Comments on: Should You Worry About Competition When Applying for Freelance Jobs?

By: The Freelance Writer's Blog

The Freelance Writer's Blog — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:49:26 +0000

Intriguiging topic Deborah.

Just to add my 2 cents, I recently placed an ad on Craiglist for freelance SEO writers. I was inundated with replies.

I chose rather quickly because I had deadlines to meet. BUT, I kept all others on file for future consideration.

After I chose two writers, I sent a blind group email out to everyone who applied within the first week — thanking them for applying and letting them know that it was a group email and that I apologized for that fact.

So many wrote back to say “Thank you” for getting back to them and letting them know what happened with the job. I was surprised by this b/c I apply to tons of stuff and just move on, never expecting a response UNLESS I get the job.

Anyway, in response to that ad, I wrote an article about how to increase your chance of getting hired from a mass site like Craigslist, b/c I saw so many things that turned me off as an “employer.”

The article can be accessed here: http://inkwelleditorial.com/freelance-writing-jobs-on-craigslist.htm

Best,
Yuwanda

By: Words on a page » Don’t worry about competition

Words on a page » Don’t worry about competition — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:13:37 +0000

[...] Ng has an interesting post that muses about whether or not you should worry about competition while applying for freelance [...]

By: Violette

Violette — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:36:44 +0000

If Jame’s picks Canada for the country, will he provide lots of tea to keep us warm?

This has been an exciting topic to follow. I applied, probably too late as I didn’t see it posted here first, I caught it somewhere else and applied the next day. Then I came here and found the article reference over 500 applicants on the first day. I try not to be dismayed.

I can only hope I’m in the 150. This is like going out for a play….waiting for the parts to be listed. Should he list his top 10 applicants.

LOL

By: NancyP

NancyP — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:01:43 +0000

I, too, have applied within hours of seeing a new position posted, only to find that I was too late. I think James is a discriminating rarity. I wish more employers were like him, willing to wait for the best applicants to find each opportunity. (And, also, willing to share their hiring process with us, at least in part.)

By: Scribette

Scribette — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:10:16 +0000

I agree that people often stop looking once they find a few good candidates. It’s that “time thing”.

By: dejah

dejah — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:58:29 +0000

I have, at least once, applied for something, heard nothing and then followed up a month later only to have the editor say, “we had a thousand applications and never even got to yours, but I sure wish we had!” Being in the first 50 or so applications IS a good thing. Be in the second 500 and you might as well not apply at all. Once they find a couple good candidates, they stop looking, even though the perfect candidate might be the next one in line (or 500 people from now). Just my experience.

By: James Chartrand - Men with Pens

James Chartrand - Men with Pens — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:54:41 +0000

@ Damaria – Thank you

@ James – If you start a country, Canada seems to have plenty of available space in the northern regions of frozen tundra. Unfortunately, Internet access might not be so great, there, but then again, that would cut down on the competition

By: damaria senne

damaria senne — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:51:34 +0000

I prefer not to think about my competition, because it would drive me crazy.I already agonise too much about my work; I don’t want to add the worry that.I may not be good enough for a job or someone else is better.

So I do the best I can and move on.

James said it so much better.

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:41:30 +0000

A week or so ago, I got an email in regards to a job I applied for. It said (paraphrasing) that while my skills were exactly what they were looking for, they had been overwhelmed with applicants, so they decided to just pick the first ones they received, sorry, I was too late. As I thought about it, I decided I wouldn’t want to work for someone who would rather pick the first applicants over the better qualified.

By: James

James — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:41:23 +0000

I have ended up with 2,000 applications so far and they are coming in now at 50-100 per day. Soon I will have enough to start my own country. I have to say this is the first time that happened. Does it help whether you applied first? No, as long as you apply in the first 1-2 weeks before I settle on someone (which I have not yet done – I am down to a shortlist of about 150). In fact to avoid that bias, I sort the emails in their folder by name before I process them. I wouldn’t hire someone in the first day anyway – I am looking for the right person, not meeting some imaginary speed-dating deadline. May I take advantage of this space now to apologise to anyone I don’t get back to – I just can’t, but it seems rude, so I am sorry about it.