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Poll: Do you refuse jobs just because you don't feel like doing them?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
Marlene Blanshay
Marlene Blanshay  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 13:56
Member (2009)
French to English
+ ...
yes, sometimes Jun 10, 2010

if it's something that sounds like it will be a real chore; I also am not crazy about powerpoint or excel jobs. Or if i need a bit of time off. Also, there are some clients who I just don't want to work for because they are really aggravating. Only one or two, but when I hear from them I always manage to be 'unavailable'.
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:56
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Sometimes Jun 10, 2010

If I'm already pretty busy, I will turn down academic transcripts and resumes because they can involve research, equivalency issues, and picky decisions about what and what not to translate. I'd rather translate something of benefit to a larger audience, so that I can imagine that my work is making a contribution.

I also tend to avoid handwritten PDFs and some PowerPoint files, though Excel files and figure legends don't bother me.
 
DianeGM
DianeGM  Identity Verified
Local time: 20:56
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
+ ...
Higher rate Jun 10, 2010

I usually offer higher rates for jobs that I know will be problematic for whatever reason. So either I take the job on favourable terms or price myself out of the market ...
 
Mary Worby
Mary Worby  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:56
German to English
+ ...
A slight exaggeration! Jun 10, 2010

Henry Hinds wrote:

Do I refuse jobs just because I don't feel like doing them?

No. Anyone with a work ethic like that would be a dismal failure.


I think the evidence suggest that the 60 percent of us who answered yes are not 'dismal failures'. It's nothing to do with a poor work ethic, it's about being in a place where you can pick and choose what work you do, where you don't have to do the nasty jobs because it's just not worth it. It's about having a decent work-life balance, about working to live rather than living to work. And to me, that is a mark of success not failure.
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 19:56
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
It takes all sorts to make a world! Jun 10, 2010

I often know colleagues who would actually like some of the jobs I don´t feel like doing, so I try to send them on if I can.

Otherwise I share the same reasons as others - it has been a long week (or is going to be) and this job would be the last straw...

Etc.

If I am not prepared to make the effort to do the job properly, it is best to tell the client at once, so they can find someone else who will.
 
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Poll: Do you refuse jobs just because you don't feel like doing them?






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