What is the hiring process like at Cactus Communications?

Exposure to interesting research, remote work and flexibility

Blatant disregard towards editorial staff by the multi-layer management (Managing editors, process managers, etc.) As I didn't know better back then, being rather new to professional life, I was often persuaded into accepting high-value assignments on short notice despite having a packed schedule for the week, with process management assuring that they could tweak deadlines for assignments that conflicted with those I'd already picked. However, to my dismay, I often encountered situations in which I was discouraged from dropping the previously picked assignments after accepting those requested by PM, and the deadline changes only left me with a few hours to edit the manuscripts. This was a weekly recurring pattern, causing me to often lose sleep and experience health deterioration. But my ordeal with the management system didn't end here. Now, behold the dereliction of the managing editors and assistant managing editors. I am well aware that they resolve situations in which an editor on contract has difficulty in completing an assignment by the given deadline, provided a timely notice is conveyed through the appropriate channels on MS Teams. The shifts and real-time availability of the ME and AMEs could be tracked on MS teams. Despite such provisions, there were 2 instances when I was overwhelmed with work and needed their assistance to meet the deadlines, but received no support or advice after alerting them of my inconvenience hours prior to the deadline, having confirmed their availability on Teams. My messages were left on read, and eventually, I had to upload the deliverables with very sparse revisions in the last two or three passages. Surprisingly, the ME and AMEs who'd been dead silent for hours after receiving my requests for assistance sprang with unprecedented vigour after I uploaded the deliverables, notifying the fee deductions and yapping about my shortcomings. Of course, they ensured there was no opening to question their silence during the hours following my requests for support on Teams.

- Swift and efficient application and onboarding process - Interesting work - Very supportive team, when I have any questions or issues during my translation project, I can reach out to them, and they always respond swiftly.

- Inconsistent workflow - Rates may be low compared to some standards

Fully remote. Good resources available, especially for freshers/graduates without experience. The whiteboard/assignment dashboard system is actually pretty decent. Process managers are helpful when you report issues. The minimum amount of work required per month has been scrapped off so no more penalties for not meeting minimum productivity targets.

The best time to work on contract/freelance for CACTUS was until 2022; editor experience has gone downhill since 2023. They started using AI to pre-edit assignments at around 2021/22; these assignments pay a lower rate. However, 2023 onward, the volume of work available has dropped drastically, and the compensation for these pre-edited assignments decreased even further. For many assignments, we need to prepare additional files: a cover letter and letter to the client. There is no additional compensation for this work despite the effort spent on them. Pre-2023, the high volume of available assignments with a reasonable compensation made the effort worth it, but not anymore. The reason for reduced fees for pre-edited assignments ("reduced effort required") makes no sense because we still need to be check and edit the ENTIRE manuscript anyway! Editors, who contribute the most to the edit process, receive a fraction of the fee paid by clients. AI has been gradually rolled out to pre-edit all assignment types; there is almost no choice of opting out. CACTUS is using AI to reduce the compensation paid to editors, while expecting full effort. They claim that editors can write to support and request additional compensation if extra effort was required; however, this does not serve as a solution to this exploitative model. At present, there are very few assignments available daily, which pay anything more than peanuts. Even if you join now, you would mostly be staring at an empty list waiting for anything decent to show up. Of course, you're only paid for the assignments you do,

High Salary and Work from home

Unstable management while hiring and being non chalant with the impact of layoff on employee's career