Lori Franze | FreshGigs.ca - Part 2

Author Archives: Lori Franze

The Transition from Freelance to Full-Time

The Transition from Freelance to Full-Time

As a freelancer, who has been at it for almost four years, I think of the move back to full-time with a frequency that’s dependent on many factors. Right now you may be a freelancer, or maybe you are thinking about trying your hand at freelancing, but want to be sure you have a proper exit plan just in case.

Lauren Riley, who once was a freelancer and is now the social media and marketing manger for Bubble Job Board in the UK, wrote 5 Tips for Moving from Freelance to Full-Time Employment for the Business2Community audience. Her top three tips are:

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Why You Should Be Taking Your Vacation

Why You Should Be Taking Your Vacation

Everyone loves taking time off from work, well almost everyone or at least half of the population does. Think back to your last vacation, once it actually started and you were able to start to relax with a drink in hand. Don’t think about the days leading up to it where you had to wrap up 3,451 things, brief the team on what would need to happen while you’re away, ensure your desk isn’t resembling a dump site and set up the out of office message on your phone and email! I don’t think anyone would deny that taking a break from the daily grind is beneficial but so many people don’t take the time they need and/ or when they do they are still connected to work by their smartphone.

In a Huffington Post article, Renee Jacques highlights some of the key benefits (some we surely already know) of taking time off:

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Life Lessons from Gene Simmons

TheArtOf - Life Lessons from Gene Simmons

This week I was lucky enough to be able to attend The Art of Marketing conference; not only was the day packed with great speakers who provided all kind of insights and really got me excited again about the world of marketing, but Gene Simmons was the keynote speaker. Not being a fan of KISS I was not as excited about seeing him speak as some until a few minutes in to his session when I realized that this man knows a thing or two about marketing, business and how to be a success.

I don’t think anyone who has been in his audiences can deny that the man is very confident and dare I say a narcissist but he has a reason for it—KISS has made more money through licensing than any other musical entity. There is something to be said for that. He still performs to this day and has too many companies to even mention. He is in advertising, publishing, producing and has recently launched a chain of restaurants Rock and Brews (arriving soon in Canada).

Mentors will take you up the ladder, they will tell you what to do and where to go, so you too can achieve your dreams.

During his hour long talk Gene had us laughing (literally out loud) as he bantered with his wife, Shannon Tweed, who is very successful in her own right, but also dispersed many smart life lessons:

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Should You Lie on Your Resume?

Should You Lie On Your Resume

The answer is an obvious, resounding NO! But a recent survey from The Society of Human Resources Managers reported that 53% of the resumes and job applications they reviewed contained false information. Now that information could be fraudulent degrees, altered employment dates, false references and inflated pay claims. And in an online survey done by AOL Jobs, 26.5% of respondents stated that they either have lied or would consider lying on a resume.

Obviously Human Resource departments are aware that this type of inaccurate information finds its way on to resumes. There was actually a recent post on HRMOnline with tips for human resource professionals on how to catch resume lies throughout their hiring process. This post isn’t meant to give you any ideas on how to outsmart HR, but to instead inform you on the ways you might be caught if you decide to add some fiction to your application:

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Sometimes It’s the Little Things

Sometimes It's The Little Things

So you’ve spent hours working on your resume, maybe days. You’ve probably read our last blog post on how to perfect it and now it is time to send it off to the HR department of your dream company. But don’t send it just yet. There are some little things you can do that you probably haven’t even thought of, which might give you a tiny edge over another candidate.

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How to Determine your Freelance Rate

How to Determine Your Freelance Rate

Are you a freelancer or considering becoming one?

More people are taking on freelance roles, completing projects for companies on a short term or contract basis, as opposed to working for one company in traditional full-time roles. A 2010 study done by Intuit predicts that 40% of the U.S. workforce will be comprised of freelancers by 2020—and Canada shouldn’t be too far behind.

A challenge you’ll experiences as a freelancer is determining what you should charge your clients. While it may sound easy coming up with a rate to charge, in reality it’s far more complicated than just picking a number.

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Getting the Follow up Right

Getting the Follow up Right - FreshGigs

You’ve had an interview for a role you are interested in, what do you do next to try and secure an offer? There is no question that you follow-up but how do you do it so that you break through all the noise that crosses your future bosses desk?

Try and make a personal connection and make sure your response isn’t canned.

Nick Cicero of Klout shares 3 Tips to Master the Art of the Follow up:

Timing

You want to send the first follow up within a couple days. While I agree with Nick on the timing, he refers to this contact as an email, which I believe, should be a written note. If you don’t hear anything within a week you should follow up with an email. Remember there is a fine balance between following up and becoming a pest.

If your first two contacts go unanswered it is probably best to give it more time before you reach out again. It is possible that things have been delayed and the lack of contact is not related to your candidacy.

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Creative Interview Questions – Are You Prepared?

Creative Interview Questions - Are You Prepared - FreshGigs

Interviews can be nerve wracking and stressful. You spend (hopefully) hours preparing and practicing your answers to all the standard questions so that you can impress the interviewer with your experience and expertise. (If you don’t have a standard list of questions to practice answering, check out our blog post on the common but tough questions)

If you find yourself in the hot seat with a challenging and unique question just take a breathe and answer it honestly as best you can.

Have you ever be so confident and prepared until the interviewer throws you a curve ball and asks some creative question that wasn’t on your list? Adam Bryant of New York Times interviewed Mitch Rothschild, CEO of Vitals, and went through his some of the questions he uses to get candidates to “drop their interview face.” Here are the questions:

  • When you’re not at work, what do you do two standard deviations better than anybody else?
  • What am I not going to like about you in 90 days and what do you think you are not going to like about me?
  • What percentage of your life do you control?
  • If this interview were reversed and I was coming to your house and you were interviewing me because you had 16 different job offers to choose from, what would you be looking for from me?

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Why You May Still be in a Job You Hate

Why You May Still be in a Job You Hate - FreshGigs

It’s Sunday evening and I am working on this post and I am reminded of a time when I hated my job so much that Sunday evenings were filled with angst and misery. This turmoil was due to the knowledge that in the morning I knew I would have to get up and start a full week, 40 hours of time in a place that made me feel hopeless, frustrated and unhappy. As time went on this negative feeling of anticipation moved to Sunday morning then to Saturday night and then to Saturday morning. I knew that I had to make a change before I started feeling bad about having to come back to work before the weekend even began, but it wasn’t easy.

Put the thoughts of workplace happiness being a myth out of your head, and start to work towards the role you want and the happiness that goes with it.

Maybe you are feeling that exact same way, right now, on Sunday evening as I did back then; maybe you’ve been feeling that way for weeks or months. Your friends have probably suggested that you find a new job, make a change, but you haven’t – and here are some of the reasons why according to Kathy Caprino, a Huffington Post contributor who is a success and leadership coach:

You Don’t Know Yourself

Do you actually know what you want to be doing? What would make you happy from Monday to Friday? Kathy states that the vast majority of people she talks to don’t know themselves at all and this is can lead to feelings of being unfulfilled at work. Take the time to get to know yourself and what is at your core. Identify what your personal brand is and what you stand for [Tweet This]. This deep understanding will allow you to find something that aligns with your needs, values and interests. This step may require the support of a coach or professional.

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Work Friends Make You Happier!

Work Friends Make You Happier - FreshGigs

You probably didn’t base your decision to take your current job on the likelihood of making friends or the quality of the friends you might acquire but if you think to the relationships you’ve built at work I am sure you’d admit they are pretty significant.

An infographic from Officevibe shares 11 reasons why it is important to have friends at work. The reasons not only have an impact on the individual employee but also the organization making it important for companies to focus on a culture that fosters relationships. It also highlights how important a corporate culture is for someone looking at a new role. If you don’t think you can fit in and make friends then the role may not be right for you!

 Those who have friends at work are +35% likely to have a commitment to quality

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