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.
