When I worked in-house we had a favourite freelancer who was initially referred to me as 'good but he needs his hand holding'. When I embarked on my freelance career I went to great lengths to avoid being called the same!
However is it always the case that if you ask too many questions you will be regarded as not up to the job? It certainly wasn't the case with the aforementioned freelancer - I'm sure he was the most used on our list, precisely because he asked questions and therefore the finished result was what we needed.
I've recently had projects from two different new clients where I have had to overcome my fear of being regarded as 'needing a hand holder'. I always worry that it isn't professional to ask lots of questions - however if I didn't ask I doubt it would have been as a professional job as the end result.
The first had lots of information to fill in and sheets of information to read before you started but it was full of jargon that was specific to the company, whom I hadn't worked for before. The end result of all my questions has ended up in a good working relationship with the editor involved who has already passed on more work.
The second was vague from the start and materials arrived haphazardly. From my initial questions I found that there was a lot of information, various checklists and instructions that I hadn't been sent and it turned out to be a much more involved job than I'd initially been led to believe. If I hadn't asked questions I dread to think what the end result might have been.
In addition lots of forums, such as the Line for SfEP members, can help out when you have a crisis of confidence about where to put a comma and they may also have other members who have worked for the same client and can shed some light on your queries.
So in conclusion, from my experience, it isn't unprofessional to ask questions - as long as you ask them in a professional way - and the end product could end up in a better working relationship, a better finished product and ultimately more work.
Coronation Street Parties Senyru
1 year ago
2 comments:
I absolutely agree with everything you said. You can never ask too many questions. And yet, and yet...
You can actually. There are some questions that are best not asked until you've exhausted all other avenues, or even never.
Questions that should be held off include those very queries about where to insert a comma, for example, for which we have plenty of reference books to guide us (Hart's, Butcher, etc). Only then should you raise a questions, if matters are still unclear. There are far too many people on the likes of SfEPLine who ask the most basic questions that they really ought to know - basic questions on grammar and punctuation. If they don't know the basics they are in the wrong job.
There are some questions that are better off being hunted down on the net first - such as the one by an undergrad on a mailing list I use who asked "how do I go about becoming a journalist?" Now if I'd been in that person's Manolos, I'd have looked on some very obvious websites first, such as the NUJ, Journobiz etc and only then asked a related question such as "what's the best way in? Should I do an NCTJ or go for work experience?"
Exactly - in a professional way. You make a very valid point. Perhaps my example wasn't the best - probably taken from recent digests ;-) - but sometimes searching the archive of a forum and checking different text books can lead to more confusion with conflicting recommendations and you need an 'I am right aren't I?' post to reassure you but I agree it shouldn't be the first place you look.
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