Though Deb says she’s had no problem with attached resumes, I would still recommend pasting it at the bottom of e-mail instead. I write quite a bit about security and some spam/virus filters will kick out e-mails with attachments if set too “tight.”

In the letter presented, opening with the word “I” is problematic because it kicks things off by saying, “let’s talk about me.” Instead, start with something like, “Your company will benefit from my broad writing experience and real estate knowledge.”

Good luck!

Advice: Liven it up!

First of all, active verbs work wonders. Also see if you can’t work some strong image into the letter. You want to be noticed and to catch the reader’s eye.

I get some of the best responses when a job’s such that I can open with, “How many writers, in the lazy days of winter, curl up by the fire with a mug of hot chocolate and a grammar handbook to read?” It’s a pertinent detail about me that affects my work. Of course, that line also tends to fit best with certain types of applications.

You could try checking out some other freelancers’ web sites and seeing how they talk about themselves. Take notes about what you like and what you don’t like. Try to consider them as if you might be interested in hiring them, yourself (and ignore such minutia as budget). Consider it from different angles of work that you do. What details do you find yourself wanting to know about the “potential employees”?

I hope this is helpful!

As a customer, I really don’t care what your goals are — I care about getting copy that will achieve *my* goals. This query needs to be rewritten from the get-go with the focus on the customer, not the writer.

Start out by introducing yourself and explaining what you can do for the buyer.

“Hello, I am Jane Doe, and I am a freelance writer.

How does that help you? I can give you the type of attractive, engaging copy you need in a real estate article — words that will catch a reader’s attention and engage their interest. When they are done, they are going to want to stay at your site, looking for more.

Why do I feel confident in stating this? – Here is where you state your qualifications, again framing them in terms of what they will do for him or her –

Want some examples of work of this kind I have done before? Here are some urls (or attached clips) of similar work I have done in the past.”

This is direct and effective. Sell the benefit you provide, not you.

Jodee, I also took my address and phone numbers off my resume. The very last time I did that…no I’d rather not elaborate. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience.

I do mean attach – unless of course they request no attachments. No one has ever complained.

If by “attach,” you mean “paste” a resume, that’s one thing. But many hiring authorities don’t want attachments and some spam filters will automatically reject them.

I like attaching a resume because if the client has the desire to learn more about me after reading the cover letter, it’s all right there and can assist her in better making her decision.

I would suggest streamlining the 2nd paragraph by using bullet points so the reader can quickly glean your areas of expertise.

- Delivering engaging content
- SEO optimization
- XX+ years English teaching experience
- Exceptional grammar
- Attention to detail
- Proven project management skills — juggling multiple projects in a deadline-driven environment

In business school, they advised 5-7 bullet points max.

Thank you very much for saying this, it couldn’t have come at a better time. I will definitely quote you on my blog (link on my name) in the near future as I feel a post on a relevant topic is in order soon.

Maybe we should all just write in the relevant writing experiences we’ve had with like-minded publications in the cover letter itself instead of attaching a resume in a word doc.

If anybody has had success with this method, please post the outcome and tell us how many years of experience you included with the relevant work history.

Also, I shouldn’t get started on this, but it REALLY bothers me when people specifically ask in ads for native English speakers to do their writing jobs for them. I understand why they do it, but I think it’s ridiculous. I am a native English speaker, I have an undergraduate degree in English, I have taught English, I am a freelance writer, I work as an editor, and my English skills are STILL not as good as my boyfriend’s. English is his third language.

I generally really like the second half of the second paragraph of the cover letter, “All of the work…” onward. I think it’s good.

For the most part, I agree with Deb’s comments except for one thing. She suggests it’s not necessary to mention why the sample provided isn’t directly relevant to the job, but I appreciated that part of the cover letter. If I was a client, you’d better believe I’d be wondering why I wasn’t receiving a real estate sample of writing if the freelancer billed herself as a real estate writer. People can make so much stuff up, and a simple statement of clarification like Nicole gave is helpful for credibility purposes.

Nicole, if you are making a sufficient income by freelancing, I’d imagine you have a bunch of clients and jobs you’ve done throughout the past year that you can list in your cover letter. I’d strongly suggest doing that.

I also like Misses E’s rewrite, but I feel the last sentence of the first paragraph is a bit of a run-on.

When I started applying for jobs, I simply left out the experience level and tried to make up for it by noting other positive aspects I could bring to the gig. My experience has been that clients care more what you can do for them than they care about your experience. If you can offer them something an experienced writer can’t, you’ll have a better shot at getting the job.

I like your suggestion, because it can be easily changed to fit other needs (such as general SEO, web content writing, or other topic specifics).

Thanks!

As an experienced real estate writer, I would love to hear more about the article writing job advertised on Craigslist. I currently write and research similar articles for the Arizona real estate market.

Client satisfaction is my priority. I have never missed a deadline. I deliver clear content which is engaging to the reader and appealing to search engines. I am a former English teacher and am based in the United States.

I am available immediately to discuss the details of your project. I have attached a writing sample to give you an idea of my writing style. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing from you.

This is my letter, and thank you all for the excellent and constructive criticism. I look forward to reading more. I know this is one of my weakest areas. I am going to print off the suggested rewrites and study them. Thankfully, I did get this job and it is one of my highest paying jobs, but I can definitely see your points and the areas where I can improve. Thank you so much!

One question – I am only about a year into freelancing, so my experience is not that long in regards to time. However, in that year I have been able to replace my full time teaching income, so I must be doing something right. Any suggestions as to how to still come across as experienced and qualified without mentioning length of time? (Although my resume, which was sent with this letter does in fact mention the length of time I have worked for my various clients.)

Please continue to be constructive now that I have told you who I am!

Thanks so much everyone!

Kudos to the person who offered this to be critiqued.