Years ago, I was interning at a public relations firm. As you know, with interning, your experience is what you make of it. Not getting an income motivated me to take advantage of the learning experience I needed to succeed.

At one particular event, I met an executive for a popular business in the city. Knowing that it was highly unlikely that I would have the opportunity to connect with her again, I grabbed her card and promised to follow up later. Later that evening, I researched her online. I learned as much as I needed to about her before deciding to reach out to her. Once I did, I felt confident in what I wanted to say. My interaction with her via email went a little (actually a lot – word for word) like this:

Good morning ______,
I don’t know if you remember me but I was assisting the photographer with names at the ________ event a few weeks ago. I asked you for your card and I wanted touch base with you.

I am currently interning at ________. Although it ends soon, I feel comfortable enough to start my career search now. I am a huge fan and frequent visitor of the ________ and being in an art environment everyday is something I look forward to.

I’m so inspired by your previous accomplishments at ________. Branding, promotion and social media are things that I am good at as well. I would love the opportunity to hear how you made the transition so successfully at your current role.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Lucy

From there, she thanked me for my kind email and suggested we do lunch the following week.

I had no idea a simple email would lead to her actually responding and suggesting we meet for lunch. I really wanted to work for her company but I never mentioned that at all. The point of that meeting was to learn as much as I could from her and see how the relationship would naturally evolve. A month later, I would apply to a position at her company. Six months after that, I would get two interviews: one with her and another with her supervisor.

An informal meeting such as this could be called an informational interview, and will give you first-hand knowledge on your chosen industry, from an industry leader. It’s the chance to learn more about an individual working in an industry you want to learn more about without the same pressure as a formal interview.

What I learned from that experience is this: although the benefits of an informational interview are endless, there are three main reasons why you should request one if possible.

1. You expand your professional network.

I’m grateful to have had that internship that opened my network to a completely new industry. My initial email to the executive was based purely on intrigue. I recognized her at an event, I emailed her, and that email led to lunch.

2. You build confidence in your interviewing skills.

An informal meeting is very casual in nature. It is a time to get to know your contact and practice. By the time I actually interviewed with her, I wasn’t nervous at all. It was as fluid as talking with an old friend.

3. You get one step closer to potentially working with the company.

During that time, she gave me tips on what to say in the formal interview. Thankfully, I did get to meet with her manager and used all of her feedback in that interview.

An informational interview is an invaluable aspect of career building. As a job seeker or curious freelancer, reaching out to gain insight about a company in the form of an informational interview is a strategy with rewards in your favor.

Lucy is a Creative Circle candidate in Atlanta. She is a freelance writer and visual storyteller. When she’s not writing, she’s most likely exploring new restaurants around town, traveling, taking pictures or reading blogs dedicated to SELF – awareness, development/discovery and expression. If you are interested in working with Lucy, contact Creative Circle Atlanta.

Seeking out extra work on top of a strenuous course load seems counter intuitive for a variety of reasons. Additional commuting and labor paired with less free time may not seem like a worthwhile combination. But taking on the extra burden during the year can give you a more candid picture of your industry and major, add depth to your classwork, and demonstrate your drive to employers who have the ability to help you tremendously down the line. Here are five reasons to consider the move from my perspective:

1. Learn to balance deadlines and the demands of a work schedule better.

While all creative internships differ, tasks given during many undergraduate summer programs tend to air on the simple and repetitive side, particularly for unpaid opportunities. Even positions that task interns with more complex duties will often balance with a lighter weekly schedule, setting a decidedly limited number of hours. Learning to balance internship work in addition to internalizing frequent deadlines should give you better coping techniques for the pressures of a real work schedule. In addition, when faced with the extra stress of a semester, it may serve as a better test your enthusiasm for the work and office culture.

2. Ground your abstract college courses with concrete experience.

During a summer break, separated from the day-to-day grind of a full course schedule, it may be difficult to directly evaluate your internship experience alongside relevant classwork. From personal experience, I can easily recall constant feelings of skepticism, struggling to ground my learning in the classroom with concrete industry skills. When you have the opportunity to write school essays along blog posts, or research work on top of group projects, it may lend a better perspective on both the practicality of your classes and the true relevance of an internship to your focuses in school.

3. Test the waters with more transparency.

Many companies that seek out interns year-round — particularly smaller-sized ones in the creative field — operate far differently under a robust summer intern program. An internship during the semester, where you will undoubtedly work among a far smaller base of interns, may give you a far more accurate cross-section of the industry itself. This can be a rare opportunity to learn more candidly about the the company culture under further duress as well as the working habits and tendencies of employees working for the long haul.

4. Better demonstrate the depth of your passion and dedication

In a rapidly-evolving job market that renders summer internships a near-necessity, setting yourself apart through school year work displays passion and a long-term mindset that employers will deeply appreciate. A display of such commitment will be invaluable during senior year when you begin to look for meaningful connections into permanent positions

5. Experience, experience, experience.

Realistically, undergraduate students have only four or five summers to gain applicable internship experience. Adopting work during the semester will aid your resume immensely and grant you a considerable number of additional connections come graduation. Future employers will appreciate your commitment in either 1) continuing work for a single internship past the summer (which demonstrates your work quality and determination), or 2) seeking out opportunities elsewhere (which will speak to your experience in a broader sample of work environments and duties). For better or worse, the graduating class of the next decade will find one of the most overqualified peer groups in history and a creative industry more competitive than ever before. Thus, the value of having one or two internship experiences more than average after graduation can’t be overstated.  

Despite the fact that creative fields seem to be growing more and more reliant on over-qualified and under-paid , I have faith in the resilience and ingenuity of fellow undergrad creatives. The game of long-term career fulfillment is one that can be won, and the unpopular school year internship seems to be one of the most viable options for getting there. Best of luck on your journey!

Evan is a 20-year-old college student, born and raised in Los Angeles, who has been shaped in innumerable ways by its creative community. He is majoring in digital media and minoring in art history with a dream of working in the music industry since his early experiences at punk shows during his teenage years.

When I quit my full-time job, I made sure I was prepared for the risk. Here are some things you can do to brace yourself before heading out into the great unknown of the freelance life.

1. Brush Up Your Resume

This tip may seem obvious, but it’s one of the most important. One of the things I learned working at Creative Circle was that many, if not all skills I’ve learned up to this point in my career, are transferrable. I made sure I had a good resume that reflected how what I learned in my role at Creative Circle will help inform my practice as a copywriter and brand strategist for different clients. I’m a copywriter, so more often than not clients ask to see a portfolio of samples, but people do ask for my resume at times and I love having an updated one handy.

2. Update Your Portfolio

For a creative, nothing pairs better with a resume than a good website or portfolio demonstrating your work. I moved my website onto a new platform and gathered updated writing samples. Because many of the samples I have are content heavy and I’m trying to focus more on moving into branding and UX/UI copy, I do mention that I do this as well, so the user knows there’s more than meets the eye. I have a couple other ways that I’m working on building my book, in the meantime.

3. Network, Network, Network

Our world is largely digital these days but I’m a big believer of meeting someone face-to-face, and believe it or not, it makes a huge difference if you do it right. I’ve gotten great new clients and referrals from people who I’ve been able to look in the eye and shake hands with. When I quit my job, I knew I’d have to get back out there and begin meeting new people and prospective clients. I signed up for Eventbrite and made a point to attend one networking event a week if possible. When I go to these events, I’m ready to write down my website address and contact information to keep in touch, and I always request a business card for a follow-up or thank you note. In the future, I plan to have business cards of my own, but I’m rebranding myself at the moment, and my logo is still in the works!

4. Spread the Word

It’s hard to get in the habit of telling people about your work without feeling like you’re bragging. But if you don’t tell people you’re available for work, how will they know? I let all of the networks I’m plugged into know that I’m available for work and what type of projects I’m taking on. It’s great to have other people in on the news so they can help spread the word as well.

5. Know Your Target Audience

I knew that I wanted to go back into copywriting and brand strategy, but I didn’t want to be flying completely blind. I made a list of all the companies I’m interested in writing and strategizing for. Because these are mainly companies in the healthcare and tech spaces, I made sure I was plugged into specific resources, websites, and blogs, that would help increase my knowledge of these areas and thus, make me a better asset to clients.

6. Sign Up For a Staffing Agency

After working at Creative Circle, I knew that working with a staffing agency could be a great additional advocate for me in my search for opportunities. I let the Creative Circle team in New York City know that I’m interested in being a candidate for them and made sure that I was signed up for their email updates; I also regularly check the site for projects I’m interested in contributing to.

You can never be 100% prepared to quit your job, but it’s good to do as much as you can. By updating your resume and portfolio, networking, spreading the word, and knowing what audience you’re targeting, you’re sure to be headed in the right direction!

Allison is a former Creative Circle Account Executive, with a background in creative writing, content writing/strategy, publishing, and business development. Her world revolves around words and the relationships and interactions they inspire.

When you embark on a new freelance career, you don’t realize right away how much you have to learn. Mentors are a crucial resource to help you calibrate what’s normal—and this is a welcome time for any input that keeps you feeling even keeled. However, people in related fields who are otherwise generous with their advice can be cagey when it comes to money. This seems to be lessening somewhat as society increasingly embraces mutual transparency in social, political, and professional contexts.

But still.

Learning how to legitimately ask for, and receive, the compensation you are worth is tricky to navigate, especially at first. Personally, I have been appreciative of what I’ve learned from the recruiters at Creative Circle—they’ve provided me with trustworthy perspective on the value of my experience. And before gig culture was the thing it is now, most people didn’t have the benefit of that advice. It’s crucial when you’re participating in the freelance economy, and it’s arguably even more valuable to have when you’re negotiating an opportunity for something long-term and/or full-time.

There may still be a bit of stigma when it comes to speaking openly about money, but your career is not the place to be demure about it. It’s also not the place, however, to act cocky, entitled, or unreasonable. Navigating that fine line is a lot easier the more information you have. Luckily, there are a number of resources and methods to choose from when it comes time to talk numbers—and knowing when that time is, by the way, is another issue in itself.

Gaining knowledge and experience in the freelance world can involve a lot of turmoil, so I took a moment to talk to Creative Circle New York’s Lead Recruiter, Brian Young, and ask him if he could help clear some of the fog.

What are some of the resources you would recommend to freelancers who are trying to determine what industry standards are—including variables like location—for rates on the types of services they’re offering?

I’d encourage freelancers to use Freelancers Union and Glassdoor. However, nothing tops asking questions of people immersed in the industry—such as your peers or a recruiter.

What about tools to help determine where you stand within the industry’s range? Are there any recommended resources that can help gauge the worth of your experience on the market?

There are many sites that can assist in figuring this out—from glassdoor.com, payscale.com, and even professional organizations that regularly do studies (like AIGA). Those are all great resources for generalized ideas about ranges, but it really comes down to conversations with peers, mentors, and industry professionals (like recruiters). We coach people that it’s about paying attention to the market, what we’ve seen book and at what price point.

When and how is it appropriate to bring up rates during an interview? Should you wait until they decide to offer you the job first?

If you are going through Creative Circle, you can leave that to us! If you are going in on your own, I would read the room and bring it up within the first two meetings. It can always be brought up organically, or when reviewing your understanding of the project or position. It can be in the form of a question, or by simply discussing your “usual” rates.

Once a rate has been set with a client, are there guidelines as to how far into the relationship you should get before it’s appropriate to raise your rate?

I say wait at least six months UNLESS your role or responsibilities shift.

What are some common mistakes people make that can result in their lowballing themselves?

If they are really interested in the project and really want to work with the client, they will take a lower rate than usual. Additionally, candidates could be experiencing a slower time and “just want to work.” Either situation sets a lower precedence, and candidates will have to work to dig out of that hole.

What kind of guidance can you offer when it comes to negotiating?

Always shoot a little higher than you actually want, and another suggestion would be to always bring up rates as “open for discussion.”

Have advice that’s worked for you? Share it in the comments!

Marjorie is a former Creative Circle candidate based in Portland who recently accepted a full-time offer for her dream job. She is a writer/editor and stylist/producer with an emphasis in the design world. If you are interested in working with someone like Marjorie, please contact your nearest Creative Circle office.

Perhaps you’re working full-time and the idea of a more flexible work schedule sounds like the perfect antidote to your corporate routine. Or maybe, as a freelancer, you’ve struggled to find paying gigs and a steady paycheck would be a welcome relief. Whatever your situation, reviewing both options can help. I’ve been through this analysis in my own career and here’s a few things I learned along the way.1

Tax impact

When I left my full-time job to go independent, the idea of making a much higher hourly rate as a consultant sounded pretty sweet. Then tax season came around and I found out that independent contractors (those getting paid on a 1099 basis2) actually pay higher taxes than employees who get a W-2 at the end of the year. If you are a 1099 worker, not only will you have to pay personal income tax, but you will pay double the Social Security and Medicare taxes over what your fully employed friends pay (a portion of this extra tax is deductible on your annual return). As an independent 1099 contractor, you are both the employee and the employer and have the privilege of paying both portions. For a side by side estimate of the tax impact, see the table below.

A related tax issue is whether you prefer to pay your taxes quarterly (1099 workers need to do this) or have your taxes deducted from your pay regularly. The advantage of quarterly taxes is you have the use of the cash you would have otherwise paid in taxes for 3 months. But writing that big quarterly check can be painful, especially if you’re not good at saving.

Freelancer-vs-employee-income-table

Benefits

At most companies, the cost of employee benefits can be 25-40% of employees’ base salary. Of course not every company-paid benefit is one you’d want to pay for yourself, so consider which are essential and those that are only nice to have. The table above includes an estimate for three common benefits. As you can see, with taxes, benefits and business expenses, you do need a higher hourly rate as a freelancer than as a full-time employee to have the same financial buying power.

Medical coverage: If you are currently on a company-sponsored insurance plan and you resign, you have the option of maintaining it through COBRA3 (your company’s HR team can give you the cost for this) or you can sign up for an individual plan. State or federal insurance exchanges (via the Affordable Care Act) are a good way to estimate the cost of an individual plan.

Other insurance: Do you want dental, vision, life, or disability insurance? Each is available at a price. Disability insurance can be difficult to get unless you can show a stable stream of income.

Retirement accounts: One advantage of being a freelancer is that you may be able to save significantly more per year in a tax advantaged retirement account. There are many flavors of IRAs, Roth IRAs, and individual 401ks. It’s best to talk to a tax advisor to understand the options and the advantages they may have over an employer sponsored 401k. Of course, employer based 401ks often come with a company match which will likely be missing from your individual plan.

Time off: Paid vacation, holidays and sick time are typically not something freelancers can expect. In a few cities even clients of independent contractors need to provide paid sick time (dependent on hours worked), but in most cases freelancers have to fund their own time off.

Business expenses

As a freelancer, you’ll have to pay for a lot of things that employers typically provide like equipment, office supplies and Wi-Fi. But if you’re independent, you have the freedom to choose the business expenses you want and they’re typically tax deductible.

Finding work

Oh yeah… there’s that. When you’re independent, you have to actually build a business. This was probably the biggest sticking point for me when I went out on my own. I loved doing the work and I was good at it. But potential clients couldn’t always find me and often didn’t realize what I could do for them. It’s hard work to figure out a marketing strategy and to sell yourself and your capabilities… something that would cause me to break out in a cold sweat if I thought too much about it. Independent contractors I’ve spoken with said that they spend 30-50% of their time networking and marketing. This challenge of finding work is why staffing firms like Creative Circle have so many talented freelancers on our roster.

And word to the wise, if you’re getting paid by the project and not by the hour, it’s easy to underestimate how long a project will take to complete. I was always tweaking and improving upon my work. Great for the client. Not so great for my bottom line. If you’re getting paid by the project, the fee you negotiate is typically the fee you get regardless of how much time it takes.

Being part of a team

The other aspect of being independent that I sometimes found difficult is that I would often go for several days without seeing anyone I worked with. For some, this might be a blessing, but I enjoy being part of a team. Yes, I’d often go into client offices and sometimes even work out of them for several weeks at a time. But even then you’re usually viewed as being an outsider. And often I’d be at home, working by myself and communicating remotely. If working with others is important to you, then being an internal employee may be more attractive. And if you’re a freelancer with a social mindset, look for longer term projects that include working in client offices or on client teams.

Flexibility

I saved the best benefit of being freelance for last. Yes, it is great to roll out of bed and begin work in your jammies while waking up to your first cup of morning coffee. It’s also awesome to take as many days off as you want (unpaid though they may be) and it’s incredibly satisfying to take an afternoon off to go on a hike only to come home and pick up where you left off because you feel so inspired. When you’re independent, you can work when you want, often where you want, and in the way you want. There can be more time for hobbies, family, fitness, travel or starting the next great American novel. Understandably, this is the main draw of going freelance.

The bottom line

Freedom vs. stability, independence vs. team affiliation, paid benefits vs. personal control… these are all options that will weigh differently for everyone. And no choice is forever. Your needs, interests and goals will change over time. Fortunately, with today’s technology, economy and workplace realities, opportunities to move between full-time and freelance can be fairly seamless, provided the work and jobs are available. Employers, especially those within the creative, digital, and marketing worlds, are generally understanding about candidates who make these transitions (unless they happen too frequently). And working on multiple independent assignments can strengthen your portfolio or resume by giving you a greater variety of projects to work on then you would typically get working for only one employer. This can help you land even better full-time jobs in the future.

—

[1]The information in this article focuses on a clear 1099 vs W-2 choice. Individuals who work through staffing firms (including Creative Circle) often have a blend of both worlds, being a W-2 employee of the staffing agency for the work they do through them and a 1099 employee for any independent work they do for their own clients.
[2] 1099 and W-2 are the terms used by the IRS to describe the forms you receive at the end of each tax year that companies use to report what they paid you. If you’re an employee, they send you a W-2 form and if you’re an independent contractor, they send you a 1099 form.
[3] COBRA is a law that allows you to keep your company’s medical insurance active after leaving their employment. You will need to pay for both the employer and employee portion of the insurance and it can be quite expensive. You can only keep this COBRA plan for a period of time however (typically 18 months), after which you’ll need to buy an individual plan.
[4] The footnotes below correspond to the letters notated in the ‘Tax impact’ table.
(a) Estimates based on 30-year-old single person (0 dependents).
(b) Estimated taxes are based on a Single and 1 filing status. State taxes are based on CA rates and will vary state to state.
(c) SS tax for W-2 = 6.2% of wages ($118.5k income cap). Medicare tax for W-2 = 1.45% (no cap).
1099 workers pay double (12.4% and 2.9% respectively). A portion for 1099 workers is tax deductible.
(d) 1099: silver plan (CA exchange) w/ $2,250 deductible; W-2: avg employee contribution for gold/platinum plan (per broker).
(e) 1099: lowest level of coverage (eHealth.com); W-2: avg employee contribution for common employer plan (per broker).
(f) Cost of receiving no pay for 2 weeks of vacation and 10 holidays.
(g) Estimate of business expenses (i.e. office supplies, dues, entertainment, travel) – these expenses are tax deductible.

Robin Elledge is Creative Circle’s Chief Administrative Officer. She directs the teams in Human Resources, Training/OD, Real Estate/Facilities and Internal Recruiting.

The silver lining of life’s most uncomfortable moments is without a doubt the comedy. All but the most harrowing of today’s embarrassments and blunders eventually become tomorrow’s knee slappers—we laugh because we survived, and we survived because we learned something… albeit the hard way.

Job interviews are an excellent arena for this type of fodder. When someone’s very future is on the line, and they’re looking down the path of a possible future (“Could this be me?” “Am I home?” “Are you my mommy?”) weird things can happen. Sometimes these things are very, very bad in the moment, but we can all laugh about them now… and take furious notes to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes in our own interview.

On the flip side, it’s terrible practice to give a crappy performance as the interviewer, too—acting bored, insulting someone’s experience, getting their name wrong, making someone in an incredibly vulnerable position feel absolutely terrible… (or, in the case of the stories I heard, much, much worse). Unless you don’t care about attracting good employees and coworkers? Either way, you’ll get what you give.

In that spirit, I recently solicited stories about people’s worst interview experiences — from both sides of the table.

The Bad

  • “The interviewer fell asleep during my interview. Right in the middle of my answer, his head just went down.”
  • “I’ve had a few where candidates seem like they have a chip on their shoulder. I’ve called it out.”
  • “I was like 30 minutes late! I couldn’t get service on my cell phone, so I started to panic. And I ended up being way too dressed up—I’m talking super corporate attire—because I’d always been told that it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. I felt like it was the worst experience… but I got the job.”
  • “I had a candidate show up with nothing—no purse, no pen, no paper, no resume… nothing. Another whose resume spelled “communication” three different ways—for a PR job—then kicked off the interview by talking shit about his current job. I interrupted him after two minutes to tell him he wasn’t getting the position but then I offered to give him some tips on what not to do.”
  • “The following things happened: They took a polaroid of me, they played a video of Arnold Schwarzenegger giving a speech at a fat camp, and they made me fill out an “employee test,” which was about five pages of math story problems that had been printed on a ditto machine (purple ink!).”
  • “Six months after giving birth, I was called in to interview at a high-profile ad agency. I was lumpy and tired and had lost my ability to think. I had cut my own bangs the night before—like Dumb & Dumber I wore so many Spanx I almost died taking them off. When I get there, I pull the front door and it somehow runs over my foot, which breaks the strap on my shoe. So I walk up the stairs kind of sliding so the shoe stays on. The woman comes out and she’s all cute and small and has her shit together. We go to this café, and she starts talking about wine and looking at the wine menu. I order wine. She doesn’t. She asked me to describe myself. I started saying stuff like ‘You go girl!’ I repeated myself and went into a dark place. Finally it ended.”

The Ugly

  • “[The worst are] hostile non-verbals, like furrowed brows, head in hands, near-throwing of pens, and—my favorite—the dropping of glasses on the table then looking out the window.”
  • “I had an interviewer on the phone ask if I was A) tall and B) blonde. Shockingly, I made it to the in-person interview, where he proceeded to walk me through the office—shadowed by an aghast HR rep—announcing all the derogatory nicknames he’d given his employees.”
  • “I was once interviewed by a CEO who went off on a tangent about how, if he had to choose between meth and cocaine, he’d go for coke every time because it’s natural.”
  • “One guy recently actually had cocaine on his face when he came in at 10 am to interview.”
  • “I was in a group interview on Skype when, in the background of the person we were interviewing, a human crawled out of a refrigerator box in the corner. The box had been there the whole time, not moving, and he said nothing about it.”

Have an interview story of your own? Share it with us in the comments!

Marjorie is a former Creative Circle candidate based in Portland who recently accepted a full-time offer for her dream job. She is a writer/editor and stylist/producer with an emphasis in the design world. If you are interested in working with someone like Marjorie, please contact your nearest Creative Circle office.

What’s your best line? I usually have good luck with the one where I compare my career trajectory to that of a grandpa’s: you start out sweeping the floors of a company, and you work your way up the ladder until they give you a watch after 15-odd years. (It started as an internship and I left with a pewter flask, but you get the idea.)

Job interviews are like Tinder dates except extremely worse, because it’s usually 9:30 a.m., there’s no booze anywhere, and it feels like the whole of your tiny life is being held—ready to be crushed—in the palm of a stranger’s hand. Go to enough of them, and you start recycling your material. Practicing it. Perfecting it, like a comedian making open mic rounds before hitting the big clubs. If there’s anything “awesome” about interviewing for a job you don’t get, it’s that practice. Your nerves are going to do their thing in these situations whether you like it or not. The better you have your lines rehearsed, the easier they’ll roll off the tongue without having to fight through your anxiety to find the right words.

When you’re job-seeking — including saying hey to a roster of prospective new freelance clients — you’re having a lot of these conversations, just as you’re having a lot of awkward drinks with strangers if you’re working the singles scene. Although these types of interactions are typically — literally — the difference between night and day, they share one crucial component: chemistry.

We’ve all been on a vaguely awkward date. Afterward, your friends ask about it and you say something like, “Oh, it was fine…” or “They were nice, but…” The missing component that takes either of this circumstances from “meh” to “promising” is hard to pinpoint; it just works, or it doesn’t. No matter how well you match up on paper (You have the B2B experience they’re looking for! You both like dogs!), if they don’t like your tone, or they don’t get your jokes (the worst), or you fail to convince them of your interest in who designed the atrium of their agency’s new offices, things can start to feel tainted, fast.

Of course the flip side is that all of this is mutual. It’s natural to feel like it’s on you to be the impressive one in an interview setting, but it’s helpful to realize that’s not entirely the case. After all, how badly do you want to work with someone who doesn’t think you’re funny, or isn’t all that friendly? You probably wouldn’t put that much pressure on yourself when heading out on a blind date. You’d brush your hair and make sure that there isn’t anything stuck between your teeth, and you’d do your best to be charming and smart, but you’d expect a similar show of effort on your date’s part.

Yes, it’s important to put your best foot forward in dealing with a prospective employer. But if it doesn’t work out — and you get that sinking feeling mid-interview, though sometimes it’s from the start — you might also consider the fact that you’ve also dodged a bullet. You won’t benefit from being in an unhealthy, tense relationship with a boss or a client any more than you would be in a relationship where one or both of you aren’t totally feeling it. You’d end up feeling under-appreciated or burdensome, and even worse, it would chip away at your confidence, which is by far your most valuable tool in any setting.

I used to think all interviews were pretty awkward by nature until I had one that wasn’t — at all. I left on a high, like I’d made a new friend… and not to muddy the water too much but yeah, like I’d been on a really promising first date. Fast forward and I’m two weeks into a freelance gig of indeterminate length at his offices, with the possibility of full-time work a subject of open dialogue.

Whoever said that you have to kiss a few frogs before finding a prince wasn’t talking about a job interview, but I’d argue it’s just as applicable. You have to have a couple of ill-fitting encounters before you can strike up a business relationship that might have long-term mutual benefit. And, when it comes to the ones that end badly, just think: It’s not you, it’s them.

Marjorie is a former Creative Circle candidate based in Portland who recently accepted a full-time offer for her dream job. She is a writer/editor and stylist/producer with an emphasis in the design world. If you are interested in working with someone like Marjorie, please contact your nearest Creative Circle office.