was so desperate to succeed at her passion that she did everything necessary to attract the attention of clients. Good for her!
Which scenario makes more sense: A highly-skilled contract worker pimping herself for money, or someone who’s totally dedicated to their freelancing success? The point is that we should be less apprehensive about looking desperate. Even very successful freelancers had to scurry around for projects and literally beg for them while building up their careers. So there’s no reason why that should be “below” us.
Besides, desperation doesn’t necessarily come from destitution. Many times hunger is the driving force. The hunger to succeed, the hunger to create something genuinely new, the hunger to make a difference. And of course, the hunger to reach a point where desperation is no longer necessary. We can even reduce this hunger to its most basic level: sometimes someone is hungry for work because they love what they do.
In short, a question you should as yourself is: Are you desperate hungry for work? Because if you’re not, you’re probably not passionate enough about what you do.
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POSTED IN: Living as a Freelancer, Marketing Your Skills, Ramblings of a Freelancer
6 opinions for Are You Desperate For Work?
yhurg
May 27, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Rico,
This is good. Just today I was contemplating on how to approach my network contacts for work. A part of me wants to call and email everyone I know and beg for them to give me work. My former boss, who is a networking master and superstar deal-closer, often pulled the “poor me” tactic on his contacts. That works for him but I don’t think it is my style. I really would rather flash bright shiny lights in front of my contacts and get them to put me to work b\c they like what they see in the window, not the person decorating it. But then, that goes against the reality that business is about relationships, not commodities.
Rico
May 27, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Well, I also believe relationships are also important in business. But we can also use desperation in tandem with who we know.
Lori
May 30, 2007 at 12:05 pm
I don’t necessarily agree that this approach would serve any purpose beyond labeling the writer as a pest. Many publications keep their information private so this very thing doesn’t happen. I know when I was working as an editor, the last thing I wanted was to deal with a phone call pulling my attention and energy away from what I needed to finish or attend to. An email - less invasive, but when you receive hundreds each day, it may not be effective or practical.
Whatever happened to queries?
Rico
May 30, 2007 at 8:19 pm
You raise a good point Lori. Maybe we should channel our desperation and consider much more effective ways than simply blasting yourself to the world? Kinda like “work smart, not hard.”
yhurg
May 30, 2007 at 8:26 pm
My focus right now, being that I have grown a bit more desperate for work as of late, is on my immediate and strongest network contacts. In the past month I have gone from 0 prospects (which was intentional because I was focused on a project) to now about half a dozen warm-to-hot deals, and all within my immediate network of close contacts. The time and attention that this has been requiring of me has kept me from finding time to “blast” myself to the world of my more distant contacts. Hopefully, some fruit will come out of these narrowing deals soon.
Rico
May 30, 2007 at 8:45 pm
Perhaps if you can build something big on your half-dozen commitments. You can actually consider yourself lucky if you have that many contacts to call upon for projects! Remember, a satisfied client means more exposure.
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