The Style Files
My thoughts on design, writing and entrepreneurship.
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
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.
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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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