Getting Laid Off
Out of context: Reply #28
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- tkmeister0
Jteore,
I did about 8 years of freelance before I decided it’s time to go back to fulltime. So I know how it goes around. After the first few years of freelance, I never went through a recruiter. I can get paid more by cutting the middlemen and having direct contact with the companies. I like to negotiate directly with them than having someone represents me and negotiate for me because I don’t trust most of the recruiters. Of course, in tough times, you have no other options and some companies only go through a job placement agency. That’s why I said, people who have been doing freelance for years with a very strong network have an advantage.Though, in general you probably have to work more as a freelancer, you don’t necessary get to work on the same account long enough to really understand the clients/brands or have a chance to provide a long term solution. As a freelancer, you are a mercenary who goes in to rescue a project, help a new business pitch, fill a temporary assignment or whatever comes. I think my freelance experience made me a better art director but my fulltime experience is just as valuable.
You can’t generalize that 2yrs of your freelance is more than 2yrs of a fulltimer agency work. It’s totally a different kind of experience. I know many talented agency people who work crazy hours producing one campaign after another. The funny thing about being in this business is that, if you are good, you get to work on weekends.
Sometimes, I miss full on freelancing, especially the money(probably not as good as used to be now) and a month+ vacation part. But it’s all relative. Now I don’t have to hustle as much and working with the same team(great team) is kinda nice.