Deb’s Note: Every now and then I ask clients who post ads here exclusively to offer feedback. Here are some thoughts from the client who was looking for a Media Blogger for her corporate website. As always, I find these little peeks into the minds of our clients to be fascinating. Do add your own thoughts in the comments:
You kindly posted an opportunity for me on FWG a few weeks ago, and asked me to tell you about the response I received … perhaps you were just being polite, but here are my thoughts anyway.
- I received a number of applications, but hardly anybody followed the instructions that were in my pitch and also on my website - I asked for links to previous work and a sample post. I found this really quite surprising, particularly for people applying for a writing job.
- Those who looked suitable, based on their cv, but who didn’t send any links or a sample I emailed to ask for a sample piece of writing, but I received no response. There were about five of these, and this was also very odd, I thought.
- Those people who did follow instructions and sent me links/a sample with their first application, were for the most part, writers of high quality, and came across as professional. A few didn’t have the subject expertise I was hoping for, but I was looking for something very particular, so wasn’t expecting many to be suitable.
- A few people followed up with a reminder email (have you had a chance to review my application, I’m still interested). I appreciated this, as it did help them stand out a bit from the mass, and showed interest and enthusiasm.
Interestingly, I’ve appointed four bloggers since I (you!) publicised my wish for a Media blogger, even though I was only actively looking for one at the time:
- one person was a drive-by (visited the site, saw I was looking for bloggers and applied for a CSR blogger role)
- two people were appointed as a result of this publicity but to different roles (they saw the Media ad, visited the site, and applied - one for a Brand blogger and one for the Media position, but I offered them a different role, based on their expertise area)
- and finally, today, over a month later, I hope to have appointed a Media blogger.
So it is sometimes worth investigating work opportunities, even if they don’t seem to be an immediate match. I also increased the rate of pay, based on the quality of work these bloggers were providing - probably not to what they are really worth, but I hope to increase that once we have some income!
I will be looking for a Careers blogger very soon, so would like to send you another pitch, if you’d be happy to accept it for FWG again. I need to close down the Media hunt first, and email all those people who were unsuccessful.
Thanks for your help with this - I’m delighted with the quality of bloggers I’ve appointed.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:43 am
I’m wondering how I missed the original job posting.
May 29th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I didn’t apply for this, but after reading the email, I would question the “sample post.” I’d question if the sample post meant original or not.
If this means a new, original post, I wouldn’t have offered it simply because I’ve had my work ripped off before by people who appeared to be very honest and come from trustworthy sites. I’ve done the sample for them and then never heard from them again. Twice, they took that sample and sold it to a company as their own material. One woman pulled this on a number of writers by selling the samples to Associated Content. They did shut her account down, but it didn’t make up for the time and money I lost doing the sample.
While this is not true of everyone, I tend to follow along the once bitten, twice shy frame of mind.
I will apply for jobs that ask for samples of my previous work. But if a job posting asks for previous work AND an (original) sample post, I will send back an email saying thanks but no thanks.
May 29th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Thanks for taking the time for feedback!
As for writers not submitting sample posts, I think that it comes down to a time/money factor for writers.
However, writers usually do have links to similar writing that they have completed in the past.
When companies do ask me for sample posts, I then ask them if I will get paid for the post if it proves to be acceptable to them. Most companies are willing to go along with this process. Win-win for everyone!
May 29th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Oops, thanks for telling me about not doing sample posts, I prob have gotten ripped off a lot but since they are samples from websites and magazine articles already published I thought it wasn’t a big deal posting them.
May 29th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Scribette makes a notable comment: Ask if payment will be made if the post is acceptable! Just yesterday I found one of my samples posted online.
When I emailed the site owner, she was more than gracious and an agreement was reached. However, I don’t expect that to happen in every instance.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Useful tips, both in the email and the comments!
May 29th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Good info on feedback.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
How can you find out if your content is already online?
May 29th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
This is why I´m not worried about applying to high competition jobs . . . so many applicants don´t follow the directions. I´m sure that is the first thing most companies would notice.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
It is interesting to see how many do not follow the guidelines exactly as the employer asks. I often paste the text of the ad into my query email so that I can keep track of the things i need to include.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Maryam,
a good way to find out if your writing has been posted elsewhere is to highlight and copy a line or two of the text, paste it in the google search window, and see what comes up. If you see it on sites you did not give permission to, write the owner immediately with a politely written letter explaining that this is copyright infringement and to take the plagerized text down IMMEDIATELY. If they don’t comply, write the servers. Keep copies of all correspondence. Protect your copyrights, or you will lose them.
Good luck,
May 29th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Good tips and thanks for sharing the feedback.
It doesn’t surprise me that people don’t follow directions. I’m an online instructor for a major state university, and my students are terrible about doing the work the way the assignment is written.
Best,
~v.v.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
@ Maryam: You can take a portion of your text and copy and paste it into the search box on Google (in quotes) to see if it pops up.
May 29th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Are there not going to be any more guest blogging posts? I sent one in but it hasn’t been posted yet.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
It’s nice to hear that most people applying don’t follow instructions. Makes it easier for me!
May 29th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Hi Sara,
There are still plenty more guest blog posts! Looks like it will extend into June!
So if anyone else is interested…
Deb
May 29th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
” If you see it on sites you did not give permission to, write the owner immediately with a politely written letter explaining that this is copyright infringement and to take the plagerized text down IMMEDIATELY. If they don’t comply, write the servers. Keep copies of all correspondence. Protect your copyrights, or you will lose them.”
Thanks for the google tip. I just did that and found my work on somone’s site. I see no contact info. on the site how do find that or contact the server?
I do see a copywrite at the bottom? Is it a lost cause.
By the way is was through a contact from and ad on here at http://www.cgwhatnews.com/ in case anyone else sent them anything. I’m going to try and contact them through this site.
Not that I think I’m going to get anything. I’m just mad.
If anyone can help me the site is http://strawberry-plants.co.uk/caring-for-strawberry-plants.html
May 30th, 2008 at 1:21 am
I agree..I would have balked at the sample post requirement, simply because I don’t have the time.
But it’s nice to see the other side of the fence and a reality check on making a good impression.
@Maryam you can also use Copyscape Premium to check your work online. It costs .10 per search, but sometimes it’s worth it!
May 30th, 2008 at 8:07 am
@Maryam-
If you have a website, you can paste and save the document to a webpage and then run it through copyscape for free by giving them the link.
I have a private page I use on my book review site for this purpose. There is a limit of I think 20 free searches per month.
Or you can do the same thing using a free website from geocities, your Internet provider or Freewebs.
When at Copyscape, there is a blank that tells you to paste your website address. List the site that you’ve saved your writing under and run it. I do have a premium account, but I use the free searches for previous work and use premium for my actual writing jobs.
May 30th, 2008 at 8:13 am
@ Janine: I know it’s frustrating, but if it’s going to cost you more than you’ll gain by chasing after them, you’ll have to know when to draw the line and not pursue further. Otherwise you’ll go crazy!
May 30th, 2008 at 8:55 am
@ Janine -
You can get the information you’re after by entering the main level domain name - up to the .uk at http://www.who.is/
HTH
Sandi
May 30th, 2008 at 9:03 am
I agree on the sample post.
How about looking at it from the freelancer’s point of view?
If you have quality past work, that should speak for itself … there is no need to give these people work for free.
I appreciate looking into the minds of these folks, but really, we should be just as selective as them … I’d like to see a job site that tells HIRERS what pisses off FREELANCERS about their job posts, etc.
Well, guess it’s all about supply and demand
May 30th, 2008 at 10:20 am
First, thank you Deb, for publishing the feedback. This is always helpful.
@Thomas - I share your point of view on the samples: if I apply to jobs asking for samples, I send only links to past, published work.
I’m more than happy to provide ideas on what kinds of articles/posts I could write for a company, but that doesn’t include free copy!
May 30th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Thomas and Lisa:
Yes … working for free isn’t fun in my books.
May 30th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
RE: sample work, here’s what the client originally specified:
“To apply, please tell us why you think you’d be an ideal candidate for this; send us links to previous work; and an on-topic sample post if your previous work doesn’t cover that area.”
In short, if you’re already experienced in the niche, you won’t necessarily have to write up something specifically for this application.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Always great to hear feedback from a potential employee.
I’ve had enough negative experiences that I do not create original sample posts as part of a job application. If I’m going to take the time to write something specific for a company, I expect the contract to be in place.
I do provide already written and published, copywritten material from my portfolio (with the notations)if they want to see clips, but, in my experience, there are too many instances where one pitches for a job, writes a “sample”, is told someone else is hired, and then finds the unpaid content used on the web. And I mention it in the cover letter — why the specific sample has not been provided, and that I’m happy to create one for mutually acceptable fee (which is less than my regular fee).
In fact, we had such an incident from a job here a few months back, remember? That alleged medical company in BC?
The client mentions an important point — checking out the website and seeing if there’s even a better fit in another position in the company than the originally advertised one.
Many thanks — hopefully the poster will read the comments and understand why many good, professional writers did not create samples specific to the ad.
To respond to Mariella above, I constantly write on topics that are out of my “niche” and I do it well. Most employers do not have a problem with portfolio samples that show the writing style and range, even if it’s not on the specific topic, in my experience.