Many people assume that being a freelancer is the same as being an employee, just with more flexibility. However, it is more akin to being a small business owner. To be successful, you need to not just take care of the basic tasks of your chosen field, but also engage in administrative and marketing activities to maintain the financial health of your one-person company.
A Guide to Declining Offers From Clients Nicely
One of the most significant advantages of working as a freelancer is the ability to choose a work schedule that suits you. Working for yourself allows you more time, flexibility, and control over the projects you take on. Indeed, 53% of freelancers say they feel more secure as independents than they did in traditional employment. However, the advantages of self-employment are significantly reduced if you accept every job opportunity offered to you.
How to Negotiate And Win a Pay Raise as a Freelancer
The world has changed a lot over the last year, not least in the worlds of business and work. Some people have been forced to change how they work, with remote working becoming the norm for people across America and beyond. [Read more…]
4 Ways to Collaborate With Other Freelance Writers
The post-pandemic gig economy is ready to grow, with remote work and freelancing leading the way. Freelance writers as well as other freelancers have had their lifestyles and work choices validated by the remote work and work-from-home trends prompted by Covid-19. [Read more…]
How Do I Bring Up the Topic of Maternity With My Clients?
When you are employed on a contract basis and go to the workplace each day, there is no obvious confusion about informing your boss. You wait until the second trimester, to be sure, and then you negotiate your maternity leave. The only complexity comes with timing before and after birth, and how much leave you can afford to take. [Read more…]
3 Ways to Promote Your Freelance Writing Services in 2021
If you have decided that the year 2021 is the year where your freelance writing business takes off, I have good news for you. You can use dozens of tactics to promote your writing business, from the simple and cheap ones to the complex and expensive ones. [Read more…]
How Freelance Writers Can Win More Clients With Customer Service
Freelance writers have luxuries in the workplace that most people do not. They make their schedules, have flexibility in how they interact with clients, and set their prices. However, it also falls to the writer to be their own representative and set standards for customer service. One of the most common freelancing mistakes is poor communication with clients. [Read more…]
A Freelancer’s Guide to Managing Job Uncertainty During the COVID-19 Crisis
The inevitable uncertainties that everyone is bound to face at some point in life should cause anxiety. Why? Because when your brain can’t figure out what lurks around a corner, everything goes haywire. Look no further than the COVID-19 crisis for a clear picture of this fact.
It is clear that the COVID-19 crisis has persisted longer than anticipated. If you are reading this, then you likely have a lot of unanswered questions in your thoughts. When will you get your next gig? Is a client considering terminating your contract? Here’s a freelancer’s guide to managing job uncertainty in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. [Read more…]
Cover Letters That Stand Out: This is What They Have in Common
In 2012, there were more than three million job openings. If you think about how many people will have applied for those jobs, then the number of job applications is off the charts. Throw the world of freelance writing and design, and outsourced projects into the mix and this number likely doubles.
With so many freelancers and professionals applying for jobs, it’s easy for your application to get lost in the crowd. You might be the perfect candidate for the job, but if you don’t make the interviews, they’ll never get the chance to find out.
Before they even get to your resume, recruiters will look at your cover letter. Creating cover letters that stand out is vital if you want your resume to make it to the right pile.
Read on as we look at the characteristics of the best cover letters.
Create a Strong Opening
Imagine you’re hiring for a position. Then imagine how bored you’re going to get from reading the following line: I am writing to apply for the position of blah, blah, blah.
As a freelancer, you are already fighting for posititon amongst millions of other freelancers. This is why it’s impotant to make your cover letter stand out by opening strongly. They already know what job you’re applying for, so get straight in there and tell them why you’re the person they should be hiring.
Tell Them Why You Want the Job
You would be amazed at how many people never mention this in their cover letter. And also keep in mind, this isn’t just for your benefit, but also for anyone who is looking to hire as well. The easier you can make the hiring and decision process for the end user, the more likely you are to get the job.
They fill it with information about their experience and skills and why it makes them the ideal candidate. But they never actually say why it is that they want the job they’re applying for.
Tell them why you want the job and you’re in a much stronger position.
Be Specific About Experience
It’s all too easy when writing your cover letter to get bogged down in generalizations.
Saying you have “four years of experience in IT” doesn’t really say anything at all. Four years doing what, exactly? What kind of IT?
Be specific about your experience, but also make sure that the specifics that you focus on are the ones most relevant to the role. Telling them about your excellent Word skills is not much use if the job requires you to work in Google Docs.
Cover Letters That Stand Out Are Brief
We’ve already looked at the sheer number of applications that get submitted every year.
Pity the person that has to read them all. They will honestly thank you for your brevity if you keep your cover letter to just the important information, and nothing more. Make sure you use a lot of empty space rather than cramping all your text together making it harder to read.
You should also try to make it look as appealing as possible. There are plenty of cover letter for resume templates out there that you can use.
Build Your Presence and Brand on Social Media
Having a website is now standard practice for freelancers and anyone who might be looking for new work. However, it would also be a huge mistake to not take advantage of social media as well. This is especially true if you want to use social media for business.
Just some quick reasons to include your social information within your cover letter are:
- To make it easy for employers to find your social profiles online
- The benefit of seeing a strong knowledge of online branding and social media
- Some employers prefer social media contact methods over email
In short, unless you have a bad history or content on social media, there is really no reason for you to not list your social profiles amongst your general contact information on your cover letters.
Your Cover Letter is Like Your Presentation to the World
For freelancers in content writing or design, it’s extremely important to make sure you have a cover letter than stands out and grabs the attention of the user’s eye. With hundreds or thousands of potential hires submitting resumes for new work, you need to take advantage of every opportunity available.
If you aren’t a graphic design, adding some color and excitement to your cover page can be as simple as loading your Word Doc of files into PowerPoint or Google Slides, and then creating a presentation, but then also saving it as a PDF file.
Lastly, if you are taking the time to critique your resume for each different job or opportunity you are applying for, you may want to look over the job training specs listed on their site. That way, if they are listing Microsoft Word or Excel program training, and this is something you are already specialized in, then this is something you would want to highlight or point out.
You can then submit this more attractive cover sheet or resume the same way you would submit any other PDF files.
Are You Looking for More Great Business Advice?
As a freelancer, creating cover letters that stand out is only the first step on your journey to your dream job. If you’re looking for more tips and advice then you’re in the right place.
For more great content on all aspects of business and the world of freelancing, be sure to check out the latest job openings and articles posted on Freelance Writing Gigs.
Top Tips to Ensure Your Freelance Contracts Secure Your Financial Freedom – UK Edition
As of 2016, there are 2 million freelancers in the UK. With this in mind, we want to make sure that those living in the UK who have taken the self-employed route are making the best choices for their income and mental wellbeing, particularly when it comes to contracts between freelancer and client.
After all, you aren’t working as a freelancer because it’s easy. Most freelancers do what they do for: passion, a level of flexibility that can’t be experienced in an office or the possibility of great disposable income and financial freedom. [Read more…]
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