When is it OK to forgo payment and work for free ?
“If you know you’re worth then go get what you’re worth” – Rocky Balboa
Sometimes quotes can be too inspirational. Sometimes a dispassionate assessment is a better way to go.
Nobody wants to be exploited, we all need income, and working for free can be time consuming
and lead to resentment. Nevertheless there are some times when working for free can be a net positive.
So, when should you work for free ?
You’re just starting out
Its all very well talking about ‘knowing your worth’ and putting a price on your value. But here’s the truth, in the beginning,
unless you have a truly exceptional talent that stands out markedly against the competition you have no value, you have no worth …yet.
Just like everyone else, you have to accrue that value through hard work and unfortunately that will usually be thin on the ground in the beginning.
It’s OK to take on projects for free if you are secure in the knowledge that they are developing your core skills and moving you to a place where you will soon be able to easily showcase your
skills and have real-world examples of your work to help you stand out against the competition.
For Exposure
When you are offered a gig in return for ‘exposure’ there are a number of things to consider before rejecting it out of hand.
The first, and most obvious, is ‘do I need exposure? if the answer is yes then the proposal at least merits some consideration.
The follow-up question to that would be ‘is the trade-off reasonable ?’. Obviously this is subjective but some things to look at are ;
- Is their request a once-off or an ongoing arrangement ?
- Is their platform relevant to my potential clients ?
- Will they offer links to my social media / website / personal profile ?
- Does their brand benefit mine ?
- Will their request defer or hamper other work opportunities.
And, often an overlooked question…Am I busy right now ?
If you’ve got nothing better to do, then honing your skills and expanding your portfolio is almost certainly worthwhile.
Expanding your portfolio.
In certain fields your portfolio is everything, and oftentimes, it can even be a question of quantity over quality.
That one brilliant site you designed is a positive selling point but it may not give you the advantage over the designer
with many sites to their name, that show the full range of their work (more on this later).
If you have a full and expansive portfolio its quite possible that there is no real advantage to taking on free work.
Especially considering the time/effort factor. But if your portfolio is looking thin then you might just have to bite the bullet and take on some (limited) free work.
Especially if…
It expands your range…If all your work has been for similar companies or has dealt with familiar subject-matter, then an opportunity to engage in a particularly different
or exciting project can be very useful and actively give you the edge over your competitors who have a more limited range.
Non-Profit/Charity
If there is a cause that is close to your heart and aligns well with your values then working for free can often provide you with just as much exposure and experience as
any other gig, but with the added satisfaction of the knowing that you are contributing to something important. (It can also provide some coincidental client goodwill).
A word about ‘exploitation’
It is important to remember that as a freelancer there is no such thing as ‘exploitation’.
Every transaction you enter into is a free agreement between two parties. If someone offers a very low rate then that is their right, just as it is your right to turn down that opportunity.
A beginner freelancer might not be able to charge high rates, but equally, a small startup or less well-off client may not be able to afford pay high rates.
They are as entitled as you are to try to get the most value for what they are offering, even if all that they can offer is non-monetary.
So, ultimately the choice is yours, the only other piece of advice is this…
Once you have agreed to work for free, its just as much a commitment as anything else, don’t phone it in,
give it your best, the whole reason you’re doing this is to showcase your skills, your talent and your selling points.
If its worth doing, its worth doing well.
