Freelance Writing Jobs for Friday, September 5, 2008
September 5, 2008 by Jodee
Filed under Writing Gigs
Good morning FWJ Friends! It’s the end of the week already and I’ve got leads of health writers, technical writers, and finance writers this morning. Internships and opps for proofreaders, real estate writers, and marketing writers also made the list.
I was following yesterday’s discussion about writing custom samples with great interest. I think part of the issue surrounding them is how writers think of themselves. If we decide that we are “creatives,” then we are more likely to be prepared to “audition” for a job, like actors or musicians do.
On the other hand, if we see ourselves as skilled tradespeople, we may be less likely to want to provide free work to get hired. Can you imagine what would happen if you said to a carpenter, “You make me a free table and if I like it I might hire to make some chairs to match.” It just wouldn’t fly.
Is the way we see our profession part of the problem? How do you see yourself as a writer?
Leads….
- Freelance Writers (Demo Development) - Louisville, KY
- Freelance Writer @ SmartBrief Inc. – Washington, D.C. (1 a.m.-5 a.m.) – U.S. or U.K. Resident
- Freelance Health Writers @ LifeWire
- Technical Writer – 5+ Month Contract – Dallas, TX ($41 per hour)
- Blogger for Medical Education Site
- Freelance Oped Ghostwriter - Telecommute
- Senior Online Finance Writer – Telecommute
- Corporate Sponsorship Proposal Writer Needed – Atlanta ($50)
- Editorial Intern – Telecommute (Paid)
- Need a Great Copywriter ASAP – Telecommute
- Sports Writer/Editor Internship – Kennesaw/Atlanta (College Credit)
- Real Estate Copywriters/First Time Home Buyer/Home Building
- Translator/Interpreter – Temporary – Austin ($20 per hour)
- ELA Contract Item Writer Needed - Austin ($10-$12 per item)
- Business Case Study Writer/Researcher Needed – Contract – Austin
- Proofreader – Full/Part Time or Contract – NW Austin (approx $14 per hour)
- Local Music Writer Wanted – Boston – ($25 for 200 words)
- Technical Writer – 8 Week Contract – Cambridge, MA
- Writer/Blogger – Paid Internship – Peabody/Boston ($10+)
- Fashion Writers/Editors Needed - Dallas – Telecommute
- Paralegal or Attorney to Write Claim – Houston
- Writer/Copywriter Needed – Telecommute
- Columnists/Contributing Writers Wanted @ Household Manager Newspaper – Telecommute
- Freelance Editor/Researcher @ RMC Publications – Temporary Contract – Telecommute
- Copy Writer Wanted – 6 Month Contract – New York ($1,000 per week)
- Talented Freelance Copywriter Needed - Telecommute
- Technology Writer for Marketing Projects – Telecommute
- Witty, Cutting Edge Philadelphia Writer Needed
- Two Writers Needed @ MoneyClipping.com ($30 for 500 words) – Telecommute
- Technical Writer – Contract – Toronto
Good Luck!
Good list Jodee. Thanks! I was able to apply for a couple of the listings. Have a good weekend.
Hello,
Thanks Jodee for the great list. Am about to apply for various jobs.
Can I ask the other writers; do you guys get much response from job applications?
I sure apply for a lot of jobs but don’t get a whole lot of responses. I’m asking just to make sure that it’s normal, and not that I may need to tweak my cover letters or resume, or whatnot.
Thanks,
Ciara
@ Ciara,
I think it’s perfectly normal! It sure is frustrating when you apply for a job you’re perfect for and don’t hear back though. Remember, many ads will get hundreds of applications, so I think it’s really a numbers game.
Ciara – speaking as someone who’s applied for a lot of jobs in a lot of different fields – it’s normal to send out a whole lot more applications than you get replies to, whether it’s writing or anything else.
Jodee – that’s a really interesting point. I think as writers, we expect the people hiring us to be skilled enough to draw conclusions from our existing work. That’s part of the effort they need to put into hiring. And that’s really what’s normal – when you apply for a job as a lawyer or a zookeeper or a computer programmer, no one expects you to come in and work for a day before they decide to hire you.
Yeah, there are exceptions to this, as you say – fields where a lot of the jobs are given out via auditions. But even in those, people can sometimes get work purely on the basis of previous performance.
That being said, while I have a rule of NEVER writing samples, I got a gig off this board that I wrote a sample for. So… never say never, I guess, but I think it really should be the exception.
I often do not get replies after sending in job applications. While I understand that one Craigslist posting may receive hundreds of applications, and it’s time-consuming for them to weed through apps etc etc etc, I still think it’s sort of rude not to get back to applicants, even if it’s just a “thanks but not thanks” e-mail.
Thanks for another great list, Jodee!
@Ciara: I spend about 2 hours total every day trolling job boards and replying to everything I think I could do, and I get about 2 responses a week in return. The ones most likely to respond are the local gigs: maybe because they can call me instead of relying solely on email, and there’s a level of trust implied if you’re not dealing with a random person on the other side of the world. That said, I actually get the most work through my online portfolio and from editors I’ve already worked with. I’ve been visiting this site regularly for almost a year now and have landed a couple gigs, but I’ve also heard of others who landed their first gigs from jobs listed here, so I think it’s just a matter of finding a job you’re a really great fit for.
In regards to Jodee’s question, I separate my creative writing from the ‘working’ writing. During the week, I’m a skilled tradesperson who’s running a business. After that, I’m a creative writer who can’t get her ass in gear to finish the book she’s been picking away at since forever.
@Ciara: Just remember, hundred — even thousands of other writers may apply for the same job, making the culling of responses a chore for companies. I sometimes get responses a week or two after submitting a resume and need to remember ‘who are these people?’
I agree with ciara and Jenn. I thought it was just me too until I started seeing that other writers may receive only a couple of responses back or none at all. I have been visiting here for around eight months or so and maybe gotten only five responses but I still pop in and apply regardless and will continue to do so.
Re: the responses to applications. I work as an editor too and truly, I once had 400 responses to an ad. 400!!!! Granted, about 80 percent were useless and didn’t fulfill the requirements, but there’s simply no way to respond to hundreds of emails with a thanks but no thanks response. The ones that really irk me are the ones that contact you, make you jump through hoops and THEN you never hear back from them. That’s annoying. But yes, I also get about 2-3 responses to the dozens of queries I send.
As for the creative vs. skilled query. As someone who trained and worked as an actress for many years (although not in this country), I know that our actors equity union required that if you went on a single professional audition (which I’ll equate to sending in your resume and possibly doing a couple of hundred words sample), you received nothing in return if you didn’t get the part. However a single callback or more (very common in the profession) required that you be compensated financially for your time, travel, etc. at a fixed rate for each callback even if you didn’t get the part (so I equate that with having to write a unique 1,000 plus sample).
I get responses to about 20% of my applications, but like others have said, there`s a lot of competition!
I got here way too late this morning. Everything that looked interesting to me has either been flagged for removal or deleted by the author.
Oh well, there’s always Monday!
Hello! I was late too getting here–but DID find some interesting ops still left on the list. Thanks, Jodee!
As for “artsy” vs “craftsman”–I view myself as a craftsperson and do NOT give away my work for free, even in an audition. For writing samples, I use items I’ve already published but I refuse to create original materials when applying for a gig.
Ciara, don’t forget that when you apply for a job, you don’t know how far in advance they’re planning or hiring. Companies I work for will sometimes contact me and say, “We think we have something coming up in 3 months, would you be available?” Or it may be an ongoing job that they have someone for and they just want to see who’s out there if they want to add personnel or think they may need to replace someone. So there can be reasons why you don’t hear right away (not to mention the sheer drudgery of just going through and reading tons of cover letters and samples in between your other work).
I have to say, as someone who does act and auditions regularly that that doesn’t really compare to being asked to prepare sample work. Sometimes for commercial print work they’ll cast just on headshots alone. More typically for a theater or film, they’ll either ask you to come in with a monologue (or song if it’s a musical) or prepare to cold read. Almost everyone working and auditioning has a repertoire of monologues they’re worked on along the way–either in classes, or maybe from shows they’ve done (I write a lot of mine, but that’s not the norm). So being asked to come in and bring in a two minute contemporary monologue is just a matter of thinking, “Hmm…which one?” and running through it a few times. That’s not the level of work that’s involved in being asked to write a 1000 word piece over the weekend to be considered for a job. So yes, actors do audition for free, but they’re not giving away free material that they’ve had to suddenly create; it’s much more like going for a writing job where you are asked to send in your best, already written, already published samples. Plus what an actor or musician does in an audition can’t be kept and used again, so they’re not really giving anything away. To be honest, I think most performing artists consider themselves craftspersons and don’t see a big difference. Am I making any sense? I’m rather tired.
(Oh my gosh, again I apologize for writing so much…I wasn’t thinking.)
@Ciara and Jen,
It is definitely frustrating not getting replies back but from my experience it’s just part of the game. The internet is an invaluable tool for the writer but it can also be a detriment in causing many job leads to become flooded with applicants, many who are much more experienced or willing to work for far less. My pet peeve that really irritates me is when I don’t hear anything back and send a follow up email (to a regular email address not a Craigslist one) just to see where they’re at and still don’t get any kind of response–especially when it’s something I felt really qualified for. Sometimes to compound matters you’ll see the same ad run again a week or two later. Very frustrating. Anyway, like many others have said it’s a numbers game and so keep trying and working and don’t let it get to you.
Another piece of advice I’d give to anyone struggling with not hearing responses is to have a feel for the likelihood of receiving interest/response/job going in. There are those jobs that you feel perfect for and have relevant clips–the ones you just can’t log into your email fast enough to reply to. Not hearing back from those will probably always be frustrating. However, for me, during any week there are a lot of leads I apply to that I believe I could do well at but recognize that there could be many other candidates with more relevant, specific experience. I would like to hear back but I recognize there’s a good chance that I won’t. Every lead has a sort of level of expectation as far as a response goes.
I agree that it’s frustrating to never hear back about jobs you feel are perfect (or at least very good) matches. Sometimes, too, you just need to wait: I’ve recently been working on first assignments for clients I contacted in the early summer through Craigslist ads.
I also think it’s important to contact clients in other ways, like referrals, cold calls, and e-mail marketing. I tend to get very good responses from those, probably because most of them are local and I target carefully by researching the companies before I contact them. Even if these companies don’t have immediate work, they’re usually very receptive to follow-up calls and messages.
Wooohooo! A listing for Louisville. That is in my backyard and I just happen to be looking for some steadier income. Thanks so much!
Hey you, thanks again for the wonderful list!
In answer tot he question, I consider myself a skilled tradesman that uses creative tools to perform my job…
I’m a total “creative”!