When you’re scheduling time for your freelance writing duties, don’t forget the all-important job hunt. If you’re really serious about finding work, you’ll want to spend an hour or two "trolling" for job leads.
That doesn’t sound very attractive, does it?
The truth is there are a lot of jobs out there right now. Most of them are for web-writing opportunities, but there are also plenty of print opportunities available. When you take time each day to look for work, not only might you get a jump on the competition, but it’s also a way to spot trends and see what’s out there.
By keeping up with jobs you’ll know what editors are looking for, what the hottest search terms are, the average pay per article and you’ll be able to spot scams and foolishness like a pro.
Quiet Time
When I’m looking I like to do it first thing in the morning while I’m having a cup of coffee. I like to job hunt when the house is quiet so I can focus on finding work and concentrate on writing a good cover letter. On good days I’ll apply for 2 or 3 jobs.
Keep Looking
Even if you’re booked solid, it doesn’t hurt to look and see what’s out there. Every now and then you’ll stumble across the perfect gig. Plus you can stay on top of what’s out there. Personally, I prefer to be overbooked than not have work at all.
Try not to leave the job hunt only for times you’re between gigs. By applying to at least a job or two a week, you’re ensuring there’s no down time. Looking for work isn’t the most fun part of writing, but it’s the most necessary. Treat it like part of the job and you’re sure to find plenty of work.
This is so vital to be constantly out there marketing yourself AND job hunting (two different things!)
In a strange way, I kind of enjoy job-hunting. Like you, Deb, I troll the job boards first thing in the morning with my cup of coffee, and it’s my quiet time before the e-mails from clients start pouring in. Every now and then, however, I end up booking myself a little TOO solid. December has been a month of 14-hour days, for example. But like you said, better too much than too little! Have a great holiday!
On this topic, I just found a neat site today, that lets you combine your subscriptions to multiple RSS feeds: http://www.bloglines.com. I’m compiling a folder that trolls craigslist writing pages and so I can only look at the ones that have been updated…
It’s taking a bit of time to get setup, and it’s not precisely what I’ve been thinking would be nice to find though I have no idea how to program it, but already I think it’ll be helping me make my job searching more efficient.
I’ve definitely learned this lesson the hard way. I have periods of intense work followed by extreme lulls. If I were a little more diligent in finding work on a regular basis, I probably wouldn’t get myself into those situations.
Hi Deb, thanks for this site. I have learned alot and will continue learning. I am very new to freelancing and I certainly need all the information that I can get. You have given me much insight and really appreciate your willingness to help freelance writers. Kudos for a job well done and have a blessed Christmas!!
Personally, I prefer to be overbooked than not have work at all.
I prefer that too, Deb. Though I get burned out at times.
And yes, I believe it’s essential to troll leads on a regular basis since you’ll never know when you need a new one.
Ditto,
Something I still have to remind myself especially during “feast” times, like this month. If one doesn’t look for work while one’s busy, slow times will follow.
Had that happen this summer, which I can point to having a daughter’s health issues (since cleared up) taking up a lot of time three months earlier.
Right now, Jan. looks a little soft after a great December and only a slightly slower November. But things will quickly get bad if I don’t keep up the prospecting and follow-up.
Though Web work is a little different, try to use the phone as part of prospecting. I just landed a new client that could be very good in terms of annual work after nearly a year of chasing it (changes at the top was part of the reason for delay).
Happy Holidays to all (including Soltice celebrator Erik)!
Where’s Micah? I’m nearly No. 3. Mariella and Katharine are so far ahead, they’re not even in sight for the rest of us any more.
I market every single day. I do the same as Deb, read the job boards first thing in the morning while I have my coffee and wake up. If nothing interests me, then I troll around for interesting trade pubs and send off a letter of introduction. It’s a lot of work, but I seem to average at least one new client per month, sometimes two. I’m always on the look out for new work because you never know when regular work might slow down. Two clients who were very steady for me over the first half of the year pretty much disappeared after September. But luckily I found new clients so my workload and income has stayed steady.