When it Feels Like the World is Against You – Stay Positive in your Job Search

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Remaining positive while looking for a job is very easily said, but not all that easy to do. When you spend hours each day looking for a new job or your first step onto the employment ladder, it can be very easy to get downhearted and feel as though that dream job may never come.

For a lot of people, the process of searching for a job, typing in the same search so many times that the engines know that you’re looking for jobs in Sheffield or jobs in manufacturing; finding the contact details for the person associated with the vacancy, researching the company, filling in the application and sending it in can be very long and drawn out and, in many cases, repetitive, only to receive a rejection letter or nothing at all. It’s no wonder why people get easily disappointed. [Read more…]

Would You Complete a Personality Test for a Freelance Writing Job?

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When a person is working for a brick and mortar job, it’s not uncommon for the employer to request that the candidate undergo some type of testing. People who are interested in working in law enforcement or as firefighters are required to complete physical and personality tests as part of the screening process. Applicants for administrative positions could expect to be asked to do a typing test at some point in their job search.

Freelancers are in a different category, since they are not applying for a job. I’ve been asked to do a personality test as part of a screening process twice and while I have complied both times, it did feel a bit uncomfortable to do so.

Why did I hesitate about sharing the results of the test? It seemed a bit intrusive at the time. I was of the mindset that I should be able to answer the client’s questions about my experience, provide samples and a resume and that should be enough information for the person to make a decision about whether to hire me. What difference would it make if the client found out what kind of person I am?

I now realize that it matters a great deal. The work that freelance writers do isn’t just about stringing words together. It has everything to do with establishing relationships with clients. For the relationship to succeed, the freelancer and the client need to be able to work together well. If their personality styles don’t mesh, then the professional relationship will flounder.

Part of the reason that I agreed to do the personality test was that I was curious about what it would reveal. The Myers-Briggs test that I took was very accurate, right down to my consistently messy desk.

I suppose it’s not possible to fail a personality test. There are some people who I probably wouldn’t be able to work well with, and it’s probably just as well to establish whether this is the case before the project begins. Whether you call it a personality conflict or creative differences, having to abandon a project after starting the work isn’t a good situation for either party.

Have you ever been asked to do a personality test for a freelance writing job? How did you feel about it?

How to Cope with a Client’s Inappropriate Questions

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Have you ever been asked an inappropriate or even illegal question in a job interview? It’s happened to me on occasion, and unfortunately both times the interview was for a job at a law firm. (You would think legal types would know better, but apparently they don’t.)

One person interviewing me asked if I was married, and then caught himself and said that he probably couldn’t ask me that question. The other time was much more blatant and I was really shocked that it was a woman asking me if I planned to have children in the next year or two. She made it worse by going on to explain that it would “not be a good idea for me to do so.”

After a momentary flash in my mind’s eye of the Pregnancy Police checking to make sure all female staff members keep replenishing their supplies of feminine products in a desk drawer, I concluded that this was not the right place where I could do my best work.

Answering questions from prospective clients is a bit different. Since we are business owners, not job applicants, the line is a bit murkier about which questions may be considered illegal. If a prospective client is treading into territory that makes you feel uncomfortable before you start working together, then you probably shouldn’t expect that person to behave better once you have accepted the freelance writing gig.

While I don’t mind if someone asks me if Jodee is my real name (it is), I have to draw the line when someone wants to get too personal in their questions. No one who wants to hire me for a freelance writing job needs to know my marital status or if I have children unless it is relevant to the work we are discussing.

How do you deflect questions that may be overstepping the bounds without walking away from the opportunity completely? You answer the question the client is really asking. It could go something like this: “If what you are trying to find out is whether I can commit to your project, the answer is yes.” You still have the option of stepping back from your discussion and deciding whether you want to work with that client after all, but this type of non-confrontational answer gives you the time to decide what your next move should be.

How do you deal with inappropriate questions from freelance writing clients?

Four Things the Academy Awards Can Teach Us About Freelance Writing

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Were you glued to the television last night checking out the Oscars? Were you more interested in what people were wearing than who actually took home one of the golden statues, or was it all about seeing people rewarded for their work?

I watched a little bit of the show last night, but didn’t stay tuned for the whole thing. It just doesn’t capture my interest the way it used to a number of years ago. The bit of the show I did watch got me thinking about what freelancers can learn from the Academy Awards.

1. You can get all dressed up for the show and still not win.

How often have we made a pitch or applied for a freelance writing gig and not heard anything back? It comes with the territory in this type of work and most of us have come to accept it.

It’s more disappointing when we have heard back from the potential client, have had detailed discussions about the project and have discussed payment and other terms and we don’t get the gig. The client may have decided to work with someone else, funding for the project may have dried up or it may have been abandoned for a different reason.

Sometimes you can do all the right things to get the gig and still not get the nod. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t talented or hardworking.

2. Being nominated might be nice, but it’s not as good as winning.

Whether it’s an Oscar or a great freelance writing gig, getting picked is much better than making it to the short list. Just saying.

3. People will remember you for more than your work.

When you think of Cher, you may not immediately remember that she won an Oscar in 1987 for her work in “Moonstruck.” Instead, we are more likely to remember her rather unique fashion sense, including the black showgirl number that she wore to the ceremony in 1986. (The actress reportedly chose that outfit as a way to show her displeasure at not being nominated for her work in “Mask” the previous year.)

Get in the habit of remembering that every comment on a blog, blog post, Facebook update or tweet is something that a potential client can see. Yes, the entire Internet is one big job interview, and if you wouldn’t say something to a potential client directly, then you should think about whether you should be posting it at all.

4. There is something magical about getting paid to do something you love.

We tune in to awards shows for the fashions and to catch a glimpse of our favorite celebrities, to be sure, but part of the reason is that we admire those people who are able to take an idea and bring it to life to entertain (and sometimes educate) us.

As members of the public, we don’t see the amount of thought and work that goes into bringing all the elements together to produce a film of any length. All we know is whether the finished product moves us in some way. If it does, then all the people involved have done their job.

As writers, we get to use our creativity to help our clients reach their goals. We harness our creativity to bring all kinds of ideas to life, and have the opportunity to work our own type of magic while doing so.

Do you feel like a nominee or an Oscar winner in your freelance writing career?

Applying for a Freelance Writing Gig Without Looking Desperate

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If you are going through a dry spell or are experiencing some cash flow issues, you will want to pick up some work that (hopefully) will pay relatively quickly so that you can get your finances back on track. It may be tempting to share your current situation on message boards or other places where you are trying to pick up something that can tide you over for the time being. While I do understand and appreciate needing to get something going right away, I’m not sure that sharing a lot of detail about your personal situation is a good thing.

Before I go on, let me share something about myself. I consider myself to be a generally friendly person, but I’m also very private. Back when I was working in an office, I never really knew how much personal stuff was OK to share with people so I erred on the side of keeping things to myself. If I wasn’t sure whether something should be said, I didn’t. [Read more…]

How Do You See Your Freelance Writing Job Search?

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Looking for work is a necessary evil for freelance writers. For people who work for employers, part of the reason finding a job is something to celebrate (along with a regular pay check and hopefully a good benefit package) is that they don’t have to keep looking for work.

For freelancers, it’s a different story. We have the freedom to work for ourselves (which definitely has its advantages), but we must perform a juggling act in our professional lives. Not only do we need to be able to keep up with our current assignments and produce high quality work, but we must also be constantly on the lookout for the next gig.

We can use a variety of methods to hunt for work. Putting up a web site, writing a blog to feature our expertise to a specific niche market and keeping in contact with people in your circle of professional acquaintances can all be effective strategies. Cold calling and passing out business cards are also good ways to find work.

If you have ever gotten to the point where you feel bogged down by this activity, you’re not alone. It’s easy to get into the mind set that looking for work is a chore. No one looks forward to doing chores, do they? These activities are things we have to do but that don’t really appear on the “want to do” radar at all.

Unless you can find a way to turn looking for freelance writing gigs into something that you can get excited about, it’s going to remain a chore and something that you will get bogged down in. It’s also very difficult to present yourself in the best way you can if you are not feeling enthused about communicating with a potential client.

In a situation where your freelance writing job search isn’t getting you the results you are hoping for, consider whether you are just going through the motions when you are looking for work. You would rather work with people who are enthusiastic about what they do and excited about a new opportunity than a person who is just not feeling it.

You have the power to kick start your freelance writing job search by adding some enthusiasm any time you choose to do so. Turn the process from a “have to” to a “get to”, as in “Today I get to talk to someone about how I can help their business.”

The best thing about this approach is that it isn’t dependent on outside circumstances. You can choose to look at talking to people about what you do and how you can help them as an adventure or a chore. Which one will you choose today?

How to Use Your Freelance Work Personality to Your Advantage

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Don’t let the title of this post fool you. I’m not suggesting that you become some type of chameleon and develop an entirely different persona at work. (If you have already done so and it’s working for you, carry on, though. Why mess with success?)

I got the idea for the post from watching a medical show on television. I enjoy watching real life ones that show medical professionals as problem solvers. Since I’m always curious about what other people do for a living and why they were drawn to a particular type of work, I pay particular attention to any interviews that are included.

In one episode, an emergency room doctor was explaining why he chose to specialize in that area of medicine. He is the type of person who is interested in dealing with a specific condition, as opposed to providing continuous care to a patient. Dr. Marcus Welby this guy was not, but he was very good at thinking on his feet and dealing with the medical issue in front of him.

Writers are just as varied as people working in any other job category. Some of us write for others because we have to and for ourselves because we can, while others treat this as strictly business. We may write web content, web copy, print copy, white papers, technical manuals or blogs. Some of us are generalists while others have a specific niche that we focus on.

Some writers like to have several (relatively) small projects going, while others would ideally prefer to have a brobdingnag one that will keep them busy for a time. Once they finish it, they focus on the next one.

When you are looking for freelance writing jobs, first consider your work personality. If you are someone who enjoys the relative security of working with a client over the long term, then look for someone who can offer a steady gig (or the potential for a series of projects). If you are someone who gets bogged down working on large projects, move on and apply for something that is a better fit for your freelance work personality.

Knowing yourself well means that you will find it much easier to answer the question that all prospective clients want to ask: why should I hire you?

Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem and Your Freelance Writing Job Search

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What ingredient is the most important to your freelance writing job search? Where do self-confidence and self-esteem fit into the mix, and are they the same thing?

I don’t see self-confidence and self-esteem as being the same thing at all. Self-confidence has to do with the image that other people see, and self-esteem is something that comes from within.

If you know that you will show up to do the work that you have been assigned and follow instructions properly, you are demonstrating self-confidence. Prospective clients will be drawn to people who demonstrate this trait. You will be successful in your job search by showing a person who is looking to hire a writer that you are hardworking and dependable.

Your self-esteem is something else entirely. It’s your internal dialogue, and has to do with how you see yourself. It doesn’t necessarily have to match how other people see you, either.

As long as you have enough self-confidence to keep putting yourself out there and talking to prospective clients, whether you are answering ads or making pitches, you can find freelance writing jobs. When you do so, your focus should be on solving the client’s problem and what you can do for them.

As you achieve success, your self-esteem may start to catch up with your self-confidence. You may start to see yourself in a more positive way, and you may decide that you like yourself a lot better than you thought you did.

You can start your freelance writing career from where you are right now on the self-esteem scale. When you are looking for work, the person reading your resume and reviewing your samples has no idea how you felt when you wrote them. Low self-esteem doesn’t have to hold you back on your freelance writing job search, as long as you can gather enough self-confidence to keep looking for work.

Do you separate self-confidence and self-esteem when you are looking for freelance writing jobs, or do you think they are the same thing?

On Freelance Writer Rejection: Sometimes It’s You

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If you are a freelance writer, rejection is part of the job. I don’t think anyone actually likes being rejected, and some days it’s easier to take than others.

I don’t know if this technique works for anyone else, but when I get rejected I let myself feel the emotions that go with being told that you’re not quite what the client was looking for, or even worse that your work is what the client is looking for  (Ouch). Then I try to figure out whether it was  was something that was in my control or not.

Being a bit of a control freak, this is a helpful exercise. I need to spend a bit of time looking at whether I presented myself in the best way I would and still got rejected. In that situation, it was the client’s call and I need to let it go.

Sometimes the rejection is really about me. If I’m off my game on a particular day or at a certain time, I need to own part of the rejection. Does that mean I’ll never have an off day? Not at all – but I can show what I hope is a bit of class in the face of the rejection by thanking the client for the feedback and telling them them that I will keep it in mind going forward.

Do you see rejection as having two sides or is it all equally bad?

What Have You Done Lately?

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If your goal is to stand out from other freelance writers who are applying for the same gig, you need to spend some time thinking about yourself and the skills and abilities that you bring to the table. You will have included this information on your resume, so that a prospective client can find out something about you and the kind of work you have done in the past.

To provide the reader with more information about you, include achievements in your resume. What achievements, you may be asking yourself. Think back through the jobs you have had and try to find some way that your employer’s business was better off for having hired you.

When it comes to your freelance writing career, the information is a bit different. If your content has helped a client get a Top 10 ranking on Google, this is something you should be sharing. The fact that your copy has helped a client increase sales by X percent is also worth listing on your resume.

If you have ever won, been selected as a finalist for or judged a writing contest, include this fact in your resume. Any writing, spelling or grammar-related awards can also be listed.

It’s one thing to tell a prospective client that you’re good at what you do. Listing your achievements will show him or her and make you stand out from the pack when you are applying for freelance writing jobs.

Do you list your achievements on your freelance writing resume? Do you feel that this is an effective strategy for making a prospective client want to contact you?

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