freelance

I still hate internships, but sometimes free is smart

by Marian Schembari on April 6, 2010

Last week I was quoted in TIME Magazine’s article, “Working For Free” by Eve Tahmincioglu and I wanted to share some thoughts on this new intern/free labor drama. Here’s a snippet:

Will labor activists in the U.S. ever get the intern genie back in the bottle? Not if enough people keep volunteering to work for free. Marian Schembari quit her unpaid internship at a Web-based publisher in New York City after three months of living with her parents. The 22-year-old, who graduated from college last year, reached the point where she felt that working 40-hour weeks for no pay was “degrading.” But Schembari, who is now freelancing, still thinks she got something valuable out of the internship. “I was able to write for a website with a decent readership, and I built up my clips,” she says. “My bosses were nice. They just couldn’t afford to pay. But in hindsight, that really shouldn’t be my problem.”

I’m definitely not a fan of the internship, mostly because unless your bosses are superbly awesome and let you do cool things other than getting coffee, internships are essentially assistant positions masquerading as “learning experiences”. The real difference is that assistants get paid.

Along with being quoted in TIME (which was SWEET), I wrote an Internship Series a few months ago about why you shouldn’t take one, why people take them anyway and what you can do instead of taking one. I can reiterate all the reasons why I hate internships, but I want to make an important point and distinction: sometimes, when we’re just starting out , doing work for free helps us get noticed, get that foot in the door and ultimately get more business.

Care for some elaboration? No problem.

Five important reasons you should work for free:

1. Exposure. It’s like building up writing clips. In order to snag that awesome article/story/book/whatever, you

This isn't me. But it's still funny.

usually need to already have something published. Which is that lovely Catch-22 of the Freelance Writer. To get those clips, most people start off writing for some ridiculously small amount of money. I don’t agree with this because talent is talent, but I understand that writing a few things for free now can make it easier to write what you want later.

2. Contacts. My dear friend and mentor, Michael Ellsberg, is an author, consultant, business guru and all around nice guy. He contacted me months ago and told me I should forget about getting a “real” job and start working for myself. Michael sends me long emails with 100% fabulous advice, meets with me and spoon feeds me freelance tips and hooks me up with Important People. All out of the goodness of his heart. Or not. You see, Michael knows that I know people that he doesn’t know. Michael knows I’m ridiculously awesome. And because Michael’s smart, he knows that by helping me – for free – he will get an insane return on his investment. Read his most recent blog post here – he talks about building a tribe and articulates it way better than I ever could.

3. Experience. Just starting out? Don’t have referrals or a thick portfolio? Picking a project or two can help build that portfolio (see #1) and give you the experience that will make you feel more comfortable with certain tasks. The learning process is also a great thing to look back on and use later. Half of my blog posts (which can be considered a form of free labor) come from questions people email me or some form of “wisdom” I learn along the way.

4. Making decisions. Working for free can help you decide whether or not a certain career path is right for you. Rather than just taking a job and hoping for the best, a temporarily free project can steer you in the right direction.

5. Spreading the word. “Free” may usually refer to the actual cost of something, but money doesn’t necessarily have to be a factor. In this economy a lot of people are simply unable to pay for services, which is why interns are  exploited now more than ever. But if you “charge” someone by getting them to pass on your name to potential – and paying – clients or simply asking for a glowing recommendation, it might be easier to snag that job since your employer feels they can given something back. Some people – good people – usually hesitate to take someone’s work for nothing. It’s uncomfortable. Take a contest. Say you run a Twitter contest where you have to enter by retweeting something or another. This brings priceless visibility to the company/brand and they’re paying for that visibility (via the giveaway).

NOTE: I don’t think you should do a job for free – meaning, going into an office every day and putting in that amount of time without getting paid is insane (and questionably illegal). But a project here and there, volunteering your time for a person or cause worth that time and helping out someone who may some day return the favor? Totally worth it.

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So tell me. How can I help YOU?

by Marian Schembari on March 31, 2010

I think I’m a little bit of a narcissist. Maybe everyone with a blog is. But as much as I enjoy writing about my life and having comments that make me feel like the popular kid I never was in high school, I want this blog to be something more. Something where I can share things and give advice that are relevant to you, my readers.

The whole point of blogging (besides narcissism) is to provide niche content. The way we receive news is drastically changing, and like the sections of a newspaper, most of us don’t even read everything about everything. Unlike the newspaper, we no longer casually scan those sections as we flip by. Instead, we go directly to the content via URL.

Like design? Read design blogs and craft sites and online magazines targeted to your interests. Trying to build your business? Join community forums to get advice and read tips from others who have done the same. When I first graduated Davidson I read every job hunt/career advice/life after college blog out there. As a freelancer I now read all sorts of sites targeting people like me. Like this and this and this.

My newist existential crisis is: What can I contribute? How can my blog become one of those sites people bookmark and go to for the best advice on ___________?

That’s where I get stuck and as usual, I take my quandary to you folks.

So tell me. How can I help you?

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The Best Freelance Advice I’ve Ever Been Given

by Marian Schembari on March 19, 2010

I recently wrote an article for Digital Book World about freelancer jobs in publishing. (Take my post, Freelance Jobs in Publishing: taking advantage of publisher outsourcing, from a few months back and put it on steroids.) In order to add more content and actually provide advice,  I put out a HARO request looking to get quotes from freelancers and those who hire them. (I am the sneakiest/most awesomest person ever. I now have about a dozen names of publishing execs who hire freelancers on a regular basis. Genius? Hells yeah.)

Anyhoozey, lots of people responded, but I got a fabulous book of an email from editor Katharine O’Moore-Klopf, of KOK Edit, with a list of the most amazing advice for any freelancer. Unfortunately, I couldn’t use all her tips in my article, so she is graciously letting me reprint some of them here.

So for your reading pleasure, soak up this woman’s ridiculous knowledge:

1. Hand out your business cards absolutely everywhere you go, including such places as banks and office-supply stores; you never know who’ll need your services.

2. Maintain a professional-looking web site: It’s your calling card on the Internet.

3. Keep in constant contact: Find reasons to periodically contact all of your clients so that they remember you. Frequently, the freelancer who gets the call or e-mail for a project is the one whose name is freshest in the client’s mind. Consider producing a very small periodic newsletter that you e-mail or snail-mail to clients.

4. Advertise judiciously: I advertise in the special edition of a Long Island newspaper that’s produced annually for a book fair here, and I have an ad on the web site of the Council of Science Editors.

5. Send out small gifts to regular clients: Once I’ve had a project or two with a particular contact, I send him or her a coffee mug or tote bag or other item with my company name and logo and contact info on it as a thank-you.

6. Put your name and contact info on everything you touch: Develop a signature that you can pop into place easily in each e-mail you send; it should contain at least your name, your company’s name (if you have one), your phone number, your e-mail address, and your web site URL. Every style sheet I produce (those unfamiliar with book editing should take a look at the “Style Sheet” section of this page of my web site) has my logo and contact info on it. If you do hard-copy editing, tape a business card onto the back of the last page of each ms. you edit. For onscreen edits, place your contact info in the document’s properties.

7. Investigate new clients constantly: Absolutely every single time a potential client’s name comes up on an e-mail list, in a news story, in a magazine feature, or anywhere else, search for the company’s web site online. Bookmark it. Find out everything you can about that company. And then set aside a bit of time each week to e-mail or snail-mail or call the companies you’ve checked up on. Let them know you’d like to be of service to them; never ask if they can give you work. In other words, always approach them from the perspective of their needs, not yours.

8. Buy the EFA booklet “Resumes for Freelancers.” Use it to structure your resume as that of a consultant rather than that of an employee.

There you have it. There’s advice all over the web for freelancers, but Katharine has hit the nail on the head with these little gems of knowledge. Hopefully you’ll find them as useful as I have! (And if you have any other tips, or things you wish you knew at my age… by all means, share away!)

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Learning How To Be Professional

by Marian Schembari on March 17, 2010

Part of my charm and sparkling personality is, well, my lack thereof. Lately, I’ve decided to eff it and just be myself – this is a piece of what they like to call my “personal brand.”

During my job hunt I found that following the rules got me nowhere. The blog posts that get the most hits and comments are the ones where I spew my opinions like a vomiting frat boy at a kegger. The jobs I’ve gotten recently haven’t involved suits or resumes or professionalism. I pride myself in that ability to collect business left and right without “playing the game.”

But am I biting myself in the ass? Is my complete lack of professionalism actually bad manners?

Personal Branding 101

Earlier this month I wrote a guest post on Ryan Rancatore’s blog: Personal Branding 101. Here’s a little snippet:

Sometimes one person’s definition of “unprofessional” is another’s idea of innovation and cleverness and fun. So keep that in mind whenever you worry about censoring yourself.

Example: Today I met a woman who has the word “shit” on her business card (my kind of girl!). She also gets around 100 comments per blog post and has over 20,000 followers on Twitter.

Be yourself people, and while everyone else takes that cliche and proceeds to be what they think everyone else wants them to be, how about you actually be yourself – warts and all – and watch your personal brand take a new, exciting and more successful shape.

I had a lot of fun writing that post, especially when I later found it inspired quite a bit of discussion. One commenter wrote: “Your speech should be a reflection of your intelligence and education. The ability to articulate and communicate effectively with others is hindered by profanity and use of slang, especially others belonging to another generation.”

Eh. I’d like to think my language is colorful. Colorful = not boring. I also 100% disagree with said commenter; her views are outdated and a little prejudiced given that everyone’s education (and therefore speech)  is different. Intelligence also does not necessarily equal education. That aside, I can’t ignore the fact that many people feel this way, and there are many jobs/clients I wont land because of how I “talk” on my blog and my general unprofessionalism.

But what the hell does that mean?

What I’m struggling with right now is the definition of professionalism. I’m not going to go running around insulting people, but I’m also not going to censor myself. I think my honesty and lack of bull shit is something I have going for me, but potential (high-end) clients might not see it that way. Should I change the way I act for the sake of professionalism? Or should I continue my distinctive – but authentic -  personal brand, hoping there are enough awesome clients out there who like that part of me and can keep me in Ramen and shoes?

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Oh My Goodness, I Want This Job (and would rock it so hard)

by Marian Schembari on March 7, 2010


I’m in love. “Unconditionally and irrevocably.” With a potential job.

As I write this I’m in my pajamas working from home – as per usual. I love what I do. I love working for myself… But damn.

Here’s the story:

This past month has been a little rocky. I left my part-time day job to devote myself 100% to freelancing. I was at that point where I was getting enough business that I could afford to work for myself, but not enough to live “comfortably.” But I did it anyway and took that leap.

Then I found out that I need to leave my current living situation, resulting in the first time ever in the history of the world where the love of my life (aka my roommate, Desi) and I will no longer be living together. This is depressing in and of itself. But add to that moving costs, finding another apartment (which will most likely be significantly less awesome than where I am now) and the fact that I couldn’t find a cosigner for my culinary school loan, and my dreams have been all but tabled.

Basically I was a teeny tiny upset.

However…

Then I wake up this morning and it’s 55 degrees and the sun is shining and not only do I have a seriously awesome apartment lead (it’s a sublet and there’s a piano) but the first thing I see on Craigslist is an ad for this job… at… wait for it… THE INSTITUTE OF CULINARY EDUCATION:

The Public Relations Associate position is a full-time position, reporting to the company’s Director of Sales & Marketing. The ideal candidate is eager to burst onto the Public Relations and food-scene. The candidate should be immersed in or passionately interested in the world of food, cooking, chefs, and restaurants – and appreciate the value of education.

By the Hammer of Thor!

I’m not even kidding you. This job exists. And it was literally hand crafted for me, I’m sure of it.

My Application

I’ve been spending all day working on an incredibly personal email to the Director of Sales and Marketing, crafting a bad ass cover letter, touching up my long neglected resume, tweeting about it, finding every possible spec of information on ICE’s online presence, writing this blog post as a supplement to my application AND creating a marketing plan. Too much? Honestly, I could care less right now.

Here’s a fun little excerpt from my email to the press office: “I’ve attached a more ‘traditional’ cover letter outlining my accomplishments and qualifications based on exactly what you’re looking for, but I just wanted this email to be a little more personal, a little more passionate than your stereotypical job application. And in case you want to see some of my ideas in action, I’ve attached a short proposal on how ICE can continue to grow in the media….

We can have videos on DICED of students preparing certain recipes and asking questions, interviews with chef instructors, book giveaways, contests/coupons on the Facebook fan page, tweets with special tips and sneak peeks for followers… the opportunities online are endless, fun and beyond exciting!”

Think I have a shot? Everyone keep their fingers crossed and if you know anyone at ICE, pass my info along, will ya?

Will keep you posted!


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