Even if the agency owners have agreed to put it in writing that you will be made a full partner be sure the terms and conditions are spelled out before you accept the job. For example:
TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL FREELANCERS
In my experience as a former freelancer and an agency owner who has worked with dozens of freelancers, those who survived and thrived possessed certain common characteristics. These characteristics make these individuals noticeably different from the typical employee.
Successful freelancers tend to be:
- more focused on what their client wants from a project than how much they will make on the project
- willing to spend more time to produce a quality piece of work than they will be able to charge for
- self-directed, requiring little or no supervision to begin work
- outgoing and friendly
- unruffled when it comes to picking up the phone or walking in to an agency to solicit work
- innately aware of how to diffuse a potentially hostile person when things begin to go wrong
- gently persistent
- less motivated by their ego and more motivated by their love for the work they do
- amazed that they get paid for doing the work they love
- excellent at attending to every possible detail
- more than willing to admit when they have made a mistake
- responsible for becoming better and better at what they do
- unwilling to settle for mediocre ideas, craftsmanship, and results
- very attentive to follow through during a project-they always do what they promised they would do
- comfortable taking full responsibility for every aspect of a project
- meticulous about checking to be sure that other people involved in the production of a project are aware of deadlines, expectations, and responsibilities
- unwilling to leave things to chance
- clear about what they do well, what they love to do, and what areas they are weakest in
- careful about getting into something over their heads, yet open to new challenges as long as the client won't suffer in the learning
- excited about their own work, not from ego but from pure enthusiasm
- problem solvers by nature
- good with finances, staying within their client's budget and paying their own bills on time
- Genuinely grateful for each client.
- What criteria do the owners use to determine when the agency has grown enough to bring you into the partnership?
- Is there a time limit on their offer?
- How do you know that you will even want to be in a partnership with these people if you do not know them?
To check out the stability and business reputation of any agency, begin first with local vendors (printers, typesetters, photographers, freelancers) and art supply stores and media companies (radio, television, and newspapers) that might do business with that agency. Several phone calls to the owners or sales representatives of companies and businesses that have worked with the agency in question should give you more than enough information about whether the agency pays its bills on time, is generally considered reputable in the business community, and has congenial employees. You can also call the Better Business Bureau in your area to see if any complaints have ever been filed against the agency. If you want the real scoop on an agency's financial stability, you can talk to any credit bureau listed in your local phone book. However, there may be a fee for a credit report. Finally, you can call your local office of Dun 8c Bradstreet to see if the agency is listed and, if so, what their business is rated. If an agency is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) you can check with them on the agency's status. Do keep in mind that there are many perfectly reputable agencies that never join the Better Business Bureau, AAAA, or Dun & Bradstreet, so don't be discouraged if you come up empty-handed with any of these organizations.
The final lap of your job search
When you have completed all eight steps outlined in this book and you are close to making a decision on which of hopefully several positions you will accept, it is important that you remember what you have learned from these exercises- about yourself, your work preferences, and financial needs. You should restrict your choices to only those jobs that meet your personal needs and requirements. This will be a difficult thing to do when the time comes, since most people are so eager and anxious to get a job that they often sacrifice or forget what is really necessary to keep them functioning at their best.
Before I bring this chapter to a close, I do want to make it clear that I am not advocating the prima donna attitude of "I will only do what I want to do in a job." That outlook will not get anyone very far. Instead, these exercises were intended to put you in touch with what is right for you in a job. I have seen far too many employees and prospective employees who have little, if any, idea about what they need to do their jobs well. I am still amazed at the number of talented and capable people who finally leave the advertising profession altogether, following one shattering experience after another, simply because they kept accepting positions that were not suited to their personalities or their abilities.
