Recently by Catherine Wiggett

We have seen talent shortages in the past in the Sydney Market and even in today's steady, less intense creative job market we are starting to see talent shortages for some job descriptions.
Demand plays a large part in this, for example, right now it feels like everyone and his uncle is looking for a mid weight. Sometimes when we peel the job spec like an onion we find lots of added layers that would suggest a more senior person is required.
Equally, when we delve deeper into the day to day responsibility on a job description it becomes apparent that perhaps a good sparky junior or grad could fill the void just as well.
When talent demand was at its peak, during 2006 - 2007, it was very difficult for graduates to find work. Many clients hid away from looking at junior to mid weights, especially for freelance, as an option, let alone raw graduates to fill skills shortages.
The reason being was that it was impractical at that time. Demand was so high for talent that the market simply ran out at times.
This stretched studios to the max and because everything had to be done so much quicker to fit in all the jobs, clients would be reluctant to dedicate valuable time to training a more junior candidate.
Evidence from our end shows that nearly every request was for a senior who could hit the ground running with little or any guidance on the job. (The pace on jobs would also be a challenge faced for our seniors, so the chances of a junior person surviving such tough job demands is questionable)
But now we are facing a very different market. We are finding more and more that personality and impact on employee culture are major consideration factors for clients when not only looking to hire permanent staff, but when booking freelancers too.
For clients that did have a rough year last year and those who were forced to make staff cuts, now feel very protective over their flock.
I have commented in previous articles that there is this sense of "we survived" and everyone is huddled together seeking comfort and solace.
This is breeding a wonderful committed culture amongst staff members, especially as most of us are experiencing some light at the end of the tunnel now, with business picking up. 
But its important to remember this closeness and connection with survival of 2009 can make it intimidating for anyone new coming into a team that is very protective over its staff and business.
New people must always be made to feel as welcome and as comforted as the established employees.
Now, this type of comforting and committed culture in the work place coupled with the slightly nervous, slower paced market with peaks of organised chaos at most, can be a great opportunity for looking at graduates. And here's why...

1)   Employers have more time on their hands. I know some of you wont agree with this statement, especially as we head into the busier months of the year. However, we can all agree that the market is more of a steady pace than frantically busy so far this year. More time allows more opportunity to train individuals in roles.

2)   The comforting feelings employers are experiencing by working closer with and being more aware of their employees needs could naturally breed a desire to train up a graduate, take another under the wing etc.

3)   Graduates and juniors can be moulded to fit the culture of a company, and could present less risk than hiring a more senior member of staff. Especially when taking into consideration the comments around the importance of not upsetting studio culture in the current hiring market.

4)   Graduates and juniors are a more affordable option as their salary expectations are lower,  but be careful as to flourish they do require more time dedicated to them by senior members of staff- this can be where the hidden cost sometimes is not taken into consideration.

5)   By training up a graduate or offering work experience, employers can help support fixing our skills shortages.

Encouraging work experience and graduate placement is something I very much believe in. On a personal level, I was able to complete a university course that required work experience as part of its grading. I do believe it taught me a lot about the subjects I was studying, allowed me to put them into practice and in addition helped me along with "real life" and the daily interaction of people in business.

Some of the hardest things for graduates to face is knowing where to begin, who to call and how to conduct themselves to win the freelance gig or the full time job. Then, how to adapt to working life.
Challenges faced by employers include knowing where to look for graduate or a junior and the gamble involved in trying them out.

By getting more involved in work experience and aligning your business with a college or university it can help reduce these challenges faced for both parties. More and more experienced industry people are getting involved with teaching and lecturing about design process so we are seeing a bridge forming to close the gap between education and industry, but it is a slow process that needs more support.

To close off I interviewed one of our clients, Sebastian Trovato of Trovato Design who does take on work experience students and has successfully hired juniors as a result of his commitment to helping the industry along with its development of potential employees coming into the work force.
 
1. Why did you choose to offer work experience to students or graduates?
 
Seb: As a college graduate myself I can relate to graduates and students wanting to get some first hand experience in the real world. I also enjoy nurturing and sharing what I have learned in my career and pass this on.
It's exciting to see young enthusiasm and encourage it.
 
2. How long have you been taking on work experience candidates?
 
Seb: Over the years, maybe 6 to 8 students. Maybe 1 every 18 months maximum. We are selective, as being a small group it is difficult to always put time aside and we prefer to have the time to spend with students.
 
3. How long do they usually stay with you and do they work full time or part time?

Seb: Normally 1-2 weeks full time, more commonly a week and we encourage them to do 5 days straight, rather than break up the days over a couple of weeks so that they can get a real sense of day to day running of an agency.
 
4. Do you offer paid or unpaid experience?

Seb: Unpaid. But I have taken on students for full time employment as a result of their work experience
 
5. What are challenges you face when offering work experience?
 
Seb: The challenges are allocating QUALITY time to each candidate. Setting them a task is fine but then working through it with them and offering advice can sometimes be prohibitive due to deadlines and work commitments.
They can sometimes be left on their own. Regardless of this, I feel that being in an actual work environment observing and experiencing the day to day is most rewarding for candidates. 
A lot of students often comment about how short the deadlines are and what little information we are supplied to work with, and then having to create/design something fantastic every time in such little time.
Something that comes as a surprise to most. I think they get a good idea of the pressures and how much input the client has by spending time with us. Basically learning a lot by just
observing.
 
6. What are the benefits you have received by taking on work experience candidates?
 
Seb: The benefits can be as we have discovered to come across a young talent that we can then nurture and take under our wing. We have done so with one such college graduate who we have employed and now works under a creative director on a couple of high profile accounts. He has grown enormously in the 4 years he has been with us.
The benefits to those who spend time in a design studio/agency is important and rewarding as many times they have no idea what to expect and it becomes an eye opener.
Also it is exciting for them to be part of a design job, ad campaign and know how it all came together from inception, ie the stress, back and forth, the detail and quality control, right through to achieving the final result.
Then they see it out there in the environment and know full well how much was involved in creating it.
 
7. Would you recommend or encourage other small businesses to get involved in work experience initiatives?
 
Seb: Yes most definitely, as much as it is sometimes a burden it is important
to remember our own beginnings and wanting to get a break in the industry. Whatever encouragement we can offer to allow someone an opportunity will only benefit the design community long term.

Thank you for your time, Seb.

To learn more about Sebastian and the cool creative he and his team come up with at Trovato Design, please go to http://www.trovatodesign.com.au/

I cannot help but notice of late there seems to be some strangeness brewing in the world of creative recruitment.

In the past we have discussed some alarming behaviour that was [unsurprisingly] born out of a buoyant recruitment market, such as cowboy recruitment taking place, bad attitude and arrogance on jobs, poor quality briefing, over inflated salaries and hourly rates etc...but of course, this was all conveniently overshadowed by the nice tidy bundle of money these cowboys were still making. And, of course money is what we all measure our success on -even when we say we don't - it is the major component of what business success boils down to.

In previous blogs and articles I have often commented that the GFC was not all bad, it was a time of reflection, evaluation and adjustment to a new freelance and permanent market. This led to, for the most part, a more streamlined, ethical and proactive recruitment process.

It led to a higher standard temporary and permanent talent in the industry in terms of technical skill and attitude. And it also led to a number of businesses in the creative arena working harder and smarter creatively and becoming more business savvy to survive. Now many of those mentioned above are flourishing as a result of their actions.

I paint a rosy picture don't I? And I think in general this is the case. But there are some potential negative rumblings that should be discussed before they impact on many of our businesses. Let me explain...

When "bad recruitment" took place during the boom, ie unethical behaviour, sloppy management etc by either the client doing it themselves, a talent or recruiter it was because vital care , consideration and attention was lacking somewhere in the process.
I like to believe this was not for want of trying to do it right, it was because everyone was so frantically busy and there was so much hiring going on it became impossible at times to do everything as thoroughly as one would like to do. However, there was such an abundance of work on it almost became socially acceptable not to speak to a freelancer and make them feel welcome when they came in, OK not to get back to someone on a job for ages because there were so many jobs anyway, people became accustomed to people pulling out of jobs - both temporary or permanent,  or you could quote on a job with very little explanation of costs or need for the justification of your services.

I don't know why but I always assumed these issues would right themselves once the market slowed down and good, healthy ethical recruitment would only exist. Probably because we identified this was the only type of recruiter, with this approach, that would survive a downturn.

But I have discovered that panic, nervousness and general uncertainty can be far more dangerous in breeding unhealthy recruitment process. On a personal level I can relate as you do feel the emotional frustration of not placing people into jobs when they are so in need of work and we are proactively trying to build our business.

If you are a recruiter or hiring manager that has a conscience ( I would say the majority that survived the GFC do) you would of identified that doing your job is tougher than ever.
Clients, their clients, talent and us recruiters are all working with battle scars from last year, its cold and dark outside in Sydney and everyone needs a holiday. (That's the foundations of our recruitment drives, so not a good place to be, to start with)

And this panic, nervousness and general uncertainty is causing erratic behaviour in our creative recruitment industry. In fact, based on some of our clients feedback, this erratic behaviour can be translated into jobs coming into their business from their clients. (Its on, its off, its supposed to be coming in the next two weeks but we are not sure) This adds major stress to any manager faced with a team almost at full capacity.
So the decision must be made to hire perm or book freelance. But then if it's been a while since you recruited who knows where to look, who to use, who to trust and how are you going to explain and justify those recruitment costs to your boss?

So what types of negative issues and unethical behaviour are we seeing around recruitment processes out there?

A common one is the window-shopping advert on a job board. Many of our talent looking for work at the moment are getting increasingly frustrated applying for jobs and not being successful and the few that have followed up they have been left questioning if their was a real job there in the first place. Be very careful with this as a) it's a lot of effort to go to just to see whats out there, b) its illegal to place an advert that cannot be related back to a specific job, c) it generates a lot of negative perception about your company within the job market.

If you want a snap shot of who is out there right now and what level of salary/ hourly rate you are looking at for them then ask a recruiter! We do this for a living, so we can always show you an example. We really don't mind discussing such things even if we know we are not going to be working with you on a job right now.

I must add that advertising for freelance people to build a pool for projects is totally acceptable, as long as you have the work to back up and justify the advert. And you communicate honestly and proactively with the applicants.

A bit of an add on to this issue is the lack of communication going on in the recruitment process. If you are hiring, please remember the people looking are nervous about moving, in fact they are even nervous about looking! As only about 14% of our job market that is actively out there, the rest are only peeping through one eye. So make sure you get back to everyone that approaches you for work. Otherwise this just breeds more frustration and nervousness in the job market.

We have seen an alarming number of talent feeling very negative about themselves and their work over the past 6 months and a lot of this is from applying to jobs and not hearing a peep back. It is a worry that some of these jobs might not have been real jobs so regardless of the quality of their creative they probably would not have been contacted about a job anyway.

Even if it is an email response at the very least (and not just automated reply) to explain why they have not been successful or where you are at with the process will help the talent feel more confident about looking for work. If you put an advert out there, you have a responsibility to its applicants.

I have even heard of cases where talent have applied for work with an agency, that was part of a larger group of agencies like many of them are now, and their CV was passed from agency to agency without any of them knowing. This is very unfair for the talent involved, unethical too as it is extremely dangerous if they are in permanent employment. I commend the proactive attempt to help these people get work, but it takes two seconds to call or email them to ask permission to pass on their details.

On the flip side, hiring managers and recruiters are finding the process tough too-there is extreme pressure to make hires as efficiently as possible, hiring managers are being pressured to keep costs to a minimum and if they are engaging a recruitment company then that company is under more pressure than ever to deliver a service far beyond what the hiring manager may have experienced before. (This last bit is a positive thing)

So if you are looking for work please bare all this in mind. Be totally honest about your situation and try to take a permanent job for the right reasons. If you have been freelancing for a long time and are about to see a smaller amount of annual earnings on your PAYG summary than you have  in a while you may naturally want to reach out for the stability of perm for the next 12 months or so.

I am a big advocate of people staying where they are happiest to belong, temp is temp and perm is perm.
However, I understand the nervousness in the market we are facing and people need to do what is best for them right now. If you are a freelancer taking a permanent job please evaluate if you can happily commit to this client for at least 12 months as a guide to your longevity.

Another concern I have come across, twice now in a space of 2 months is putting a potential candidate under pressure to pull out of a forward booked contract with another client. This in my book is unethical behaviour. We encourage clients to forward book freelancers to give the freelancer stability and the client piece of mind that their workload is covered. This will help remove the erratic nature of the freelance market.

By dangling a carrot of potential perm hiring in the future to entice the talent to pull out of a booking and to stay on in their current placement is not fair on the talent or the client that has been organised enough to forward book the individual.

In my experience, if a permanent offer is serious then a client will wait for that person and understand the need to complete their forward booked assignment if it is within a 3-5 week period. For those in longer contracts that are offered perm elsewhere I think its important for all parties to consider each other and negotiate a notice period. Remember, if you were in permanent employment there would be a 2-4 week notice period depending on your position anyway.

The last thing the freelance market needs is every booking to turn into a last minute request because we can no longer identify value in booking freelancers in advance for projects.

This discussion would not be complete without looking at salary. Employers must understand that salaries have not dropped. I understand the theory around post recession + abundance of talent out there = people work for peanuts. No! First of all we had a blip, not a recession here.
Anyone hiring right now knows there is not an abundance of talent out there that are right for them. They also know that if you want a really good hire, the best you can get for your business you must pay them what they are worth to attract and retain them.

To help justify this I urge talent that are looking to be totally honest about your salary expectations and don't be scared into taking something on less than you can afford to live on. Don't be afraid, if they are a good company and they are serious about hiring you at your level they will pay the market rate for you.
If you are unsure about the salary to look at for your skill set or for the position you are going to recruit for, call us! We can give you current market salaries on all creative positions and job descriptions that match.

These are a few of the issues we are currently facing, I could go on but they follow a common theme- they are born out of a lack of consideration for all parties involved in the recruitment process. When I talk about doing recruitment with a conscience it means putting you in the other person's shoes. Its something I have always tried to follow.  And I must add, I am far from perfect - for example, when we are crazy busy I cant get back to people when I want to - but when I do call I apologise and understand how frustrating it is not to hear back. That way trust can be helped along through the reliance in quality communication. We have to be able to put this trust in each other to help eliminate this erratic uncertainty in the job market.

Whether we are looking for a job, a freelance gig, hiring through our own means, using a recruiter or work as recruiter we must always try really hard to recruit with consideration to all parties. This will lead to more healthy process and a happier employment market. It will also help entice those only looking with one eye to look with both and move into the job they really want.

I cannot help but notice of late there seems to be some strangeness brewing in the world of creative recruitment.

In the past we have discussed some alarming behaviour that was [unsurprisingly] born out of a buoyant recruitment market, such as cowboy recruitment taking place, bad attitude and arrogance on jobs, poor quality briefing, over inflated salaries and hourly rates etc...but of course, this was all conveniently overshadowed by the nice tidy bundle of money these cowboys were still making. And, of course money is what we all measure our success on -even when we say we don't - it is the major component of what business success boils down to.

In previous blogs and articles I have often commented that the GFC was not all bad, it was a time of reflection, evaluation and adjustment to a new freelance and permanent market. This led to, for the most part, a more streamlined, ethical and proactive recruitment process.

It led to a higher standard temporary and permanent talent in the industry in terms of technical skill and attitude. And it also led to a number of businesses in the creative arena working harder and smarter creatively and becoming more business savvy to survive. Now many of those mentioned above are flourishing as a result of their actions.

I paint a rosy picture don't I? And I think in general this is the case. But there are some potential negative rumblings that should be discussed before they impact on many of our businesses. Let me explain...

When "bad recruitment" took place during the boom, ie unethical behaviour, sloppy management etc by either the client doing it themselves, a talent or recruiter it was because vital care , consideration and attention was lacking somewhere in the process.
I like to believe this was not for want of trying to do it right, it was because everyone was so frantically busy and there was so much hiring going on it became impossible at times to do everything as thoroughly as one would like to do. However, there was such an abundance of work on it almost became socially acceptable not to speak to a freelancer and make them feel welcome when they came in, OK not to get back to someone on a job for ages because there were so many jobs anyway, people became accustomed to people pulling out of jobs - both temporary or permanent,  or you could quote on a job with very little explanation of costs or need for the justification of your services.

I don't know why but I always assumed these issues would right themselves once the market slowed down and good, healthy ethical recruitment would only exist. Probably because we identified this was the only type of recruiter, with this approach, that would survive a downturn.

But I have discovered that panic, nervousness and general uncertainty can be far more dangerous in breeding unhealthy recruitment process. On a personal level I can relate as you do feel the emotional frustration of not placing people into jobs when they are so in need of work and we are proactively trying to build our business.

If you are a recruiter or hiring manager that has a conscience ( I would say the majority that survived the GFC do) you would of identified that doing your job is tougher than ever.
Clients, their clients, talent and us recruiters are all working with battle scars from last year, its cold and dark outside in Sydney and everyone needs a holiday. (That's the foundations of our recruitment drives, so not a good place to be, to start with)

And this panic, nervousness and general uncertainty is causing erratic behaviour in our creative recruitment industry. In fact, based on some of our clients feedback, this erratic behaviour can be translated into jobs coming into their business from their clients. (Its on, its off, its supposed to be coming in the next two weeks but we are not sure) This adds major stress to any manager faced with a team almost at full capacity.
So the decision must be made to hire perm or book freelance. But then if it's been a while since you recruited who knows where to look, who to use, who to trust and how are you going to explain and justify those recruitment costs to your boss?

So what types of negative issues and unethical behaviour are we seeing around recruitment processes out there?

A common one is the window-shopping advert on a job board. Many of our talent looking for work at the moment are getting increasingly frustrated applying for jobs and not being successful and the few that have followed up they have been left questioning if their was a real job there in the first place. Be very careful with this as a) it's a lot of effort to go to just to see whats out there, b) its illegal to place an advert that cannot be related back to a specific job, c) it generates a lot of negative perception about your company within the job market.

If you want a snap shot of who is out there right now and what level of salary/ hourly rate you are looking at for them then ask a recruiter! We do this for a living, so we can always show you an example. We really don't mind discussing such things even if we know we are not going to be working with you on a job right now.

I must add that advertising for freelance people to build a pool for projects is totally acceptable, as long as you have the work to back up and justify the advert. And you communicate honestly and proactively with the applicants.

A bit of an add on to this issue is the lack of communication going on in the recruitment process. If you are hiring, please remember the people looking are nervous about moving, in fact they are even nervous about looking! As only about 14% of our job market that is actively out there, the rest are only peeping through one eye. So make sure you get back to everyone that approaches you for work. Otherwise this just breeds more frustration and nervousness in the job market.

We have seen an alarming number of talent feeling very negative about themselves and their work over the past 6 months and a lot of this is from applying to jobs and not hearing a peep back. It is a worry that some of these jobs might not have been real jobs so regardless of the quality of their creative they probably would not have been contacted about a job anyway.

Even if it is an email response at the very least (and not just automated reply) to explain why they have not been successful or where you are at with the process will help the talent feel more confident about looking for work. If you put an advert out there, you have a responsibility to its applicants.

I have even heard of cases where talent have applied for work with an agency, that was part of a larger group of agencies like many of them are now, and their CV was passed from agency to agency without any of them knowing. This is very unfair for the talent involved, unethical too as it is extremely dangerous if they are in permanent employment. I commend the proactive attempt to help these people get work, but it takes two seconds to call or email them to ask permission to pass on their details.

On the flip side, hiring managers and recruiters are finding the process tough too-there is extreme pressure to make hires as efficiently as possible, hiring managers are being pressured to keep costs to a minimum and if they are engaging a recruitment company then that company is under more pressure than ever to deliver a service far beyond what the hiring manager may have experienced before. (This last bit is a positive thing)

So if you are looking for work please bare all this in mind. Be totally honest about your situation and try to take a permanent job for the right reasons. If you have been freelancing for a long time and are about to see a smaller amount of annual earnings on your PAYG summary than you have  in a while you may naturally want to reach out for the stability of perm for the next 12 months or so.

I am a big advocate of people staying where they are happiest to belong, temp is temp and perm is perm.
However, I understand the nervousness in the market we are facing and people need to do what is best for them right now. If you are a freelancer taking a permanent job please evaluate if you can happily commit to this client for at least 12 months as a guide to your longevity.

Another concern I have come across, twice now in a space of 2 months is putting a potential candidate under pressure to pull out of a forward booked contract with another client. This in my book is unethical behaviour. We encourage clients to forward book freelancers to give the freelancer stability and the client piece of mind that their workload is covered. This will help remove the erratic nature of the freelance market.

By dangling a carrot of potential perm hiring in the future to entice the talent to pull out of a booking and to stay on in their current placement is not fair on the talent or the client that has been organised enough to forward book the individual.

In my experience, if a permanent offer is serious then a client will wait for that person and understand the need to complete their forward booked assignment if it is within a 3-5 week period. For those in longer contracts that are offered perm elsewhere I think its important for all parties to consider each other and negotiate a notice period. Remember, if you were in permanent employment there would be a 2-4 week notice period depending on your position anyway.

The last thing the freelance market needs is every booking to turn into a last minute request because we can no longer identify value in booking freelancers in advance for projects.

This discussion would not be complete without looking at salary. Employers must understand that salaries have not dropped. I understand the theory around post recession + abundance of talent out there = people work for peanuts. No! First of all we had a blip, not a recession here.
Anyone hiring right now knows there is not an abundance of talent out there that are right for them. They also know that if you want a really good hire, the best you can get for your business you must pay them what they are worth to attract and retain them.

To help justify this I urge talent that are looking to be totally honest about your salary expectations and don't be scared into taking something on less than you can afford to live on. Don't be afraid, if they are a good company and they are serious about hiring you at your level they will pay the market rate for you.
If you are unsure about the salary to look at for your skill set or for the position you are going to recruit for, call us! We can give you current market salaries on all creative positions and job descriptions that match.

These are a few of the issues we are currently facing, I could go on but they follow a common theme- they are born out of a lack of consideration for all parties involved in the recruitment process. When I talk about doing recruitment with a conscience it means putting you in the other person's shoes. Its something I have always tried to follow.  An I must add, I am far from perfect - for example, when we are crazy busy I cant get back to people when I want to - but when I do call I apologise and understand how frustrating it is not to hear back. We have to be able to trust each other to help eliminate this erratic uncertainty in the job market.

Whether we are looking for a job, a freelance gig, hiring through our own means, using a recruiter or work as recruiter we must always try really hard to recruit with consideration to all parties. This will lead to more healthy process and a happier employment market. It will also help entice those only looking with one eye to look with both and move into the job they really want.

"The term used by Aquent to describe the situation where a freelancer has been booked in two places at the same time or being requested to stay on in a current booking and the freelancer is already committed elsewhere "

After about 16 months of either nearly non existent work or cruisy freelance booking capability it seems strange to discuss the event of the double up, but it is happening and I can guarantee it will have the opportunity to happen more frequently in the coming months.
The reason why I chose this as a topic of conversation? I noticed that in some cases there really has been little identification of social etiquette around what to do in the event of a double up.
What is good business practice? What is bad business practice?  And how can we all work together to ensure such dramas don't occur (and they will crop up as the market slowly begins to return to the frantic pace of pre GFC) and most importantly, how can we best deal with the situation, from a client and a freelancer's perspective?
I thought it would be good to discuss a couple of typical scenarios that can happen- or have happened and discuss some outcomes to help guide us through the months ahead.
As per my hint above around lack of "business etiquette" I have noticed that in some cases that the situation has not been handled at all well either by the client, the freelancer or dare I say it the recruitment consultant. Sadly even in some cases quite unethical behaviour has taken place and this does not bode well at all for our freelance industry.
 
1. The Pinocchio
The first case in question did involve one of our freelancers, a booking with Aquent and a booking with her own client. And honestly, what triggered me to write this article.
We forward booked her, for a weeks holiday cover. Her client had extended her week by week, back tracked a bit on that at times (like a few in the recent months due to fluctuating work load) The freelancer told the client just over a week in advance that she had this forward booking, when the client had requested an extension of her into the week before.
The client then appeared to be quite annoyed about this booking and asked if she would pull out of it as they were likely to need her for at least the next 4 weeks (this was news to our freelancer who to date could only be committed to for a few days at a time so one could question how realistic was the commitment of the further 3 weeks after the week ahead?)
So she very efficiently offered a meet in the middle- someone can cover her whilst she did our booking- and then she returns to continue on the project.
The client then said well, if that's what you want to do then we will start using someone else for all our freelance work unless you stay on.  Ok so, in that situation what to do?

a) Option A - Pull out of the job and stay on? Not good for the other booking (or the other agency and their client) It does show a total disregard for the others involved and these clients remember that, and so do we.
This can jeopardise your chance of getting a repeat booking with the recruitment agency, or their forward booking client. I would also question the integrity of a client that puts a freelancer in such a position.
It does make me wonder about the certainty of the "guaranteed work" that has magically appeared on the table, especially considering the client could not commit to more than a few days extension to date.
It could be the classic Pinocchio - if as a freelancer you notice their nose extend quite rapidly whilst they dangle such a temptation of chunky work, be careful no to fall for it.
We have seen freelancers pull out of jobs to take non-existent job extensions - even promise of permanent placements - that have not materialised.
Sadly these people have been left a bit high and dry with us no longer representing them and a path of several disgruntled clients in their wake.
Of course, I must add that the bulk of the clients out there are fair, decent and often the request and panic is completely genuine.
I think a lot of it has to do with the delivery.
We often have to do "shuffles" to try to accommodate everybody's needs wherever possible. However, I know we, and freelancers direct do not respond well to requests that come with a threat of replacement unless this candidate pulls out of the other gig, as I am sure the client doing the threatening would be most disgruntled if their freelancer pulled out of a forward booked gig with them.
That's a good point right there- people forward book people for a reason. Because they want it all organised in advance and they have picked a specific person. They should not be penalised for being more organised and committed than a client requesting an extension at the last minute. So when put in such a situation as a freelancer, it bodes well to remember the above.

b) Option B - Apologise for not being able to stay on and take the other gig as already arranged. It is good business practice to do so, and what I am writing here is not rocket science, but its good to talk about these situations and remind our selves what is the right thing to do.
We have all seen a tough year so clients don't want to jeopardise work by loosing their freelance resource when the work finally starts piling in, and likewise freelancers don't want to miss out on work and jeopardise their client relationships.
If as a freelancer you are caught in a prickly situation such as this I strongly advise you take the time to explain to the client why you cannot stay on, and spell out the impact it would have on the other client (and recruitment agency if there is one involved) if you did.
Any client worth their salt will understand and as painful as it is trying to cope without you or bringing in someone else they will understand and respect your decision. 
Remember clients have not had to deal with such dilemmas for such a long time and have had the luxury to book or extend at the last minute with ease so it best to go through all this.
A nice touch would be to suggest forward booking you again in the coming weeks for more projects to "avoid such instances" wherever possible again. Clients who work with us regularly know that's all we harp on about at the moment. Forward book to avoid disappointment. ...and! Try some one new!
If you have 2 or 3 freelancers you like using, the "shuffle" is not as painful at all as you know the replacement, and! they already know not to use your special mug in the kitchen and they can find the loo OK.

Bottom line, the market is shifting again, so we need to shift mind set and adapt to the new surroundings. And that means planning your freelance need a little more ahead of time than recent months.

2. The Enron
There is a situation that sometimes crops up that like the one mentioned above, putting both the freelancer and the client in a very difficult position. A freelancer takes a job, all be it through a recruitment agency or direct, on a slightly lower rate than what they have been used to getting.
This has been extremely common over the past 12- 16months, due to the market shift and the tightening of budgets. Fine when freelance demand is low, and we thank ALL our freelancers (and it has been the bulk of them) that have been so flexible with rates over the past 12 months or so. However this is not sustainable for them long term and when demand increases there is less of an inclination to offer a reduced rate- and rightly so.
Like I have said, not rocket science but good to explain. Also it is common knowledge that freelancers earn less per hour going through an agency like ourselves in some cases, but most feel this is off set by value added showcasing (exploring new places to work and lining up projects for when they finish their own gigs, in theory more opportunity of different and higher volume of work in a 12 month period) and a weekly pay packet, not having to wait for payment for a month or more.
Most freelancers will choose how much work time they can afford to allocate to an agency's responsibility. For example, many of our freelancers depend on us all the time for work, some 50/50 some 80/20 etc.
So what to do if you are booked in a gig through a recruitment company or your own client and it is paying a bit less than what you can get at some other places, and one of these places wants to book you as soon as they can for a higher rate?

a) Option A - Pull out the job you are in and go to the other place because it pays more and you need to look after number one and your bank balance, so who cares about anyone who suffers in the process. (Hence "The Enron")
I can see the logic, but it is not good business practice to do so. And here's why. The biggest component to managing (some may say juggling) a freelance business is considering the expectations set.
If you commit to a project on a certain rate, you should honour it.
If you are not happy working to that rate don't take the job in the first place. If a client has booked you on a gig for a few days or weeks and as part of the information with that booking was the clients expectation that the booking may extend further then it is important to check with that client prior to accepting anything else. Because that was the expectation set.
Likewise, it is a clients responsibility to tell a freelancer asap if the booking is extending or if it is finishing as the expectation of the freelancer is to prioritise this job over anything else that comes in.
By just booking yourself into something else without checking with the agency or client first says a lot about you as a freelancer and can be perceived very negatively by both parties.
We know, from the majority of freelancers that do check in first, it takes two seconds to confirm then everyone knows where they stand and no one misses out on any bookings.
Like wise for clients, we are about to face a very busy season of freelance so it is critical you do everything to attract and retain the best freelancers.
Don't put them off by not communicating well around when a job is really starting, potentially finishing etc. Also, be mindful of the increase in demand if you do have freelancers on lower rates with no discussion about the end date of the booking. A lot of this management of expectations comes down to thorough communication - not rocket science, just good old common sense.

b) Option B -Speak to your agent or client contact to discuss and see if a replacement can be arranged without upsetting the client and the relationship with them before you accept the other work.
It is important to make a decision once you have all the information, and based on what expectation was set.
Be totally honest about your rate increase with the other job as sometimes there is an opportunity to get your rate adjusted where you are, especially if the booking is on a reduced rate and it was something agreed a little while ago.
A good tip for future booking is that if you do agree a reduced rate only do it for a set time period or for a specific job. Agree with the client to review the rate at the end of this time to allow the client opportunity to factor in an adjustment and on charge it.
It also allows you time to evaluate if you can still afford to work at this rate. Whenever you do quote on a job and you are doing a "good deal" always make the client aware of this. This can be with the rate, or the total hours spent on the job vs what was charged to keep in the budget set.
It is important to always make the client aware of the actual time it takes to do certain things so that if you do end up cutting a special deal this time, you know next time budget can be set aside for all that is required, not just some of it.

3. The Great Escape
Ah yes, the common scenario of taking a booking and then just booking in something else without checking with anyone first. I.e. Client : "Hello Mr freelancer , wow its Friday already but hey, we would love to keep you on next week" Freelancer: Oh, sorry Mr Client ...Surprise! I start a full time job on Monday."
Oh yes, this does happen - and its happening a lot at the moment with this strange tide turning market we are experiencing.
There are oodles of people freelancing whilst looking for permanent work. So, what to do?

a) Option A  - Pull a Steve McQueen, just escape and don't tell anyone. Not good business practice, and not that far removed from The Enron scenario. It causes the same negative effect and encourages you not to be requested back by the clients you do it to. During the booming days this was a major weakness in the market with people job-hopping all over the place - temp and perm.
Clients must watch out for this as the market gets busier and more of you begin to depend on freelancers as the year goes by. Try to hire permanent when ready - hopefully one of your freelancers will be one of these permanent candidates moonlighting as a freelancer so you can hire them full time and everyone's problems are solved.
If you are a client who depends on freelancers throughout the year make sure the people you are using right now and planning to use are not people from a permanent pot.
The chances are post June 30th they wont be around anymore. (new budgets = new permanent roles)
It's hard to pick out pure freelancers to add to your pool, but talking to them and asking the question soon clears that up in most cases.
We have many clients interviewing freelancers of ours for future freelance jobs coming up so that they have a pool they are comfortable utilising.
It is time-consuming yes, but it encourages variety, raising of benchmarks around skill sets and piece of mind when booking or changing people over. I find a major cause of freelance drama- last minute bookings changing, canceling, people leaving etc is assumption buy one or both parties. Never assume anything.
 
b) Option B - Share information prior to action.
As a freelancer, if you are interviewing on permanent jobs and you are at second interview stage there is a good chance you will be offered a job. Let your recruitment consultant know, so they can make the client aware. Don't assume that we know what you are planning or doing...we can be perceptive beings, but we are not mind readers.
Also remember how stupid we look not knowing your intentions when the client calls us to tell us they cant extend you because you are off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro on Monday. Of course, if you are working with a client directly, keep your client informed of your plans too.
Don't be afraid to tell them you are interviewing for permanent work in case they cut your booking short.
You are already in there , they like using you and will want to use you as much as they can before you go.
It might even trigger the conversation to speak to you about working permanently there. (Nothing more frustrating than finding out a client wants to hire you perm after you have accepted somewhere else that is not as cool for you)
Likewise, the assumption can be a problem on the client side. If a client has had the luxury of extending someone week by week since January and has started getting extremely busy recruitment is often the last thing they think of, including the extension of a freelancer who has conveniently just been around all the time anyway.
A recruitment consultant can help a client with this by (annoyingly some might say) putting pressure on them to commit to making a decision on the freelancer earlier in the week- but this is to avoid disappointment and panic if the client finds come Friday they can't extend them.
Always ask the questions and always share as much information as you need to do your job in a professional manner -this goes for freelancers and clients alike - and recruitment consultants if they are responsible for the process also.
To avoid a great escape situation tell the client what your future plans are, keep them up to date either directly or through the agent you work with.

This is common sense stuff folks, but it is good to discuss, refresh and remind ourselves how to manage freelance bookings with best business practice in mind.

When I first joined Aquent in Sydney in 2005, I found myself in a freelance market unlike one I had ever experienced before. It was really 
booming, bookings were rolling in and in some cases we ran out of talent to 
fill them. As wonderful as that sounds now (especially in light of the last 
year or so), it had generated all kinds of challenges for clients and talent, 
some of which that we are still facing today.

One thing that I always remember finding a little concerning and ultimately unsustainable was the generalist nature and frivolity of some 
bookings. A common example was that some clients, being so busy, were thankful just 
to have access to any freelancer, as soon as they could get them booked in. In
 some cases, little focus was given to exactly what they would be doing, who 
they would be working with etc.  Another
 concern was that often there was very little interaction between the freelancer
 and the client apart from a "can u do this, can you get that bit changed ...I
 don't have time to brief, can you just get it from my scribble?"- Not the best
 set up really, although some could argue this is the function of a freelancer -
go in, get the job done, interpret it exactly right on the spot and don't talk
 to anyone....and don't even think about using the kitchen! However, for those of 
you that are regular readers, you'll know that I have always highlighted that
 the freelancer, being one of the more expensive assets to your studio, should 
always be given the most attention in briefing and the best equipment to enable
 them to work at optimum efficiency, after all time is money in this case.

However, it's only fair to point out that there were also challenges with the freelancers. Freelancers could in theory pick and choose
 where they worked (do you remember the juggling days?!) and work was abundant,
 so the importance of building a relationship with every client that they worked 
for, was not always front of mind for some. And, overall there was a mutual feeling
 between client and talent, that as long as the work was completed well and 
within deadline, then no one really cared about the person who did it or the
 studio it was completed in. As I am writing these words down, I realise they do 
sound rather harsh and looking back, I must say for my part, I wasn't proud to
 be working in such an environment, which for us becomes very fast paced and 
purely transactional. I knew, even then that this was not how I wanted to build 
relationships with my customers and that it was not possible for business to sustain 
itself this way or for us to provide the best quality of service consistently,
 but had no idea what, when or who would change it. And then the bubble burst.

During the first 6 months of 2009, which I refer to as the 'counseling months' of the year - we began the counseling of talent left high and dry with 
no work for the first time in years, then there were clients left high and dry 
with no work for the first time in years and fearful for their jobs and of
 course there was us at Aquent, finding a significant reduction in requirements 
and for the first time in years unable to keep all our talent busy.
This kind of 'in the same boat' fear, I think fused a lot of teams together in their businesses. Those who "weathered out the storm" became
 closer and stronger as a result.

On a personal level I can relate to this. All of a sudden I felt very aware of a desire to be around people who were passionate about their 
job and could help me feel positive and confident about riding the storm and 
finding a way to get through it. I think many of us felt this way and all of a 
sudden the characteristics being asked for freelance-wise were not just good technical 
skills but a positive personality and/or a familiar face in the studio. Now I
 think this was a mix of wanting someone who was tried and tested rather than
 someone that was unknown but also because studios needed someone who would
 bring the right attitude and enhance the studio moral/ environment. By booking freelancers 
that already knew a lot about the studio there was a good chance the freelancer 
themselves would be more emotionally connected to the studio. I don't know 
about you, but this theory conjured up an image in my head of shipwrecked studio folk clinging to a rock calling out "we survived!" and a freelancer 
clinging to a neighbouring rock calling out "so did I!" and then they all swim 
to an island and hug.

From a freelancer's perspective, last year was just as emotional for them. Life as a freelancer can be quite solitary at the best of
times, but add to that a eerie quietness on the work front, no manager to offer
 support and guidance or fellow workers to seek comfort in, no chances to
 compare stories or benchmark their level of work and it's no wonder they 
developed an overwhelming desire to belong, to be part of the crew. In fact, throughout 
the early part of the year the most common call to us from a freelancer, was to 
find out what was going on 'out there' and if they were alone or if others were 
without work too.

I think freelancers used this quiet time to reflect on themselves, their skill sets and how they were perceived in the market and many
 identified that good skills alone were clearly not enough to secure work. 
Personality is now a large part of what 
a client looks for when booking someone in. We could see this coming through 
last year as the bulk of our requests from clients were for regular talent that 
they already knew. If their regular was not free, then they would rather make 
do and not book in someone they didn't know- even when we had someone else who 
was available with equal/relevant work experience.  Partly, I think some of this was due to restricted budgets 
and the fact that using someone familiar meant no/little time bringing them up 
to speed with the studio and therefor fewer hours required to achieve the same 
result. However, I also think that the reason a client wants to book a specific 
freelancer is not only because of their skill set but also their personality 
fit and their familiarity with the studio, so as not to upset the emotional
 bond the studio has formed as a result of the affects of last year.

Now, saying that, familiarity can sometimes breed complacency and a more causal/assumptive approach from both client and 
freelancer - especially when it comes to briefing etc. Its always important to
 remember that familiar is fine as long as you still work to the same levels of
 communication and expectation as you did on day one of the job.

So, on a final note, I think as a freelancer, you must be aware of the emotional development that has taken place within studio 
environments and make sure you enter and leave every studio with the client
(and your peers) feeling you've offered a positive, professional and friendly
 vibe and wanting you to return for that reason as well as your technical
 abilities. You will then forge more long-term relationships with clients and gain 
more new clients through referrals and word of mouth. And if the last twelve 
months have taught us anything, it's that it was those freelancers, with those 
types of relationships, which were the ones still busy last year.

From a client perspective, I think it is important to remember that freelancers don't always have thick skins and even the ones that
 do, will have had them stripped a little after surviving last year.  Many of them are now aware of the 
importance of fitting in and not just impressing you with their technical 
skills so welcome them with open arms and perhaps now's the time to try someone 
new if your regular guy is not available.

If your desk area has started to resemble a small dysfunctional recycling plant, complete with its own ecosystem growing from a well used coffee mug it might be time to face the fact you need an extra pair of hands to lighten the work load. Many people have had to "cope" through the past 6 months due to budget restrictions but as we get busier it is time to reevaluate ( and in some cases try to renegotiate budget) for your freelance requirements. I feel it would be helpful to you all if I pointed out 10 top tips to help you ensure you get the best freelance experience if and when you need help in the coming weeks, either through Aquent, through another agency or through your own freelancers you have worked with directly.

1. Plan ahead as much as possible. Yes, I can hear you now saying we currently can't commit until the last minute due to budget restrictions and fluctuating workload etc. Yes that's fine, we understand that. We are seeing many a job come in at the last minute, but if there is a specific need on the horizon or a specific freelancer you want to book, it's good to give the heads up, even if the job is not confirmed yet. The market has shifted recently and freelancers are picking up quite a bit of work again, especially the ones that are always sought after. Not to want to sound like an advert for Ticketek, but please book early to avoid disappointment.
   
   
2. Keep in contact with your freelancers/recruitment contacts. Many people have not used freelancers for six months or more in some cases. If you had a "pool of temps" last year and have not spoken to them recently, chances are the pool may have dried up. If you think there is a chance you will need to rely on a temp or two in the coming months then now is the time to call your contacts and see who is out there still. If you would like further help, you know where to find us!
   
   
3. Be aware of hourly rates for freelancers. Some people may assume that rates have dropped significantly due to the drop in the temp market over the past six months this is not the case. Value for money is still very much the gage for freelance pricing. The best finished artist or the best creative designer can still easily command the same rates they got last year. The bookings maybe shorter or less frequent, but the old adage still stands-pay peanuts get monkeys. It's also important to note that because people are more aware of their pennies, the freelancers are under more pressure and have to do more than ever before during their bookings, and be more accommodating than ever. Forcing them back unrealistically on their rate will only discourage them from going that extra mile for you and will leave them feeling rather disheartened. There is the added risk that they may even step away from your job for another project that will pay their proper rate.
   
   
4. Zero tolerance. On the flip side of the above point, don't be afraid to have zero tolerance when it comes to freelance attitude and skill. The fluctuating market has been a good reality check for many temps (and businesses alike). It allowed everyone breathing space to re-evaluate their skills, roles, offering and attitude towards their business. We have seen more fantastic talent come on to our books than ever before this year. They are up skilled to the max and have a real can do attitude. So if you have booked a freelancer and the skill isn't quite there and they are not being as helpful round the clock as they could be it might be, time to try someone new.
   
   
5. Have a recruitment agency as a back up if you haven't before. Going back to point number three, due to gaps, you may have had the need to use freelancers. You may get stuck if your guys aren't free or around anymore. Make your recruitment agency choice off the back of people's feedback. We all say similar things about our creative recruitment offerings, so the proof is in the pudding somewhat. Put your feelers out amongst colleagues and staff to see who has had the best experience with an agency and who you feel is best suited for your business. If you can't decide on one, give a brief to a couple and see what they come back with and for what price.
   
   
6. Be specific on your briefs. Everyone has had to check his or her work process. This is a good thing as it means many studios are now working more efficiently and work flow is better organised. This has a knock on effect to freelance hires and certainly from my perspective as an agent it makes the temp booking so much easier and stress free. We hardly hear about any situations where the freelancer is left twiddling their thumbs due to jobs not arriving when they should, which is great, as that is no fun for anyone and probably causes the most embarrassment for the freelancer that has been hired. In light of this better working practice, don't be afraid to be specific on your brief. This helps us (or your own freelancer/other agency) to maintain efficient consistency in your studio by giving you a very accurate placement. Yes we are getting busier, so we may experience a talent shortage situation at times, however we have a large pool of talent to choose from. This year, talent know what they are best at more than ever, as they really had to sit down and evaluate themselves. So please always bear this in mind when making a booking.
   
   
7. Don't be afraid to extend bookings. If you are at 80% work capacity, book to continue on with the same talent. This will ensure that you maintain consistency with the same freelancer. September and October are traditionally the busiest times of year, especially for typesetters and long document specialists. If you have jobs coming in requiring such people, it is best to book them and then move the dates if the work does come in a bit later than expected. Don't feel bad if you change the start or continuation date as the freelancers can normally pick up plenty of work around your booking at this time of year.
   
   
8. Be upfront about your budget. Always come to your agent/freelancers with what you have in the money jar, even if you know it is a small amount. I know I sound like I am contradicting myself, but I always encourage clients to still come to me if they have a genuinely tiny budget but really need help. If you have a good relationship with your freelancers/agency that you use, they should always be able to give you some options - it may not always be doable, but if you don't ask, you don't know.
   
   
9. Be organised. Make sure you have computers organised for everyone to use and they work properly (obvious really, but when things get really hectic and multiple freelancers are booked in, this can be a big Monday morning headache). Many of the freelancers have their own equipment and also are fully set up at home. With capabilities where they are now many jobs can be produced offsite with very little disruption.
   
   
10. Don't be afraid to try someone new. Finally, there are so many great people out there now, it is worth revisiting your benchmark of quality and seeing what else people can offer and do for you. We only know what we know, and sometimes when we are exposed to new people and new ideas we can see so much more opportunity.