AT THE END of a recent workshop on negotiation someone asked the question: “It’s all very good talking about negotiating new work but what about trying to increase your rate to an existing client?” The room fell silent as everyone thought, good question and this got...
“STICKS and stones can break my bones, but words can never harm me.” Does anyone still actually think this is true? In my experience words can cause a hurt deeper than any mere stick or stone (clubs and boulders not withstanding)! Words have the power to transform for...
MINDFULNESS IS one of the latest buzzwords but what is it and why has it become so popular? What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is at the core of many Buddhist practices and includes many forms of meditation. It is also about learning to put your focus onto the task at...
AFTER OUR Get Fit for Freelancing workshop recently (targeted at young members and new entrants), I found myself wondering, of all the tips and advice offered, what was the single most useful recommendation I could make? How could I distil a two and a half hour...
IF YOU ARE anything like me, every time you have a lull, as soon as you get booked up with work again, you have instant 20/20 clarity about how you should have spent your free time! Learning to make the most of periods of down time is an important freelance life...
THERE ARE a few recurring themes that seem to reliably crop up when we run our Interview Skills workshop ‘You’re Hired’, and last week’s was no exception. Here are three common blind alleys and how to avoid them. 1. Be clear about your achievements Many of us don’t...
The CV Holy Grail What’s the one thing that every prospective client or employer should know about you? It’s unlikely you will have an immediate answer to this question, because it’s a bit like the Holy Grail, something we seek but doesn’t seem to exist and always...
IF YOU OWNED a brand new, top of the range Ferrari, would you let your neighbour’s 17 year-old drive it, just because they asked nicely? I imagine you would want to know if they’d passed their driving test. You’d probably even want to assess what driving skills and...
