ASK HR: Do I decline this job or just deliver it?

Q. Besides my actual job, I enjoy designing. My boss is aware of my side hustle and has no problem as long as I don’t do it while at work.

Last week, he introduced a friend who wanted me to design a logo. We discussed at length the image he had in mind but when it came to pay, he was hesitant to talk about it. He said that we would talk about it after he saw my work.

I prefer discussing payment before executing a job. I fear that he wants to get the job done at no cost since he and my boss are friends. Do I just decline working on it?

It is positive that you have cultivated skills beyond the requirements of your current job and that your supervisor grants you the latitude to exploit your talent in design to earn additional income.

For him to have brought his friend to seek your services, your supervisor acknowledges your talent and confidence in your ability to meet a client’s expectations.

It is true that people have been swindled in business and life in general – the world is not free of treachery. It is also true that not all people intend to cheat or exploit others in business.

While it helps to be cautious owing to the difficulties of being able to tell apart a person in whom lurks a fraudster, you might discover in the long run that it is not beneficial to impute wily intentions to every client.

Assuming that you are yet to establish a design business, you may want to start by demonstrating your work to the world before getting preoccupied with payment.

Has your supervisor’s friend seen samples of your work? Whether or not he is hesitant to discuss charges, nothing should stop you from indicating your pricing and negotiating terms of payment if your work fits the bill.

It is expected that every craft has its tariff. Conversations about payment will get easier as the reputation of your work grows.

What if you produced a few designs of the logo and showed them to him? Presenting the designs differs from giving them out. Although it may take time and effort to create, in case he does not take the logo that you design, the work will form part of your sample repository for other potential clients. In any event, you would need several renderings before the client settles for the one that captures his imagination.

Consider whether you need to care more about building your brand and developing lasting relationships with your clients at this stage or ensuring that you get paid upfront for your design work. You need both the customer and the payment.

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