Rhonda Bracey: At Random

About 6 weeks ago I mentioned that I thought things were shifting in my world. Then 2 weeks ago some had firmed up. Today I got email confirmation that I’d be taking on an initial 3-month part-time contract with the BIG oil and gas company, starting next week.

How did I get this job without an interview, without showing a portfolio, or anything other than a phone conversation? Word of mouth referral. Clare and I worked together at [large mining company] some years ago—in fact, we sat in adjoining cubes so I got to know her pretty well. This was back in about 2000 or 2001. When she went to work for [large government department], she got me on board as she liked my work ethic and capabilities. By the time I started there, she’d moved on, but I stayed on for about 6 months. About 12 months ago Clare asked about my availability and said that she’d have some work for me coming up at [BIG company] where she’s now working. Well, that specific work hasn’t come off yet, but I’m not worried—it will. And I wasn’t available much anyway. Meantime, someone at [BIG company] she works with needed someone to move fast on a particular project with some tight filing deadlines, and Clare’s first thought was me. So Clare refers me to Julia and obviously speaks highly of my ability. Julia and I chat, and now it’s a done deal except for the final contractual pieces of paper that need to get sorted out with the agency they use.

And I had another nice ‘karma’ moment today too—this time, it was one that I could immediately identify, not like the one from back in February. Some time back a guy called me and asked if I would edit his science fiction/fantasy manuscript. He contacted me ‘cos he had relatives down this way and lived in the southwest himself. Well, I don’t do fiction editing of any sort, so I referred him to Helen, an editor I know of in Pemberton. I know Helen met with him and I’m not sure where it went from there. But I know she was grateful for the referral.

Today Helen referred someone to me for some copywriting work of a more technical nature than she’s used to. The marketing manager at the firm and I had a long chat, I sent off an email confirming our conversation, covering rates, time frames etc. The marketing manager only works two days a week, so she said she’d get back to me on Monday. So that could be another job coming in. A small one, but a new client nonetheless. Thanks for the referral Helen.

And thanks Clare for the referral at the BIG company!