Thanks for replying to my inquiry! Your feedback is appreciated.

-Bryan

When you’re marketing for freelance work, don’t mention that you work full time, UNLESS they ask you.

Many freelancers start out part-time, so it’s perfectly acceptable to apply if you know that it’s something you can do. Now, if the ad is saying that on-site meetings and client interaction is necessary during the middle of the workday, then obviously, you wouldn’t be a good fit.

But, many freelance gigs just have project parameters and a deadline. And with email, even interaction during the day is possible (eg, on your lunch hour via your laptop).

Bottom line: It is perfectly acceptable to apply and not mention that you work a fulltime job.

Hope this clarifies things a bit.

Yuwanda

I was just wondering…

Cheers!
LJ

And, I can be contacted via email at info [at] InkwellEditorial [dot] com. I’ve had this address since 1999, so if you email me here, I’ll always get it.

@Steven: Good luck with your “cover letter experiment.” There’s an article idea up in there somewhere — new technological slant on an old standby … hmmmmm …

@Magda regarding “Can I just say, I loathe writing cover letters!!!”

I second that!

Yuwanda

I a techie person too. If you want to have control over your content and look professional, you would be better off NOT having a blog on the free hosting sites.

I can’t find a way to contact you via your site, unfortunately. Anyway, best to you.

I think a wise use of cover letters would be not to pump up how talented and motivated you are, but to let the company know why you admire them, how you use their products, what you know about them, or explaining your expertise in their niche.

If corporate fluff, arrogant “we, us, our” copy is old fashioned and not working anymore, then let’s apply this to ourselves.

I have a freelance opportunity with a client in the motorsports industry. They asked me to make a prototype blog, as a way to prove I know something about motorsports, NASCAR, Indy, Formula 1, etc.

This means I’m reading books on the subject, by race car drivers, and visiting relevant blogs and websites.

My “cover letter” will be the prototype blog. The research will take about a week, then I have one week to create the blog, with a few posts in it, showing my ability to address various issues and use the right buzzwords.

If you’re a hardcore blogger, and making blogs is easy for you, then consider whipping up a speculative blog for a client, with a good blogroll, graphic header, etc.

This might help, especially if the client is offering a steady stream of work, and not just a project or two.

I’ll report back later on the results I obtain from this unusual approach.

I still have to build up a solid portfolio, and until I do I can only fall back on highlighting the writing I’ve done in jobs I’ve held in the past – which is why I think a cover letter might suit me, but not someone who has already got their feet wet in freelancing.

Can I just say, I loathe writing cover letters!!!

Thanks for the kudos. Employers do tend to throw in everything AND the kitchen sink the the job description — and the funny thing is, usually it’s the FREELANCER who has everything (and then some) of what they’re looking for. BUT, they are not interested in FT. This is because freelancers have to keep up on new skill sets to stay competitive, whereas FT employees tend to only brush up on their skills when the company mandates (and pays for) it.

@Diana: While you do have some die hards who still want a cover letter, most employers don’t bother to read them. Sending a cover letter can never HURT, but they do litle to help.

I’ve literally reviewed tens of thousands of resumes in my career, and I can count the number of times on one hand that I actually read a cover letter. I get right to the resume, because if your skill set isn’t what I’m looking for, then you won’t be able to change my mind in a cover letter. Strangely enough, I would read a cover letter if a candidate piqued my interest with their resume, but the opposite never happened (eg, nice cover letter, let me see what their resume looks like).

I stand by my assertion that the only time you need to send a resume is when it’s specifically asked for.

@Shell:

Re: “I also always paste my resume into the body of the email, unless of course a company requests an attached document.”

It’s best to do both if no preference is stated. Why? Because employers can access it the way they choose. Read more specific resume advice here: http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/resumetips.htm

Yuwanda

About the cover letters: I actually had the opposite experience. Somebody hired me for a consultant position because I included a cover letter in my email and he said he hated it when people just sent a general “This is me, here’s my resume” message. So it’s very personal and subjective.

———————————————–

Yes, I always write a brief email to the advertiser, unless of course they state they do not want a cover letter.

If a company does not mention a cover letter, I will still write a brief email of 2 or 3 paragraphs in length. On a few occasions some companies have requested a cover letter to be attached with the resume. The majority seem quite happy with a short email though. I also always paste my resume into the body of the email, unless of course a company requests an attached document.

This post has articulated what I vaguely suspected: you can basically ignore the utopian, unrealistic job description. If something needs to be written, and you can write, apply for it.

I see so many job ads that are insane, seeking a person who is a writer, budget analyst, toilet scrubber, auto mechanic, and nanny (I’m exaggerating to be comical, but that’s what they sound like sometimes).

It’s ridiculously unrealistic.

They want you to do the work of 5 people, and nobody will do it, or can do it. Plus “the ideal candidate” will move to their city, but why? Most work can be done remotely by email and telephone, so there’s rarely a legitimate reason to be physically present.

Thanks for the great information and inspiration!

Thanks for the offer. They actually wrote back and told me what I did “wrong,” ie:

In your sidebar you have this:

“Yuwanda Black: SEO Content Writer & More” [this was the title on my author bio page] We do not allow blogs here to be used for SEO purposes and your blog is doing this. You are creating content for SEO. This is why the action was taken, sorry.

I was floored. So, I’m an SEO content writer; I can’t have that title on my blog’s author page? I thought it ridiculous and discriminatory toward SEO writers. My blog did not have content “created for SEO.” I write content like this for clients — some of whom happe to be Fortune 500 and 1000 companies. But, my blog was not full of keyword-laden text or a promotion spot for affiliate programs.

I’ve been at blogger since Feb 2005. Just looking at a few of my posts you can tell that my blog is not one of these. But fine, if they don’t want me on their platform, I’m happy to move off. Say what you will about Google, but I ran back to blogger, and will stay there until my new blog is built (I’ve hired a firm to do it for me and have it hosted on my own domain).

Thanks again for the offer though. I do appreciate it.

Yuwanda

If you ever decide you want to go the WordPress route, I can help. I know of one big thing you did wrong in the process. Let me know if you need help with it in the future.

Don’t send a cover letter; this sends the subliminal message that you’re looking for a job. A short query containing the following will do:

Your Name
Your Expertise
A Link to Your Online Portfolio
Your Contact Info

Employers don’t want — or have time to go through — extraneous materials like cover letters (which I personally think is a time-wasting dinosaur that should disappear altogether). Don’t submit one unless they ask for it.

This is just my opinion mind you, but I have enough experience and have interacted with enough employers to speak with a modium of surety.

Yuwanda

and if anyone knows of good links to freelancing cvs/resumes for some guidance, i’m all eyes!

thanks for the post!