Here’s a quick tip for anyone looking for blogging jobs: Follow directions. Read through the entire ad and do what the employer asks. If he says to send three samples of your writing, do so. If he says not to send attachments, don’t send attachments. If he asks you for specific information, include it in your job pitch or application.
I’ve been in a position to hire many times and might receive hundreds of applications. Out of those hundreds perhaps 20 people followed directions. It’s frustrating.
My blog Freelance Writing Jobs is having an “American Idol” type contest to choose our next blogger. It’s for a paying position, two days a week, and the FWJ community will be choosing the winner. Each week another candidate will be voted off the island. I asked everyone to post their pitches, and to apply as if they found my job ad on a job board. I listed specific requirements. To me, the most important requirement was the one where I asked applicants to pitch a specific freelance writing niche to base their twice weekly blog. For instance, freelance marketing, or rates. Only a few did. This bugged me because it made me wonder if everyone read the entire ad.
This is the first time it’s happened and I know plenty of employers who complain of this. The next time you apply for a job, follow all the instructions in the ad. It could set you apart from the rest.
Personally, I was going to apply for your job and the part you’re talking about, the niche, I was a little confused on the breakdown of niches. If I had applied I probably would have tried to come up with something, but I probably would have gotten it wrong.
Maybe not Lin – I asked for a specific freelance writing niche the blogger could talk about twice a week. That could be any aspect of freelance writing – marketing, finding jobs, blogging, web writing.
I’m so sorry you didn’t apply. I know you would have been one of the top candidates.
I knew that I didn’t have quite enough experience to apply however when I was reading through some of the applications I began to feel “uneasy” because I realized that many hadn’t followed the directions that you had stated.