In the past week, I’ve been approached by a large supermarket chain (one that is based on my own community) and national magazine publication to blog about their newest marketing initiatives.
Neither offered any form of compensation.
I struggle with working for companies without compensation. What do you have to do to prove that you’re worthy of compensation? How much should you do just because you’re a brand enthusiast? Are you blacklisting yourself when you say ‘no thank you’ to these ‘opportunities?’
In the end, I think it comes down to companies valuing me as much as I value them.
And a surprising number of them don’t even come close.
They want our readers. Our platform. Our social media presence. But they don’t value us enough to offer compensation for any of it.
And lets be clear – I’m not asking for unjustified compensation. I’m asking for the fair market value of my work from companies that approach me asking for my time and resources. In some cases, I’m even willing to forgo monetary compensation for other intrinsic benefits.
If you’re a nonprofit, I’m more than happy to offer a blog post to help your cause. If you’re a small business, I’m more than willing to offer reduce rates.
If you’re a large conglomerate, please know that you’re undervaluing and underestimating our work when you send us an ‘opportunity’ that only benefits your company. It’s insulting and it’s frustrating.
I’m not threatening to ‘out’ any of these companies. I’m not boycotting their stores or products. But I will decline to work with them when asked and tell them exactly why.
Companies pay for television and newspaper ads. They pay to send junk mail and fliers. Why is it acceptable to pay for those forms of advertising, but not to pay someone in their own community for quality work?
A payment that may very well be used to make a purchase at their store or to buy their magazine.
I had a great interview this morning with a company called Liaison that provides insourcing – onsite marketing and creative services for large clients. It’s a fantastic concept that can supply a company with a few creative team members or an entire marketing department and serves to keep overhead low and keep more people employed.
I think it’s the perfect solution for marketers during this tough economy and a nice alternative to hiring a hoity toity MARCOM agency – but that’s a post for another time.
During the course of the interview, the guy I was interviewing with asked me how my job search was going. He didn’t want specifics, he just wanted to know if I had any other opportunities and a general overview of the job market.
I told him that interviews are hard to come by, but that’s partly my own doing, because I don’t apply for jobs that I’m not genuinely interested in. It’s a waste of my time and the recruiter’s time if I arbitrarily apply for every job with “marketing” in the title.
In the long run, you only serve to disappoint yourself when you think of how many applications you’ve submitted with NO response and your resume just ends up getting in the pile with every other applicant that’s doing the same thing!
I had mentioned that I was a blogger, and he said that I had to blog that. As a recruiter, he wanted more job applicants to know that the job search is about quality, not quantity.
Take the time to submit quality applications to jobs that you’re genuinely interested in and qualified to perform and you’ll increase your chances of finding that perfect job fit.
That’s this job-seeker’s tip for the day, straight from a recruiter!
One of my favorite ways to say a little money and still enjoy a night out is by buying restaurant gift certificates from Restaurant.com.
$25 restaurant gift certificates for $10 sounds like a fantastic deal, but wait for a coupon code and those same gift certificates are only $2!
Since moving to a new city, we’ve really taken advantage of trying new restaurants by buying gift certificates from Restaurant.com. I stocked up and bought $250 worth of gift certificates for $20 with a coupon code!
Follow @Restaurant_com for the latest coupon codes and snatch up those $2 gift certificates!
The discount code SAVOR will get you 80% off right now!
This is not a sponsored post, but it is a Thrifty Tip.
Texas needs to take a queue from Indiana and consolidate their license and registration applications. We spent all day yesterday at the tax office and BMV getting our cars registered and new licenses issued – which we have to wait to be mailed to us. What a waste of time and money.
$390 plates
$50 license
$6 Sonic
$33 CVS
But thanks to an AMEX gift card that I won from Invisalign at Blissdom, these expenses didn’t come out of our pocket, and we have $75 left!
The gist is that consumerism is America’s worst habit and the goal is to prove that by paring down your belongings to just 100 things, you can live a fuller life without an abundance of “stuff.”
If each individual possession counts towards the “100 things,” then count me out. I need a toothbrush, mascara, black shoes and brown shoes. If grouping is allowed, say toiletries, clothes, and cooking utensils, then I’m not sure I even own 100 things to begin with.
Before we moved form Chicago to Texas, I did some major purging. If it cost more to move it then it was worth, it was donated, recycled, or thrown away. We’re now down to necessities and I’d like to keep it that way.
Either way, that house is adorable and we would buy it.
Is MTV Cribs still on television? Given the current state of the economy, do people still like to see celebrity indulgence? I don’t see it as fun and lighthearted when that lifestyle is so unattainable.
Are there any stats on how many celebrity cribs have been foreclosed on? Especially those featured on MTV Cribs?
Not that I would laugh at celebrity misfortune. Oh no.
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