Cons of In-House Writing Jobs, Part 2

May 28, 2010

heidit Business, Writing , , , Leave a comment

On Wednesday, I posted the pros of in-house writing jobs. Yesterday, I posted the list of cons, part 1. Here is the second part of that list. Once again, with my great thanks to Kelly Lee Parry of Depiction Writing and Design, Ronica Prasad of Rogers Group Financial and Todd Curl.

More Cons of In-House Writing Jobs

Your skills become the norm and lose their uniqueness

With an in-house writing job, you may be surrounded by other writers, which makes what you do seem ordinary (even though it’s not ordinary, at all!). You’re not the person people turn to when they need something fantastic written. You’re one of a group of people they can turn to for that project.

“Creative” individuals are often brought in from outside the organization

In spite of being hired as a writer, you still may not be seen as a creative individual. Your organization might still turn to contractors for help with projects they feel need a “creative edge.” Your creativity could be taken for granted or completely dismissed. Even if the higher-ups believe you are creative, if they have you working on more mundane things–such as day-to-day activities–they may still seek outside help for the more fun and creative jobs.

Changes in job description

You may take the job thinking you’ll be doing a lot of writing, only to find out that the job description doesn’t involve writing at all. You might find yourself writing only 10 percent of the time and doing other job tasks–maybe not even related to writing–the rest of the time. You could be shifted into a human resources position or a supervisory position. Perhaps, the writing they want you to do is more about inserting the proper words in a template or responding to client inquiries than about being creative. Sometimes a writing job isn’t a writing job. It’s a writing-plus-thousands-of-other-activities job.

You don’t get to choose what you write about

With in-house writing, your assignments are handed to you and you’re expected to do them, no matter how boring they are. Freelancers have the freedom to target industries they’re interested in and write articles about topics they enjoy. Sure, there may be some boring writing involved, but for the most part, freelancers get to choose their projects and their topics.

The pay may still be low

Even with an in-house job, writing can be undervalued. Sure, you have the security of a paycheque, but of the writers I know who do freelance work, many make just as much as someone at an in-house writing job makes. Furthermore, the job security may be minimal. I remember hearing in our writing classes that in times of recession, the communications department is often one of the first to go. (The other department often dropped right away is janitorial, according to the instructor.)

Difficulty getting jobs if you don’t have a journalism background

Many employers want to see that you have a background in writing, journalism or communications. There are many programs out there that target at least one of those three. If you don’t have a diploma or degree in any of them, or if you don’t have job experience, it can be very difficult to convince someone to hire you.

You can’t wait for inspiration to strike

Yes, freelancers have to work whether or not they feel inspired. But, I’ve been known to stop for an hour and exercise or take a break in the middle of the day if the writing isn’t coming. If you work in-house, you don’t have that option. You have to work while you’re in the office and you frequently have short deadlines, especially if you’re writing by committee and everyone has to see your copy before it’s approved. To work in-house, you have to be able to write no matter what.

You can’t just leave

Walking away from an in-house job is not the same thing as walking away from a client. A freelancer–one who has properly marketed herself–might feel some anxiety about walking away from a client but should have other clients already lined up. Walking away from a job, a steady income and benefits is more difficult to do.

I said Wednesday if the right job came along, I’d consider taking it. That’s true, but it would take a lot for me to consider writing in-house. The pay I’ve seen offered for in-house writing jobs doesn’t come close to what I’d need to get me to leave my own home to work in an office, deal with a commute and coexist with coworkers. I’m perfectly happy in my own little office, coexisting with my cats. I’m still a very happy freelancer.

Cons of In-House Writing Jobs, Part 1

May 27, 2010

heidit Business, Writing , , , 2 Comments

Yesterday, I posted about the positives of in-house writing. Today, I’m looking at the negatives. Just so you know that I’m not entirely biased towards freelancing, I had a lot of help coming up with this list. So thank you very much to Kelly Lee Parry of Depiction Writing and Design, Ronica Prasad of Rogers Group Financial and Todd Curl for their invaluable input. You all have my deepest appreciation.

There are so many cons of in-house writing jobs that I’ve split this into two parts. Today is Part 1. Tomorrow, the rest of the list.

Cons of In-House Writing Jobs

Not much room for creativity as “team or committee” writing is often a big part of the job

If writing for a client can be tough, writing by committee can feel virtually impossible. For every person on the committee, there are at least three opinions about every word put on paper. Rather than being able to sit down and just write, the writer has to run everything by the team and make sure it conforms to their opinions. Add to that the task of making something written by five people sound as though it had one author and you have an almost Herculean task on your hands.

When there are differences of opinion, the writer often finds herself “handholding” and accommodating various opinions while writing copy that’s readable. This can be worse for an in-house editor who has to edit copy written by a higher-up in the company. If that higher-up lacks writing skills, it can be a balancing act for the editor to provide copy that’s usable while not insulting the higher-up. It can be frustrating to constantly have to be diplomatic when explaining why the writer’s sentence just won’t work, especially when the writer isn’t really a writer.

Getting approval at each writing stage

When you’re writing in-house you’re not only writing by committee, you may also have to get approval from a number of higher-ups for every word you’ve written. And they will have an opinion about every word (see below, “You’re Surrounded by Experts”). This is not only time consuming but can be demoralizing if you feel you’ve written something fantastic but the committee doesn’t approve it or wants substantial changes. It also means that you may not be able to get on a roll with your writing because at every stage you have to stop and let the committee or your supervisor read it.

Related negatives include: issues with time management, having to work on other tasks while still writing and waiting for the the committee to get back to you about your writing when it’s not a priority for them.

Less freedom in direction of piece

All this working with committees and reporting to higher ups ultimately means that you don’t have nearly as much freedom in the direction of the piece as a freelancer does. You may have a say in the final product, but other people also have a say and they may disagree with you.

You’re surrounded by experts

This is something freelancers face, too, only freelancers have the freedom to walk away from a client who gets to be too much. Many people believe they are experts in writing because they passed their high school English classes. This means when they disagree with you over use of a certain word, comma or quotation mark, they feel they are just as much of an expert as you are and often disregard your opinions.

Dealing with working day politics and authorities (i.e. competitive co-workers)

Even writers aren’t above competition in the workplace, especially when there are promotions or bonuses to be had.

Working through noise

Freelancers often have their own office and can shut out any outside noise. That’s difficult to do when you’re writing in-house and especially if you’re part of a writing team. You may have to put up with a lot of background noise or people coming to discuss the Lost finale with you (for the record, I loved it).

My experience

I’m currently taking a course in business writing. The course involves working in a team to create business documents. We haven’t even handed in our first assignments and I’m already having difficulty . Our first assignment is due today and I’ve heard nothing from my team, despite having sent them  messages about the assignment. I know school isn’t the same as work, but if I’m frustrated by this–when there’s an end-date to it–I can’t imagine how it would feel to work with these people every single day and have to rely on them.

I prefer relying on myself, which is why I’m a happy freelancer.

Pros of In-house Writing Jobs

May 26, 2010

heidit Business, Writing , , , 6 Comments

Some freelance writers go through times when they wonder if they wouldn’t be better off working in-house (meaning having a full-time writing job in a company). Occasionally, I consider in-house writing jobs. I’ve always stayed with freelance writing because I prefer it, but if the right job came along there’s a chance I would move to in-house writing. For now, and for the foreseeable future, I love being a freelance writer. I love the freedom it gives me and the ability to set my own hours.

That said, working in-house is a wonderful option for some writers. Here’s a list of the pros of in-house writing (I’ll do the cons tomorrow). Feel free to add some of your own in the comments (or send me a note and I’ll write another post about it later).

First, though, my deepest appreciation to Kelly Lee Parry of Depiction Writing and Design, who helped me come up with this list and whose insights are always welcome. To those of you I’ve also gone to for insight, please feel free to get back to me. I’m sure this list isn’t all-inclusive; each situation is different and you may have your own pros and cons that others can learn from.

Pros of In-House Writing

A regular salary not dependant on finding clients…

A big problem that many people have with freelance writing is the lack of consistent income. To have consistent income, the freelancer has to constantly be marketing herself. With in-house writing, your income isn’t tied to your ability to find clients. You have a regular salary and regular duties. That sense of security can be a wonderful thing.

…or on word count

Many freelancers write for periodicals (although many now also do corporate writing). The problem is that although the cost of living has increased, the pay writers get for magazine/periodical stories has not. A writer can spend days working on an article that will only make her 10 cents a word. Even at 1000 words, that’s only $100. Not a lot of money for the amount of work done. Think that’s extreme? There really are publications that offer only 10 cents a word for articles.

…or on onerous contracts that shift all liability to the writer and still demand moral rights and copyrights

Do I sound bitter? There are some terrible contracts out there for freelance writers; contracts that demand the publisher retain moral rights (the short meaning is that they can change the article however they want and still attach the writer’s name to it) and copyrights (they can publish it as many times as they want, where they want and the writer gets no additional pay) while the writer retains all liability (meaning the writer, not the publisher, faces the burden of any legal action taken against the article).

Giving up all those rights might not be the worst thing in the world if the writer was paid handsomely for it, but when the writer makes $100 for a 1,000 word article that took 10 hours to complete and is forced to give up all her rights at the same time, that’s a big problem.

**For more information on bad writing contracts, visit BadWritingContracts, a website set up by a coalition of Canadian organizations dedicated to eradicating contracts that take writers’ rights. Check out the publication list: some of the magazines that offer bad writing contracts may surprise you. They surprised me.**

Opportunities to brainstorm with colleagues so you don’t have to create alone

Freelance writing is a solitary affair. Sure, you can meet with colleagues to discuss the projects you’re working on, but it’s not the same thing as having people in the office around you that you can bounce ideas off at any time. And, even though you can join writing groups and share stories about your projects, it’s not the same as meeting with coworkers who have the same complaints you do about a certain project or an impossible boss.


Better access to information and research about the organization

Since you’re writing in-house, you’re probably writing for and about your organization. That means you’ll have access to a lot of the information you need, without pulling teeth. You may also become an expert on the company, so every project that comes your way won’t require hours of research just to get started. That can be a wonderful thing. At the same time, you get to know your audience well. Very well, which is also a good thing.

Able to stay on top of changes in organization (i.e. water cooler conversations)

The ability to chat with other people about the organization or the tv show you saw last night (how many watercooler conversations have there been about the Lost finale?) cannot be overstated. A simple watercooler chat can tell you a lot about the organization you belong to, potential job openings or changes in the company’s hierarchy. This, too, can help you to feel less isolated than a freelancer might feel.

Potential for promotions

Sure, when you’re a freelance writer you own your own business. But, there’s nowhere to go from there. There are no promotions. If you want to change your rates, you might have to fight long and hard with your clients to get them to accept the higher rates, or you may lose them completely. If you work in a company, there’s a chance you could be promoted and make your way up the corporate ladder.

A benefits package that may include medical, dental, vacation days and a pension

Paid vacation days are wonderful. So are medical and dental plans.

Tomorrow, I’ll post a list of some of the cons of writing in-house. In the meantime, you should visit the Wizard of Words blog. Doreen is a fantastic writer and makes excellent points for why you should join PWAC, why you should attend writing conferences and why you should network. She has me convinced.

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