{"id":46033,"date":"2016-10-24T05:00:52","date_gmt":"2016-10-24T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/?p=46033"},"modified":"2016-10-24T05:00:52","modified_gmt":"2016-10-24T12:00:52","slug":"quit-full-time-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/blog\/quit-full-time-job\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Things to Do Before You Quit Your Full-Time Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I quit my full-time job, I made sure I was prepared for the risk. Here are some things you can do to brace yourself before heading out into the great unknown of the freelance life.<\/p>\n

1. Brush Up Your Resume<\/h3>\n

This tip\u00a0may seem obvious, but it\u2019s one of the most important. One of the things I learned working at Creative Circle was that many, if not all skills I\u2019ve learned up to this point in my career, are transferrable. I made sure I had a good resume<\/a> that reflected how what I learned in my role at Creative Circle will help inform my practice as a copywriter and brand strategist for different clients. I\u2019m a copywriter, so more often than not clients ask to see a portfolio of samples, but people do ask for my resume at times and I love having an updated one handy.<\/p>\n

2. Update Your Portfolio<\/h3>\n

For a creative, nothing pairs better with a resume than a good website or portfolio<\/a> demonstrating your work. I moved my website onto a new platform and gathered updated writing samples. Because many of the samples I have are content heavy and I\u2019m trying to focus more on moving into branding and UX\/UI copy, I do mention that I do this as well, so the user knows there\u2019s more than meets the eye. I have a couple other ways that I\u2019m working on building my book, in the meantime.<\/p>\n

3. Network, Network, Network<\/h3>\n

Our world is largely digital these days but I\u2019m a big believer of meeting someone face-to-face, and believe it or not, it makes a huge difference if you do it right. I\u2019ve gotten great new clients and referrals from people who I\u2019ve been able to look in the eye and shake hands with. When I quit my job, I knew I\u2019d have to get back out there and begin meeting new people and prospective clients. I signed up for Eventbrite and made a point to attend one networking event a week if possible. When I go to these events, I\u2019m ready to write down my website address and contact information to keep in touch, and I always request a business card for a follow-up or thank you note. In the future, I plan to have business cards of my own, but I\u2019m rebranding myself at the moment, and my logo is still in the works!<\/p>\n

4. Spread the Word<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s hard to get in the habit of telling people about your work without feeling like you\u2019re bragging. But if you don\u2019t tell people you\u2019re available for work, how will they know? I let all of the networks I\u2019m plugged into know that I\u2019m available for work and what type of projects I\u2019m taking on. It\u2019s great to have other people in on the news so they can help spread the word as well.<\/p>\n

5. Know Your Target Audience<\/h3>\n

I knew that I wanted to go back into copywriting and brand strategy, but I didn\u2019t want to be flying completely blind. I made a list of all the companies I\u2019m interested in writing and strategizing for. Because these are mainly companies in the healthcare and tech spaces, I made sure I was plugged into specific resources, websites, and blogs, that would help increase my knowledge of these areas and thus, make me a better asset to clients.<\/p>\n

6. Sign Up For a Staffing Agency<\/h3>\n

After working at Creative Circle, I knew that working with a staffing agency could be a great additional advocate for me in my search for opportunities. I let the Creative Circle team in New York City know that I\u2019m interested in being a candidate for them and made sure that I was signed up for their email updates; I also regularly check the site for projects I\u2019m interested in contributing to.<\/p>\n

You can never be 100% prepared to quit your job, but it\u2019s good to do as much as you can. By updating your resume and portfolio, networking, spreading the word, and knowing what audience you\u2019re targeting, you\u2019re sure to be headed in the right direction!<\/p>\n

\n

Allison is a former Creative Circle Account Executive, with a background in creative writing, content writing\/strategy, publishing, and business development. Her world revolves around words and the relationships and interactions they inspire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A writer new to the freelance life shares her tips and tricks for preparing to take the risk and quit your job<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":46057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life-as-a-freelancer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n6 Things to Do Before You Quit Your Full-Time Job | Creative Circle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When I quit my full-time job, I prepared for the risk. 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