Hello friends! Today we’re talking about something that, for many freelancers, is often top-of-mind: moving from a career as a freelancer to a full-time staff position.
Now, certainly, taking on a staff job isn’t the only path for a freelancer, and it is far from being the “right” path. Some people want to stay freelance for their careers because they love all the benefits it confers — I even interviewed one of those people last week! But if you’re interested in making that jump, or even just curious about how it can work, I talked with Vox senior reporter Allie Volpe, who nearly two years ago made the leap and has a ton of insight about the process and everything that can go into it.
Allie covers topics including mental health, relationships, wellness, money, home life, and work life for Vox, with a big focus on the outlet’s service journalism section, Even Better. Before that she spent five years as a freelancer — including writing for me at The New York Times! — and made the move to staff about two years ago. She’s one of my favorite writers around, and I was thrilled to chat with her about this. You can follow her on Twitter at @allieevolpe and check out her other work at allievolpe.com.
In our chat we dive into a lot of the logistics involved in making that move, including networking and making connections in the industry, proving yourself as a talented and reliable freelancer, developing a portfolio that hints at a possible career path (or not!), the big differences between freelance and staff jobs, and much more.
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Tim Herrera: So, hello! Thanks so much for chatting with me. Before we get into the specifics of moving from freelance to a full-time position, can you introduce yourself and talk a little about your career path and how it led you to your current role?
Allie Volpe: Yes, hello! I'm Allie, a senior reporter at Vox where I cover mental and emotional well-being, relationships, loneliness, community, emotions, and even get into the nitty gritty of tax preparation, physical health, parenting and other ways to live a better life. I've been at Vox for almost two years, but before that I was a full-time freelance reporter making pretty much my entire income from journalism. The relationships I made with editors were solely responsible for my landing this job. An editor I worked with a ton at Vice made the move to Vox, and she recruited me to first freelance for her and eventually hired me full-time. A dream scenario!
TH: Amazing! I feel like connections are (for better and for worse) a part of navigating and moving around the industry. We'll come back to that later, but how important is it for freelancers hoping to make that jump to cultivate those types of connections?
AV: I think it's so important. Just speaking for myself, if I hadn't cultivated a great relationship with that editor (hi, Rachel!!) and demonstrated my skills as a reporter who could turn around stories quickly, accurately, and with clean copy, I don't know if I'd be in my current role. It's always helpful to consider other people's career trajectories in addition to your own. You never know where a fellow freelancer, editor, or reporter is going to end up down the line. Having great relationships with everyone you encounter helps ensure you're at the top of their list if they're ever in a position to assign stories or hire. I know that sounds pretty transactional, but it also comes down to just being a nice human to people, too, which can get hard when deadlines and edits and money come into the mix.
TH: So, so true, and a lot of that also comes into play with having mentors in the industry you can look to for potential career trajectories, too. Now, to take a step back, why did you even want to make the jump from freelance to staff? Or, maybe more accurately, was that even a goal/plan of yours, or did the perfect opportunity just sorta present itself and you knew you had to pursue it?
AV: To be honest, I was not even considering it! I was really happy with my freelance career and so proud of the business I had built over the previous five years that I didn't initially apply for the job when I saw it. It wasn't until the editor reached out to me directly asking me to apply that I really started to think about how a life with a full-time job would look. I had just purchased a home, and a lot of the opportunities and editors I'd worked with in 2019, 2020 either had transitioned to other roles or didn't have the budget to work with freelancers anymore. The stability (and health insurance) were huge draws. Also having institutional support to crowdsource reader questions and responses, having funds to travel, and having people who were dedicated to seeing you grow were extremely attractive aspects. Being able to develop a beat and go deep on areas I'm passionate about — loneliness, connection — have been some of the most rewarding parts.
TH: So let's focus on that. I think a lot of freelancers feel like the lack of an institutional support system can feel isolating, and the lack of resources can sometimes be a hindrance to pursuing certain stories or ideas. How have your workflows and processes changed now that you have that support?
AV: The biggest change is the pitching process. While I still pitch (and am assigned) stories, the process is not nearly as intensive as it was when I was freelancing. Freelancers have a high bar to cross when getting a story assigned! Often, it requires pre-reporting, which is unpaid. If I'm pre-reporting now, I'm getting paid for it. If an idea doesn't pan out the way I imagined, we can kill the story and I still get paid. If I were freelance, I'd maybe get 25% of the original fee. Having the time to ideate and report without the fear of losing income is such a privilege. My editor is so kind and flexible and trusts in my ideas that sometimes we can talk through an idea briefly in our meetings or over Slack and it's assigned. During my first few months on the job, I wrote fleshed-out pitches just for myself because I found the practice helpful in guiding my reporting. And because I'm fully remote and have few meetings, most of the time I still do feel independent. I'm so, so grateful Vox gives everyone the space to do good work wherever and however is comfortable for them. For me, that happens to be my pink home office or a coffee shop with good food.
Wanna learn how to launch and grow a newsletter, hear what editors are *really* looking for, or learn how to structure a longform narrative feature? Join me this month for Zoom workshops on just those topics! (All times are Eastern, and paid subscribers get 50% off all events.)
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TH: Conversely, are there things you miss about being fully independent? Like what were some of the advantages or benefits that you find yourself sometimes thinking about?
AV: I don't want to discourage anyone from freelancing, but the only thing I miss is the self-satisfaction in running a business and dealing with the taxes and the payroll and knowing every dollar in my bank account came from essentially knocking on strangers' doors saying, “Here's what I have to offer and here's why you should trust me.” The rest of it is really hard and stressful — but very rewarding in a way full-time work isn't.
TH: Can you go into a little more detail about the specifics and process of making the jump? Everyone's situation will be unique, but what was your experience like?
AV: I feel like my situation was so unique and maybe rare? The editor who hired me reached out asking if I had a couple of minutes to chat. (Of course I assumed I had done something wrong.) She asked if I was interested in the position and that she'd love it if I applied. I sent her my résumé right away and applied via Vox's job board, and then had a few days of back-to-back interviews, an edit test, and finally an interview with our editor-in-chief. I started a few weeks after the process began. Initially, it was weird for my brain to adjust from the cycle of constantly brainstorming and pitching, working on stories for a handful of different outlets at a time, and balancing tons of deadlines and interviews to reporting for one outlet. Cutting out the noise helped me home in on what stories really interested me and how I could be a better reporter. I also splurged on a transcription service for the first time, and it made a world of difference.
TH: For a freelancer who has an eye toward a full-time position, what are two or three core things they should be working on and working toward? Like, what are some things that current freelancers can do right now if they want a full-time position?
AV: These won't be particularly surprising but: Develop strong relationships with editors, definitely. Again, you never know when they could be hiring or at a different publication that is hiring. And do good work. I trust that everyone reading this newsletter already does that, but remind yourself that every pitch you send or assignment you take or story you file is kind of an audition. I don't think I'd have this job if I were missing deadlines or was difficult to work with or my reporting wasn't solid. Again, I feel really lucky!!
TH: And in the same line of thinking, are there things current freelancers shouldn't be doing or worrying about?
AV: Don't worry about what other freelancers are doing! Everyone is on their own path, and success for one person doesn't mean there isn't room for your success.
TH: That’s something I always say, too! No one is paying as much attention to our career and work as we ourselves are. Somewhat relatedly, how important — if at all — was it for you to develop a focused portfolio around one type of reporting (service, for example) or a specific beat? What would you say to a current freelancer wondering that same question?
AV: I wasn't necessarily focused on developing a body of work focused on one type of story or beat. I generally just followed what interested me. I know not everyone will tout generalism, but I found it really helpful in showcasing all the different avenues I could pursue. If there was a job listing for a health reporter I couldn't say I had never reported about health before. I think it helps to have a little bit of experience in many different forms of storytelling and subject areas.
TH: I completely agree. That question — whether it’s better to be a generalist or a specialist — comes up a lot, and I think the better way to think about it is just developing your skills as a reporter and writer as much as possible. That’s what editors really want.
Practically speaking, how has your workload and workflow changed in moving to staff, and more important, what about your work/life balance?
AV: It's all improved!! I usually write 1-2 stories a week and am reporting on 1-2 per week, while still keeping some bigger initiatives/stories in mind. It's a huge improvement from sometimes having a deadline every day as a freelancer! Work/life balance has improved, too. I'm really able to leave work at work in a way I couldn't as a business owner.
TH: And finally, what are the one or two most important things a freelancer in this position should keep in mind or know about this whole process?
AV: I'll sound like a broken record here but maintain good relationships! Everyone from editors to other freelancers want to help you! (And vice versa.) Having a close friend and mentor who is also a freelancer helped instill confidence that I could do any of the challenging things that came my way, including pivoting from freelance to full-time. Community is everything!
TH: Amazing, thank you so much for your insights and advice Allie!
AV: Of course!!! Thank YOU!
Oh, a few other things …
• Today @ 5 p.m. Eastern: Join me for a Zoom workshop that will dive deep into strengthening your pitches, structuring them effectively, finding the right places to pitch your stories, how to follow up with editors, and much more! Register to join here: Pitch perfect: Everything to know about pitching stories.
• I am opening back up timeslots for one-on-one coaching! After a little break, I’m offering one-on-one sessions again. This can include anything you need help with: pitch feedback, writing and/or editing coaching, story development, story editing, social strategy, and anything else. Book a timeslot here.
• Psst … I’m (very) soft-launching the beta version of the FWT Slack. Eventually this will be a paid-only feature, but I would love for you to join and start participating. Once you’re in you’ll have access forever, whether you’re a paid sub or not, so join now and you’ll always have a place. Click here to join. (And I’d love any and all feedback you might have!)
• Friend of FWT Mandy Hofmockel offers one of my favorite journalism newsletters around: Journalism jobs and a photo of my dog. It’s a wonderfully comprehensive — and hand-built — listing of journalism jobs all over the country. If you’re in the market and looking, read and subscribe here!
Bye ily!
Tim❤️