| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Poll: Do you name well-known end customers you've indirectly worked for in your profile, CV, etc.? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| Name-dropping | Jun 24, 2014 |
Well, it can be extremely helpful to drop the name of a particular client, or quite openly refer a potential client to a named person within a particular company if they wish to have information about your proficiency and professionalsm.
The question asked though is do you name these clients in your CV, profile etc? My answer is no, of course not.
However, just had a flash and seen that the question is about "end customers" that I may have worked for "indirectly". Well... See more Well, it can be extremely helpful to drop the name of a particular client, or quite openly refer a potential client to a named person within a particular company if they wish to have information about your proficiency and professionalsm.
The question asked though is do you name these clients in your CV, profile etc? My answer is no, of course not.
However, just had a flash and seen that the question is about "end customers" that I may have worked for "indirectly". Well, that's even a bigger no-no, as you are then talking about breaching confidentiality rules and probably contractual ones too.
I d'ont work with agents and so "end client" and "indirect" are not part of my vocabulary. ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 21:24
Spanish to English
+ ...
Er... indirectly?... not AFAIK...
On my written CV, which I haven't looked at or updated for ages...I only mention organisations, agencies, schools or companies I have actually worked for directly.
Having said that, I'm not averse to a bit of name dropping when chatting informally...
| | | | | Not in stuff on public domain, but in a tailored private bid ... maybe | Jun 25, 2014 |
Mostly, I figure it's my business who I work for directly and their business who they work for directly. So I don't put it in my CV or profile. Sure it's good to drop names, but I'd rather leave that to other people and use CVs and profiles as a "real" point of contact if other people want to drop my name. Anyone can say anything in a CV or profile. And anyways, I think the personal recommendation will always be needed for the institutional affiliation to be very useful.
But when I ... See more Mostly, I figure it's my business who I work for directly and their business who they work for directly. So I don't put it in my CV or profile. Sure it's good to drop names, but I'd rather leave that to other people and use CVs and profiles as a "real" point of contact if other people want to drop my name. Anyone can say anything in a CV or profile. And anyways, I think the personal recommendation will always be needed for the institutional affiliation to be very useful.
But when I bid on projects I often specify who my clients work for. Working for a big name once means you got a chance. doing so on a regular (if infrequent) basis means that they were happy. To date, however, I have never been accepted on a bid when I drop institutional names. Perhaps they see big names as a sign of big prices?
Instead of dropping names, now I try to get more info on the specific project so I can tailor the bid in a way which demonstrates my ability to perform the task.
I hate BS. So I try to keep it to a minimum. The number one benefit is that this attracts clients who hate BS too.
With the final outcome a very low BS factor index. But it takes a long time to achieve such a low BS ratio. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Luiz Barucke 
Brazil
Local time: 16:24
Spanish to Portuguese
+ ...
| Why could a name hurt confidentiality? | Jun 25, 2014 |
Confidentiality is about the ACME's secret I translated, not the name of ACME itself. I don't know why I should not mention their name in my resume, specially when it's involved on a bid.
Of course, anyone can write anything on a piece of paper - and also on a PDF.
But all in translation world is about confidence. If someone somewhere hires me for a job, this one should believe I'll do my job well, and I should believe I'll be paid for it, sometimes 60 days later.
... See more Confidentiality is about the ACME's secret I translated, not the name of ACME itself. I don't know why I should not mention their name in my resume, specially when it's involved on a bid.
Of course, anyone can write anything on a piece of paper - and also on a PDF.
But all in translation world is about confidence. If someone somewhere hires me for a job, this one should believe I'll do my job well, and I should believe I'll be paid for it, sometimes 60 days later.
If someone in this chain does not keep their word, everything is damaged.
What I say is true, and this includes some end clients I've worked for. If it tells about my experience and knowledge, why shouldn't I mention it? ▲ Collapse
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SteveMcD
Local time: 21:24
German to English
I never list indirect clients.
I do however, have a number of direct clients who have given me permission to name them should the need arise. Some have also provided me with letters of reference as well as contact names and phone numbers should a new client wish to speak with them about my work.
Sometimes an agency or potential new client will request references as part of their selection process when looking for a translator. I don't see how simply listing your direc... See more I never list indirect clients.
I do however, have a number of direct clients who have given me permission to name them should the need arise. Some have also provided me with letters of reference as well as contact names and phone numbers should a new client wish to speak with them about my work.
Sometimes an agency or potential new client will request references as part of their selection process when looking for a translator. I don't see how simply listing your direct clients should be a problem unless they have specifically stated (or otherwise implied in a contract) that you refrain from doing so.
Visit the web site of just about any major service company and there is bound to be a link to a page listing their biggest clients, often with letters of praise about their work. It's all about advertising and lending credibility to your business. Working as a freelance translator should be no different. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 16:24
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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| Yes, and you're not breaking any rules if you do | Jul 6, 2014 |
As long as you have evidence that you did, I see nothing wrong with it.
For example, I work for large enginnering companies. When I translate a document of company A, I become aware of their jargon and standards, and that may be a plus in a slection process for another company.
Now, if I get a document from company "B" from an agency, I learn the same jargon and standards, and it may help my CV just the same with other companies.
Don't I have that right?
| | | | | Competing agencies | Nov 10, 2014 |
Luiz Barucke wrote:
Confidentiality is about the ACME's secret I translated, not the name of ACME itself. I don't know why I should not mention their name in my resume, specially when it's involved on a bid.
Of course, anyone can write anything on a piece of paper - and also on a PDF.
But all in translation world is about confidence. If someone somewhere hires me for a job, this one should believe I'll do my job well, and I should believe I'll be paid for it, sometimes 60 days later.
If someone in this chain does not keep their word, everything is damaged.
What I say is true, and this includes some end clients I've worked for. If it tells about my experience and knowledge, why shouldn't I mention it?
I believe that most agencies want to keep their clients lists secret for other agencies, so most confidentiality agreements outside legal or trade secret fields are because of inter-agency competition reasons.
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