Freelancing and Honesty

I'm pretty sure I didn't get a job on Elance because of honesty. I read the job description, wrote my proposal, and submitted my bid. A few days later, the prospective client messaged me with more information. I think this is when it fell apart.

The client sent me a list of things that he wanted researched and asked if I thought I could do the job. With my nursing background, the vitamins, minerals, and organic ingredients were familiar to me and I let him know that I could certainly provide him with the research he desired. His notes indicated the need for clinical research, journal articles, and test results. I let him know that, in some cases, that information is only available if one purchases the journal articles. I wanted to be honest with him. If he wanted the most thorough and up-to-date information, there might be a cost associated with it. I said that I would find all that I could online and would refer him to any information that might be out there for a fee.

A few hours later, I found that he had awarded the job to someone else. I really think it was because I told him that, in order to get the most reliable clinical information, he might have to pay for it. Of course, once the job is awarded, I can no longer communicate with the potential client, so I will never know for sure.

I suppose I could have just said, "Sure! I can give you everything you need!" But I know that some of that information is going to be difficult to find outside of medical journals. I felt that being honest was better than failing to provide the information or springing the fee-based articles on him later. It cost me the job.

There are freelancers out there who will do anything to win the job. I'm not one of them. I'm WYSIWYG - and yes, I love to rhyme that with "Fezziwig" - and proud of it. I won't lie and I won't badmouth others. If you're looking for someone to tell you exactly what you want to hear, whether or not it is true, don't call me. However, if you want to work with someone who will be honest about her skills and your job... I'm here and ready when you are.