Job Ad Feedback: Deb Takes Out an Ad
March 14, 2008 by Deb Ng
Filed under Freelance Writing
Your mail and comments tell me you want to hear more from people who hire writers. What are they looking for? What keeps them from hiring certain writers and what draws their eye to an applicant? Are there particular things they look out for? Let me share my experience with you.
Last week I found myself in a position where I needed to take out an ad for writing help. Though I posted the ad on a major job site, it was also reposted here and other re-listing blogs. I didn’t use my name as I didn’t want that to influence anyone, make people nervous or keep them from applying. Plus, whenever I tell people I’m hiring I get dozens of emails asking for personal hints and tips for getting the job. "Dear Deb, I’m a regular to your blog. Nudge. Nudge. Wink. Wink. What is your client looking for? Why don’t you tell me what you need so someone you know can have the gig. Nudge. Nudge. Wink. Wink."
The response was huge and it was interesting. Out of 300+ applicants, I only liked about five. There were lots of great writers and plenty of decent writers, but there were a few things that kept me from wanting to request more information from most of the candidates.
Lack of Proofreading
I’m always surprised when I receive cover letters, resumes and even writing samples riddled with misspellings and typos. True, no one’s perfect – but the one time you need to be perfect is when applying for a writing gig. Would I hire someone to write for me who can’t be counted on to proofread a cover letter? Someone told me he had errors on his cover letter because he wanted to get his details in ahead of the pack and couldn’t take the time to proof. Does that mean if I asked someone to write something on a quick deadline, it’s ok to send me back a typo-laden, misspelled piece of work because it met the deadline?
Can’t Follow Directions
I’ve been accused of being nitpicky before. I think though, there are occasions where one should be nitpicky. I didn’t leave a huge laundry list of requirements and instructions for candidates but there were a couple of things I did ask for. I asked for a specific subject title. The reason I did this is because I receive hundreds of emails each day and I could quickly sort the job applications into their own specific folder to read when I had time to look them over properly. Only a couple of dozen applicants put the requested title in the subject line.
My second request was for no attachments. Would you believe most of the people who sent resumes and samples used attachments? For me this wasn’t as much a virus issue as much as it’s more convenient to scroll down to read everything than to open attachments. One person told me he didn’t send samples because I wasn’t accepting attachments. How does that help me to see if he’s a good writer and why bother responding at all?
Some other items of interest:
- I asked for rate quotes which very few writers sent. Those who did, quoted less than .10 per word, mostly .03 or .04 per word. I found this rather interesting as it indicates to me either writers low bid to beat out the competition or they don’t have enough faith in an employer’s ability to pay a higher wage. I also found this rather distressing, to be honest. We talk a lot about asking employers to pay us what we’re worth and when asked for a quote writers bid a couple of cents. No wonder they’re paying so low, we’re dictating the rates.
- One applicant sent several blank emails. I found out later she was hoping for me to send her an email saying "hey I didn’t get your email" so she could get my name and direct email address.
- Though I didn’t give my name, I did mention the business and exactly what type of writing we’re looking for. Several applicants sent emails saying, "You didn’t tell us you name. If you want my details you’re going to have to give me more information about you." Why would I bother to respond? I can understand withholding certain details such as phone number and address, but to send a rude email won’t get you the job. I did give a good amount of information and there was no reason to send rude emails.
Cover Letters
I received some perfect cover letters. Others were a little less than perfect. Many just had a line or two – "Here’s my resume and writing samples, nothing else needs to be said, Sincerely, Joe" Sorry Joe, that’s not good enough.
A Learning Experience
All in all, taking this ad out was an interesting experience. I received some cover letters and resumes that truly rocked and others that had no business being sent. The writing samples ran the gamut from pieces published in the New York Times and Good Housekeeping to non-paying web content. What bothered me the most is how many writers didn’t feel they needed to read the entire ad. I really do think it’s important to follow directions. The low quotes bothered me a little too, but not as much as the not paying attention to details.
Anyway, that’s my feedback. Proofread, quote what you’re worth, and follow directions. Sell yourself and don’t be afraid to indulge in a little shameless self promotion. The good news is this experience turned me on to some really great writers. I have new blogs to subscribe to and learned a ton of interesting things from your samples. It was an exhausting experience, though. There really is a lot of competition and that’s why you need to be the best.
@ Mary – Only if they are a U.S. writer, in which case they would be actually losing money on that job.
No one can really blame other people in other countries for charging rates that equate to their economy. The buyer gets what he pays for – which may or may not be very good or culturally related.
@ Loretta – There is a huge divide in an acceptable rate for print content and online content. You can’t expect to get one for the other, as they’re not the same industry. Generally, they should be the same quality, of course.
@ Sandy – Yes, everyone starts somewhere. The new plumbing guy won’t charge what the pro does – but the rates, while varied, should be within the same range and not wildly divergent.
@ Christine – As a Canadian with a 95% U.S. client base, the answer to your question would be, “No.”
I personally prefer rates upfront. Mainly because i may not know what the going rate is for said article, topic. etc.
I do know what is too low a rate, but may not know the right rate.
Deb, you sure hit a nerve in a lot of us here. Really great discussions by everyone!
I landed a job yesterday for which I had put in what I felt was a decent bid–when it was all said and done, I discovered I will be earning about $0.03/word…but it is a new writing endeavor for me, something new I can add to my resume, a client who looks like she will be a dream with whom to work…and a decent total earnings…so I am excited and proud to have landed the job.
My point is that each of us has our own set of reasons and rationale for what we do. None of needs to feel shame for the needs we have. But along the way, just know that we don’t have to settle for the lower pay rates. When we get the chance to ask for what we feel we are worth, don’t be afraid to take the risk. No one is going to offer us more than we ask for, and I think that is part od Deb’s point.
I have to echo a lot of what James said, most especially this:
“Now, my rant said, keep in mind that I’m all for writers doing what they have to do to make ends meet. If you (general you) *need* to write for $0.03 a word to feed your kids, do it. Don’t even think twice. And those writers who look down on you for it? Tell ‘em where to go.”
As a breadwinner supporting someone who’s differently-abled, and another one who’s in college, I’ll take any gig worth my while. There are medications to be bought, tuition fees to be paid — I’m just being practical.
@Deb> Hope you enjoyed my samples at least.
Wow, this discussion has certainly take off!!
@Deb: Here’s your response to me: @Jenn – While I do believe short and sweet it’s the best way to go, I also think you can be too short and sweet. One liners saying the resume is attached don’t tell me why a candidate is best for the job. A paragraph or two is best – or at least in my opinion.
I agree 100% and will take this to heart from now on when I query. I worry that these job seekers are so overwhelmed with queries that I cut mine down way too much. I read an article a few weeks ago saying to let your resume and clips speak for you . . . I took that too literally! LOL Thanks!
@Christine – I’m a Canadian writer and over half of my clients are in the US. When I approach companies, I don’t advertise the fact that I am Canadian, but they could easily find that out by looking up my area code. If they ask where I’m located, I tell them but usually they have no idea where Thunder Bay is! I use Minneapolis as a reference point for them, partially because they know where that is and partially to alleviate any uncomfortable feelings they may have about going “cross-border”.
I’m sure that I’ve lost some potential clients to other US writers, but if you sell your strengths they usually don’t dwell on my location (some even like the fact that they are dealing “internationally”). Once I’ve completed a few projects for them, it quickly becomes a non-issue anyway.
~Graham
@Location Discussion – I’m about to stop work for the day, but felt urged to come back here and read up. Two of my biggest clients have been from Spain and I’m in the U.S. Location really doesn’t matter. In fact, I landed one of these gigs because I was from the US and they wanted someone who could write “American-English.” (If you’ve ever been to the UK, you’ll understand that there is a HUGE difference between English and American English. I learned that years ago when I went to my mom’s Yorkshire hometown and used the phrase “bar-hopping.” I’ve never lived it down.
@Doug B I recently was offered something like $25 per post at a blog. That would have worked out to about $100 an hour since the topic is an easy one for me. I think they wanted 2 or 3 posts a week.
That said, I could tell the editor was brand new to the blog world and she said she wanted the site to grow, not simply content to fill the space. So I was honest with her and said the site won’t ever grow if I post only twice a week, and that if growth was the goal, the job needed to pay differently, so I could post daily, or they’d be shelling out $700 a month base (too much for that job).
I basically re-worked the fee with her so that I’m on a base rate for the whole month, instead of being paid by the post. It works out as a little less for me in the short term, but is still a fair, and pretty high wage for the work. Plus later no one can say how come you can’t grow the blog (on two posts a week).
Since I know what a blog needs to grow, and that’s what the client wanted, it would have been irresponsible for me to take the higher wage per post, knowing full well that nothing would come of it for the client.
In cases like this, where I know I’d be cheating a client, I’ll argue a lower rate, but I also always say, “Once the site grows, we can discuss a raise.”
To Mary and anyone else who received a refund notice purportedly from the IRS as an e-mail — IT’S A PHISHING SCAM!!!! — I just completed a 1,000 word article on it that will appear in the April issue of Information Today.
Go to IRS Web site for more details (because article hasn’t appeared yet).
@ Phil — Thanks for the info, and make sure to post a link to your article when it appears.
While I know there are many dedicated federal employees, I doubt any are so altruistic as to be sending out e-mails at 2:30 in the morning!
From a writing perspective, I’m concerned that scammers are using these job boards to post phony ads, with their sole intent being to harvest e-mails for their scams.
@ Deb — This might be a good future topic to cover — ferreting out real opportunities from the many scams that abound, and how to protect yourself during the process.
@Gibreel Google
What’s wrong with copy/paste?
I would never send an attachment unless specified. You will go straight to spam. Copying and pasting takes no more effort or time than attaching.
I really dislike sending any sort of personal information, particularly a resume which includes enough to basically impersonate me, to a blind ad. I’ve had my credit card stolen before. Believe me, while it’s nothing to full fledged identity theft, it’s a less than delightful experience. Fobbing off people’s security concerns as being unprofessional is pretty naive… not to mention unfair.
Otherwise, your experience roughly tracks with mine.
@dejah – I have too. What bothers me the most is that the laws protect the person who steal your credit card info. While I was told they knew the website where my information was stolen, they wouldn’t tell me which site so that I could avoid it in the future. I’d only used that card in two sites – one was Ebay’s pay system and the other was Half.com – so it has to have been one of the two. They also took six months “investigating” the case while that money sat in limbo on my account and then wouldn’t tell me a thing about who commited the crime. I honestly think if they gave you that info and then let you file all kinds of nasty charges personally against the wrongdoer, it might help put an end to some of this theft. All I was ever told was that the card was used at an online baby store based in London and that the person got away with $5,000 in baby gear. Beyond that, they said the mailing address where the packages were sent was confidential and not any concern of mine.
So on this note, I came across an ad on Craigslist today that offered you a job on the spot providing you gave them your Paypal email address and other personal info before submitting anything else. It’s rare that writing jobs are posted in VT, and when they are it’s always garbage of this nature.
I still think employers should state what their rates are – magazines do state their rates – why not employers?
No offence Deb!
Gibreel Google – having hired people, opening up attachments does take quite a bit of time.
It is true that magazine clips are usually PDF files though – perhaps you can both copy and paste the article – plus include an attachment with an explanation?
However, I guess I am guilty of not following instructions too – as I do not provide quotes initially.
Hey Deb,
Amazing information! I’m learning a lot.
I wanted to ask your opinion on including writing samples that have been published through Blogburst. Although the blog posts (articles) are being published on popular online news sites, there is no compensation for it.
I’m not sure what these writing samples are actually worth.
Thanks!
hey deb..i am pallavi and a freelance writer..I got one job from your leads ,but that person didnt pay me and still i am working for my payments..thats ok what i want to say isi am regular to ur site and i like your discussion topics.I wish i can get some health related leads in coming future.thanx .keep going .its great and fun to b here always.
A few comments, Deb. I post ads on Guru and other sites looking for subcontractors on various projects (I run a small marketing agency as well as provide freelance writing services.) My experiences are similar to yours, but with a few additional points:
1) People who can’t follow directions – my last advertisement asked for 3 pieces of information. Some people didn’t include it.
2) Rates WAY over the range I put in the ad. My range was generous. I had some bids for triple that amount.
3) Stalkers. I call anyone who sends me multiple emails DEMANDING a response to their bid a stalker. You wouldn’t believe the messages I got. Some were downright hostile. I left the bidding open for the full time and did not respond to ANYONE until the bidding was closed. Yet people posted a bid and began sending me daily emails demanding a response. Note – stalking the employer is not recommended. There’s a line between assertiveness and rudeness, and many people vying for the bid crossed it.
For a simple web design project, I received 45 bids. The winning bidder submitted a warm, friendly proposal that exactly matched my criteria. Her communication skills were top notch, and her rate was exactly on my range. I hired her and have been so pleased with the results. Yes, there were people who submitted cheaper bids; but since some didn’t even follow simple directions in their response, there was no way I was going to trust them.
Good luck to all on bidding for jobs. It’s competitive, but you CAN stand out from the crowd.
Oh – I avoid responding to ads that do not post a rate or range, but instead want me to state my range. Most of the time these ads fail to give me enough information to bid accurately. What is the topic? How many words do you want? What’s the turnaround time? Am I required to do any design work or submit photos with an article? How about keyword searches? My rate goes up with each item, but if employers won’t even post the industry they’re in on the ad – I feel I don’t have enough to bid. Nor will I take the chance, since I am choosy about the industries I work for.