by Deborah Ng
I don’t wish to be redundant, but I’ll say it once again. Your freelance writing job application, whether it’s an online form, an emailed cover letter, or writer’s resume, is the first impression a potential client will have of you. Your writing never needs to be more perfect than it is on your job application.
11 Things NOT to Do When Applying for a Freelance Writing Job
1. Rush
One mistake I made in the past is to hurriedly whip up an application letter in order to be one of the first to apply. I now know the majority of employers will take a few days before going over applicants to make sure they have enough entries from good writers. I learned to slow down and write a fitting, mistake-free letter of introduction. Take your time and get it right. The person who stands out as being the first to apply isn’t necessarily the best to apply.
2. Reveal Too Many Personal Details
Some writers release personal details in an introductory letter to play on a client’s sympathy. Often times the opposite can happen. For instance, if you talk about how you’re home all day with your children to show a client you have a flexible schedule, he might see it as your being distracted with kids’ stuff. If you reveal that you desperately need a job to pay off $50,000 worth of credit card debt, your potential client might see you as someone who is irresponsible.
3. Forget to Proofread
I think if I had to list my biggest fault (and one you probably all noticed here) it’s that I rush through the proofreading. Now, I might do this on my blog but when I’m applying fro a job you can bet I read my application letter over several times. Sometimes if it’s a gig I really want, I’ll send it to another writer or two and ask them to give it the eyeball as well. Remember that commercial in the 80′s? (Ok so I’m dating myself here) “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Nowhere is this more true than writing.
4. Use a Cookie Cutter Cover Letter and Resume
By all means follow a format, but it’s a good idea to tailor that format individually. Different writing gigs might require you to relay different experiences and submit different samples. If at all possible, I like to research the company doing the hiring. Clients appreciate my adding something to my cover letter to show I’ve done my homework. Cookie cutter resumes are boring. Show off your writing style without going too far over the top.
5. Use the Wrong Name on Your Cookie Cutter Cover Letter
If you have a standard cover letter, do make sure you delete the name of the last recipient before sending it off to the next. A sure way NOT to get a job is to call a client by someone else’s name.
6. Not Follow Directions
If the client asks not to attach samples and you attach samples, you didn’t follow directions. If the client asks you to list three references and you only list one, you didn’t follow directions. If the client asks you to provide a rate quote and you didn’t provide a quote at all, you didn’t follow directions. I can tell you the biggest complaint among people who hire is regarding applicants who don’t follow directions.
7. Send Inappropriate Samples
If you’re applying for a job writing for a children’s magazine, it’s a good idea not to send your erotica samples. When you’re applying for a job, it’s implied you know the topic. Hopefully it also means you have samples matching said topic. A client wants to know you can write appropriately for his publication or website, if you don’t have an appropriate sample, write up a piece matching the clients niche.
8. Bad Mouth a Previous Client
Excerpt from a real cover letter I received several months back:
“The gig was short lived because the client and I didn’t get along. He wouldn’t recognize good writing if it bit him in the butt. I left the job to find someone who more appreciated my creativity.”
What does this tell me? It tells me this person might be difficult or question my instructions. It tells me I might be bad mouthed in a future cover letter. It tells me I don’t want to hire this writer.
9. Send an Un-funny Funny Letter
If you’re going for humor you better be funny. I have read cover letters that made me laugh so hard I hired the talented writer. I also read some that rubbed me the wrong way. Sarcasm and insults don’t convey well over email. If you’re going for funny be sure your tone is light and people will laugh.
10. Say Too Much
Cover letters shouldn’t be longer than a few paragraphs. The potential employer has a lot to read. He will appreciate short, sweet and to the point. It’s best not to ramble on incessantly or let your application letter be more than a page. You want the reader to finish the letter before his eyes glaze over.
11. Not Say Anything at All
Excerpt from a real cover letter. In fact this is the entire letter. No dear, no hugs and kisses, nothing but:
“My writing samples are attached.”
Guess what? I didn’t even read them.
Hi Deb,
Great post! And very timely for me since I have just entered the world of freelance. I’m hoping you can answer a question: when you’re applying for a freelance position, is it ok to consider your email to the client to be the cover letter? Or do they really expect a formal written cover letter to be attached in addition to your resume?
Thanks for your insight!
Deb Jennings
I’ve had a few employers tell me they hated getting attachments because 1 of every 4 would alert their virus software. Therefore, they only read emails that had the cover letter as the email.
I find it hard to believe that people as a general rule do not have virus protection, AVG is well rated with Consumer Reports and it’s free, so there is no reason to bypass virus protection!
Another thing I ran into a few months back, I sent out my letter and samples to the two different job postings, each had a different email address. Turns out the potential employees were co-owners of a Web site and were sharing quotes they’d gotten in response to their ads. One required five marketing articles of 500 to 700 words per week, the other wanted one quality daily news related blog of 300 words or less. Obviously, my quotes were different. However, as they were for the same company, they balked saying it was unfair to charge different rates and asked me to come up with one flat rate that they could pay me for both jobs. I explained to them why the rates were different and their response was that since it was for the same site, it shouldn’t matter.
I didn’t take that job, but it opened my eyes. I no longer offer rates, even if asked, until I know who I’m talking with. I may have lost business because of it but it’s saved me hassle in the long run.
Tip #4 is a good one. I used to have a cookie cutter recipe. And while I found several gigs using a generic recipe, I noticed a huge difference once I started tailoring my resume and cover letters for each potential gig.
I meant resume, not “recipe” (I don’t know where that mistake came from)
Hi Deb,
Thank you for your tips. I have added your tips to my referance folder.
I am curious about how to find a reputable employer. Being new to the business, I am concerned that my work will be editted beyond recognition. What guarrentees you will get paid?
Any advice on these questions would greatly be appreiciated.
Becky
Get yourself a good subcontractor agreement and get it signed by the client before you write a word. That way, if they turn out not to be legit, you have something to fall back on.
I was the editor-in-chief for a magazine for many years, and every time I posted an ad looking for writers, I got a hundred emails with no cover letter; just saying ‘samples are attached.’ And Deb is right – I didn’t read a single one of them! They all went right to my trash bin.
This is confusing to me. I’ve seen dozens of ads that say only, “Send resume and sample(s).” If you want a cover letter, please say so!
“I got a hundred emails with no cover letter; just saying ’samples are attached.’”
That’s funny to me. Why wouldn’t you send a cover letter? I bet most people would never send “my resume is attached” to potential employers in other fields.
re: cover letters – I’ve never sent a separate cover letter as an attachment unless the employer specifically requested it that way (which is rare but it happens).
Tips #5 and #9 really spoke to me.
For #5: I write needs assessments/grants for CME programs. Pharma directors have said that the #1 thing that all of them saw and immediately stopped the grants from going any further: grants that had the wrong grantor’s name on it. As in, sending a grant to Pfizer with Wyeth written all over it. They said it was obvious that the people submitting the grant were just sending it out to everyone, hoping for a bite. It’s the little details that show that you care about the individual grantor/client/etc.
For #9: Although I have a wicked sense of humor, I don’t usually throw that into my cover letters because my specific niche doesn’t lend itself to that type of letter. However, I have been branching out and took a shot with a funny letter. The woman hired me immediately upon reading the letter because she said it made her fall out of her chair. Sometimes you just have to take a shot.
Thanks for “Forget to Proofread”, I have been bitten by my own sloppy proofreading a couple of times and I feel like a complete idiot when I discover my errors, after the fact.
#9 is good. I rarely inject humor into my application letters, but my friends tell me I’m funny, and I know I can make people laugh. I think I’ll try that sometime.
One sticky point about following directions is when the prospective employer asks you to attach 3 clips to an email sent to a Craig’s List box. Since their file size limit is about 150K, that’s virtually impossible. I generally send them to my online portfolio or make up a special page on my Web site for them and give them a logon to view it. I don’t mind doing the work (it only takes a few minutes) but it requires me to write a negative statement into my cover letter (i.e., I can’t send … or something like that).
Any thoughts about this?
You would think people using craigslist to find workers would research craig’s specifications before they post an ad. To ask that three samples be included in an email is just ridiculous. A writer shouldn’t have to explain why this is not possible.
What should be included in a cover letter for a freelance writing/paid blogging job? Especially if you have not had previous freelance/paid blogging experience but are interested in beginning to do freelance/paid blogging?
#2 is so true. I recently advertised for a proofreader on Craigslist. I got a response from a woman telling me she had a disabled child and a son in high school who was super involved in football. She then went on to say she could work around her committments as a mom. As cold as this sounds, I deleted it right away. Yes, I understand people have personal obligations, but making them the focus of your first contact with me really put me off.
@Krista: I don’t think that’s cold at all. When you’re applying for a gig or a job, I think it’s important to keep it business-appropriate. An employer or potential client doesn’t need to know anything about you that doesn’t apply to your business relationship with that person and your ability to do the job – at least not right away. I have clients that I’ve worked with for many years, and we’ve gotten to know a bit about each other on a personal level. However, that was after we worked together for a long time. I would never do that in an initial email.
Good tips, Deb. The funniest application email that I received recently (I’m hiring a few bloggers for b5) was just last week. Here’s the email in its entirety.
“I heard you are looking for bloggers. Email my name in Google to see my work and get back to me.
-Joe XXX”
@ Kori That’s awesome! lol
Cover letters should be of appropriate length with pertinent information and not too much, since the interviewer has many other applications to go through. This is a good point when applying for any job.
Diana @ http://www.DianaTan.net
@ Hazel I would reframe the negative statement into a positive statement. “I have three clips you can look at on this webpage.” Attach the link and you are good to go. That doesn’t address the aspect of following directions, but you have remained positive in the process.
Rushing is a fault of mine. I have rushed to apply for jobs, looked in my sent folder later and realize I have wordy sentences, words such as “form” when I meant “from”, and other errors. After making this mistake one too many times, I now quadruple check my apps.
I have read messages on writers’ forums that objected strenuously to having a spelling or grammar error pointed out. “It’s only a forum,” they say. Well, it’s only a cover letter, too, or a resume, or…
The information here is very useful. I am an aspiring writer, and I appreciate any advice that would assist me in this field. Thank-you
Excellent post! I have a clearer idea now what to expect when getting hired by my first client and what not to do to mess up my chances. Thanks for the great read, and I’ll definitely keep these tips in mind.