Last month I was on my usual Web sites checking out job openings and I came across a promising item that was right up my alley. Freelance graphic design, page layout, graphic arts. Everything you see on my resume in one small ad. So I started to apply. I usually take the time to open a Word Processing document and type out my cover letter/response there and then copy and paste it into the Web site I'm applying in. But the job poster asked for a short, concise cover letter so I figured I could write something up in a jiffy and just send it off. As I started to look over my resume I noticed errors I had not caught when I last updated it. So there I was having to re-edit and re-upload my resume to the site. My nicely written, short but sweet cover letter timed out and I lost it. Damn. Back to the beginning. Wrote out another nice short cover and started to send the application. The site would not let me send without attaching my resume. But the job poster had asked for no attachments. Hit the wrong button and lost yet another cover letter. Damn. Pause. Is this worth it? Just send it. Another go at it and I finally got it right.
A short while later I got an email response. She needed someone right away but I was too qualified for what she needed. She could only pay me a small fee. Not wanting to lose an opportunity I assured her I'd work within her budget. We had a nice phone conversation, she sent over images and told me what she needed, I worked diligently on the item(s) and turned them in either on schedule or before. There seemed to be no issues. But for some reason after sending the 2nd of the 2 items she needed done all communications stopped and I never got paid.
I know that at least one of the two items is being used for what she had needed it for. I am unsure of the second item, but should know more about that one in a few weeks. I'm not pursuing anything, it would be more time and effort than it is worth, which may be why she did it.
The one main thing I can take away from this experience is research and rethink. Although I did my research on the company name before I sent in my resume, I noted several images that were iffy in the design department and that should have been a red flag for me. Also when a person says your work is too good for what they can pay, think twice and ask yourself if they are going to pay at all.
On the plus side, as far as I can tell my name was not removed from the image that is in use. And I have two new items for my portfolio that I am proud of.
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