Get Paid to Work, Not the Other Way Around
I never heard of speculative work until recently, but I know what the concept is.
And, I suspect, so do many other freelancers. Speculative work is work at done for no cost, and definitely not pro bono. Pro bono is something willingly given for free, while spec work is something you submit to fulfill a client’s criteria for consideration. In other words, you’re working for the chance of getting paid.
That kind of “bidding” for a project is a waste of time, particularly for “small-time” freelancers who have to maximize their resources, because it involves spending energy for uncertain returns. In other words, after receiving work you’ve probably slaved over in an effort to win the job, the client may ultimately reject your proposal, making your hard work useless. Worse, the client may decide to use your ideas without paying you!
The American Institute of Graphic Arts’s position on the topic is very eloquent:
AIGA believes that doing speculative work seriously compromises the quality of work that clients are entitled to and also violates a tacit, long-standing ethical standard in the communication design profession worldwide. AIGA strongly discourages the practice of requesting that design work be produced and submitted on a speculative basis in order to be considered for acceptance on a project.
Amen to that. Even for non-design fields, saying no to speculative work is your best bet.
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POSTED IN: Great Advice, Living as a Freelancer, Marketing Your Skills
5 opinions for Get Paid to Work, Not the Other Way Around
Celine
Oct 20, 2007 at 11:10 am
A big corporation and I had a misunderstanding about this. When I came in to bid for the job, they interviewed me and told me that they’d be in touch. After that, they said that they wanted to see 3 studies. I thought they meant they’d be in touch first to say I got the job and then see my studies.
To my surprise, 3 days later they frantically called my cellphone asking for studies. I said I don’t do studies (spec work) except with a presentation fee. They got mad and called me unprofessional and said that because I’m a student, I don’t know what it’s like to do business.
IF they actually read my resume, they’d know that I’ve been freelancing since 2004, and with a pretty lengthy client list at that. (I should’ve guessed that they didn’t read it when they commented during the interview that I should be glad to get a paying gig before I graduate)
From my experience and from what I hear, this usually happens to students.
Luis Cruz
Oct 20, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Check out NO!SPEC to get a bit more info on speculative work. That’s where I first learned about it.
Rico
Oct 21, 2007 at 11:51 pm
Celine: Looks like they expected you to help solve their lack of poor planning, given the frantic call!
Luis Cruz: Great website, since when was this up?
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