Well, I had another awkward encounter with one of my agencies again today. Yesterday, I’d left a voicemail for an agent as a follow-up to a job that I was supposed to be starting on Monday. I’d first been approached about this a few weeks ago, but I haven’t heard anything about the assignment since, which made it impossible to prepare. I called again today and got transferred to yet another agent, one whom I’d never spoken to before. Sounding like her report was old news, she plainly offered that the client company had already found a candidate to fill the position in question.
To me, this situation is beginning to sound like a comedy of errors with regard to this particular agency. I know that the agents always mean well, but I will also admit that I am negatively impressed with the way they’ve worked with me to date. Repeated miscommunications and lack of follow-up have become routine. Each incident brings into question their level of respect for the interests of their freelancers.
I hope that I’m not sounding like I am ranting here, because that’s not my intention. Successful freelancing with any agency demands a great deal of flexibility from both the agency and me. Ultimately, it’s always the client (i.e.: the customer) that calls the shots, and we have to adapt to their unique needs. Good communication regarding the prospective client’s needs and expectations are key to every assignment’s success.
This particular assignment had been “tentatively” arranged weeks ago. Originally, I was to accommodate an immediate need. Pressing for more concrete information, my agency clarified that the job was to be postponed, but would be a lock for Monday. As the start date approached, I continued to remain in the dark. The agents made no effort to update me on the status of the pending job, or as to the disposition of the client.
In the end, I had another round of discussions with two of the agent representatives. The second agent called me after I was done voicing my concerns to the first–just to make sure that things were OK between us. I’m not taking any of this personally, and am chalking the whole thing up to experience. I just hope they can discern that I’m not angry, just dissatisfied.
