Finishing well

The best career advice I have EVER been given was very simple, and very succinct.

'Finish well.'

It was from this man. It basically means paying the same care and attention to your job once you've handed in your notice, decided to count beans elsewhere etc. as you would anyway (well, assuming that you give a shit in the first place). Those two small words have served me very well. In this industry, everyone knows everyone through someone else, once you've been around the block once or twice. And personal recommendations carry more weight than you'd think.

I was reminded about it this week on two counts. Firstly, a creative team left the place I'm freelancing at. Their attitude was not one of finishing well, and on their penultimate day, I overheard the CD giving them an absolute roasting for it. He will never hire them again, and neither will anyone else who asks him about them.

Secondly, all the freelance work I've had so far has been through personal contacts and people I've worked with previously. I've heard NOTHING from any of the agencies I signed up with.

Those two small words are currently paying my rent.