Thanks, everyone, for the wonderful comments. Thank you, Drew, for including me, and thanks Drew, Brian, and Tim for the fantastic resource. Truly an amazing 24 days of content. Thanks to all this year’s writers.
I personally would hope that if I was to ever be put in the position where I lost my job, I would remain on good enough terms with the company to not do that..
What Drew said: it depends on the circumstances.
If the agency that laid you off has an ongoing business relationship with the client (i.e. is still finishing a project for the client, or enjoys a monthly retainer-based consulting relationship with the client), then you wouldn’t want to approach that client, except perhaps to wish them happy holidays. (Should the client notice your signature file and offer you freelance work, you may not be in a position to accept.)
On the other hand, if the agency that laid you off was but one vendor that served the client, and the agency is no longer an active vendor for that client, and if you weren’t under a contract that restricts your ability to work for former clients of your former agency … then again, I advise you to simply wish the client happy holidays or write to ask how they’re doing. And if the client happens to offer you freelance work — or if that email leads to a series of pleasant email exchanges over the months ahead, which eventually leads to the client offering freelance work — you may be in a position to accept.
Jeffrey Zeldman
Thanks, everyone, for the wonderful comments. Thank you, Drew, for including me, and thanks Drew, Brian, and Tim for the fantastic resource. Truly an amazing 24 days of content. Thanks to all this year’s writers.
What Drew said: it depends on the circumstances.
If the agency that laid you off has an ongoing business relationship with the client (i.e. is still finishing a project for the client, or enjoys a monthly retainer-based consulting relationship with the client), then you wouldn’t want to approach that client, except perhaps to wish them happy holidays. (Should the client notice your signature file and offer you freelance work, you may not be in a position to accept.)
On the other hand, if the agency that laid you off was but one vendor that served the client, and the agency is no longer an active vendor for that client, and if you weren’t under a contract that restricts your ability to work for former clients of your former agency … then again, I advise you to simply wish the client happy holidays or write to ask how they’re doing. And if the client happens to offer you freelance work — or if that email leads to a series of pleasant email exchanges over the months ahead, which eventually leads to the client offering freelance work — you may be in a position to accept.