Darrell Etherington of WebWorkerDaily posted something last week about the pros and cons of working for free. He said that particularly in the case of writers, individuals are often coerced into submitting something free of charge to gain exposure, which is oftentimes standard procedure at even the most popular blogs who can obviously afford to pay their writers.
Exposure is well and good, the author writes, but working for free is dangerous because it could weaken the revenue-generating powers of the industry as a whole.
There are exceptions, Etherington notes, that take place within smaller industries that do not have enough capital to support an ecosystem of paid professionals.
The economy has left many cash-strapped companies eager to assimilate new business at any cost. Recently I’ve heard of more and more instances in which freelancers and entrepreneurs take on jobs for free in hopes that these smaller jobs will lead to a larger paid endeavor that could potentially become long-term.
With regards to the recruiting industry, I’ve also noticed firms that are advertising some of the lowest fees I have ever seen – fees so low that these firms stand to lose money when you factor in the cost of job postings, sourcing, ATS fees, and recruiter wages.
What do you think? Does it pay to work for free or very little with the hopes that your efforts will pay off in due time, or does it hurt the industry as a whole?
Popularity: 3% [?]
Leave a Reply