Escape Artists
Escape Pod => About Escape Pod => Topic started by: SFEley on March 12, 2008, 07:27:39 PM
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Folks,
In my continuing effort to get things together, I'm looking to offload some of the stuff that...well, okay, some of the stuff that's important that I haven't been doing anyway.
I'm seeking a smart individual who can help me part-time with some administrative tasks for Escape Artists. I'm talking about categorizing e-mail and responding to some of it (not the stuff with personal notes to me); tracking contracts and donations; compiling reports and organizing some of our resources; and maybe some data entry into QuickBooks. That's what I have in mind for a start. If you're the right person and you're creative enough and passionate to do more, we can talk about your involvement in some of the fuzzier tasks, like slush reading, planning, or volunteer management.
Age and prior experience are not major issues for me. This isn't like most administrative assistant jobs; you won't be managing an office, you'll be managing a lot of virtual data and communication. This might be a perfect part time job for a really sharp teenager. I would greatly prefer to have someone who understands what we're doing and enjoys it, so I'm putting the word out here before I do anything on Craigslist, etc. If you get this and you know someone in your family or friends who could do this, please pass it on.
I can't guarantee what the time commitment will be, but my loose expectation is between 5 and 15 hours in a typical week. Sometimes we'll have little going on; at other times we'll have major projects for you to stay on top of. There'll be more workload in the beginning as you help me get caught up on the current backlog. For payment, we'll start at $10 an hour, and we can scale up or work out a different system if you show you're able to take on harder stuff. (Or if you do your job so well that it gets done in fewer hours. I believe that should be rewarded, not punished with less pay.)
You will be a contractor, not an employee, at least at the outset. I regret that I can't offer benefits at this time. (I'm not getting any either.)
My requirements, in order of importance, are:
- Must be a clear communicator. This is absolutely critical. If grammar and effective style are not important to you, please do not apply. You'll be responsible for writing a fair amount of e-mail and documentation, and you will influence the public image of Escape Artists, Inc. We are a company built on literature, and it is fundamental to me that all of our communication must be professional and effective.
- Must be a good organizer. I define "good" as "roughly five times better than me." That's still not a very high bar; but I'll be counting on you to help us get some things together, and you'll need to take some initiative on that. The first time you see my "editor" inbox, if you fall down weeping, I'll suspect I found the right person. I'll know it when you help fix it.
- Must be comfortable with software and the Internet. I'm not looking for a programmer here. (That's a different job posting.) You won't need to work on command lines or do Web design. But our business is heavily based on FTP and IMAP, and I can't take the time to tell you how to configure your e-mail client. You should also be deeply comfortable with word processors and spreadsheets, and willing to learn some basic systems for project management.
- Must be a thinking human. Much of the stuff I'll be asking you to do will be mind-numbing drudgework. If it wasn't, I'd have done more of it myself. But some of it will require some thought and initiative. For instance, I want someone I can trust to answer some of the easier questions we get in e-mail, without sounding like you're pasting in a form letter or like you're Customer Service Droid #467. It's good if you come to me all the time with questions -- there'll be a high level of communication between us. But as time passes you'll be taking on more of this stuff yourself.
Those are the requirements. Optional traits that will tip things in your favor:
- Within driving distance of Stone Mountain, Georgia. This isn't critical for me; I'd rather have the right person than a local person. And most of the work will be done online. But if we can meet physically at least once or twice a month, then you can help me with a few things like PodDisc mailings, checking the PO box, physical filing, etc. If you are local, please say so up front when you respond.
- Love for genre fiction. Really, if this isn't true for you, I'm not sure why you'd want this job. I won't insist on it, but it sure would help. If you're a writer, even better.
- Has a Mac. I'm not a zealot, and I won't refuse to work with Windows users. But my own workflow involves a lot of Apple software, and if we can get you set up with iWork and .Mac it'll save us both some time.
- Personality. I won't tell you what's required here. But it would help if you had one. We'll get along much better. I read a lot of SF, so robots and pod people scare me.
If this sounds like you, or someone you know, drop me a line at editor@escapepod.org and tell me what you think I should know about you. Also don't hesitate to ask me a lot of questions up front. You can send a resumé if you want to, but to be honest, I'm really more interested in the stuff that usually goes into cover letters. Don't be disappointed if it takes me a little while to get back to you. (That is, again, why I need an assistant.)
Thanks, and Have Fun.
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I was all over this until I got to the part about driving distance to Georgia. The old Volvo doesn't fly anymore and the amphibious conversion leaks too much for such a long trip.
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Perhaps you could request a better trans-Atlantic vehicle on the back of a $100 bill and mail it to yourself?
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I hear Herbie is seaworthy... get yourself an old VW Bug!
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Back in the olden days we just plugged a yellow frog into a blue beetle and waited for the wormhole to go to the right place. Granted, the impatient had an uncanny ability to end up on Mars on in the seedier end of a bar in Memphis, but it usually got you to the right where, if not the right when.
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The position's been filled: Matt Arnold (http://nemorathwald.com/) will now be in charge of the general cat-herding. Thanks to all who applied -- there were some astoundingly good applicants -- and this experience has motivated me even more to want to build a bigger business, so I can work with more of you later on. >8->
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Yay Matt! I'm very excited for Escape Artists. I can't wait for the day when I can drive a mile to the nearest Escape Stardonaldstone Books Store, get a Quarter-pounder with cheese and a coffee while listening to an audiobook, and buying it at the same time.
haha no im kidding, Escape Artists' future looks very, very bright. I think i need some sunglasses. and some laser surgery to repair the burns in my retina. i cant feel my brain!
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The position's been filled: Matt Arnold (http://nemorathwald.com/) will now be in charge of the general cat-herding. Thanks to all who applied -- there were some astoundingly good applicants -- and this experience has motivated me even more to want to build a bigger business, so I can work with more of you later on. >8->
You wanna know something funny? We actually know Matt Arnold.
He's the former roommate of a friend of ours, Chuck.
Small Internet.
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OK, now I'm curious as to who you are, Thaurismunths.
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OK, now I'm curious as to who you are, Thaurismunths.
Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.....
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OK, now I'm curious as to who you are, Thaurismunths.
He's the tall goofy one with blue hands, of course. (But I'm too lazy and tired from all of that rice-earning to go find you the link. ;))
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OK, now I'm curious as to who you are, Thaurismunths.
He's the tall goofy one with blue hands, of course. (But I'm too lazy and tired from all of that rice-earning to go find you the link. ;))
Let him explore and find it on his own. Everyone needs a quest from time to time.
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Back in the olden days we just plugged a yellow frog into a blue beetle and waited for the wormhole to go to the right place. Granted, the impatient had an uncanny ability to end up on Mars on in the seedier end of a bar in Memphis, but it usually got you to the right where, if not the right when.
There's really nothing uncanny about ending up in a seedy bar in Memphis. The truly uncanny would be ending up in a non-seedy bar in Memphis.