Using a job finding website that my industry shuns
March 21, 2018 8:12 PM Subscribe
Should I use a notorious website to find jobs in my business?
So there is this website that lists jobs for people in my industry. I don't wanna say what type if work it is but it's freelance. The website has a reputation for taking money off these jobs which equates to less money for the people who actually do the jobs. As a result people in my industry have turned against this website. So much so that you could be looked down upon and possibly lose other job opportunities if you use this site. That being said...the site still offers a TON of legitimate work in my industry. I would say it offers more opportunities then any other site if it's kind. So the question is...should I use the site? I agree with my fellow industry members the site totally takes advantages of its users. But there's still money to be made by using it. Any thoughts, idea's, or opinions are appreciated.
So there is this website that lists jobs for people in my industry. I don't wanna say what type if work it is but it's freelance. The website has a reputation for taking money off these jobs which equates to less money for the people who actually do the jobs. As a result people in my industry have turned against this website. So much so that you could be looked down upon and possibly lose other job opportunities if you use this site. That being said...the site still offers a TON of legitimate work in my industry. I would say it offers more opportunities then any other site if it's kind. So the question is...should I use the site? I agree with my fellow industry members the site totally takes advantages of its users. But there's still money to be made by using it. Any thoughts, idea's, or opinions are appreciated.
I don't think you're obligated to actually tell anybody where you got the work that you got. Honestly, in a lot of industries this isn't as weird. I got most of my accounting jobs through temp agencies which routinely took a big chunk out for my first 3-6 months of work and it kind of sucked but it was just how things were. But:
The website has a reputation for taking money off these jobs which equates to less money for the people who actually do the jobs.
You're not talking about abstract other people here. You're talking about you. If we were, hypothetically, talking about certain websites where people go to get software development contract work, I would feel inclined to point out that I work in this field and at this point the only people I've met who work through those websites regularly are, in fact, living in places like Romania, and that as far as I can tell, the bulk of the work comes with NDAs that prevent you from using it to parlay into substantially better work elsewhere. I don't think the reputation is the problem; I think the actual comparison between something like this and just taking a day job that pays a living wage by the standards of the place where you live is the bigger issue.
If you have some magic way to make this pay better than it looks, then it sort of becomes a "living well is the best revenge" kind of thing where nobody's going to judge you for it as long as you seem to be doing great. The risk is that you'll have this span of underemployment to explain if it doesn't go well, and then you'll be desperately searching for work because you're broke, and that's a terrible position to wind up in.
It's possible that if you're in a different industry the social pressure could be worse, but I think your big risk here isn't social but financial. If you have genuinely valuable skills, don't sell them to the lowest bidder just because you like the idea of being a freelancer and don't know how to do marketing.
posted by Sequence at 9:06 PM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
The website has a reputation for taking money off these jobs which equates to less money for the people who actually do the jobs.
You're not talking about abstract other people here. You're talking about you. If we were, hypothetically, talking about certain websites where people go to get software development contract work, I would feel inclined to point out that I work in this field and at this point the only people I've met who work through those websites regularly are, in fact, living in places like Romania, and that as far as I can tell, the bulk of the work comes with NDAs that prevent you from using it to parlay into substantially better work elsewhere. I don't think the reputation is the problem; I think the actual comparison between something like this and just taking a day job that pays a living wage by the standards of the place where you live is the bigger issue.
If you have some magic way to make this pay better than it looks, then it sort of becomes a "living well is the best revenge" kind of thing where nobody's going to judge you for it as long as you seem to be doing great. The risk is that you'll have this span of underemployment to explain if it doesn't go well, and then you'll be desperately searching for work because you're broke, and that's a terrible position to wind up in.
It's possible that if you're in a different industry the social pressure could be worse, but I think your big risk here isn't social but financial. If you have genuinely valuable skills, don't sell them to the lowest bidder just because you like the idea of being a freelancer and don't know how to do marketing.
posted by Sequence at 9:06 PM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you're talking about something like fiverr or freelancer or whatever, nobody needs to know where you picked up those freelance jobs.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:58 AM on March 22, 2018
posted by DarlingBri at 1:58 AM on March 22, 2018
That’s what recruiters do.
posted by oceanjesse at 5:43 AM on March 22, 2018
posted by oceanjesse at 5:43 AM on March 22, 2018
Is your identity visible to others who are browsing the site? Do you have to tell anybody how you get your freelance work? If the answers are no, then I say do what you need to do to make a living. It's nobody's business--in both senses of the word--other than yours.
posted by rpfields at 1:01 PM on March 24, 2018
posted by rpfields at 1:01 PM on March 24, 2018
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I agree with my fellow industry members the site totally takes advantages of its users...
It's really your call.
Is there an amount of money worth possibly losing the respect of your peers and being "totally" taken advantage of over?
posted by mdrew at 8:18 PM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]