Thread by @integlangsbiz

Tips for #interpreters who have just passed their exams. Colleagues, please chip in. A #1nt thread.

1) Getting your first paid project will probably take a while. Please try to have a part-time job or one with flexible hours until you start getting regular #1nt work.

2) While some #1nt people also do #xl8, don't kick yourself if you turn out not to be suited to it. There are other things you can do.

3) Outside of the big markets (Paris, Brussels, Munich etc) EVERY interpreter I know is either an interpreter and something else (translator, lecturer, teacher, therapist etc) or works in different #1nt contexts. It's fine if you do too.

4) Join at least one professional association and jump into volunteering. You will never have more time than you have now. If you're in the UK, join @ITIUK.

5) Not every training course or webinar will be useful and you can't afford them all anyway. Feel free to ask experienced colleagues what is useful.

6) If you're freelance, you're a business owner and you need to get The Entrepreneurial Linguist by @language_news and @Deutsch_Profi. It saved my #1nt career and will save yours.

7) Experienced colleagues are a great source of advice but the people who know the things that are working right now are those just a couple of years ahead of you. I got out of date marketing advice when I started and it cost me. #1nt

8) It's really hard to write a good pitch email but it's really easy to ask a colleague a good question. So instead of sending your CV off blind to #1nt colleagues, look them up and ask a specific question about their work...

8 b) So, instead of asking "how do I get #1nt jobs?" ask "what are the most useful events for me to learn about the X sector?" or "what's the best place for me to hone my skills in Y?" where you know they're an expert in X or Y.

9) The best #1nt projects don't appear on any job boards. Getting to know colleagues, keeping in touch with those you're alongside now and being in associations help.

10) If you're buying a laptop, an SSD is a must. You'll thank me after your first 60 second Windows update.

11) Do what @Goldsmith_Josh, @adrechsel and @Jeromobot tell you to do about #tech, what @tulkur tells you about practising #1nt and what @MahaElMetwally tells you about #RSI.

12) Be nice.

13) Go to business networking in your local area. It might not get you clients but it'll introduce you to people. Never underestimate the power of connections.

14) Don't make my mistake of spending the first two years mostly at home, chasing job board posts. It's not good for you. Get out of the house, even virtually and meet as many #1nt people as you can in your first year.

15) Pretty much everyone in #1nt is friendly. Introduce yourself to loads of people (one at a time) and go to conferences when you can afford them.

16) Imposter syndrome is normal. It's OK to not be OK. But get help when you need it.

17) #1nt people talk a lot about your hearing, which is important but please, get a good optometrist too.

18) Being generic sucks. Please don't mak your website like every other interpreter's website. Sure, get the right info on their but, in everything you do, be you.

18 b) Check the spelling of your tweets. ;-)

19) Determination and practice beats natural talent and laziness every time.

20) Last one. Over time, try to learn to spend more time around potential clients than you do around #1nt people. It's hard and harder during the pandemic but it's important.