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.