by Leo Wiles
30 March 2016
Am I the only freelancer officially freaking out right now? Don’t get me wrong, I feel for the journos who’ve been let go but I’m also seriously worried that the market is now flooded with way more qualified people than myself. I know it’s sounds selfish but I’m really worried about how it’ll impact the work I do get. Anon
After the recent lay-offs at Fairfax and The Guardian, along with the ever increasing desolation of our talented regional and rural colleagues, you’re right to be worried about the future of credible quality journalism, diversity and your longevity within its ranks. Especially if you don’t have the stomach for a financial siege, are a newbie without a list of return clients to fall /call upon, or have been too complacent to safeguard against change.
Let’s face it: on top of the already entrenched old guard who seem to have all the great gigs sewn up and the hungry young graduates pushing their way in, we’re now competing with more than 1,500 Australian journalists who have been made redundant since 2012. Another grim reality is that you have chosen a highly competitive volatile industry with more than its fair share of bulls and bears. Those with a decade under their belts or who’ve worked in European print media (like the majority of our members) have been through this before. I personally was made redundant in the 1990s on the same day as 211 of my more seasoned, and far better connected News Ltd colleagues. And I know that while you cannot change the situation, you need to find a practical way of dealing with it – which begins with your own mindset. Not rocking back and forth in a darkened room longing for a return to the ‘good old days’.
Here are some of the ways I anticipate moving forward:
Don’t worry about it. The marketplace is huge and if you have your niche then you’re not competing with the editor who headed up the sports desk or lifestyle section. Sure, remaining staffers are going to be loyal to the colleagues they just lost, but if you didn’t have a track record with them before why are you trying to make inroads now?
Print isn’t the only place you can be hired. Early results from the current Rachel’s List Show Me the Money Survey show that an ever-increasing portion of members’ workload comes from the digital sector and SMEs, with corporate writing one of the largest growth sectors in 2015-16. (Take our survey here.)
Compete only against yourself. Well, that’s what I told my kids when they recently joined swim club – but it’s relevant for freelancers, too. Do you have more clients this month than last? Is the work more interesting than last quarter? Are you proud of the work you have delivered or was it mediocre waffle you churned out to pay the bills? Are there are other income streams you could be chasing? These types of goals to improve yourself professionally and build up your business should be your measurements and milestones.
Make hay in a slow patch. By that I mean pitch more, learn more, solidify the contacts you have, tidy up your online portfolio and presence, go out and press the flesh and spend more time on your business. Because the number one circumstance that will change your future is not the external circumstance that you have no control over, but the mindset you develop and the skills you hone. Those alone will help enable you to call the shots and weather this latest flood.
If you’re still worried, catch up on some of the recent RL blog posts, such as John Burfitt’s post, More job cuts? Don’t panic. It’s a great list on how to take action and motivate yourself in the coming months.
Have you been freelance in a suddenly flooded market before? How did you handle it?
Great advice. As someone who’s been on both sides of the fence – commissioning editor and freelancer – this is my experience. Commissioning editors like an easy life, preferring to commission from tried and trusted freelancers who they know can deliver on time and to brief every time. Sure the pool of potential freelancers is greater now than ever, but you know your clients, what they need and how to deliver it. Capitalise on that. If you feel your skills need updating to be more competitive, update them. You really do have the ‘home advantage’ but only if you continue to deliver what clients want (and of course come up with great ideas). Hope this helps.
Totally agree, and I think the ‘come up with great ideas’ is more pertinent than ever. While I have come across some editors who only want to commission you THEIR ideas, I think the majority want the freelancers to take that job off their hands and give them something they haven’t heard before.
And Leo, just to add my two cents’ – I think you make some great points here. I was laid off in 2001 along with an avalanche of journos (the dot com bust, I believe). Freelancing was the only option then for me because there weren’t jobs to go to on mags, particularly. Things picked up but I continued freelancing and didn’t look back. I do remember feeling completely at sea though and knowing I was competing against so many highly qualified people – more than I might normally be. It’s a scary scenario for someone with few contacts, but perseverance is everything…
Well said, Leo. I think it’s also worth remembering that not everyone is cut out for the freelance life – even in the media industries.
Many people still seek out the security of a full-time job and a regular salary, and will find this somewhere else if their industry is shrinking. Public relations, corporate communications, these sorts of roles tend to be the usual suspects.
So there will likely be a number of new freelancers on the block, but still only a relatively small portion of those who have been made redundant recently.
And as we know, the opportunities for good writers are increasing in number all the time as well.
I couldn’t agree more Jane. As someone who has danced between FT in-house Editorial and corporate marketing and PR roles when the bank manager demanded it I believe all of us experience different levels of security needs that can certainly fluctuate with life stages.
When you’ve been full time for such a long time too a regular salary can seem like a real bonus if you fear that being freelance can only provide a feast or famine lifestyle.