How much time are other people spending on the job hunt?

Thank you all for pushing a newbie in the right direction.

( I feel like Mary Tyler Moore throwing my hat into the air!)

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.

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!

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.

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

Do you have a web site? I appreciate your insight. I’m a former sportswriter type too.

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’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.

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.

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).

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).

Erika

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…

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.