There’s nothing more rewarding than applying for a gig and landing the job. In today’s electronic age, the competition is fierce. Unlike 20 years ago when we only competed for work among those within the same region, now we’re competing with writers from all over the world. What makes some land gigs, while others don’t? Let me see if I can help explain.
5 Reasons You Got the Job
1. Your Cover letter rocks – The cover letter is the first glimpse any client will have of you. I can’t tell you how many times I received emails saying “my resume is attached” or “my samples speak for themselves.” That’s not a cover letter. That’s a sentence. When you apply for a gig, and not just a writing gig, a cover letter is a given. The thing is, you have to sum up your career highlights in a few paragraphs. If it’s too long or too short the client will move on.
Use your cover letter to sum up past achievements including awards, notable clients and any other accolades. Do mention your specialties and why you’re considered an expert in the topic for which you’re applying. Oh yes and spelling and grammar count.
2. Your writing samples rock – When you submit samples you’re auditioning for the job, so choose carefully. The client will want to see that you writing style suits what he’s looking for and also that you have a good knowledge of the material. Your samples should be free of typos and grammatical errors.
3. Your work history rocks – While some clients have no problems working with brand new writers, most want to see some experience. If you have an impressive resume filled with happy clients, you’re more likely to land the gig over someone who did a couple of keyword articles for Joe Webmaster. That’s not to say Joe Webmaster isn’t a good start, but the gigs paying the most money are those looking for experienced writers with happy clients.
4. Your bid rocks – The key to bidding is to understand the client’s budget. You don’t want to underbid, but then you risk losing the client if you overbid too. Most magazines and newspapers have a set amount to pay freelancers per word. The web however, is a whole different ballgame. When considering a bid, look at the website, and the company owning the website. Are they a large corporation? Do they have big name advertisers and a high page rank? If so, you can probably go a little higher on your bid. If they’re a brand new entity, you might more willing to negotiate. The right bid is the reason many writers land the gig.
5. Your reputation rocks – Do you meet all your deadlines? Is your work clean? Editors appreciate not having to take a red pen to everything you write. They also have heard all the sob stories. If you’re constantly late because your kids are sick or your Aunt Tilly died, they’ll find someone a little more reliable. Happy clients equal good references. In our business, reputation is everything!
Ok, so, I have a question. When you send cover letters and samples, do you usually use the Oxford comma or not? I am a younger writer, and when I was in school (early 2000s,) the Oxford comma is what was accepted. But I edit for a few of my clients, and some of them want it, while others don’t. I never know what to do when sending out queries! What does everyone think?
Nicole,
If a publication, most likely you don’t use a comma before “and” in a sequence (AP style), however, University of Chicago stylebook uses comma in this situation and has some other differences from AP. In 30+ years (16 on my own), I’ve had only one client to use the U of C style, so I’d stick with AP when in doubt. You might even ask about their preferred style in your cover. This shows you know about the differences.
These are great tips, but I am curious about what is an effective and attractive way to package the cover letter, samples and resume. Both in an electronic form and physical form. I have articles in print magazines that would be my best samples, how would a client want to see those articles?
And, there’s always the timing. I was reading my email at the right time – a tip came in for someone who was looking for a freelancer to pitch them health ideas. I saw that email as soon as it was mailed – I grabbed it and ran. Five hours later, I had a great assignment.
In this business, it’s very much the early bird and all that.
^That is so true. I’ve gotten gigs before because I’m pretty sure I’m one of the first ones to send in an email.
BTW, I tend to use the U of C style with regards to commas. I’m having a hard time getting rid of the habit…
Yet another killer post, Deb … thanks for the wise words and a positive outlook to start our Thursday!
Erika
Mariella,
Yes, it’s a tough style to break. I had a heck of a time with the one client who used (they have since brought work in house) U of C guide because I had used only AP for so long.
And there are those that pick and choose elements of each (i.e., percent sign from UC and no serial comma from AP).
This was quite interesting. I guess I really just need a better cover letter. Any ideas on how to create an excellent email cover letter?
Amy U,
Have any friends/acquaintances in hiring or editorial positions? A former editor helped me years ago (after my job went away). Since then, I’ve worked on my own with it, but have asked for critiques every so often from business acquaintances.
Also, if you have good clients that would be willing to help (many are), ask what they look for. I’ve done that, too.
The above suggestions are with the caveat that I know my cover letters could be better. Most of my work comes from nailing No. 3 and 5 above (otherwise I wouldn’t have made it as an employee, let alone in freelance).
We hear a lot about how making the right bid is key, but I still have some confusion about it. I find it incredibly difficult to bid accurately when I have no Web reference and the only information listed is the ad (sometimes in as little as 2-3 lines). If the client specifically asks for rates but doesn’t mention a lot of detail about the work and doesn’t mention what the company is, how is a writer supposed to make a good bid? In situations like that, I usually provide a range (I try not to make it too broad, though I suspect sometimes I do) and mention that the rates are negotiable depending on the client’s budget. I’d be interested in knowing how others handle that type of situation, though. Or do others just completely shy away from answering those types of vague ads?
Nicole,
In regards to your question about comma style, I don’t think you need to stress about the style you choose to use in your cover/query letter. If it’s a proofreading or copy editing gig, it’s more important that you’re familiar with the style they want when you’re actually doing the job. I don’t think anyone would turn you down because you stuck a Chicago Stylebook comma in your cover letter rather than leaving it off. Your cover letter should be free of errors, of course, but in some jobs you have the added bonus of querying to people who are asking for copy editors because they themselves aren’t sure where to put commas.
These are great tips, indeed. One writing gig I got came through this site. The lady reviewed a column I sent and told me how much she appreciated it because it needed no further editing done.
I’ve had several prospective clients that told me that though I didn’t get chosen, they were very impressed by my resume and writing samples. That is very encouraging.
Another reason why you got the job – you applied.
When I’m giving advice to writers just starting out, I always tell them to apply, apply, apply. Sepend an hour a day applying to decent paying jobs instead of writing a 700 word article that pays $2. In the long run it will pay off.
I wonder, do others feel that email responses to ads are written differently than actual, paper cover letters? I haven’t done a paper cover letter in forever, but when I did, I was very careful about including all kinds of info and pitches for myself. With email, though, I tend to keep it super short–one or two sentences about particularly pertinent experience, then samples and resume are attached. I don’t think that’s hurt me in any way, so maybe cover letter protocol has evolved with the emergence of email.
Excellent information! I keep my cover letters very-very short and I query with clips that are from larger publications. I’ve often wondered, though, if I should keep using a standard resume or if I should develop a CV? The resume has worked fine so far, but I wonder if a CV would work better?
Phil,
Do you have a web site? I appreciate your insight. I’m a former sportswriter type too.
Paul,
No Website, I still haven’t been convinced its worth time, cost and effort…however, I’m closer to adding one than not (graphics is not a strong suit).
If you want to contact me away from this forum, feel free to do so at spenterprises@wowway.com
Skippy -
My e-mail cover letters are definitely more concise than a paper cover letter. I start out with why I am interested and right for the job.
If it’s a content writing job, I then include a bulleted list of what the employer will get if they hire me
- a detail and deadline oriented writer
- the ability to write keyword/seo artcles
- the ability to write to your topic or suggest my own for your approval
etc.
Then I include a few links to published works online and a link to my own website’s published works page. (As I discussed in a guest blogging past here a few months back – once I started linking to this published works page, I started getting much better feedback from prospective clients)
Finally, I end with the usual, you can contact me at this e-mail adress or at 555-5555.
It’s definitely not as involved or even as formal as an old fashioned paper cover letter, but it is still full of pertinent information and professional.
I have also found that ever since I started including a link to my (2-month old) online published works page in my email “cover letters” I’ve gotten noticeably more client responses.
I am really leery of those ads with virtually no information given but they want a bid or writing samples. Maybe I am just a pessimist, but my first thought is it is some kind of scammer.
If anyone could offer good links to sources of info about how to write a killer cover letter, resume, etc especially geared towards freelance writers, that would be awesome!
I’m so glad that you followed up the “why you didn’t get the job” with this awesome, rockin’, positive post! Thanks
Hello Deb,
Thank you so much for doing what you do. I’ve been visiting this site since day one of my decision to become a professional writer. You, and the guys posting their comments here have helped me a lot.
I just got my first gig (yay!) but i got the greatest fear of a writer (his work getting rejected) when they sent me back my work twice for re-writing. Reason: EVE software tagged several lines as plagiarized.
Question 1: how can one’s sentences be tagged as plagiarized when he just crafted them from his mind?
Question 2: How come a paragraph that goes like this: John Smith defines love as, “a feeling……”
How can it be tagged a plagiarism if i cited John Smith as the source and i enclosed the quote in quotation marks?
Another question. What is a footer blurb? one posting asked for it.
Thank you so much. you’re my angel.
So, I took all the great advice on this site and ran with it.
- I created a blog
- I post daily on it
- I send out massive amounts of query’s
- without many published clips I talk up my work ethic
- I created a niche
Finally after a great deal of trying I
landed a gig!!!
Thank you all for pushing a newbie in the right direction.
( I feel like Mary Tyler Moore throwing my hat into the air!)
I was reading a suggestion above which recommends spending an hour a day applying for jobs. I wish I could spend just an hour a day?
How much time are other people spending on the job hunt?