The Style Files
My thoughts on design, writing and entrepreneurship.
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Home Design 101 Cleaning isn't always a barrel of laughs but Vigar convinces me otherwise. Think I'm kidding? Their product range is so adorable I have to stop myself from stocking up on cleaning supplies. Yes, they're that good. Trust me when I say you'll definitely want in on it.
The Spanish brand otherwise known as Casa Vigar has a worldwide following thanks to its iconic designs. If you're inspired by pop culture, cartoons or anything else childlike, you'll probably be just as smitten as I am. Yes, we're still talking about scrub brushes and no, this is not a paid promotion; I'm just a fan. To me, Vigar is a brand that demonstrates what good design is all about. To the extent that we live in a material world, isn't it okay to love our everyday objects? I'm not talking fancy cars or overpriced purses, either. Normal people have a right to beautiful things. Really, what's better than making something simple surprisingly uplifting? I must admit I thought Vigar was a passing trend. Its products started to spring up in my favorite stores and they got bought up so quickly I thought they'd disappeared. Not true. Turns out the company has been in business for 60 years so their master craftsmanship should come as no surprise. While you may know them for their kitchen gear like dish scrubbers and sponge caddies, their range includes everything from storage solutions to garden tools. That's half the reason they earned my seal of approval for April's style inspo. Maybe you think this month's edition is a little heavy-handed or maybe I've lost my marbles. Tough luck! That's still not going to cramp my style. If I can't gush about the optics of a scrub brush in my 30s, I don't know what to tell you. That is, other than to visit vigar.com/ for spring cleaning supplies. It's the best thing you'll do all day!
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One of the things you'll quickly learn in the world of freelance writing is the hierarchy of content agencies. There are more terrible content mills than you can shake a stick at and a handful of others with reasonably good expectations. Based on my personal experience as an applicant and accepted writer with ClearVoice, here's my take on the reputable agency's shortcomings.
1. Speed of Activation It's no secret that ClearVoice takes longer than most to join. For one thing, the profile requires a substantial amount of work but it seems like a good idea upfront. Most of the time spent goes towards building a comprehensive portfolio which is potentially a worthy investment. However, what I can say is that I filled out my profile and waited for months for nothing to happen. It was only after sending two unanswered emails in the span of a month that I learned I'd made it. If you value your time, that's great; this agency doesn't so be prepared for some serious waiting. 2. Poor Communication One of the main takeaways from my time with ClearVoice was its poor communication overall. The website states that freelancers can expect to wait about a week to get a response. Time is valuable! Such a long wait time is a deterrent in and of itself but it's worse not to hear from the team. After sending to emails asking about the status of my application, the only response I got was an interview invite without further explanation. In the words of Michael from Arrested Development, "I guess that's a response." 3. Flair Something that sets ClearVoice apart from other content agencies is its requirement to post six published items to your profile for consideration. Other applications often require anywhere from one to three so six is fairly extensive. However, you know that going in so it seems fair enough. What I learned later is the six-item mark really doesn't meet their standards. My interviewer said my ability to get jobs depended heavily on the number of links I shared on my profile which essentially meant publishing more than advertised. Why share that with me once I've been accepted? No flair for me, thanks. 4. Unprofessional Interview Accepted applicants have a short onboarding process consisting of a 15-minute interview with a staff member. It's mainly meant to touch base with writers, confirm their identity as humans vs. bots and determine the volume and type of work they're after. Nothing unusual about that. What I will say is my interview started off on the wrong foot and never really recovered. I signed up using the link sent to me and chose a time slot available for the next day. Even though there was nothing advising me against it, my interviewer complained about it during our session after forgetting to send me an invite link the day of. If any one of these things had happened in isolation, I'd probably let it slide. Accepting a series of problems from an employer is harder to swallow particularly if you're shopping for serious work as a qualified writer. The bad attitude and interview overall were enough of a tipping point for me to change my mind about the company's potential. 5. Unfulfilled Actions I was told during the interview that the next step of the process would be to write an article on behalf of a client in my niche and that I'd be sent the file shortly. I didn't receive anything that day, the next day or even the following week. Again, major let down. I contacted ClearVoice to ask what happened but again heard nothing. It's hard to take a business seriously as someone doing all the follow-up. 6. Byline Only ClearVoice is often a platform that attracts more advanced writers in that it requires a higher number of publications. You can also list relevant writing experience, education or other credentials that work in your favor. What surprised me as a seasoned writer in a related industry is the lack of credit for non-bylined work. What that means is freelancers like ghostwriters, translators or other writers whose work doesn't mention them by name don't have a leg up even if they have the work to prove it. Details like that might not matter to newbies but considering they market themselves to established pros, they're selling their writers short. Final Thoughts Many freelancers I've read or heard have had positive reviews of ClearVoice and maybe it's okay once you actually make it to that stage. However, I wouldn't say that it strikes me as a professional company in many other ways that it will cost you in terms of time, patience or energy. That's why I'm giving this agency a hard pass. Do you have an entirely different experience of ClearVoice? Do you know any behind-the-scenes info about its intake process or work environment? Feel free to share. In the meantime, best of luck to my fellow writers near and far! I'm wishing you all luck in search of greener pastures and some green in time for tax season. Graphics matter. Photo credit: www.pexels.com Any translator or interpreter is sure to know proz.com as an industry standard. It's the go-to site to answer all your questions and an international hub for our niche industry. Even so, the site definitely has its drawbacks. Here are a few of the areas most in need of improvement.
1. Color Scheme I first became a translator in 2011 and the website looked nearly identical to its current version. Even then, it wasn't exactly cutting-edge. There are plenty of sites available such as Wix or Weebly that feature easy yet attractive alternatives. Meanwhile, pastels and evergreen belong to a 90s color scheme and are desperately in need of an upgrade. 2. Disorganization To its credit, proz.com has TONS of information. It's absolutely densely packed with forums, profiles and company information. Why is it that huge websites are often completely devoid of any rhyme or reason when they need it the most? I was prompted to write this post based on a legitimate ticket that was rejected because it was filed under the wrong section. You could've fooled me as a veteran of the industry and longtime user! Organization is partially related to the site's awful graphic design which any commercially-trained writer could tell you. For example, the Blue Board is a way for translators to rate and review company information. It's one of the site's best tools that you won't find anywhere on the homepage for reasons that defy the laws of marketing. Fonts? Bolding? Bullet points? Yeah, no. Most of the site is a jumble of tiny lettering stripped bare of any logical organization. I'm not feeling it. 3. Lack of Visuals I'm someone who studied language and design and find that time and again, the two groups rarely overlap. With some exception, designers make subpar writers and writers wouldn't recognize an image if it bit them in the face. It's just silly how little these two groups know about each other. In the meantime, proz.com fits this stereotype to a T due to its lack of images outside of video links. It's so easy yet so NOT THERE. 4. Cyberbullying Cyberbullying has long since been the subject of debate for any online forum. Although no one has cracked the code for running off trolls or dispelling internet negativity, some sites are better than others. I experienced cyberbullying from a fellow translator who was repeatedly downright nasty on proz.com's otherwise useful kudoZ page. If that kind of behavior isn't tolerated in the workplace, there should be no room for it on job-related platforms, either. 5. Bidding Wars One of the ways that translators are first introduced to paid work is through proz.com. Many of the jobs posted on their job board are meant as a way for newbies to get started however low the pay. Believe you me: it's very, very low, indeed. Unfortunately, these types of bidding scenarios are increasingly common within our industry which makes for unlivable wages. I can't get behind these erosive practices and wish proz.com would place limitations on these degrading price points. Final Thoughts The hub for all things translation and interpretation continues to serve the needs of its users. However, the site is noticeably behind in certain areas. Here's to keeping up with the internet and integrating text with other valuable web content, among other things. Let's hope some of the site's younger users are able to shed some light on these fixable shortcomings. |
AuthorHi, my name is Martha Oschwald and I'm a content writer focused on design. This page is meant to give you a taste of my writing style and latest musings. Archives
April 2022
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