Guest Post: Your Competition Stinks – Isn’t it Great!
August 13, 2008 by Lillie
When I wrote a guest post at Poewar: Writer’s Resource Center, John Hewitt promised to reciprocate. John’s site is a great place for writers of all kinds—I’ve been a subscriber and a fan for a long time, and I’m delighted to host John’s guest post. I hope you like the post as much as I do and that you will show John your appreciation in comments.
_____________________________
There are a lot of people out there competing for freelance jobs. A freelance posting on a popular job site such as jobs.problogger.net or freelancewritinggigs.com can easily generate 400 responses. Numbers like that can be intimidating. You may wonder why you should bother applying if you have to compete against that many people. How can you possibly win?
I’m here to tell you it is easier than you think. The truth is that your competition stinks. They’re terrible. They’re awful. They don’t know how to apply for a position. They don’t know how to write a decent e-mail query. Many of them can’t write their way out of a wet paper sack. Just reading their e-mails is painful. Ninety percent of the people applying for these freelance positions can be eliminated within a sentence or two — a paragraph at the most. That is because their writing is terrible and it shows. The first 90% can be eliminated immediately because they have made one (or more) of six mistakes:
• They use informal language
• They make an obvious grammar or usage error
• They talk about their personal problems
• They don’t know what they are applying for
• They don’t give their qualifications
• They don’t send samples or links to samples
These very basic mistakes take that 400 person applicant pool down to a manageable 40 people. That is still more competition than you would like, but even at this point, many of the applicants aren’t serious competition. They have their own series of mistakes that they make. These mistakes are less obvious and less deadly, but they still keep most of these candidates from moving forward.
• They fail to cite relevant experience
• Their samples are not appropriate (or they point you to their web site instead of specific pieces)
• They don’t provide full contact information
• They don’t discuss why they are the best writer for the job
Once you eliminate the people who make those mistakes, you would be surprised how dramatically the pool of applicants shrinks. In the end, out of 400 applicants, there are perhaps 10 that can withstand even this level of scrutiny. That doesn’t mean there are 10 great applicants, just that there are ten who didn’t already blow their chances because of an easily correctable mistake. Competing against 400 people is daunting, but competing against 10 is a reasonable challenge, especially if you think you are the right person for the job. Just follow these eight simple steps and you will get yourself into the top ten most of the time:
• Write in a professional style
• Check and recheck your query to be sure that the language is correct
• Discuss your qualifications, not your needs
• Know exactly what you are applying for
• Discuss your relevant qualifications and experience
• Provide relevant, specific samples
• Provide full contact information, including your phone number
• Give at least one reason why you are the best applicant for the job
That’s it. Those eight things will rocket you to the top of the pile. There are plenty of ways to improve your chances even further, but these eight will keep you from being lumped in with the idiots.
Good luck.
_____________________________
John Hewitt is the publisher of the writing site, poewar.com. If you like this article you may also enjoy reading, How to Write a Query Letter and 10 Ways to Make Editors Hate You Before They Even Know You. He also knows all about Writing Your Way Out of a Wet Paper Sack.
This is really like taking candies from a baby, John.
So I suggest for writers who are as skilled as you to apply directly to high profile jobs and leave the low paid positions that are usually posted in the portals you mentioned to the beginners. We all have to start somewhere, don’t we?
Mihaela Licas last blog post..The Weekly Startup Review: PageTiki
John, if you were standing near me I would hug you! I have personally seen these mistakes and they are not limited to freelance inquiries but committed by job applicants as well. It is this lack of quality that has contributed to the lack of professionalism attributed to writing. Thank you for writing this post, I only hope that aspiring, new and seasoned writers take note and raise their game.
Hi Lillie – this is wonderful and encouraging advice. And I’m betting that 90% rule applies not only to freelance writing, but just about any career you can think of.
Cath Lawsons last blog post..Frugal or Flashy In Business – Who Wins?
This is such a beautiful website, I particularly appreciate the layout. I love writing but would be afraid to try and compete in the marketplace. My partner on the other hand is a very skilled Senior Copywriter. These tips are so spot on – it’s great to see quality advice in blogs!
Magic Mummys last blog post..Pirate Poem and Treasure Map
John,
Thanks for these helpful tips for keeping our queries out of the slush pile! And thanks just as much for the encouragement of knowing that the majority of our competitors don’t constitute competition at all! That makes the prospect of competing against so many other applicants seem so much less formidable!
Jeanne
@ Mihaela Lica
I never have and never will compete for the lowball jobs. I just don’t have the time. You are welcome to them.
@ Karen Swim
Thank you for the virtual hug. I wish I had enough influence to put a stop to these terrible applications, but I am only hoping to give the friends of Lillie a leg up.
@ Cath Lawson
The problem does spill over into many industries, but it is particularly embarrassing when people who call themselves writers make these mistakes.
@ Magic Mummy
I’ve done my best to eliminate the fear. My only other words of encouragement are that rejections aren’t fatal. “Just keep swimming”
@ Jeanne
I’m glad I could help.
John Hewitts last blog post..08/14/2008 Writing Jobs and Links
@ Lillie
I’m happy to do it. I would have been by sooner but I have a major project on deadline. Do you know what goes great with deadlines? Meetings!
John Hewitts last blog post..08/14/2008 Writing Jobs and Links
Great post. The advice seems so simple and obvious, but clearly it needed to be said.
Helen Gingers last blog post..Q&A with Author L.J. Sellers, Next Thursday
Most of people can make mistakes easily in their applications for job if they are not serious with the freelance job.So what we should do is pay attention to those tips John lined out and we will get the job.
This was a great post. The amount of people who are trying to find freelance jobs has made me question why I should apply sometimes. It is very nice to see that I have a better chance than I thought I originally did.
Dianes last blog post..Robin Hood: We Are Robin Hood Episode
@ Helen
I am constantly amazed by the number of people who want to be freelance writers but who don’t take the time to research the career or work on their skills.
@ Denver
These tips are just the basics, but they will get you into contention.
@ Diane
I’m glad I could convince you to give it a shot.
LIllie,
Your recommendations are great! I got my jobs easily from freelancewritinggigs.com where I was able to stand out from the pool because I followed up on my applications. Now I write freelance full-time and I love it!
Very useful information, thanks. Freelancing is a tough biz as steady paycheck may be just a dream.
good common sense tips, the little things do add up so its best to take your time to get things right before you apply to anything.
This is an excellent blog. The advice is great! Thank you so much for sharing it. I will certainly check out John’s blog!
I just received an (unsolicited) email that demonstrates exactly the kind of submissions I typically get. Please note, I do not have a writing team and I am not advertising for writers. Despite that, I still receive emails like this at least once a week.
iv been trying to get published by a good writing magazine an i was wondering if you guys could give me the time of day to apply for your team. im a young creative writer striving for great things. please give me a chance.
thanks for your time
In case you needed any more proof, here is a link to Darren Rowse at problogger.net. His blog is one of the largest and most respected blogs on the Internet and his job board is probably the best source on the web for blogging jobs. Unfortunately, the companies advertising for bloggers on his site are complaining about the exact same issue.
Applying for a Blogger Job? Treat it Seriously
http://tinyurl.com/55c9f8
Some excerpts:
It staggers me that bloggers would not work hard to communicate clearly when applying for a job that is all about communicating clearly! While I understand not everyone has an amazing command on the English language – those looking to hire bloggers for commercial positions will take your abilities in your application as a hint as to how well you’ll perform on their blog.
Let me say that I get a variety of feedback from advertisers on the job boards. Most tell me that they get great applications and generally quickly fill jobs (some end up hiring more than one blogger because they get so many good applicants) – but mixed in with them are always blogger job applications that they immediately disqualify due to poor quality.
Those are excellent observations. Speaking as someone who has screened and interviewed thousands of job applicants over the years, I can say with certainty that similar principles come into play when applying for almost any job. The hiring executive will be grateful for anything you do to make his job easier. Following the tips given here and tweaking them for your specific situation to create a quick, easy to read summary which showcases why you deserve an interview will increase your odds of making it to the next step.
Teen Job Finder
Jobs last blog post..Jobs for Teens at Amusement Parks
You are correct! These are great tips! thanks for sharing =)
I would love to be lumped from the other idiots! I printed your article and will send to my friends if you don’t mind!
Great post! I think a lot of people shy away from even applying to freelance jobs because they are intimidated by “professional writers”. What they don’t understand is that if they have ever been paid for writing, then they, too, are a professional writer who is worthy of work.
Jen Bristers last blog post..Snarky Editors and the Art of Negotiation
How true Lillie, It is this lack of quality that has contributed to the lack of professionalism attributed to writing. You can’t enter the freelance writing without putting a little effort into it.
Sad but true !! But one thing I believe in.. If you don’t put much effort, success won’t ever come.. it’s like an “easy come, easy go” sort of thing.
I hope your article builds confidence for the freelance writers just entering the market. I had to smile when I read it because of an “example” article I received yesterday. I never realized when I entered the field how many BAD writers there are out there!!! You know what I love? When you land a job and they send you an “example” article to follow that is just horrible! The first time that happened I asked myself: do I really have to lower myself to those standards? I was in serious shock. Then I started laughing hysterically. I have to admit – it did raise the bar on my confidence. (I did what any writer would do and submitted a decent article.)
Just the other day I received another “example” from a client that was a great example of how awful some writers write. I often thought many of the poor articles I’ve read on the internet were a result from automated software – but it really shocks me that these articles are written and APPROVED by a PERSON for publishing. And I’m really not that picky – and I’m certainly NOT the grammar police. (And I rarely proof my blog posts – just to warn you. But now that I said that – I’ll have to proof this…)
Your article is spot on and I hope newbie freelance writers take your advice to heart.
I agree, this is more of an Easy Come, Easy Go process! You have to put good effort in what you do for success! John, you are making good points there too!
Fender Guitars last blog post..RainSong Russ Freeman 12-string Electric Guitar
This is all so true! I recently searched on Elance for some work to be done and I too came across instances you mention here. I have seen it…it’s true!
Great read.
Although I responded to every comment here all my responses were lost when I moved my blog.
There are lots of bad examples out there—we just need to be sure we don’t fit in with them!
Great read, thanks for the information. Greatly appreciated.
John wrote a very informative article.
Responses to this post: