by: Dave Lympany
A lot of places around the world call it A Curriculum Vitae, in North America, it's a Résumé. This is definitely one of the most important tools that any jobseeker has at their disposal. You may be THE best candidate for a particular job by a long way, however, if you don't make it to the interview stages the company will never know.
Many companies (especially the larger corporations) will use computer software to "read" all the résumé’s and reject any that don't fit a particular template. This may seem unfair, but it's cost effective.
So, for some jobs you have to beat the computer and still read well enough for someone who may not have any knowledge of the position you are applying for. It is definitely worthwhile to adapt your resume for the position that is advertised. There may well be some of the "buzz" words the "filter" is looking for mentioned in the job description.
It is very important that you can substantiate all the claims you make, preferably with physical examples or letters. This will be essential in any in interview situation.
There is now a wealth of information available online, from books, local employment offices and with professional writing agencies. You can also access other people’s résumé’s that are posted online which will give some great ideas for style and content.
Professional writers may seem the answer, but, all the research I have done seems to lean away from them. I have never used one and feel that it will give a good impression if you have written it yourself (this will display literacy). Apparently, if they are professionally written, they are easy to spot; however, they may be worth the expense if you are stuck. You can always "customise" what has been written to make it your own work.
In my case, I had been in the military since I left school and had never written a resume or had an interview. I spent a lot of time writing, copying other people’s styles and changing things. I didn't realise how difficult it is to catch up on 16 years - I'll never allow mine to go out of date again! I found the hardest part was to actually start writing. The best advice I was given was to just write anything that you can think of and it will soon start to flow. With modern word processors it's relatively quick and easy to cut and paste so you can keep on changing it until you are happy. More detailed information can be found at http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/resume.html
Good Luck!!!!!
Wednesday 6 August 2008
Great Job Resumes: The First Step To Landing Great Jobs
by: Paolo Basauri
How Important are Job Resumes in Securing the Perfect Job?
The function of outstanding job resumes is to get the attention of your potential employer. More than simply a listing of your accomplishments, education, skills and experience; a job resume is the first point of contact you have with the company with whom you are seeking employment. No matter what skill set you bring to the table, if your resume isn’t effectively presented, you may find it difficult to locate work. In the reverse, if you haven’t had a lot of experience, a polished resume that presents the talents and ambitions you do possess can secure you a job with unlimited potential for growth. Before setting out to look for a new job, make sure your resume presents the skills you have to offer in the best possible light. Many employers will not even offer an interview to prospective employees with lackluster job resumes.
Types of Job Resumes
Job resumes may be structured in several different ways to focus on your best qualities, while downplaying your limitations. Today’s employers are looking for innovative employees that will bring value to their business. Submitting a standout resume is one way to express your individual abilities and ambition. Different types of job resumes include:
* Reverse Chronological Resumes – These job resumes focus on your employment history by listing your previous employment starting with your latest position. Chronological resumes detail your growth as an employee and are best suited for people who have a strong employment background and documented experience. Educational information and additional skills are typically noted at the bottom of these job resumes.
* Functional Resumes – The functional resume gives less resonance to experience and highlights, instead, the skills that you have to offer. Functional resumes generally list your stellar qualifications at the top of the page, while providing some details of how the skills were obtained—including school and work experience—towards the latter half of the page. Skill-based resumes are the best choice for workers that are new to the job market, or have not worked in quite some time.
* Combination Resumes – A combination resume takes the focus on skills from the Functional resume and merges it with the employment history, for a complete package of your qualifications. These job resumes present the most well rounded details and can be used by almost anyone to effectively gain employment.
Seeking Professional Help for Writing Job Resumes
If you’re not certain of the resume choice that’s right for your qualifications, or if you just want the best possible resume, you might want to seek the help of a professional resume writing service. For a minimal fee, professional writers can formulate top quality job resumes that can be used to market your skills. A resume writing service will present your personal employment history and qualifications in a manner that will stand out to potential employers. It’s really a small investment to make for a profitable future at your new job.
How Important are Job Resumes in Securing the Perfect Job?
The function of outstanding job resumes is to get the attention of your potential employer. More than simply a listing of your accomplishments, education, skills and experience; a job resume is the first point of contact you have with the company with whom you are seeking employment. No matter what skill set you bring to the table, if your resume isn’t effectively presented, you may find it difficult to locate work. In the reverse, if you haven’t had a lot of experience, a polished resume that presents the talents and ambitions you do possess can secure you a job with unlimited potential for growth. Before setting out to look for a new job, make sure your resume presents the skills you have to offer in the best possible light. Many employers will not even offer an interview to prospective employees with lackluster job resumes.
Types of Job Resumes
Job resumes may be structured in several different ways to focus on your best qualities, while downplaying your limitations. Today’s employers are looking for innovative employees that will bring value to their business. Submitting a standout resume is one way to express your individual abilities and ambition. Different types of job resumes include:
* Reverse Chronological Resumes – These job resumes focus on your employment history by listing your previous employment starting with your latest position. Chronological resumes detail your growth as an employee and are best suited for people who have a strong employment background and documented experience. Educational information and additional skills are typically noted at the bottom of these job resumes.
* Functional Resumes – The functional resume gives less resonance to experience and highlights, instead, the skills that you have to offer. Functional resumes generally list your stellar qualifications at the top of the page, while providing some details of how the skills were obtained—including school and work experience—towards the latter half of the page. Skill-based resumes are the best choice for workers that are new to the job market, or have not worked in quite some time.
* Combination Resumes – A combination resume takes the focus on skills from the Functional resume and merges it with the employment history, for a complete package of your qualifications. These job resumes present the most well rounded details and can be used by almost anyone to effectively gain employment.
Seeking Professional Help for Writing Job Resumes
If you’re not certain of the resume choice that’s right for your qualifications, or if you just want the best possible resume, you might want to seek the help of a professional resume writing service. For a minimal fee, professional writers can formulate top quality job resumes that can be used to market your skills. A resume writing service will present your personal employment history and qualifications in a manner that will stand out to potential employers. It’s really a small investment to make for a profitable future at your new job.
How to Write a Resume That Stands Out From The Crowd
by: Rumki Sen
Today’s job market is competitive. Many companies receive hundreds of resumes a year, making it difficult for yours to stand out from the crowd. However, that should not keep you from getting interviews. The following 10 tips will help you learn how to get employers to read your resume and get your phone ringing.
1. Include a profile
Begin your resume with a profile, which contains a synopsis of your varied skills and educational qualifications. This profile should match the particular job you want to apply for. State your career objective clearly so that the reader gets an overall idea of your background and areas of expertise. Write this section in such a manner that it immediately catches the attention of a hiring manager, and he calls you instead of someone else.
2. Keep the resume short
No one has the time to go through elaborate detailing about your past jobs and experiences. Therefore, keep the resume short. Make a list of the most important jobs you have held and give a brief of your previous job-oriented experiences. However, in the case of technical people, resumes can extend to three pages in order to include relevant technical information.
3. Give more importance on content than on looks
One of the major mistakes people make while creating resumes is in the use of fancy fonts. Avoid using fancy fonts and do not change font regularly throughout the resume. Changing fonts regularly will distract and confuse a hiring manager. Do not use underlining or italics to add emphasis. Make your document eye appealing so that your reader can review it with ease. Use white paper and make the thoughts flow smoothly.
4. Clearly identify your skills
Do not be modest in mentioning your skills. Clearly identifying your skills will distinguish you from the other job seekers and eventually help your potential employers to select you from the rest. Remember, all you have to do is to stand out from the crowd.
5. List your educational and professional qualifications
Include any relevant education or training that might relate. Provide details of only those qualifications that match your current job search. This will help you to get short-listed more easily.
6. Focus on your job responsibilities
Starting with your present position or most recent job, mention the title of every job you have held, along with the name of the company, the city and state, and the years you have worked there. Under each position, make a list of your job responsibilities. Use descriptive verbs, such as created, increased, performed, initiated, developed, led, improved or reduced to begin each statement of your duties and accomplishments. Producing a document that is well presented, detailed and targeted will attract the attention of your hiring manager.
7. Add related qualifications and interests
Think about anything else that might qualify you for your job objective and place it at the bottom of your resume. It may include licenses, certifications, awards and achievements, and sometimes even your hobbies and interests if they truly relate. If you seek a job in a music company, for example, stating on your resume that you are a pianist will increase your chance to get that interview call.
8. Be honest with your resume
If you did not actually do what you said you did, it would be called a lie. Numerous surveys show that job applicants lie most frequently about education and employment, particularly about job responsibilities and dates of employment. Hiding gaps in employment and jobs where they were forced to leave by the respective employers is also common. There are many risks involved in lying, but many job applicants do not seem to get the message about the risks of lying. Once you are caught with a lie, you will be fired then and there. So, DON”T lie – be honest with your resume.
9. Always attach a covering letter
A cover letter is a letter of introduction that highlights your key achievements and skills and entitles you for a job opening. It reflects your communication skills and your personality. The main purpose of this document is to introduce yourself in such an interesting manner that the reader will not only continue reading your resume but also be willing to call you for an interview.
If you want to create cover letters for any career situation, position, and job level, I recommend a unique resume/ cover letter tool on the Internet today called Amazing Cover Letter Creator (http://pes2004.amazingcl.hop.clickbank.net/). I recommend this tool, because it solves the frustrating problem job seekers have when trying to write an effective resume cover letter. You can use it over and over again for all your cover letter needs.
10. Proofread your resume
After you have finalized your employment documents, check them repeatedly for errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Spelling and grammatical errors can automatically disqualify a resume from consideration. If you make mistakes on your employment documents, hiring managers might presume you will be equally careless on the job - no matter how important your qualifications and experiences are. Proofread your resume and cover letter carefully.
Make your resume positive and completely error-free. If you are seeking two or three different positions, prepare two or three separate resumes, each tailored to the job you are targeting. Make your resume exclusive and unique so that it stands out from the crowd. Good luck for your career!
Today’s job market is competitive. Many companies receive hundreds of resumes a year, making it difficult for yours to stand out from the crowd. However, that should not keep you from getting interviews. The following 10 tips will help you learn how to get employers to read your resume and get your phone ringing.
1. Include a profile
Begin your resume with a profile, which contains a synopsis of your varied skills and educational qualifications. This profile should match the particular job you want to apply for. State your career objective clearly so that the reader gets an overall idea of your background and areas of expertise. Write this section in such a manner that it immediately catches the attention of a hiring manager, and he calls you instead of someone else.
2. Keep the resume short
No one has the time to go through elaborate detailing about your past jobs and experiences. Therefore, keep the resume short. Make a list of the most important jobs you have held and give a brief of your previous job-oriented experiences. However, in the case of technical people, resumes can extend to three pages in order to include relevant technical information.
3. Give more importance on content than on looks
One of the major mistakes people make while creating resumes is in the use of fancy fonts. Avoid using fancy fonts and do not change font regularly throughout the resume. Changing fonts regularly will distract and confuse a hiring manager. Do not use underlining or italics to add emphasis. Make your document eye appealing so that your reader can review it with ease. Use white paper and make the thoughts flow smoothly.
4. Clearly identify your skills
Do not be modest in mentioning your skills. Clearly identifying your skills will distinguish you from the other job seekers and eventually help your potential employers to select you from the rest. Remember, all you have to do is to stand out from the crowd.
5. List your educational and professional qualifications
Include any relevant education or training that might relate. Provide details of only those qualifications that match your current job search. This will help you to get short-listed more easily.
6. Focus on your job responsibilities
Starting with your present position or most recent job, mention the title of every job you have held, along with the name of the company, the city and state, and the years you have worked there. Under each position, make a list of your job responsibilities. Use descriptive verbs, such as created, increased, performed, initiated, developed, led, improved or reduced to begin each statement of your duties and accomplishments. Producing a document that is well presented, detailed and targeted will attract the attention of your hiring manager.
7. Add related qualifications and interests
Think about anything else that might qualify you for your job objective and place it at the bottom of your resume. It may include licenses, certifications, awards and achievements, and sometimes even your hobbies and interests if they truly relate. If you seek a job in a music company, for example, stating on your resume that you are a pianist will increase your chance to get that interview call.
8. Be honest with your resume
If you did not actually do what you said you did, it would be called a lie. Numerous surveys show that job applicants lie most frequently about education and employment, particularly about job responsibilities and dates of employment. Hiding gaps in employment and jobs where they were forced to leave by the respective employers is also common. There are many risks involved in lying, but many job applicants do not seem to get the message about the risks of lying. Once you are caught with a lie, you will be fired then and there. So, DON”T lie – be honest with your resume.
9. Always attach a covering letter
A cover letter is a letter of introduction that highlights your key achievements and skills and entitles you for a job opening. It reflects your communication skills and your personality. The main purpose of this document is to introduce yourself in such an interesting manner that the reader will not only continue reading your resume but also be willing to call you for an interview.
If you want to create cover letters for any career situation, position, and job level, I recommend a unique resume/ cover letter tool on the Internet today called Amazing Cover Letter Creator (http://pes2004.amazingcl.hop.clickbank.net/). I recommend this tool, because it solves the frustrating problem job seekers have when trying to write an effective resume cover letter. You can use it over and over again for all your cover letter needs.
10. Proofread your resume
After you have finalized your employment documents, check them repeatedly for errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Spelling and grammatical errors can automatically disqualify a resume from consideration. If you make mistakes on your employment documents, hiring managers might presume you will be equally careless on the job - no matter how important your qualifications and experiences are. Proofread your resume and cover letter carefully.
Make your resume positive and completely error-free. If you are seeking two or three different positions, prepare two or three separate resumes, each tailored to the job you are targeting. Make your resume exclusive and unique so that it stands out from the crowd. Good luck for your career!
The Work Flow Cycle of the Editorial Industry
by: Yuwanda Black
As an editorial professional, I'm sure you're aware of the market slump right now. What you may not be aware of is that this is due to more than just the economy.
Editorial work is a seasonal profession. From mid-June through Labor Day and from Christmas through the end of January are usually pretty slow.
If you are a regular reader of a newspaper, ever notice how thin it is during the summer — especially the Help Wanted section?
What is the point in bringing this to your attention? First, to get you to relax and not worry.
And second, focus on preparatory work during down times. For example, rework your resume; order new supplies; take care of admnistrative paperwork, etc. FYI, there are some great resume tips geared specifically toward the editorial industry on Inkwell Editorial's site at http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/resumetips.htm. I hope you find them helpful.
As an editorial professional, I'm sure you're aware of the market slump right now. What you may not be aware of is that this is due to more than just the economy.
Editorial work is a seasonal profession. From mid-June through Labor Day and from Christmas through the end of January are usually pretty slow.
If you are a regular reader of a newspaper, ever notice how thin it is during the summer — especially the Help Wanted section?
What is the point in bringing this to your attention? First, to get you to relax and not worry.
And second, focus on preparatory work during down times. For example, rework your resume; order new supplies; take care of admnistrative paperwork, etc. FYI, there are some great resume tips geared specifically toward the editorial industry on Inkwell Editorial's site at http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/resumetips.htm. I hope you find them helpful.
Tips For Cover Letters To Get More Interviews
by: Heather Eagar
Here’s a tip for cover letters to get more interviews. Use a bulleted format cover letter rather than a standard letter in paragraphs. The bulleted format is more eye catching, and is more likely to be glanced at by the hiring manager or other person assigned to sort through resumes. This format will help you get your resume seen by more people and as a result get more interviews and more job offers.
If you follow this advice and decide to use the bulleted format, make sure that each bullet point specifies a reason for the hiring manager to talk with you. This reason can be your number of years experience, your education, a personality trait that you have, or an accomplishment.
Examples of bulleted points would be:
• Over 20 years experience in Human Resource Management.
Or…
• Outstanding work ethic. Lead by example.
Or…
• Master of Science in Education. Currently enrolled in Doctorate program.
Or…
• Saved last employer $30,000 in revenue through modernization of accounting system.
Or…
• Increased sales by 25% last quarter.
This bulleted format allows you to toot your own horn, but in a way that does not seem egotistical because it is obviously part of a resume package.
Another tip that will increase the readability of your cover letter is to use bold faced fonts on occasion to emphasize points you want read. Bold face catches the eye, and is a common device used by graphic designers in advertising copy. Your resume and cover letter are marketing tools for you, just as a print media advertising piece is a marketing tool for a business. Consider using bold face as tip from the Fortune 500 ad agencies that you can use without charge.
The next piece of advice to consider concerns the final paragraph of the letter, and will help you in your follow up efforts. When following up often times the hardest thing to do is to get past the gatekeeper. The secretary or administrative assistant that screens calls for his or her boss has an important job to do, but so do you, and reaching the decision maker will make you look good. The gatekeeper will try to stop you if the decision maker is busy—after all, he has better things to do with his time than speak with job seekers. So, in the final paragraph of your letter, before the “sincerely” and your name, simply state “I will call you next week to check on a convenient time to speak with you in person.” You’ve told the hiring manager you will be calling. Logically he should be expecting your call. For this reason you may tell the gatekeeper that ” Mr. HR Manager is expecting my call this week.” This will increase your chances of getting through, and of getting the interview. This tip is a variation on techniques that good business-to-business sales people use, and will work for you as well, bringing you more interviews and more job offers.
Here’s a tip for cover letters to get more interviews. Use a bulleted format cover letter rather than a standard letter in paragraphs. The bulleted format is more eye catching, and is more likely to be glanced at by the hiring manager or other person assigned to sort through resumes. This format will help you get your resume seen by more people and as a result get more interviews and more job offers.
If you follow this advice and decide to use the bulleted format, make sure that each bullet point specifies a reason for the hiring manager to talk with you. This reason can be your number of years experience, your education, a personality trait that you have, or an accomplishment.
Examples of bulleted points would be:
• Over 20 years experience in Human Resource Management.
Or…
• Outstanding work ethic. Lead by example.
Or…
• Master of Science in Education. Currently enrolled in Doctorate program.
Or…
• Saved last employer $30,000 in revenue through modernization of accounting system.
Or…
• Increased sales by 25% last quarter.
This bulleted format allows you to toot your own horn, but in a way that does not seem egotistical because it is obviously part of a resume package.
Another tip that will increase the readability of your cover letter is to use bold faced fonts on occasion to emphasize points you want read. Bold face catches the eye, and is a common device used by graphic designers in advertising copy. Your resume and cover letter are marketing tools for you, just as a print media advertising piece is a marketing tool for a business. Consider using bold face as tip from the Fortune 500 ad agencies that you can use without charge.
The next piece of advice to consider concerns the final paragraph of the letter, and will help you in your follow up efforts. When following up often times the hardest thing to do is to get past the gatekeeper. The secretary or administrative assistant that screens calls for his or her boss has an important job to do, but so do you, and reaching the decision maker will make you look good. The gatekeeper will try to stop you if the decision maker is busy—after all, he has better things to do with his time than speak with job seekers. So, in the final paragraph of your letter, before the “sincerely” and your name, simply state “I will call you next week to check on a convenient time to speak with you in person.” You’ve told the hiring manager you will be calling. Logically he should be expecting your call. For this reason you may tell the gatekeeper that ” Mr. HR Manager is expecting my call this week.” This will increase your chances of getting through, and of getting the interview. This tip is a variation on techniques that good business-to-business sales people use, and will work for you as well, bringing you more interviews and more job offers.
Increase Freelance Sales With an Online Resume!
by: Kelly Kyrik
Freelancing is a competitive business, especially in today’s fast-paced, e-focused world.
Often there are hundreds of writers competing for the same, limited number of assignments, and the writer who can best showcase his or her abilities is the one who lands the job.
Editors, however, are very busy people, and don’t have the time nor the inclination to sift through the hundreds of resumes and clips they receive in search of your information. If your credits and clips are not right there on an editor’s desk, or available with a single click of the mouse, that plumb assignment is going to go to the writer who managed to catch the editor’s eye; even if you’re the better writer for the job.
So, how do you get your writing clips into the hands of the editors looking for writers? Easy, with your own online resume!
A personal site has become a must for today’s freelancer, but successful writers know that they need to do more than simply paste their picture out on the Internet, or send off their email address along with their snail mail query.
What’s needed is a site that showcases your entire writing resume, including:
Bio
Publishing history
Writing-related job history
All published credits
Specialty or genre
Easily accessible and visually attractive clips, whether scanned or in document form
An editor is then able to access all of your information at once, instead of being forced to slog through link after link looking for work that is spread out over twelve different sites, six of which no longer exist. With everything in one place, an editor is also more able to get a feel for your abilities and range.
In addition, a professional-looking site – one that features your published writing, not pictures of your dog and boyfriend along with your latest Ebay stats – will prove to an editor that you’re on the ball, that you take your writing seriously. In turn the editor will take you more seriously.
Even freelancers with very little computer knowledge can set up a website; check with your Internet service provider to find out how to start your own (often free) site. Or, if you have some knowledge of HTML or are willing to learn, you may be able to set up your own site. There are also many web-design companies that will set you up for a fee.
If you decide to go with a web-design company, here are a few important things to consider:
What are the total costs? Be sure to read the fine print, otherwise your bill may be higher than you’d intended.
Is maintenance included? If so, how much does it cost and what is the turnaround time?
How many pages are you allowed? Some budget companies only offer six or so pages, which is hardly enough to showcase your clips.
Do they work with writers? Web-design services that cater to exotic dancers or widget-sellers may not know much about a freelancer’s needs.
Whichever method you choose, get your resume and clips online today and start wowing editors and making sales tomorrow!
Freelancing is a competitive business, especially in today’s fast-paced, e-focused world.
Often there are hundreds of writers competing for the same, limited number of assignments, and the writer who can best showcase his or her abilities is the one who lands the job.
Editors, however, are very busy people, and don’t have the time nor the inclination to sift through the hundreds of resumes and clips they receive in search of your information. If your credits and clips are not right there on an editor’s desk, or available with a single click of the mouse, that plumb assignment is going to go to the writer who managed to catch the editor’s eye; even if you’re the better writer for the job.
So, how do you get your writing clips into the hands of the editors looking for writers? Easy, with your own online resume!
A personal site has become a must for today’s freelancer, but successful writers know that they need to do more than simply paste their picture out on the Internet, or send off their email address along with their snail mail query.
What’s needed is a site that showcases your entire writing resume, including:
Bio
Publishing history
Writing-related job history
All published credits
Specialty or genre
Easily accessible and visually attractive clips, whether scanned or in document form
An editor is then able to access all of your information at once, instead of being forced to slog through link after link looking for work that is spread out over twelve different sites, six of which no longer exist. With everything in one place, an editor is also more able to get a feel for your abilities and range.
In addition, a professional-looking site – one that features your published writing, not pictures of your dog and boyfriend along with your latest Ebay stats – will prove to an editor that you’re on the ball, that you take your writing seriously. In turn the editor will take you more seriously.
Even freelancers with very little computer knowledge can set up a website; check with your Internet service provider to find out how to start your own (often free) site. Or, if you have some knowledge of HTML or are willing to learn, you may be able to set up your own site. There are also many web-design companies that will set you up for a fee.
If you decide to go with a web-design company, here are a few important things to consider:
What are the total costs? Be sure to read the fine print, otherwise your bill may be higher than you’d intended.
Is maintenance included? If so, how much does it cost and what is the turnaround time?
How many pages are you allowed? Some budget companies only offer six or so pages, which is hardly enough to showcase your clips.
Do they work with writers? Web-design services that cater to exotic dancers or widget-sellers may not know much about a freelancer’s needs.
Whichever method you choose, get your resume and clips online today and start wowing editors and making sales tomorrow!
7 Steps to Writing Effective Cover Letters
by: Robert Moment
A cover letter can be the ultimate compliment to your resume. With an effective and well-written letter, you can impress future employers with details that cannot always be found in the resume. Also, a cover letter may just be the reason your resume is even read. Employers are likely to ignore resumes that are unaccompanied. A cover letter makes it stand out.
However, for a cover letter to work, it must follow certain rules and meet certain standards. Below, you will find tips to help you meet those standards. By following these suggestions, you can perfect the necessary art of writing a cover letter.
1. Take Your Time
A cover letter is essential to your job seeking process; however, many overlook it or, worse, devote all of the energy to their resume and then throw together the cover letter as an afterthought. This is not wise: Employers read the cover letter first. Do you want their first impression of you to be a messy and obviously strewn-together letter? Of course, not! You want it to be professional; so, take your time. Allow equal proportions of time to be spent on both the resume and cover letter; they are both important and deserve equal attention.
2. Be Concise
Potential employers want to read your cover letter; they do not, however, want to read a novel. You must keep your letter simple and to the point—within a one-page limit, you have little room to maneuver. Use your space wisely. Offer important and necessary details, things that cannot be found in the resume. You have to make an impression in a short amount of time so make it count. Brevity is best.
3. Find Your Style
Cover letters allow you to reveal your personality in a way that resumes cannot. While a resume is impersonal and factual, a cover letter can be laced with humor and style. When you write your letter, find a friendly, yet still-professional tone. Make the reader want to meet you. A cover letter is a first impression; make it an enticing one.
4. The Name Game
When possible, address your letter to the person who will be interviewing you. This will accomplish two things: 1. Give a sense of familiarity between you and the reader. 2. Show that you did your research on the company. Still, remember to keep it professional. Do not address the reader as “Sarah”; call her “Ms. Smith”. If it is not possible to determine who will be interviewing you, keep your titles more generic.
5. Turn The Focus On Them
Do not start all of your sentences with “I” or “My”. This creates a self-focused letter. Instead, try to begin your sentences with “You” or “Your”; this allows the employer to see that you are wanting to work for them, not yourself. With a little research to discover what the company is seeking for that position, you can focus on the needs of your employer. Explain what you can do for them; don’t ask what they can offer you.
6. Originality Counts
Show employers that you can step out of typical boundaries and create your own ideas. Try to keep away from standard formatting and see what best suits you. Include details that, while perhaps not always included in the usual letter, can showcase your strengths.
7. Proofread
The final step in writing a cover letter is to read and reread. Check for spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. While writing a cover letter gives you an advantage over those who do not, a poorly written one will make you seem worse by comparison.
These 7 steps may seem obvious, but many people ignore them; put yourself ahead of the competition. Follow these suggestions and create the perfect cover letter.
Robert Moment is an author, business coach, and success strategist. He has successfully consulted with and advised hundreds of job seekers. His most recent e-book, “What Matters Most is Employment” (http://www.jobsearchrx.com/) is a concise guide, packed with information and tips on finding and getting career–advancing employment in today’s job market.
A cover letter can be the ultimate compliment to your resume. With an effective and well-written letter, you can impress future employers with details that cannot always be found in the resume. Also, a cover letter may just be the reason your resume is even read. Employers are likely to ignore resumes that are unaccompanied. A cover letter makes it stand out.
However, for a cover letter to work, it must follow certain rules and meet certain standards. Below, you will find tips to help you meet those standards. By following these suggestions, you can perfect the necessary art of writing a cover letter.
1. Take Your Time
A cover letter is essential to your job seeking process; however, many overlook it or, worse, devote all of the energy to their resume and then throw together the cover letter as an afterthought. This is not wise: Employers read the cover letter first. Do you want their first impression of you to be a messy and obviously strewn-together letter? Of course, not! You want it to be professional; so, take your time. Allow equal proportions of time to be spent on both the resume and cover letter; they are both important and deserve equal attention.
2. Be Concise
Potential employers want to read your cover letter; they do not, however, want to read a novel. You must keep your letter simple and to the point—within a one-page limit, you have little room to maneuver. Use your space wisely. Offer important and necessary details, things that cannot be found in the resume. You have to make an impression in a short amount of time so make it count. Brevity is best.
3. Find Your Style
Cover letters allow you to reveal your personality in a way that resumes cannot. While a resume is impersonal and factual, a cover letter can be laced with humor and style. When you write your letter, find a friendly, yet still-professional tone. Make the reader want to meet you. A cover letter is a first impression; make it an enticing one.
4. The Name Game
When possible, address your letter to the person who will be interviewing you. This will accomplish two things: 1. Give a sense of familiarity between you and the reader. 2. Show that you did your research on the company. Still, remember to keep it professional. Do not address the reader as “Sarah”; call her “Ms. Smith”. If it is not possible to determine who will be interviewing you, keep your titles more generic.
5. Turn The Focus On Them
Do not start all of your sentences with “I” or “My”. This creates a self-focused letter. Instead, try to begin your sentences with “You” or “Your”; this allows the employer to see that you are wanting to work for them, not yourself. With a little research to discover what the company is seeking for that position, you can focus on the needs of your employer. Explain what you can do for them; don’t ask what they can offer you.
6. Originality Counts
Show employers that you can step out of typical boundaries and create your own ideas. Try to keep away from standard formatting and see what best suits you. Include details that, while perhaps not always included in the usual letter, can showcase your strengths.
7. Proofread
The final step in writing a cover letter is to read and reread. Check for spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. While writing a cover letter gives you an advantage over those who do not, a poorly written one will make you seem worse by comparison.
These 7 steps may seem obvious, but many people ignore them; put yourself ahead of the competition. Follow these suggestions and create the perfect cover letter.
Robert Moment is an author, business coach, and success strategist. He has successfully consulted with and advised hundreds of job seekers. His most recent e-book, “What Matters Most is Employment” (http://www.jobsearchrx.com/) is a concise guide, packed with information and tips on finding and getting career–advancing employment in today’s job market.
Cover Letters
by: Amit Pujar
Cover Letters :: Are you telling them what they want to know?
Let's face it. Recruiters (or employers) are smarter than we think. Bigger organizations pay a hefty salary to their HR department to filter out and sieve through hundreds and thousands of resumes. The idea is to build an organization with people of the right mental aptitude. Most of the top organizations believe strongly in a motto - "People are their greatest assets". Your cover letter goes a long way in capturing and retaining the attention of these people whose main job is to recruit people and coordinate with the workforce.
A well-written cover letter engages the recruiter and pushes him to spend more time reading your detailed resume. Before you start off writing your cover letter, write down what you want to convey on a paper. Read it once, twice, thrice and then set off for a good start. Pack in as much power as you can, because it is these 400 or 500 words that can make the difference.
Have these things on your mind before you start off writing:
Keep your sentences short and avoid using really long sentences because you don't want the recruiter to read it twice to understand what you're trying to convey. Got the point.? Keep your sentences s-h-o-r-t.
Keep your language simple. "I take immense pleasure in applying for this esteemed position in this esteemed organization." Hell.! Your employer knows more about his organization than you do. So you can as well cut the "false" praise. Maybe a subtle mention can do wonders. "I look forward to work with JK Industries".
Organize the content of your cover letter into small paragraphs or bulleted points, not exceeding three paragraphs. Typically each paragraph can contain 3 or 4 sentences.
Do NOT use slang or spoken words like "Lookin' fo a kewl break into yo IT world".
Make sure your cover letter (and resume) is free from spelling or grammatical errors.
And most important: Deliver what the employer is looking for.
So, what should you put in your cover letter?
Ask yourself two questions. One, why should the employer choose you over others? And two, what can you give to the company that others cant? Skills, yes. Proven experience, better.
A good way to start writing is with the correct greeting phrase. If you know the name of the person you are addressing then you can start with 'Dear Ms. Stevenson' or 'Dear Mr. Washington'. Do not use their first names. A bad greeting would be 'Hi Jane' or 'Hello George'.
The first paragraph is to contain a reference. If this is a response to an advertisement or a vacancy listing, this is where you refer to get their attention. Alternatively you can put in a separate line mentioning your reference. (Ref: Your advertisement on Jobsite.com - Ref # 12345).
If you're mentioning your reference in the first paragraph, you can continue on to include why you applied for that position. A good way of connecting the reference to your application is "my skills and your requirement are a good match." Put that in your own words.
In the next paragraph, you justify your statement about why you think that your skills and the skills required for the position are a good match. Make a single line reference to a particular achievement in your current (or previous) job that is along similar lines so that the employer will know exactly what he's looking for. A good example would be "Set up a fully operational network of franchisees in Southern France for retailing ABC Coffee".
Avoid mentioning skills you don't have or projects you have never worked on. Because sooner or later, you're going to face it; when the interviewer looks into your cover letter (or resume) and says "OK, Mr. Stephens, can you give me an instance of how you can use XML to port data from a backend system into a Middleware application"? And that's when you mind starts racing, "XML?? Middleware?? Port..?? Is that my resume he's got..???". God bless you if it's not your resume.
If there are more achievements you want to include, write them down in bulleted points. It's easier for the employer to read, comprehend and get a good picture of your capabilities. Do not reproduce your entire resume here. 2 or 3 such points will do perfectly fine. Of course, do not include irrelevant achievements like "Won a Silver Medal in 200 x 4 Men's Relay Race conducted by Louisville Young Adults Club in 1991". Not unless you're applying for the post of a Physical Trainer or Coach.
You have made your point here. You know why you're applying. And recruiters like that. You know your responsibilities, the risks involved and the tasks you'll be handling. You're just the person they're looking for. At least, you're one of the persons they'd like to talk to before handing over the employment contract.
An ending note can make quite an impression. Tell them your resume is attached and that you're "looking forward to explore this opportunity further". Include an address and telephone number for them to contact you.
Sign off with a "Yours Truly" or "Best Regards" and put your complete name under it.
Get into form and write out your winning cover letter.
Cover Letters :: Are you telling them what they want to know?
Let's face it. Recruiters (or employers) are smarter than we think. Bigger organizations pay a hefty salary to their HR department to filter out and sieve through hundreds and thousands of resumes. The idea is to build an organization with people of the right mental aptitude. Most of the top organizations believe strongly in a motto - "People are their greatest assets". Your cover letter goes a long way in capturing and retaining the attention of these people whose main job is to recruit people and coordinate with the workforce.
A well-written cover letter engages the recruiter and pushes him to spend more time reading your detailed resume. Before you start off writing your cover letter, write down what you want to convey on a paper. Read it once, twice, thrice and then set off for a good start. Pack in as much power as you can, because it is these 400 or 500 words that can make the difference.
Have these things on your mind before you start off writing:
Keep your sentences short and avoid using really long sentences because you don't want the recruiter to read it twice to understand what you're trying to convey. Got the point.? Keep your sentences s-h-o-r-t.
Keep your language simple. "I take immense pleasure in applying for this esteemed position in this esteemed organization." Hell.! Your employer knows more about his organization than you do. So you can as well cut the "false" praise. Maybe a subtle mention can do wonders. "I look forward to work with JK Industries".
Organize the content of your cover letter into small paragraphs or bulleted points, not exceeding three paragraphs. Typically each paragraph can contain 3 or 4 sentences.
Do NOT use slang or spoken words like "Lookin' fo a kewl break into yo IT world".
Make sure your cover letter (and resume) is free from spelling or grammatical errors.
And most important: Deliver what the employer is looking for.
So, what should you put in your cover letter?
Ask yourself two questions. One, why should the employer choose you over others? And two, what can you give to the company that others cant? Skills, yes. Proven experience, better.
A good way to start writing is with the correct greeting phrase. If you know the name of the person you are addressing then you can start with 'Dear Ms. Stevenson' or 'Dear Mr. Washington'. Do not use their first names. A bad greeting would be 'Hi Jane' or 'Hello George'.
The first paragraph is to contain a reference. If this is a response to an advertisement or a vacancy listing, this is where you refer to get their attention. Alternatively you can put in a separate line mentioning your reference. (Ref: Your advertisement on Jobsite.com - Ref # 12345).
If you're mentioning your reference in the first paragraph, you can continue on to include why you applied for that position. A good way of connecting the reference to your application is "my skills and your requirement are a good match." Put that in your own words.
In the next paragraph, you justify your statement about why you think that your skills and the skills required for the position are a good match. Make a single line reference to a particular achievement in your current (or previous) job that is along similar lines so that the employer will know exactly what he's looking for. A good example would be "Set up a fully operational network of franchisees in Southern France for retailing ABC Coffee".
Avoid mentioning skills you don't have or projects you have never worked on. Because sooner or later, you're going to face it; when the interviewer looks into your cover letter (or resume) and says "OK, Mr. Stephens, can you give me an instance of how you can use XML to port data from a backend system into a Middleware application"? And that's when you mind starts racing, "XML?? Middleware?? Port..?? Is that my resume he's got..???". God bless you if it's not your resume.
If there are more achievements you want to include, write them down in bulleted points. It's easier for the employer to read, comprehend and get a good picture of your capabilities. Do not reproduce your entire resume here. 2 or 3 such points will do perfectly fine. Of course, do not include irrelevant achievements like "Won a Silver Medal in 200 x 4 Men's Relay Race conducted by Louisville Young Adults Club in 1991". Not unless you're applying for the post of a Physical Trainer or Coach.
You have made your point here. You know why you're applying. And recruiters like that. You know your responsibilities, the risks involved and the tasks you'll be handling. You're just the person they're looking for. At least, you're one of the persons they'd like to talk to before handing over the employment contract.
An ending note can make quite an impression. Tell them your resume is attached and that you're "looking forward to explore this opportunity further". Include an address and telephone number for them to contact you.
Sign off with a "Yours Truly" or "Best Regards" and put your complete name under it.
Get into form and write out your winning cover letter.
Effective Resume Writing
by: Dave Lympany
A lot of places around the world call it A Curriculum Vitae, in North America, it's a Résumé. This is definitely one of the most important tools that any jobseeker has at their disposal. You may be THE best candidate for a particular job by a long way, however, if you don't make it to the interview stages the company will never know.
Many companies (especially the larger corporations) will use computer software to "read" all the résumé’s and reject any that don't fit a particular template. This may seem unfair, but it's cost effective.
So, for some jobs you have to beat the computer and still read well enough for someone who may not have any knowledge of the position you are applying for. It is definitely worthwhile to adapt your resume for the position that is advertised. There may well be some of the "buzz" words the "filter" is looking for mentioned in the job description.
It is very important that you can substantiate all the claims you make, preferably with physical examples or letters. This will be essential in any in interview situation.
There is now a wealth of information available online, from books, local employment offices and with professional writing agencies. You can also access other people’s résumé’s that are posted online which will give some great ideas for style and content.
Professional writers may seem the answer, but, all the research I have done seems to lean away from them. I have never used one and feel that it will give a good impression if you have written it yourself (this will display literacy). Apparently, if they are professionally written, they are easy to spot; however, they may be worth the expense if you are stuck. You can always "customise" what has been written to make it your own work.
In my case, I had been in the military since I left school and had never written a resume or had an interview. I spent a lot of time writing, copying other people’s styles and changing things. I didn't realise how difficult it is to catch up on 16 years - I'll never allow mine to go out of date again! I found the hardest part was to actually start writing. The best advice I was given was to just write anything that you can think of and it will soon start to flow. With modern word processors it's relatively quick and easy to cut and paste so you can keep on changing it until you are happy. More detailed information can be found at http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/resume.html
Good Luck!!!!!
A lot of places around the world call it A Curriculum Vitae, in North America, it's a Résumé. This is definitely one of the most important tools that any jobseeker has at their disposal. You may be THE best candidate for a particular job by a long way, however, if you don't make it to the interview stages the company will never know.
Many companies (especially the larger corporations) will use computer software to "read" all the résumé’s and reject any that don't fit a particular template. This may seem unfair, but it's cost effective.
So, for some jobs you have to beat the computer and still read well enough for someone who may not have any knowledge of the position you are applying for. It is definitely worthwhile to adapt your resume for the position that is advertised. There may well be some of the "buzz" words the "filter" is looking for mentioned in the job description.
It is very important that you can substantiate all the claims you make, preferably with physical examples or letters. This will be essential in any in interview situation.
There is now a wealth of information available online, from books, local employment offices and with professional writing agencies. You can also access other people’s résumé’s that are posted online which will give some great ideas for style and content.
Professional writers may seem the answer, but, all the research I have done seems to lean away from them. I have never used one and feel that it will give a good impression if you have written it yourself (this will display literacy). Apparently, if they are professionally written, they are easy to spot; however, they may be worth the expense if you are stuck. You can always "customise" what has been written to make it your own work.
In my case, I had been in the military since I left school and had never written a resume or had an interview. I spent a lot of time writing, copying other people’s styles and changing things. I didn't realise how difficult it is to catch up on 16 years - I'll never allow mine to go out of date again! I found the hardest part was to actually start writing. The best advice I was given was to just write anything that you can think of and it will soon start to flow. With modern word processors it's relatively quick and easy to cut and paste so you can keep on changing it until you are happy. More detailed information can be found at http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/resume.html
Good Luck!!!!!
Freelance Writing on the Internet
by: Mridu Khullar
So, you’ve decided to take up a career in freelance writing. You’ve hooked up the computer, installed the printer, and learnt the nitty-gritty of your word processor. You’ve maybe even been published a couple of times. You’re all set to conquer the world of publishing. But wait. Do you know all the options available to you?
We’ve compiled a list of all the jobs a freelance writer can find on the Internet to keep the cash inflow steady:
Magazines
Most of the freelance writing industry focuses on magazines, so let’s start there. You’ll find magazines on every topic imaginable. From teen issues to running, you’ll find at least one magazine to fit your interests. But while magazine publishing is huge and widespread, don’t try to get published everywhere at once. Find a few niche topics and start your way up from there. As your expertise and interests grow, branch out to other magazines as well. Topics most writers start out with include health and nutrition, computers, parenting, teens, relationships, disability, travel, etc.
Fillers in Magazines and Newspapers
Not all writers make it to the cover pages of magazines. At least not at first. In the beginning, you might just have to make do with fillers. And they pay as much as they’re fun to do. Jokes, opinion pieces, short lists, news items and other short pieces are termed fillers. Editors are always on the lookout for good fillers, so you stand a good chance of breaking through.
Greeting Cards
With e-cards, paper greeting cards seem to have taken a backseat. Nevertheless, the sale of paper cards is still ongoing and they are still preferred when it comes to special occasions. Despite popular myths, greeting card markets are not as easy to break into as they seem, can take a long time to respond and an even longer time to get your card into print. The upside is that greeting card markets pay extremely well for short writing. What’s more, though limited, opportunities exist for e-card writers too. So when you need to take a break from the regular work, dip your fingers into the greeting card pool
Doormats, Magnets, Bumper Stickers, T-shirts, etc
If you’ve wondered how those words made it to t-shirts, stickers, doormats and magnets, think no more. Freelance writers are often required to write the slogans for such material and are paid quite well for it. If you have the ability to coin a catchy or humorous one-liner, this could be your shot to riches. You won’t get a byline, and certainly no fame, but you could be earning as much as $50 per word!
Posters
They’re up in your room, you’ve seen them in your friend’s office, and you often find a funny one at the fast-food place down the street. Someone must have written them. Why not you? A lot of companies sell posters and generate handsome sales from them. In fact, writers of posters are usually paid in royalties, that is, a percentage of each poster sold. So, instead of being paid one-time, you’ll be paid over and over again for something you wrote years ago.
Resumes
Practically every one needs a resume (yes, even us freelance writers). Some people write them up themselves, some prefer to take the help of professionals. Write up a resume for a friend or two at work (even if she doesn’t need one!) as samples and respond to advertisements and calls for resume writers. Keep in mind though that resume writing isn’t your regular every day writing. You’re not supposed to decorate the page with flowery prose or funny anecdotes. You need to be professional, crisp and attention-grabbing. Practice with a few fake ones, and you’ll soon be on your way.
Advertising
Advertisers need writers, commonly known as copywriters. They’re the flesh and blood of the campaign. Getting into advertising can be a tricky business, but with a few credentials and a polished resume, you’ll have no trouble at all showcasing your talent to the world. If you are indeed good at what you do, advertisers will line up to get you to work for them. If you prefer not to work for someone, you could set up your own copywriting business and promote it to get clients.
Website Copy
With the Internet revolution finally having realized in its full form, small and big companies alike are looking for writers to write content for their websites. Not only do these companies pay well, but they also give the writer a much-desired break. If you’ve written website copy, you’ll have no trouble finding more assignments of the same kind. Simply guide the prospective client to the website and he’ll know what kind of work he can expect from you. Aim for start-up companies at first. They’ll usually hand over the whole work to you and you can make a great portfolio.
E-books
E-books are not here to replace print books. They’re here to provide an alternative resource for distribution. However, as opposed to print books, e-books are short, contain lots of web links and usually provide answers to a customer’s immediate needs. They can be downloaded off the Internet in seconds, and you can profit from a single e-book long after you’ve written it. Don’t get fooled though-- writing e-books takes just as much time and dedication as writing print ones. It’s only the mode of delivery that’s different.
E-zines
Online newsletters, or e-zines as they are frequently called, are becoming the rage of the publishing industry. Many of these e-zines are paying markets and run regular features and columns. Many of them have associated website,s too. While the pay in this market is less, you’ll be writing shorter articles in much less time.
Newspapers
Generally, when we think of newspapers, we think news. But newspapers hold a lot more information than that. With regular columns, reviews and updates, latest findings, and point-of-view articles, newspapers are the writer’s best bet. And if you’ve gained entry into one section of the newspaper, the other sections of writing open up to you automatically. Though slow on the income, getting published in your local daily is still a major ego-booster!
Newsletters
There are many households and small companies that publish newsletters. And all the more are springing up each day. These newsletters are a great way to break into freelancing and gather clips. Their requirements are not as tough to meet as those of magazines and most editors are quite quick in their response times. To add to that, some newsletters also pay quite well, sometimes almost as much as small magazines.
Ghostwriting
If it’s the fame you’re after, you won’t get it here. But you can earn a decent amount of money ghostwriting memoirs, books or even articles for people who don’t want to or can’t write themselves. Ghostwriters are quite in demand today with more and more people trying to preserve their family history by getting memoirs or biographies written. However, apart from the money, there’s nothing else. You don’t get the credit, the fame or sometimes, even the byline.
The prospects for writers today are immense provided you’re ready to experiment in different areas. The Internet has made it easier than ever to find writing assignments not only in your own country, but around the world. A simple e-mail is all it takes to apply for a job and send in the assignment.
It’s easy for a freelance writer to get stuck doing the same old thing over and over. It’s not only fun, but sometimes necessary to introduce a little spice into your writing routine. If you’ve been writing articles all your life, try doing some greeting card writing instead. If the money is slow, and you could really use some extra money, apply for a resume writer job. If the book manuscripts are lying unsold, try selling short stories for a change.
With a little variation now and then, you’ll not only find your income shooting up, but also your inspiration. So next time you find yourself waiting for word on that manuscript, send out a few short pieces instead. It’ll definitely be worth the effort.
So, you’ve decided to take up a career in freelance writing. You’ve hooked up the computer, installed the printer, and learnt the nitty-gritty of your word processor. You’ve maybe even been published a couple of times. You’re all set to conquer the world of publishing. But wait. Do you know all the options available to you?
We’ve compiled a list of all the jobs a freelance writer can find on the Internet to keep the cash inflow steady:
Magazines
Most of the freelance writing industry focuses on magazines, so let’s start there. You’ll find magazines on every topic imaginable. From teen issues to running, you’ll find at least one magazine to fit your interests. But while magazine publishing is huge and widespread, don’t try to get published everywhere at once. Find a few niche topics and start your way up from there. As your expertise and interests grow, branch out to other magazines as well. Topics most writers start out with include health and nutrition, computers, parenting, teens, relationships, disability, travel, etc.
Fillers in Magazines and Newspapers
Not all writers make it to the cover pages of magazines. At least not at first. In the beginning, you might just have to make do with fillers. And they pay as much as they’re fun to do. Jokes, opinion pieces, short lists, news items and other short pieces are termed fillers. Editors are always on the lookout for good fillers, so you stand a good chance of breaking through.
Greeting Cards
With e-cards, paper greeting cards seem to have taken a backseat. Nevertheless, the sale of paper cards is still ongoing and they are still preferred when it comes to special occasions. Despite popular myths, greeting card markets are not as easy to break into as they seem, can take a long time to respond and an even longer time to get your card into print. The upside is that greeting card markets pay extremely well for short writing. What’s more, though limited, opportunities exist for e-card writers too. So when you need to take a break from the regular work, dip your fingers into the greeting card pool
Doormats, Magnets, Bumper Stickers, T-shirts, etc
If you’ve wondered how those words made it to t-shirts, stickers, doormats and magnets, think no more. Freelance writers are often required to write the slogans for such material and are paid quite well for it. If you have the ability to coin a catchy or humorous one-liner, this could be your shot to riches. You won’t get a byline, and certainly no fame, but you could be earning as much as $50 per word!
Posters
They’re up in your room, you’ve seen them in your friend’s office, and you often find a funny one at the fast-food place down the street. Someone must have written them. Why not you? A lot of companies sell posters and generate handsome sales from them. In fact, writers of posters are usually paid in royalties, that is, a percentage of each poster sold. So, instead of being paid one-time, you’ll be paid over and over again for something you wrote years ago.
Resumes
Practically every one needs a resume (yes, even us freelance writers). Some people write them up themselves, some prefer to take the help of professionals. Write up a resume for a friend or two at work (even if she doesn’t need one!) as samples and respond to advertisements and calls for resume writers. Keep in mind though that resume writing isn’t your regular every day writing. You’re not supposed to decorate the page with flowery prose or funny anecdotes. You need to be professional, crisp and attention-grabbing. Practice with a few fake ones, and you’ll soon be on your way.
Advertising
Advertisers need writers, commonly known as copywriters. They’re the flesh and blood of the campaign. Getting into advertising can be a tricky business, but with a few credentials and a polished resume, you’ll have no trouble at all showcasing your talent to the world. If you are indeed good at what you do, advertisers will line up to get you to work for them. If you prefer not to work for someone, you could set up your own copywriting business and promote it to get clients.
Website Copy
With the Internet revolution finally having realized in its full form, small and big companies alike are looking for writers to write content for their websites. Not only do these companies pay well, but they also give the writer a much-desired break. If you’ve written website copy, you’ll have no trouble finding more assignments of the same kind. Simply guide the prospective client to the website and he’ll know what kind of work he can expect from you. Aim for start-up companies at first. They’ll usually hand over the whole work to you and you can make a great portfolio.
E-books
E-books are not here to replace print books. They’re here to provide an alternative resource for distribution. However, as opposed to print books, e-books are short, contain lots of web links and usually provide answers to a customer’s immediate needs. They can be downloaded off the Internet in seconds, and you can profit from a single e-book long after you’ve written it. Don’t get fooled though-- writing e-books takes just as much time and dedication as writing print ones. It’s only the mode of delivery that’s different.
E-zines
Online newsletters, or e-zines as they are frequently called, are becoming the rage of the publishing industry. Many of these e-zines are paying markets and run regular features and columns. Many of them have associated website,s too. While the pay in this market is less, you’ll be writing shorter articles in much less time.
Newspapers
Generally, when we think of newspapers, we think news. But newspapers hold a lot more information than that. With regular columns, reviews and updates, latest findings, and point-of-view articles, newspapers are the writer’s best bet. And if you’ve gained entry into one section of the newspaper, the other sections of writing open up to you automatically. Though slow on the income, getting published in your local daily is still a major ego-booster!
Newsletters
There are many households and small companies that publish newsletters. And all the more are springing up each day. These newsletters are a great way to break into freelancing and gather clips. Their requirements are not as tough to meet as those of magazines and most editors are quite quick in their response times. To add to that, some newsletters also pay quite well, sometimes almost as much as small magazines.
Ghostwriting
If it’s the fame you’re after, you won’t get it here. But you can earn a decent amount of money ghostwriting memoirs, books or even articles for people who don’t want to or can’t write themselves. Ghostwriters are quite in demand today with more and more people trying to preserve their family history by getting memoirs or biographies written. However, apart from the money, there’s nothing else. You don’t get the credit, the fame or sometimes, even the byline.
The prospects for writers today are immense provided you’re ready to experiment in different areas. The Internet has made it easier than ever to find writing assignments not only in your own country, but around the world. A simple e-mail is all it takes to apply for a job and send in the assignment.
It’s easy for a freelance writer to get stuck doing the same old thing over and over. It’s not only fun, but sometimes necessary to introduce a little spice into your writing routine. If you’ve been writing articles all your life, try doing some greeting card writing instead. If the money is slow, and you could really use some extra money, apply for a resume writer job. If the book manuscripts are lying unsold, try selling short stories for a change.
With a little variation now and then, you’ll not only find your income shooting up, but also your inspiration. So next time you find yourself waiting for word on that manuscript, send out a few short pieces instead. It’ll definitely be worth the effort.
How To Become A Freelance Copywriter In New York
by: Niall Cinneide
As a freelance copywriter in New York, your work is never done.
What?
Do you mean to say that it is hard to find regular freelance writing jobs, even here in New York City?
For those looking to succeed, employment is hard to find only because we lack the knowledge of where to find the work we want. However, for a freelance copywriter, New York is an excellent place to start working. In fact there may be no better place, actually.
With this city, it's all about being the first to get your resume in, right?
Well, 'hurry up and rush' is not always a good practice when it comes to this business. But, in this city it is often necessary to succeed. Clients demand work to be well done, complete, on time and in a rush! Can you meet those demands? Honing your skills to fit that of your employer is what is going to have you filling your name next to the job vacancies the company has. Most essential is being prepared, resume fully developed, portfolio in hand, when you walk in to speak to the new client. If you haven’t gotten to this interview level yet, create these essential pieces, then begin the search by applying at companies that need your services. Think out of the box on this! In this sense, being a freelance copywriter in New York is no different to anywhere else.
In any city around the world, there are job vacancies waiting for the most qualified individuals. These people showcase their talents by providing well thought out examples of their work. They also get the edge because they are professional, serious minded individuals who want to make their difference within the world. Employment in this field is exploding as more and more people are needed to create effective copy for websites. Do you fit in? Land your first jobs by being prepared and outgoing.
Go, get what you want!
As a freelance copywriter in New York, your work is never done.
What?
Do you mean to say that it is hard to find regular freelance writing jobs, even here in New York City?
For those looking to succeed, employment is hard to find only because we lack the knowledge of where to find the work we want. However, for a freelance copywriter, New York is an excellent place to start working. In fact there may be no better place, actually.
With this city, it's all about being the first to get your resume in, right?
Well, 'hurry up and rush' is not always a good practice when it comes to this business. But, in this city it is often necessary to succeed. Clients demand work to be well done, complete, on time and in a rush! Can you meet those demands? Honing your skills to fit that of your employer is what is going to have you filling your name next to the job vacancies the company has. Most essential is being prepared, resume fully developed, portfolio in hand, when you walk in to speak to the new client. If you haven’t gotten to this interview level yet, create these essential pieces, then begin the search by applying at companies that need your services. Think out of the box on this! In this sense, being a freelance copywriter in New York is no different to anywhere else.
In any city around the world, there are job vacancies waiting for the most qualified individuals. These people showcase their talents by providing well thought out examples of their work. They also get the edge because they are professional, serious minded individuals who want to make their difference within the world. Employment in this field is exploding as more and more people are needed to create effective copy for websites. Do you fit in? Land your first jobs by being prepared and outgoing.
Go, get what you want!
Editorial Freelancing: 5 Must-Know Tips to Getting Your Foot in the Door
by: Yuwanda Black
So, you want to freelance as an editor, writer, copy editor, copywriter, graphic designer, proofreader, etc.? But, how do you go about it?
My mother was fond of saying, "If you want to know something, go directly to the source." Taking this advice to heart, I interviewed professionals in the industry for the e-book, How to Really Make a Living as an Editorial Freelancer.
Publishers, editorial directors, human resource managers and editors, among others were a vocal lot regarding freelancers and what they should/should not do to get their foot in the door.
What nuggets of information can you glean from them? Here are five concrete points about which they were adamant.
1. Know your craft: Most clients like to see direct experience. This usually means working in the industry full-time for a number of years before going out on your own as a freelancer.
A vice president of publishing at a major trade publisher says, "Experience is key for us. Three to five years minimum, with a proven track record on our types of books. We don't linger over education, but I suspect most have a four-year degree."
As an editorial recruiter, I generally advise two to three years of full-time experience in the position/discipline for which you want to freelance. Five or more is better. Also, provide samples — published or unpublished. If unpublished — say so.
2. Time: Don't pester and/or waste the time of those in a position to hire. One editor responded, "Don't call me and call me and call me. I would actually NOT hire someone who calls me after I've said I'd call them."
Additionally, find the right person to contact. Most agreed that you should bypass the human resources department and contact the editorial department directly. Why? It is rare that materials will be passed on to the right person, especially if they are in another department.
3. Rate: Most companies have pre-determined rates and wiggle room is tight, if nonexistent.
An editorial director at an educational publisher commented, "We have a standard freelancer's rate for whatever discipline is involved — copyediting, graphic design, etc. Occasionally, a project will come along for which we'll make special arrangements. These can include special rates, working on premises, etc. I also try to be flexible while working within departmental budgets."
Usually, after you've worked with a client for a while, you can adjust your fees. Although, not by much. Editorial, especially general trade, is notoriously low paying.
4. Contact: Email seems to be the preferred method. However, to cover all bases, if you contact via email first, send a follow-up note with your credentials via snail mail. Remember, keep all contact brief and to the point. And please, do not send samples unless/until they are requested.
I personally have received books, an envelope full of clippings that weighed more than two pounds, and a magazine or two before I ever spoke with a prospect.
These are not more likely to get you a call back. If anything, it's presumptuous and can frustrate a potential client. Desks are usually pretty full without figuring out where to put more stuff. Above all, if you send it, do not expect it back; even if you send a SASE.
If your skills are sufficient AND a client has the need for your type of service, your resume / credentials alone will get you an interview.
5. Professional Presentation of Material: A Director of Public Information at a large nonprofit noted, "This should be implicit, but I wouldn't be mentioning it if in fact it was — any material that is sent should be neatly presented and visually clear with no typos, correct grammar, etc. Material should demonstrate that: (1) you know your job; and (2) you care about it, hence the potential client will care also."
An editor at a financial magazine added, "On a resume, I look for copy editing accuracy and consistency (if you can't copy edit your own resume, how can I count on you to copy edit my magazine?)."
I know you're sending out tons of materials to many contacts. To avoid this problem, try to spend one day organizing and preparing your material, and another day to do the actual mailing.
I've found that most errors occur when you try to do everything in one day. Breaking marketing down into parts helps to simplify the process, thereby cutting down on the chance of mistakes.
So, there you have it. Although no one method can guarantee success, focusing on these areas will boost your chance of landing more clients.
Original, copyrighted material. May be reprinted with inclusion of the following in full: Parts of this article are excerpted from the e-book, How to Really Make a Living as an Editorial Freelancer, by Yuwanda Black. It is available for immediate download at http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/bizguides.html.
So, you want to freelance as an editor, writer, copy editor, copywriter, graphic designer, proofreader, etc.? But, how do you go about it?
My mother was fond of saying, "If you want to know something, go directly to the source." Taking this advice to heart, I interviewed professionals in the industry for the e-book, How to Really Make a Living as an Editorial Freelancer.
Publishers, editorial directors, human resource managers and editors, among others were a vocal lot regarding freelancers and what they should/should not do to get their foot in the door.
What nuggets of information can you glean from them? Here are five concrete points about which they were adamant.
1. Know your craft: Most clients like to see direct experience. This usually means working in the industry full-time for a number of years before going out on your own as a freelancer.
A vice president of publishing at a major trade publisher says, "Experience is key for us. Three to five years minimum, with a proven track record on our types of books. We don't linger over education, but I suspect most have a four-year degree."
As an editorial recruiter, I generally advise two to three years of full-time experience in the position/discipline for which you want to freelance. Five or more is better. Also, provide samples — published or unpublished. If unpublished — say so.
2. Time: Don't pester and/or waste the time of those in a position to hire. One editor responded, "Don't call me and call me and call me. I would actually NOT hire someone who calls me after I've said I'd call them."
Additionally, find the right person to contact. Most agreed that you should bypass the human resources department and contact the editorial department directly. Why? It is rare that materials will be passed on to the right person, especially if they are in another department.
3. Rate: Most companies have pre-determined rates and wiggle room is tight, if nonexistent.
An editorial director at an educational publisher commented, "We have a standard freelancer's rate for whatever discipline is involved — copyediting, graphic design, etc. Occasionally, a project will come along for which we'll make special arrangements. These can include special rates, working on premises, etc. I also try to be flexible while working within departmental budgets."
Usually, after you've worked with a client for a while, you can adjust your fees. Although, not by much. Editorial, especially general trade, is notoriously low paying.
4. Contact: Email seems to be the preferred method. However, to cover all bases, if you contact via email first, send a follow-up note with your credentials via snail mail. Remember, keep all contact brief and to the point. And please, do not send samples unless/until they are requested.
I personally have received books, an envelope full of clippings that weighed more than two pounds, and a magazine or two before I ever spoke with a prospect.
These are not more likely to get you a call back. If anything, it's presumptuous and can frustrate a potential client. Desks are usually pretty full without figuring out where to put more stuff. Above all, if you send it, do not expect it back; even if you send a SASE.
If your skills are sufficient AND a client has the need for your type of service, your resume / credentials alone will get you an interview.
5. Professional Presentation of Material: A Director of Public Information at a large nonprofit noted, "This should be implicit, but I wouldn't be mentioning it if in fact it was — any material that is sent should be neatly presented and visually clear with no typos, correct grammar, etc. Material should demonstrate that: (1) you know your job; and (2) you care about it, hence the potential client will care also."
An editor at a financial magazine added, "On a resume, I look for copy editing accuracy and consistency (if you can't copy edit your own resume, how can I count on you to copy edit my magazine?)."
I know you're sending out tons of materials to many contacts. To avoid this problem, try to spend one day organizing and preparing your material, and another day to do the actual mailing.
I've found that most errors occur when you try to do everything in one day. Breaking marketing down into parts helps to simplify the process, thereby cutting down on the chance of mistakes.
So, there you have it. Although no one method can guarantee success, focusing on these areas will boost your chance of landing more clients.
Original, copyrighted material. May be reprinted with inclusion of the following in full: Parts of this article are excerpted from the e-book, How to Really Make a Living as an Editorial Freelancer, by Yuwanda Black. It is available for immediate download at http://www.InkwellEditorial.com/bizguides.html.
Seven Qualities to Get a Job You Want
by: Carol Miller
You have graduated!!!! What a relief. You are free to manage your time as you wish. You don’t have to think about your term paper topic (http://www.besttermpaper.com/term_paper_topic.php) for hours. You believe that all the difficulties are already behind. Partially it is so, but you still have to walk half of the way. It means that you should find a rewarding and challenging work to apply your education and develop yourself professionally.
There are a lot of companies which are employing graduates with strong education background and fluency in several foreign languages. But will you agree that there are quite many candidates meeting the following requirements? How will human resource managers select from all of them? Here your personal and business qualities count. There are some essential features a person should possess to impress the interviewer and get the job.
I will list down a few.
Drive - energy and your desire to work. It is your attitude to work, your duties, and responsibilities. Of course you can approach your work formally, fulfilling your major duties with accuracy and on time. Surely, it is very important. But an employee with “drive “, the person who is enthusiastic and creative about his work is much more interesting for the potential employer.
Creativity - your ability to offer exceptional ideas and innovative methods. You have a goal and you are to achieve it. And you suggest your ways of reaching it. This quality is especially important for marketing, advertising, though of course it will present you to advantage in any sphere of business.
Result-oriented –Can you always complete what you began doing? No matter what difficulties you have while working on it, you are to complete it by the deadline.
Resilience - A man was walking, stumbled and fell down, and then he shook himself off and went on further. For example, you are taking part in a group discussion of some urgent problem. The idea you suggested made everyone laugh and no one approved it. You got offended, went into your shell and stopped proving your point of view. Then your resilience is very low. You should be able to stand your ground.
Leadership - Employers hire a young specialist hoping that he has a great potential and in ten years time he will become a leader. Not everyone must be a leader and become a top manager afterwards. But a good manager, that is a person able to handle the organization of other people, is indispensable in any respectable company.
Team-commitment – many companies have a project system of management. Several people are working on some project. The success of the project depends on each member of the team. What matters here is your ability to get on with different people, find common language with all the staff and feel like a united team. “One for all and all for one”. In any business a strong team – is a pledge of successful fulfillment of the project.
Communication skills are of primary importance for any sphere, as there is no area where we can do without communication. How to make others listen to you, how to present yourself, how to uphold your point of view. This is a mini list of essential communicative skills.
How can the employer know you have all these qualities? You will include them in your resume (e. g. mentioning that at college you were a group monitor and were involved in social activities). Give a brief and precise review of all your successful achievements in your resume.
Don’t get upset if you lack some of the qualities. As psychologists state you can develop all of them with the help of special exercises and trainings. Of course these qualities are significant not only for work, but of course for life in general. Remember, that we know what we are, but we don’t know what we might be. Our resources are endless and thanks God that it is really so!
You have graduated!!!! What a relief. You are free to manage your time as you wish. You don’t have to think about your term paper topic (http://www.besttermpaper.com/term_paper_topic.php) for hours. You believe that all the difficulties are already behind. Partially it is so, but you still have to walk half of the way. It means that you should find a rewarding and challenging work to apply your education and develop yourself professionally.
There are a lot of companies which are employing graduates with strong education background and fluency in several foreign languages. But will you agree that there are quite many candidates meeting the following requirements? How will human resource managers select from all of them? Here your personal and business qualities count. There are some essential features a person should possess to impress the interviewer and get the job.
I will list down a few.
Drive - energy and your desire to work. It is your attitude to work, your duties, and responsibilities. Of course you can approach your work formally, fulfilling your major duties with accuracy and on time. Surely, it is very important. But an employee with “drive “, the person who is enthusiastic and creative about his work is much more interesting for the potential employer.
Creativity - your ability to offer exceptional ideas and innovative methods. You have a goal and you are to achieve it. And you suggest your ways of reaching it. This quality is especially important for marketing, advertising, though of course it will present you to advantage in any sphere of business.
Result-oriented –Can you always complete what you began doing? No matter what difficulties you have while working on it, you are to complete it by the deadline.
Resilience - A man was walking, stumbled and fell down, and then he shook himself off and went on further. For example, you are taking part in a group discussion of some urgent problem. The idea you suggested made everyone laugh and no one approved it. You got offended, went into your shell and stopped proving your point of view. Then your resilience is very low. You should be able to stand your ground.
Leadership - Employers hire a young specialist hoping that he has a great potential and in ten years time he will become a leader. Not everyone must be a leader and become a top manager afterwards. But a good manager, that is a person able to handle the organization of other people, is indispensable in any respectable company.
Team-commitment – many companies have a project system of management. Several people are working on some project. The success of the project depends on each member of the team. What matters here is your ability to get on with different people, find common language with all the staff and feel like a united team. “One for all and all for one”. In any business a strong team – is a pledge of successful fulfillment of the project.
Communication skills are of primary importance for any sphere, as there is no area where we can do without communication. How to make others listen to you, how to present yourself, how to uphold your point of view. This is a mini list of essential communicative skills.
How can the employer know you have all these qualities? You will include them in your resume (e. g. mentioning that at college you were a group monitor and were involved in social activities). Give a brief and precise review of all your successful achievements in your resume.
Don’t get upset if you lack some of the qualities. As psychologists state you can develop all of them with the help of special exercises and trainings. Of course these qualities are significant not only for work, but of course for life in general. Remember, that we know what we are, but we don’t know what we might be. Our resources are endless and thanks God that it is really so!
Where to Find Writing Jobs Online
by: Abdallah Khamis Abdallah
A freelance writer’s best resource of finding jobs online are Job boards or sites. While some boards are geared specifically to the freelancer, many others also list other type of jobs.
Some job boards allow freelancers to register their profiles and credentials for prospective employers to peruse, others allow resumes and classified ads to be posted. Other sites such as www.elance.com enable employers to post jobs and freelancers to bid fees for the jobs. The site earns a place for any jobs awarded. There are other sites similar to www.elance.com such as www.contractedwork.com.
There are many writing job boards online and it is not that difficult to discover them. Some Jobs boards provide links to other job sites and the list could be a bit long.
Searching through the major search engines can also provide an exhaustive list of writing jobs. Use key words such as:
Freelance writing Jobs boards
Writers Wanted
Writing Jobs
Copywriting Jobs
Technical writing Jobs
Submission guidelines.
To make your task of searching for writing jobs online, we have provided you with the following list of sites. We hope you will find what you want.
http://www.emoonlighter.com/
http://www.elance.com/
http://www.burryman.com/freelance .html
http://www.recruitmedia.co.uk/jobs.asp
http://scriptlance.com/
http://www.ants.com/
http://www.e-work.com/
http://www.freeagent.com/
http://www.freelancejobs.com/
http://www.freelancers.com/
http://www.careerpath.com/
http://www.monster.com/
http://www.sunoasisjobs.com/
http://www.ajb.dni.us/
http://www.employmentall.com/
http://www.epclassifieds.com/
http://www.freelanceexperts.com/
http://www.copyeditorjobs.com/
http://www.mediabistro.com/
http://www.journalismjobs.com/
http://www.newsjobs.com/
http://www.freelancebbs.com/
http://www.freelancers.com/
http://www.freelanceworkexchange.com/
http://www.writergazette.com/jobboard.shtml
http://www.freelancejobsearch.com/
http://www.freelancebank.com/
http://www.mediajobsearchcanada.com/
http://www.smarterwork.com/
http://www.codelance.com/
http://www.looksurf.com/
http://www.csne.org/jobs/postings.html
If you have checked the above sites a number of times in two or three months and you have not got any job. I suggest you assess your skills and consider taking some relevant writing courses. You may also supplement these with a college degree in a relevant field to enhance your marketability. While doing so do some writing exercises and write articles on a wide variety of topics and post them on to articles submission sites online.
A freelance writer’s best resource of finding jobs online are Job boards or sites. While some boards are geared specifically to the freelancer, many others also list other type of jobs.
Some job boards allow freelancers to register their profiles and credentials for prospective employers to peruse, others allow resumes and classified ads to be posted. Other sites such as www.elance.com enable employers to post jobs and freelancers to bid fees for the jobs. The site earns a place for any jobs awarded. There are other sites similar to www.elance.com such as www.contractedwork.com.
There are many writing job boards online and it is not that difficult to discover them. Some Jobs boards provide links to other job sites and the list could be a bit long.
Searching through the major search engines can also provide an exhaustive list of writing jobs. Use key words such as:
Freelance writing Jobs boards
Writers Wanted
Writing Jobs
Copywriting Jobs
Technical writing Jobs
Submission guidelines.
To make your task of searching for writing jobs online, we have provided you with the following list of sites. We hope you will find what you want.
http://www.emoonlighter.com/
http://www.elance.com/
http://www.burryman.com/freelance .html
http://www.recruitmedia.co.uk/jobs.asp
http://scriptlance.com/
http://www.ants.com/
http://www.e-work.com/
http://www.freeagent.com/
http://www.freelancejobs.com/
http://www.freelancers.com/
http://www.careerpath.com/
http://www.monster.com/
http://www.sunoasisjobs.com/
http://www.ajb.dni.us/
http://www.employmentall.com/
http://www.epclassifieds.com/
http://www.freelanceexperts.com/
http://www.copyeditorjobs.com/
http://www.mediabistro.com/
http://www.journalismjobs.com/
http://www.newsjobs.com/
http://www.freelancebbs.com/
http://www.freelancers.com/
http://www.freelanceworkexchange.com/
http://www.writergazette.com/jobboard.shtml
http://www.freelancejobsearch.com/
http://www.freelancebank.com/
http://www.mediajobsearchcanada.com/
http://www.smarterwork.com/
http://www.codelance.com/
http://www.looksurf.com/
http://www.csne.org/jobs/postings.html
If you have checked the above sites a number of times in two or three months and you have not got any job. I suggest you assess your skills and consider taking some relevant writing courses. You may also supplement these with a college degree in a relevant field to enhance your marketability. While doing so do some writing exercises and write articles on a wide variety of topics and post them on to articles submission sites online.
The Devil is in the Details: The Heavenly Benefits of Specificity in Writing
by: Linda Abraham
You can argue about the devil, but certainly the substance, distinctiveness, and success of your essays depends on the details.
Many applicants tend to bury their uniqueness and success under vague assertions. You don't want to hide your achievements; you want to trumpet them loudly and clearly. For instance, if you led a team working on a software development project, was it a three-member team or a thirty-member, cross-functional team with representatives from five different divisions and two continents? Was the potential market for the product $5 million or $200 million? Did you launch the product on time and in budget? Did it zoom to the top of the market-share charts? The details reveal the level of your responsibility, the confidence others have in your abilities based on their prior experience with you, and the significance of your accomplishment.
What about your volunteer work? Do you simply "volunteer"? If you do, you aren't saying anything distinctive or substantive. Are you an EMT working five hours per week? Do you volunteer at a legal aid clinic? What have you seen or experienced? What have you learned? Have you launched a bereavement group in a country where such services were previously unheard of? What were the challenges you overcame to establish that group? What did you learn from the experience? How has it influenced you?
You may ask, "How can I fit all these details into a short essay?" Good question. Include many of the specifics in the work history sections — the boxes — of the application or in an attached resume if allowed. Then in the essay, provide enough detail to provide context and create interest. Balance your profound insight and reflection with devilishly dazzling detail. Liked this tip? The above tip and many, many more can be found in Submit a Stellar Application: 42 Terrific Tips to Help You Get Accepted
You can argue about the devil, but certainly the substance, distinctiveness, and success of your essays depends on the details.
Many applicants tend to bury their uniqueness and success under vague assertions. You don't want to hide your achievements; you want to trumpet them loudly and clearly. For instance, if you led a team working on a software development project, was it a three-member team or a thirty-member, cross-functional team with representatives from five different divisions and two continents? Was the potential market for the product $5 million or $200 million? Did you launch the product on time and in budget? Did it zoom to the top of the market-share charts? The details reveal the level of your responsibility, the confidence others have in your abilities based on their prior experience with you, and the significance of your accomplishment.
What about your volunteer work? Do you simply "volunteer"? If you do, you aren't saying anything distinctive or substantive. Are you an EMT working five hours per week? Do you volunteer at a legal aid clinic? What have you seen or experienced? What have you learned? Have you launched a bereavement group in a country where such services were previously unheard of? What were the challenges you overcame to establish that group? What did you learn from the experience? How has it influenced you?
You may ask, "How can I fit all these details into a short essay?" Good question. Include many of the specifics in the work history sections — the boxes — of the application or in an attached resume if allowed. Then in the essay, provide enough detail to provide context and create interest. Balance your profound insight and reflection with devilishly dazzling detail. Liked this tip? The above tip and many, many more can be found in Submit a Stellar Application: 42 Terrific Tips to Help You Get Accepted
How To Use Punctuation
by: Rumki Sen
The most common mistake people tend to make while writing is in the use of Punctuation. Wrong punctuation can damage the flow of ideas and change meaning, but properly used punctuation not only helps readers understand your meaning but also makes them engrossed in your writing. The following discussion is about some of the frequently misused punctuation marks and what actually their correct application should be.
Use of Apostrophe - Use an apostrophe to show possession, but never put apostrophe in case of possessive pronouns. Always remember that when the word "it's" is used, it is actually for the contraction for the two words: "it has" or "it is". On the other hand, "its" is a possessive pronoun, and the word being already possessive should not contain an apostrophe in it.
Example
It's the same thing happening over and over again. (Contraction of It and is: It is the same thing happening over and over again).
Wrong: That car is your's.
Right: That car is yours.
Note: Rewriting is sometimes the solution for an awkward possessive.
Awkward: A friend of mine's cap.
Better: A friend's cap (or the cap of a friend of mine).
To show possession in the case of singular nouns, add 's, and for plural words that end in s, add only an apostrophe. Don't forget to put 's with plural words not ending in s.
Example
Singular: nurse's uniform
Plural: nurses' uniforms (plural word ending in s)
Plural: children's uniforms (plural word not ending in s)
Use of Comma - Use commas to separate three or more items in a list. Though journalists most of the times omit the final comma before the word "and", but retaining the final comma avoids confusion.
Example
Poor: In this website, you can read articles about how to do business online, the woman who daily eats 45 eggs and Tom Cruise.
Better: In this website, you can read articles about how to do business online, the woman who daily eats 45 eggs, and Tom Cruise.
Use a comma to separate two independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions.
Example
Wrong: I am not good in writing but I love writing.
Wrong: I am not good in writing, but, I love writing.
Right: I am not good in writing, but I love writing.
Note: If the clauses are long and already contain commas, separate them with a semicolon rather than a comma.
Wrong: If a man begins with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. - Francis Bacon
Right: If a man begins with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. - Francis Bacon
Run-on sentences - Where Run-on sentences are concerned (in case you don't know what it is, a run-on occurs when two independent clauses are not separated by punctuation or conjunction), add a period, or a semi colon, or a comma in places of separation.
Example
Wrong: A good student can score full marks in Mathematics it's his analytical ability that will help him achieve that.
Right: A good student can score full marks in Mathematics. It's his analytical ability that will help him achieve that.
Use of Quotation Marks - Use quotation marks to indicate direct quotation.
Example
"That guy knows me," Mr. Wong said, "very well."
Note: Never use it for indirect quotation (a restatement of someone’s words).
According to Mr. Wong, that guy knows him very well.
Use single quotation marks to indicate a quote within a quote.
Example
Wrong: Richard wrote, "When Berkeley said, "esse est percipii", he meant that the existence of a thing consists in its being perceived."
Right: Richard wrote, "When Berkeley said, 'esse est percipii,' he meant that the existence of a thing consists in its being perceived."
Note: Always put the comma and final period inside the quotation marks, and put other punctuation marks outside unless they are part of the thing being quoted.
There are many other frequently used punctuation errors, but the above-discussed ones are those I have mostly encountered in several writings. Before putting punctuation marks in your sentences, always ask yourself what meaning you want to convey to the readers. Accordingly, put the marks. In case the sentence becomes difficult to punctuate, consider rewriting it, because when a sentence is well written, it almost punctuates itself.
The most common mistake people tend to make while writing is in the use of Punctuation. Wrong punctuation can damage the flow of ideas and change meaning, but properly used punctuation not only helps readers understand your meaning but also makes them engrossed in your writing. The following discussion is about some of the frequently misused punctuation marks and what actually their correct application should be.
Use of Apostrophe - Use an apostrophe to show possession, but never put apostrophe in case of possessive pronouns. Always remember that when the word "it's" is used, it is actually for the contraction for the two words: "it has" or "it is". On the other hand, "its" is a possessive pronoun, and the word being already possessive should not contain an apostrophe in it.
Example
It's the same thing happening over and over again. (Contraction of It and is: It is the same thing happening over and over again).
Wrong: That car is your's.
Right: That car is yours.
Note: Rewriting is sometimes the solution for an awkward possessive.
Awkward: A friend of mine's cap.
Better: A friend's cap (or the cap of a friend of mine).
To show possession in the case of singular nouns, add 's, and for plural words that end in s, add only an apostrophe. Don't forget to put 's with plural words not ending in s.
Example
Singular: nurse's uniform
Plural: nurses' uniforms (plural word ending in s)
Plural: children's uniforms (plural word not ending in s)
Use of Comma - Use commas to separate three or more items in a list. Though journalists most of the times omit the final comma before the word "and", but retaining the final comma avoids confusion.
Example
Poor: In this website, you can read articles about how to do business online, the woman who daily eats 45 eggs and Tom Cruise.
Better: In this website, you can read articles about how to do business online, the woman who daily eats 45 eggs, and Tom Cruise.
Use a comma to separate two independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions.
Example
Wrong: I am not good in writing but I love writing.
Wrong: I am not good in writing, but, I love writing.
Right: I am not good in writing, but I love writing.
Note: If the clauses are long and already contain commas, separate them with a semicolon rather than a comma.
Wrong: If a man begins with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. - Francis Bacon
Right: If a man begins with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. - Francis Bacon
Run-on sentences - Where Run-on sentences are concerned (in case you don't know what it is, a run-on occurs when two independent clauses are not separated by punctuation or conjunction), add a period, or a semi colon, or a comma in places of separation.
Example
Wrong: A good student can score full marks in Mathematics it's his analytical ability that will help him achieve that.
Right: A good student can score full marks in Mathematics. It's his analytical ability that will help him achieve that.
Use of Quotation Marks - Use quotation marks to indicate direct quotation.
Example
"That guy knows me," Mr. Wong said, "very well."
Note: Never use it for indirect quotation (a restatement of someone’s words).
According to Mr. Wong, that guy knows him very well.
Use single quotation marks to indicate a quote within a quote.
Example
Wrong: Richard wrote, "When Berkeley said, "esse est percipii", he meant that the existence of a thing consists in its being perceived."
Right: Richard wrote, "When Berkeley said, 'esse est percipii,' he meant that the existence of a thing consists in its being perceived."
Note: Always put the comma and final period inside the quotation marks, and put other punctuation marks outside unless they are part of the thing being quoted.
There are many other frequently used punctuation errors, but the above-discussed ones are those I have mostly encountered in several writings. Before putting punctuation marks in your sentences, always ask yourself what meaning you want to convey to the readers. Accordingly, put the marks. In case the sentence becomes difficult to punctuate, consider rewriting it, because when a sentence is well written, it almost punctuates itself.
Write Articles And Captivate Your Readers
by: Sintilia Miecevole
To get your name out there, write articles and allow them to be freely reproduced (with a resource box pointing back to you.) A well-written article can:
- help build your profile
- draw traffic to your site, and
- help build a database of clients through associated e-courses or newsletter.
How do you write the article? You can come up with the content - How do you grab those readers and make them come back for more?
As you can construct and edit an article (it has a beginning, middle and end; and you can check the grammar and spelling); if you want to WIN readers - think about what they want to know.
Put your readers first. Give them what they want and they'll be queuing up to read anything you produce.
A blueprint for writing articles that captivate your readers - whatever the topic - is a follows:
== 1. What Do Your Readers Want ==
You may know what they want because you're an expert in the field. If you don't know the subject well, you'll have to research. Look for forums on your topic and see what people are discussing. What are the problems? Can you provide an answer?
== 2. Start With An Attention-Grabber ==
Work on your opening. Try to avoid trite questions like "Have you wondered why people find it difficult to lose weight?" It's dull and it's not targeting the person reading the article - what do they care about the difficulties "people" have losing weight? They care about THEIR weight problem!
The opening paragraph should give the reader that warm "Hey, this is about me!" feeling. - "This could be the answer I've been looking for..."
Example: "Diet gurus make it all sound easy: to lose weight, all you have to do is expend more energy than you take in. Huh! If it were that simple, the "Big People" stores would be out of business. For those of us tired of diets, gyms and dull group meetings, there is a back-to-basics way to tackle this. It won't cost you a fortune or leave you feeling deprived."
== 3. Write As You Speak... Then Edit! ==
The sample opening above illustrates the importance of the tone used in your article. You need 'meat'to make it worth reading.
Write your article in a natural style that's akin to normal conversation. If the first draft is too informal - fix that when you edit. Readers may want facts, tips, and strategies, but they want entertainment too! Let your personality shine.
== 4. End On A High ==
Most articles fizzle out! Writers often don't know how to end on an upbeat note. They either stop dead or come up with a trite ending like: "So what are you waiting for? Get started today!"
The beginning and the ending of your article are the parts that make the biggest impression. Creat a feeling of anticipation... and leave them feeling satisfied (or excited) when you finish.
Offering advice to help solve a problem gives your readers a reason to feel optimistic about themselves. Don't make promises... but offer hope. If you are giving hints on marketing or business, sum up the benefits. Experiment with using a humorous quote, or giving readers a specific action to get them started. Be creative.
Here's a final tip: create a cheat-sheet. Divide it into beginnings/middles/ends and add more strategies as you think of them. (For example, using the tips in this article, you might write: ENDINGS - end on a high, offer hope, use funny quote, suggest action to get started.)
Do this, and you'll be cranking out articles everyone wants to publish!
To get your name out there, write articles and allow them to be freely reproduced (with a resource box pointing back to you.) A well-written article can:
- help build your profile
- draw traffic to your site, and
- help build a database of clients through associated e-courses or newsletter.
How do you write the article? You can come up with the content - How do you grab those readers and make them come back for more?
As you can construct and edit an article (it has a beginning, middle and end; and you can check the grammar and spelling); if you want to WIN readers - think about what they want to know.
Put your readers first. Give them what they want and they'll be queuing up to read anything you produce.
A blueprint for writing articles that captivate your readers - whatever the topic - is a follows:
== 1. What Do Your Readers Want ==
You may know what they want because you're an expert in the field. If you don't know the subject well, you'll have to research. Look for forums on your topic and see what people are discussing. What are the problems? Can you provide an answer?
== 2. Start With An Attention-Grabber ==
Work on your opening. Try to avoid trite questions like "Have you wondered why people find it difficult to lose weight?" It's dull and it's not targeting the person reading the article - what do they care about the difficulties "people" have losing weight? They care about THEIR weight problem!
The opening paragraph should give the reader that warm "Hey, this is about me!" feeling. - "This could be the answer I've been looking for..."
Example: "Diet gurus make it all sound easy: to lose weight, all you have to do is expend more energy than you take in. Huh! If it were that simple, the "Big People" stores would be out of business. For those of us tired of diets, gyms and dull group meetings, there is a back-to-basics way to tackle this. It won't cost you a fortune or leave you feeling deprived."
== 3. Write As You Speak... Then Edit! ==
The sample opening above illustrates the importance of the tone used in your article. You need 'meat'to make it worth reading.
Write your article in a natural style that's akin to normal conversation. If the first draft is too informal - fix that when you edit. Readers may want facts, tips, and strategies, but they want entertainment too! Let your personality shine.
== 4. End On A High ==
Most articles fizzle out! Writers often don't know how to end on an upbeat note. They either stop dead or come up with a trite ending like: "So what are you waiting for? Get started today!"
The beginning and the ending of your article are the parts that make the biggest impression. Creat a feeling of anticipation... and leave them feeling satisfied (or excited) when you finish.
Offering advice to help solve a problem gives your readers a reason to feel optimistic about themselves. Don't make promises... but offer hope. If you are giving hints on marketing or business, sum up the benefits. Experiment with using a humorous quote, or giving readers a specific action to get them started. Be creative.
Here's a final tip: create a cheat-sheet. Divide it into beginnings/middles/ends and add more strategies as you think of them. (For example, using the tips in this article, you might write: ENDINGS - end on a high, offer hope, use funny quote, suggest action to get started.)
Do this, and you'll be cranking out articles everyone wants to publish!
***Writing Is Fun!***
y: Michael Harrison
When I was establishing my consultants practice in 1990 I set about creating a book. The book was aimed at helping people to progress in their careers and shows how to assess yourself, prepare an interview winning resume’, market yourself and win the job at interviews, plus other real life tips.
Anyway I enjoyed the writing process, thought the book was good and sold a few copies. The effort of writing the book was not rewarded by the number of copies sold. I did not really have a low cost route to market.
In building my web site and writing a weekly newsletter I have realised that I do enjoy writing and drawing on my experiences. So recently I have been thinking of writing another book for sale on the internet.
Guess what? I got my original book out, re-read it and I am editing it as my next internet publication. The point of this article is to tell you what I realised when I read my ‘masterpiece’.
I had been living in the corporate world and the book was written in corporate style. Formal, the grammar was convoluted, too many long words. It was not easy to read and I did not like the style. The content is excellent but I did not like how the book was written.
Bearing in mind when I originally wrote it 15 years ago I read and re-read it in an effort to do a good job. That I now do not like the writing style came as a shock. Which shows that our skills and perceptions are changing all of the time and no matter how good we think we are at any one thing we can always do better.
If you’ve got anything that you created a while back it may be worth having another look at it. Your style may have changed and you may be able to improve it.
My son writes for his living and he has experienced the same with some of his early writing.
By writing for the web my style has changed, hopefully to a more readable form because I still like writing.
Tip: learn from the mistakes of others, you can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.
When I was establishing my consultants practice in 1990 I set about creating a book. The book was aimed at helping people to progress in their careers and shows how to assess yourself, prepare an interview winning resume’, market yourself and win the job at interviews, plus other real life tips.
Anyway I enjoyed the writing process, thought the book was good and sold a few copies. The effort of writing the book was not rewarded by the number of copies sold. I did not really have a low cost route to market.
In building my web site and writing a weekly newsletter I have realised that I do enjoy writing and drawing on my experiences. So recently I have been thinking of writing another book for sale on the internet.
Guess what? I got my original book out, re-read it and I am editing it as my next internet publication. The point of this article is to tell you what I realised when I read my ‘masterpiece’.
I had been living in the corporate world and the book was written in corporate style. Formal, the grammar was convoluted, too many long words. It was not easy to read and I did not like the style. The content is excellent but I did not like how the book was written.
Bearing in mind when I originally wrote it 15 years ago I read and re-read it in an effort to do a good job. That I now do not like the writing style came as a shock. Which shows that our skills and perceptions are changing all of the time and no matter how good we think we are at any one thing we can always do better.
If you’ve got anything that you created a while back it may be worth having another look at it. Your style may have changed and you may be able to improve it.
My son writes for his living and he has experienced the same with some of his early writing.
By writing for the web my style has changed, hopefully to a more readable form because I still like writing.
Tip: learn from the mistakes of others, you can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.
I Am Biodegradable. My Writing Is Not.
by: David Leonhardt
My dad was wrong. I just discovered that I am good for nuthin' after all. In fact I've been good for nuthin' all along. I am 100% biodegradable and that means I can be recycled into nuthin'. It also means that no matter how much I waste, no matter how much I consume, no matter how much I pollute, in the end I am environment-friendly. Best of all, I now have an end use.
Now that's something to put on my resume!
This comes as particularly good news to somebody who is not sure what his purpose is. Sometimes I write these humor columns, pretending to be funny. Sometimes people even laugh, and I worry that it might be the start of an ominous trend.
Sometimes I am selling my happiness book, pretending to be a successful author. With 2,000 copies of my book keeping the floor from floating upwards, perhaps I AM successful. Levitating floors are generally not considered signs of success in this part of the country.
Sometimes I am optimizing websites for search engine rankings. "What exactly does that mean?" I am often asked.
"Well...it means that I get my clients' site high up in the searches." Blank stare.
I try again. "It means that I help Google show you my clients' web sites. Blank stare.
"Well...I'm not sure how to explain it. But I get paid to do it." People understand that.
"I turn on a machine that defluctuates the turbo-rotating modulator down at the spare parts plant," someone adds.
"What exactly does that mean?" I ask.
"Beats me. But I get paid to do it." We are soulmates.
Sometimes I write for pay, because people seem to want something written. They hope that if they can't say it themselves, I might be able to find just the right words.
"C'mon, David. You have lots of words. Why don't you lend me some? Why, just last week you promised to 'defenestrate' me, whatever that means." They want me to put their thoughts into words, and occasionally they want me to create their thoughts. I worked for a politician years ago. I vaguely remember how to write somebody else's thoughts before he knew he had them.
"So what do you write?"
"Web site copy, mostly."
"Really? Not another book?"
"No, I still have 2,000 copies of the last book piled up in my office."
"I'm sure they'll sell quickly, David."
"Really? Want one?"
"Uh...gotta go. It's time for my pet goldfish's nap."
I also write this humor column faithfully every week. But people actually PAY me to write website copy. Now, dear reader, answer me this question. Would you rather be reading this hilarious column, loaded with frosting and topped with chocolate syrup, or would you rather read plain vanilla website copy.
OK, go ahead and read the website copy, then. See if I care.
One thing my website copy and this column have in common is that they are not biodegradable. Remember how computers would save the environment as they replace the three gazillion tones of paper we trash every few hours in offices around the world and elsewhere?
Now we discover that all that paper at least was biodegradable, recyclable, reusable. It wasn't all that bad for the environment, after all. But the monitor you are reading this on will last forever. (SFX: evil laughter) Adventure seekers from the planet Zorgoppppt will land here in the year 2304 and discover all these abandoned monitors scattered around.
One Zorgopppptian will say to the other, "prrg, ddyte h hthp oooo djudu" (Translation: "Groovy paper weights!")
But they won't find me, thanks to my lifetime achievement. I'll be long gone, because I am (chest swells with pride) biodegradable.
My dad was wrong. I just discovered that I am good for nuthin' after all. In fact I've been good for nuthin' all along. I am 100% biodegradable and that means I can be recycled into nuthin'. It also means that no matter how much I waste, no matter how much I consume, no matter how much I pollute, in the end I am environment-friendly. Best of all, I now have an end use.
Now that's something to put on my resume!
This comes as particularly good news to somebody who is not sure what his purpose is. Sometimes I write these humor columns, pretending to be funny. Sometimes people even laugh, and I worry that it might be the start of an ominous trend.
Sometimes I am selling my happiness book, pretending to be a successful author. With 2,000 copies of my book keeping the floor from floating upwards, perhaps I AM successful. Levitating floors are generally not considered signs of success in this part of the country.
Sometimes I am optimizing websites for search engine rankings. "What exactly does that mean?" I am often asked.
"Well...it means that I get my clients' site high up in the searches." Blank stare.
I try again. "It means that I help Google show you my clients' web sites. Blank stare.
"Well...I'm not sure how to explain it. But I get paid to do it." People understand that.
"I turn on a machine that defluctuates the turbo-rotating modulator down at the spare parts plant," someone adds.
"What exactly does that mean?" I ask.
"Beats me. But I get paid to do it." We are soulmates.
Sometimes I write for pay, because people seem to want something written. They hope that if they can't say it themselves, I might be able to find just the right words.
"C'mon, David. You have lots of words. Why don't you lend me some? Why, just last week you promised to 'defenestrate' me, whatever that means." They want me to put their thoughts into words, and occasionally they want me to create their thoughts. I worked for a politician years ago. I vaguely remember how to write somebody else's thoughts before he knew he had them.
"So what do you write?"
"Web site copy, mostly."
"Really? Not another book?"
"No, I still have 2,000 copies of the last book piled up in my office."
"I'm sure they'll sell quickly, David."
"Really? Want one?"
"Uh...gotta go. It's time for my pet goldfish's nap."
I also write this humor column faithfully every week. But people actually PAY me to write website copy. Now, dear reader, answer me this question. Would you rather be reading this hilarious column, loaded with frosting and topped with chocolate syrup, or would you rather read plain vanilla website copy.
OK, go ahead and read the website copy, then. See if I care.
One thing my website copy and this column have in common is that they are not biodegradable. Remember how computers would save the environment as they replace the three gazillion tones of paper we trash every few hours in offices around the world and elsewhere?
Now we discover that all that paper at least was biodegradable, recyclable, reusable. It wasn't all that bad for the environment, after all. But the monitor you are reading this on will last forever. (SFX: evil laughter) Adventure seekers from the planet Zorgoppppt will land here in the year 2304 and discover all these abandoned monitors scattered around.
One Zorgopppptian will say to the other, "prrg, ddyte h hthp oooo djudu" (Translation: "Groovy paper weights!")
But they won't find me, thanks to my lifetime achievement. I'll be long gone, because I am (chest swells with pride) biodegradable.
How To Find Freelance Jobs - Writing About Food
by: Niall Cinneide
Did you know that jobs writing about food are available? These opportunities are available in a variety of areas. Employment in these fields is an exciting concept. For many, getting their foot in the door is the most important and most challenging first step. In order to succeed, a wide range of knowledge is needed as well as a good base of experience.
These jobs are available in all sorts of media. The internet is full of postings for good quality writers in a variety of fields. Some in this field write for magazines, newspapers, or even books. Others work right online. There are several avenues a prospective writer can take.
The first step in getting into any of these, though, is getting a good base of knowledge. There are courses that can be taken to give a good base of knowledge for the food aspect of the business. But, for the writing, grammar, and compiling of the articles and pieces, you will need at least a few years of schooling. Writing is the foundation of the work you will do, after all.
To start out in freelance writing though, you need to know how to get experience.
You can take your career to the next level by expanding your knowledge, getting your experience into a portfolio, and presenting yourself to the prospective employers. Try small, local newspapers to start. Or, submit an article to a magazine asking them to review it for consideration. Present yourself to the companies you want to start with, but always keep striving for other levels of opportunity. There are hundreds of companies that are looking for a new, fresh face in writing. You’ll find them throughout the internet posting on message boards and websites. Or, you can contact all of the organizations that you would like to get your start in by sending resumes and samples of your work.
You will enjoy a career with the freelance food writer jobs that you do get. You certainly will love the opportunities that are available!
Did you know that jobs writing about food are available? These opportunities are available in a variety of areas. Employment in these fields is an exciting concept. For many, getting their foot in the door is the most important and most challenging first step. In order to succeed, a wide range of knowledge is needed as well as a good base of experience.
These jobs are available in all sorts of media. The internet is full of postings for good quality writers in a variety of fields. Some in this field write for magazines, newspapers, or even books. Others work right online. There are several avenues a prospective writer can take.
The first step in getting into any of these, though, is getting a good base of knowledge. There are courses that can be taken to give a good base of knowledge for the food aspect of the business. But, for the writing, grammar, and compiling of the articles and pieces, you will need at least a few years of schooling. Writing is the foundation of the work you will do, after all.
To start out in freelance writing though, you need to know how to get experience.
You can take your career to the next level by expanding your knowledge, getting your experience into a portfolio, and presenting yourself to the prospective employers. Try small, local newspapers to start. Or, submit an article to a magazine asking them to review it for consideration. Present yourself to the companies you want to start with, but always keep striving for other levels of opportunity. There are hundreds of companies that are looking for a new, fresh face in writing. You’ll find them throughout the internet posting on message boards and websites. Or, you can contact all of the organizations that you would like to get your start in by sending resumes and samples of your work.
You will enjoy a career with the freelance food writer jobs that you do get. You certainly will love the opportunities that are available!
Succeeding in the Business of Freelance Writing
Succeeding in the Business of Freelance Writing
by: Amber McNaught
Something that's always surprised me about the freelance writing business is just how many writers there are out there who don't seem to realize that they're running a business.
Succeeding in the Business of Freelance Writing
Of the freelance writers who send quotes to prospective employers through my website, http://www.WritingWorld.org, it never fails to surprise me just how many make no effort whatsoever to try and "sell" themselves. Some simply post a quote and nothing else: no information about themselves, no indication about their skills and experience, nothing. Others post a quote with a short message saying, "I don't know what a 'search engine optimized article' is, but please pick me anyway", or "I have no experience in this, but hopefully I'll be able to do it."
Needless to say, the writers who don't bother to sell themselves never get the gigs. So why don't they make the effort? Because they fail to realize that they're running a business.
Some – not all, but some – of the freelance writers we encounter seem to have somehow picked up the idea that all they have to do to succeed is to be good at writing. Unfortunately, it's not quite as simple as that: to really succeed as a freelance writer, you have to be good at selling yourself. And you have to be aware that you're running a business.
Marketing Your Freelance Writing Business Online
If you really want to run a successful freelance writing business, think about getting a website. Most businesses these days have websites: they're the ideal way for customers to find you, read more about your services and get in touch.
This is another area, however, where a lot of freelance writers fail. Because not just any old website will do. Sure, there are some very professional looking websites out there, run by freelance writers – but there are just as many sites which seem designed to frighten away clients rather than attract them. Amateurish design, tacky animations, clashing colors and even, God-forbid, music, are all the sign of the amateur freelance site.
Getting Your Freelance Writing Website Up and Running
While it's tempting to try and put together a website yourself, unless you have a really sound grasp of website design, this tactic can really backfire. An amateurish website tells your visitors that you're an amateur business, and that you don't have enough faith in the viability of your business to invest in a professional website. All of these things are red flags to clients, who'll go elsewhere in a heartbeat.
Get yourself a professionally designed website – and if your budget can't stretch to an entire website, consider signing up for a personal profile at WritingWorld.org, where for only $25 per year you get your own page, complete with downloadable resume, writing samples and client testimonials.
Your WritingWorld.org profile also gives you your own WritingWorld URL, which you can give to prospective clients, or even market in the same way you would promote your own website, using pay per click ads or other methods
How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs
by: Niall Cinneide
Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance copywriting jobs, but how do you get them? The most important factor in finding these jobs is that you pursue the job you are looking for with all of your ducks in a row, so to speak. Here are a few things you need to do in order to get the freelance copywriting jobs that you have been looking for.
Prepare yourself through schooling. Most people in the copywriting industry have at least a two year degree. If you can afford to do this, do it. It will benefit you for a long time down the road. Often times, getting a four year degree is beneficial to getting into the bigger companies. Some schools offer internships which can be an outstanding way to get your foot in the door. Hopefully, they will hire you right after the internship and you’ll be set. If not, you will need to pursue other companies, but you will have this real world experience.
Place yourself in the right company environment. If you want to find jobs in copy writing, don’t settle for something in an unrelated field. Instead, look for a small start in the right career.
Work on your portfolio. By putting together a good quality portfolio and keeping it up to date, you will land a nice secure copywriting job through the experience you have. While no copy writing jobs are too small in the beginning, down the road they will pile up to help you land the best of the best.
The employment that you want is available. But, you must be prepared when you do get the right interview to wow them. Impressing them through your college education and degrees is a great way to start. Take on small contracts in order to build a quality portfolio to present. Polish your resume if you do not already have a solid one.
Freelance copywriting jobs are available. It is up to you to be prepared for them when they are ready for you.
Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance copywriting jobs, but how do you get them? The most important factor in finding these jobs is that you pursue the job you are looking for with all of your ducks in a row, so to speak. Here are a few things you need to do in order to get the freelance copywriting jobs that you have been looking for.
Prepare yourself through schooling. Most people in the copywriting industry have at least a two year degree. If you can afford to do this, do it. It will benefit you for a long time down the road. Often times, getting a four year degree is beneficial to getting into the bigger companies. Some schools offer internships which can be an outstanding way to get your foot in the door. Hopefully, they will hire you right after the internship and you’ll be set. If not, you will need to pursue other companies, but you will have this real world experience.
Place yourself in the right company environment. If you want to find jobs in copy writing, don’t settle for something in an unrelated field. Instead, look for a small start in the right career.
Work on your portfolio. By putting together a good quality portfolio and keeping it up to date, you will land a nice secure copywriting job through the experience you have. While no copy writing jobs are too small in the beginning, down the road they will pile up to help you land the best of the best.
The employment that you want is available. But, you must be prepared when you do get the right interview to wow them. Impressing them through your college education and degrees is a great way to start. Take on small contracts in order to build a quality portfolio to present. Polish your resume if you do not already have a solid one.
Freelance copywriting jobs are available. It is up to you to be prepared for them when they are ready for you.
6 Steps to a Remarkable Reapplication
by: Linda Abraham
OK. You didn't get accepted at any of the schools you applied to. What should you do now?
Deal. Get over it. And consider what you’re going to do next year. If you decide to re-apply, you need to assess what went wrong and resolve to improve it.
1. Determine what you need to change. You definitely need to do something different, because your previous approach didn't work. Don’t turn in the same essays.
2. Analyze your qualifications versus your target schools' average stats and requirements. If you are applying with below average stats at more than two schools and are not from an under-represented minority, you are relying on miracles and not applying effectively. You either need to improve your profile or apply to less-competitive schools.
3. Seek feedback. Some programs, particularly MBA programs, give constructive feedback to re-applicants. If your school provides that service, take advantage of it ASAP. You want to hear the criticism as early as possible so that you have as much time as possible to deal with any defects or weaknesses. Furthermore, some schools only provide feedback during a small window of time. So don’t delay.
4. Evaluate your application. Do your essays and letters of rec (if you have access to them) add to the reader’s knowledge of you? What could you do to improve them? Consider using Accepted.com's application evaluation service to help you with this step.
5. Work on weaknesses. For example, if you applied to medical school with limited or no clinical experience, start volunteering at a local free clinic or hospital. If you applied to business school with a low GMAT, study for and retake the test.
6. Prepare to highlight valuable recent experiences. When you reapply, you want to show that you are "new and improved." For example, if you are pre-law and worked for the last six months at the DA's office, you will highlight that experience, related achievements, and lessons learned in your resume and/or essay when you reapply. For a comprehensive guide on presenting a compelling reapplication, read
Create a Better Sequel: Reapplying Right to Business School
OK. You didn't get accepted at any of the schools you applied to. What should you do now?
Deal. Get over it. And consider what you’re going to do next year. If you decide to re-apply, you need to assess what went wrong and resolve to improve it.
1. Determine what you need to change. You definitely need to do something different, because your previous approach didn't work. Don’t turn in the same essays.
2. Analyze your qualifications versus your target schools' average stats and requirements. If you are applying with below average stats at more than two schools and are not from an under-represented minority, you are relying on miracles and not applying effectively. You either need to improve your profile or apply to less-competitive schools.
3. Seek feedback. Some programs, particularly MBA programs, give constructive feedback to re-applicants. If your school provides that service, take advantage of it ASAP. You want to hear the criticism as early as possible so that you have as much time as possible to deal with any defects or weaknesses. Furthermore, some schools only provide feedback during a small window of time. So don’t delay.
4. Evaluate your application. Do your essays and letters of rec (if you have access to them) add to the reader’s knowledge of you? What could you do to improve them? Consider using Accepted.com's application evaluation service to help you with this step.
5. Work on weaknesses. For example, if you applied to medical school with limited or no clinical experience, start volunteering at a local free clinic or hospital. If you applied to business school with a low GMAT, study for and retake the test.
6. Prepare to highlight valuable recent experiences. When you reapply, you want to show that you are "new and improved." For example, if you are pre-law and worked for the last six months at the DA's office, you will highlight that experience, related achievements, and lessons learned in your resume and/or essay when you reapply. For a comprehensive guide on presenting a compelling reapplication, read
Create a Better Sequel: Reapplying Right to Business School
How To Outgrow 'Write What You Know'
by: Jenna Glatzer
Every writer has heard it time and again, and it’s not without merit: “Write what you know.”
When I began freelancing, I was just out of college, so what did I write about? College. I wrote profiles of collegiate entrepreneurs, I wrote editorials about college life... and after a while, I really wanted to move on and write about other things. But I didn’t feel qualified.
Luckily, I didn’t let that hold me back for too long.
“Write what you know” is a very good starting point. But that’s all it is. It’s a place for you to go to get your feet wet, and a place to come back to when the tide gets too high. But it’s not a place to stay for very long.
A better piece of advice, in my opinion, is “Write what you WANT to know.” One of the great perks of being a freelance writer is that you get paid to learn about things. So… what do you want to learn about?
If I had completely disregarded “Write what you know” and simply opened a page of the Writers Market at random, figuring I’d send a query to whichever market my finger happened to touch, my career would be very different today. I might have ended up writing about finances, miniature horses, and aerobics. And you know what? I would have hated it.
I have no experience with any of the above topics, and there’s a good reason for that: I never really WANTED to have experience with them. Since I have no real passion for any of the topics, if I had to write articles about them, it would feel like work.
But did you ever stop to think about the things you always wanted to know, but never found out? Or all the interesting people you wanted to meet? Or the problems you’ve encountered that you wanted solved? Now those are article topics.
Try this exercise. Fill in the blanks with your answers.
If time and money weren’t factors, I’d love to take a course in ___________________.
I’ve always wanted to ask (person you know)______________________ about _________________________.
I’ve always wanted to know how __________________________ works.
My life would improve if I could only ______________________________.
When I have a sleepless night, it’s usually because I’m worried about ____________________.
The worst injustice I can think of is ______________________________.
When I was a kid, I was really passionate about _________________________.
I have always been embarrassed to admit that ________________________really interests me.
In my life, I have overcome ___________________________________________.
If I could volunteer for just one cause, it would be __________________________.
I wish I were better at ___________________________________.
I have always wondered why _________________________________________.
You may have lots of answers for each statement. That’s great! Each answer is a possible article topic. Most of them won’t be specific enough (or perhaps too specific) for an article, but they should give you lots of new starting points from which to brainstorm angles.
Think of freelance writing as your own opportunity to learn about all the things you ever wanted to know, and don’t worry if you’re not yet an “expert” in any of these areas! Among my favorite writing assignments have been topics in which I had no previous expertise:
-An article about a woman who started her own greeting card business for Woman’s Own. Of course, I’ve never started my own greeting card business—but the topic certainly interested me, and I wanted a good excuse to learn more about it.
-An article about how “media overload” affects children’s development for KidsGrowth.com. I’m not even a parent, let alone an expert in child psychology. But I’ve always wondered how increasing media immersion (TV, Internet, video games, radio, etc.) has affected people in MY generation.
-An article about book packagers for Writer’s Digest. Okay, I had written for a book packager at that point-- but just one, and I was eager to learn more about the industry and its players. It gave me the perfect excuse to contact book packagers and learn more about the market. And If not for this article, I would never have written Celine Dion's book... I sent my resume and samples to one of the packagers I interviewed, and an editor there wound up calling me years later with the assignment!
-Several articles about interesting inventions for Zooba.com. How much fun did I have learning about how Velcro, aspirin, and Post-It Notes were invented? This made for great dinner table conversation for weeks. My father always fancied himself a bit of a mad inventor, and I guess the gene spilled over to me. I devour these quirky stories of how the human mind approaches problem-solving creatively.
-Every disabilities-related article I’ve ever written. Was I an expert in this area when I began? No. I have a brother who has Down syndrome, so I had the benefit of some extra understanding, but I only became an “expert” by writing about this topic over and over. Each time, I learned something new that I really wanted to learn-- new legislation for people with disabilities, profiles of amazing people with disabilities, issues of discrimination, etc.
When working to broaden your writing horizons, be sure to think about two things: your passions, and your curiosities. You don’t need to write only about topics that mean “everything” to you
Every writer has heard it time and again, and it’s not without merit: “Write what you know.”
When I began freelancing, I was just out of college, so what did I write about? College. I wrote profiles of collegiate entrepreneurs, I wrote editorials about college life... and after a while, I really wanted to move on and write about other things. But I didn’t feel qualified.
Luckily, I didn’t let that hold me back for too long.
“Write what you know” is a very good starting point. But that’s all it is. It’s a place for you to go to get your feet wet, and a place to come back to when the tide gets too high. But it’s not a place to stay for very long.
A better piece of advice, in my opinion, is “Write what you WANT to know.” One of the great perks of being a freelance writer is that you get paid to learn about things. So… what do you want to learn about?
If I had completely disregarded “Write what you know” and simply opened a page of the Writers Market at random, figuring I’d send a query to whichever market my finger happened to touch, my career would be very different today. I might have ended up writing about finances, miniature horses, and aerobics. And you know what? I would have hated it.
I have no experience with any of the above topics, and there’s a good reason for that: I never really WANTED to have experience with them. Since I have no real passion for any of the topics, if I had to write articles about them, it would feel like work.
But did you ever stop to think about the things you always wanted to know, but never found out? Or all the interesting people you wanted to meet? Or the problems you’ve encountered that you wanted solved? Now those are article topics.
Try this exercise. Fill in the blanks with your answers.
If time and money weren’t factors, I’d love to take a course in ___________________.
I’ve always wanted to ask (person you know)______________________ about _________________________.
I’ve always wanted to know how __________________________ works.
My life would improve if I could only ______________________________.
When I have a sleepless night, it’s usually because I’m worried about ____________________.
The worst injustice I can think of is ______________________________.
When I was a kid, I was really passionate about _________________________.
I have always been embarrassed to admit that ________________________really interests me.
In my life, I have overcome ___________________________________________.
If I could volunteer for just one cause, it would be __________________________.
I wish I were better at ___________________________________.
I have always wondered why _________________________________________.
You may have lots of answers for each statement. That’s great! Each answer is a possible article topic. Most of them won’t be specific enough (or perhaps too specific) for an article, but they should give you lots of new starting points from which to brainstorm angles.
Think of freelance writing as your own opportunity to learn about all the things you ever wanted to know, and don’t worry if you’re not yet an “expert” in any of these areas! Among my favorite writing assignments have been topics in which I had no previous expertise:
-An article about a woman who started her own greeting card business for Woman’s Own. Of course, I’ve never started my own greeting card business—but the topic certainly interested me, and I wanted a good excuse to learn more about it.
-An article about how “media overload” affects children’s development for KidsGrowth.com. I’m not even a parent, let alone an expert in child psychology. But I’ve always wondered how increasing media immersion (TV, Internet, video games, radio, etc.) has affected people in MY generation.
-An article about book packagers for Writer’s Digest. Okay, I had written for a book packager at that point-- but just one, and I was eager to learn more about the industry and its players. It gave me the perfect excuse to contact book packagers and learn more about the market. And If not for this article, I would never have written Celine Dion's book... I sent my resume and samples to one of the packagers I interviewed, and an editor there wound up calling me years later with the assignment!
-Several articles about interesting inventions for Zooba.com. How much fun did I have learning about how Velcro, aspirin, and Post-It Notes were invented? This made for great dinner table conversation for weeks. My father always fancied himself a bit of a mad inventor, and I guess the gene spilled over to me. I devour these quirky stories of how the human mind approaches problem-solving creatively.
-Every disabilities-related article I’ve ever written. Was I an expert in this area when I began? No. I have a brother who has Down syndrome, so I had the benefit of some extra understanding, but I only became an “expert” by writing about this topic over and over. Each time, I learned something new that I really wanted to learn-- new legislation for people with disabilities, profiles of amazing people with disabilities, issues of discrimination, etc.
When working to broaden your writing horizons, be sure to think about two things: your passions, and your curiosities. You don’t need to write only about topics that mean “everything” to you
Negotiating Right: Get What you Deserve
by: Mridu Khullar
If magazine publishing worked like any other business, writers would fix their rates, and magazines would run around trying to hire the best writer in the lowest possible cost. Sadly, that’s not the case. In this bizarre business, writers trying to compete with each other not only have to prove their worth once, but again and again, and each time they want an assignment. You’ve got clips. You’ve written the perfect query. You’ll even deliver the best assignment. But then again, you’ll have to ask for more money and negotiate your way into getting what you deserve.
If you’re a writer whose only source of income is writing, then you have to negotiate. It’s the whole lifeblood of your business. Don’t get paid less simply because you didn’t ask. Don’t worry. You’re not going to sound greedy. You work hard, and you deserve to be paid for it.
When a magazine puts “pays $50-$700” in their guidelines, what can you do to be the writer that is paid in the higher range? If you’re a beginner, you probably won’t even think of getting into the high-paying slot. You’d think those places were reserved for the regular and the more experienced writers, right?
Wrong!
Admitted, regular writers are preferred, and their pay rates will usually be much higher than yours. But you don’t fall into that lower category because you’re a beginner; you fall into it because you fail to negotiate.
If you’ve got a sparkling query, an article proposal that the editor simply loves, and good writing skills that leave the editor craving for more, she’s not going to bail out on you simply because you asked for more money. In fact, she’ll be glad to arrange it for you. Not having a dozen clips on your resume does not entitle you to less pay. In fact, if you act like a professional, and give the editor what she wants, money won’t even be an issue.
Spot the Loopholes
Whenever you find a magazine that has a variable pay rate, be sure there’s room for negotiation. Why else would they have such a broad category? A very well known magazine mentions in their guidelines that they pay their writers anywhere from $50-$1000 based on experience and length of article. What I also noticed was that they’ve specified the length of pieces in their columns and departments. So, reading between the lines, I’m thinking—negotiation!
What about all those magazines that pay fixed rates? Do you just settle for what they have to give or is there room for something more? If you’re looking to be paid more, there’s a very remote possibility. However, there are other things that you can ask for. For one, there are rights. If you could use one piece in more than one publication, it would get you more money, though indirectly. Even so, another publication means another name added to your list of growing credits. Wouldn’t you much rather sell one piece to ten different magazines, than get paid only once? Other than increased pay, you’ve also added to your list of credits. That’s bound to bring in more money in the future.
Other than that, kill fees are a definite must. You don’t want to spend hours on your research, only to have your article removed off the publication list. You deserve payment for the time you put in. Talk to the editor about this before you’ve actually started the writing process. Normally, kill fees are around 20-50%. It’s very unlikely that you’ll get more even if you have a working relationship with the editor.
Another issue is payment on acceptance versus payment on publication. Magazines have very long lead times. In simple words, this means that there you could have to wait as long as six to eight months after acceptance to see your article in print. If you’re an international writer, the delay is even longer, sometimes leading to getting payments months after you’ve written the article. Do you really want to wait that long? Can you?
What else? Bios. Short blurbs after our names that could point to a website, have contact information or simply mark us as experts. A few magazines give them, but if they don’t, you could ask for one. Or you could ask for a bigger bio or a photo alongside. This is much easier to do if your article is appearing online. If the editor is unwilling to pay you more, this is your best bet.
If your article required a lot of traveling, phone calls, lunches or other expenses, ask the publication to reimburse it. There will usually be a limit to how much a publication will pay, but it should cover your total expenditure on writing the article. Send in the bills, appropriately marked, and you’ll be paid. If this clause isn’t mentioned in your contract, be sure to bring it up.
Finally, you want copies of the magazines. As many as you can get, actually. Most publications will give you two-three copies of the magazine or publication in which your work appears. If possible, ask for more. This is especially important for international writers who can’t buy copies of the magazine themselves.
Get it Right
If you’re like most writers, you’re a pro at writing emails with demands no editor dare refuse, but when it comes to negotiation in person or over the phone, you give in a little too soon. You know you could have got more, but you caved in before you could gather yourself to say, “I was expecting more.”
Negotiating is a whole other job in itself. (That’s why we have agents right?). But as a freelancer, an agent would do you more harm than good, so you’ll have to take up this profession as well. (You’re already a writer, marketer, promotion expert, website developer and accountant …what’s one more job?)
When an editor sends over a contract in which you can see the need for negotiation, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and talk to her. It’s easier than you think. Editors expect writers to negotiate. Professionals do it all the time. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise to her when a writer asks for a bigger paycheck. She’s probably even prepared for it. And this is the sole reason why she’ll give in more easily than you thought. Stand your ground, and be confident. If you believe you deserve to be paid more for your words, she will too.
So, let’s imagine you’ve got an acceptance letter (or phone call) from the editor. Yippee! Do the victory dance, run around and tell everyone you know and then come back to planet Earth for a reality check.
Before talking to the editor, you should have a fair idea of what you’re expecting from the publication. Don’t keep your demands too high. At the same time, don’t keep your expectations too low either. The publication’s guidelines should give a rough idea of the upper and lower limits and depending on your article length and research, you should be able to determine a rough amount.
A few pointers on the actual process of negotiating:
Don’t be the first to state the figure. Sometimes you just have to, but try to get the editor to propose the amount and you can work your way up from there.
Use phrases such as “I was expecting more” and “That sounds a little low” or even “I was thinking more in the range of …”
Don’t argue with the editor. After all, you do want the assignment. Reach a figure that you’re both comfortable with.
If the editor doesn’t budge on the money front, ask for a better rights agreement or a bigger byline. Payment on acceptance is always a big plus.
Finally, never be unprofessional. If you don’t like the terms of the agreement and decide not to write for the publication after all, be polite. Demeaning the editor or the publication will get you nowhere but in the black list.
Get it in Writing
Nothing is final (or legal) until you get it on paper. If your old contract didn’t state the terms correctly, ask for a new one. Check and recheck the terms and only then sign the contract.
Writers are often deprived of their hard-earned money simply because they were too nervous to ask. Looking back, I see many times when I knew I could have asked for more, but didn’t. And there are many other writers who don’t either, because they don’t want to risk a relationship with an editor before it’s even begun. Whether you’re a novice, or a seasoned pro, the truth is – you won’t get something unless you ask for it. So next time, give it a try and you might end up making more than you thought.
If magazine publishing worked like any other business, writers would fix their rates, and magazines would run around trying to hire the best writer in the lowest possible cost. Sadly, that’s not the case. In this bizarre business, writers trying to compete with each other not only have to prove their worth once, but again and again, and each time they want an assignment. You’ve got clips. You’ve written the perfect query. You’ll even deliver the best assignment. But then again, you’ll have to ask for more money and negotiate your way into getting what you deserve.
If you’re a writer whose only source of income is writing, then you have to negotiate. It’s the whole lifeblood of your business. Don’t get paid less simply because you didn’t ask. Don’t worry. You’re not going to sound greedy. You work hard, and you deserve to be paid for it.
When a magazine puts “pays $50-$700” in their guidelines, what can you do to be the writer that is paid in the higher range? If you’re a beginner, you probably won’t even think of getting into the high-paying slot. You’d think those places were reserved for the regular and the more experienced writers, right?
Wrong!
Admitted, regular writers are preferred, and their pay rates will usually be much higher than yours. But you don’t fall into that lower category because you’re a beginner; you fall into it because you fail to negotiate.
If you’ve got a sparkling query, an article proposal that the editor simply loves, and good writing skills that leave the editor craving for more, she’s not going to bail out on you simply because you asked for more money. In fact, she’ll be glad to arrange it for you. Not having a dozen clips on your resume does not entitle you to less pay. In fact, if you act like a professional, and give the editor what she wants, money won’t even be an issue.
Spot the Loopholes
Whenever you find a magazine that has a variable pay rate, be sure there’s room for negotiation. Why else would they have such a broad category? A very well known magazine mentions in their guidelines that they pay their writers anywhere from $50-$1000 based on experience and length of article. What I also noticed was that they’ve specified the length of pieces in their columns and departments. So, reading between the lines, I’m thinking—negotiation!
What about all those magazines that pay fixed rates? Do you just settle for what they have to give or is there room for something more? If you’re looking to be paid more, there’s a very remote possibility. However, there are other things that you can ask for. For one, there are rights. If you could use one piece in more than one publication, it would get you more money, though indirectly. Even so, another publication means another name added to your list of growing credits. Wouldn’t you much rather sell one piece to ten different magazines, than get paid only once? Other than increased pay, you’ve also added to your list of credits. That’s bound to bring in more money in the future.
Other than that, kill fees are a definite must. You don’t want to spend hours on your research, only to have your article removed off the publication list. You deserve payment for the time you put in. Talk to the editor about this before you’ve actually started the writing process. Normally, kill fees are around 20-50%. It’s very unlikely that you’ll get more even if you have a working relationship with the editor.
Another issue is payment on acceptance versus payment on publication. Magazines have very long lead times. In simple words, this means that there you could have to wait as long as six to eight months after acceptance to see your article in print. If you’re an international writer, the delay is even longer, sometimes leading to getting payments months after you’ve written the article. Do you really want to wait that long? Can you?
What else? Bios. Short blurbs after our names that could point to a website, have contact information or simply mark us as experts. A few magazines give them, but if they don’t, you could ask for one. Or you could ask for a bigger bio or a photo alongside. This is much easier to do if your article is appearing online. If the editor is unwilling to pay you more, this is your best bet.
If your article required a lot of traveling, phone calls, lunches or other expenses, ask the publication to reimburse it. There will usually be a limit to how much a publication will pay, but it should cover your total expenditure on writing the article. Send in the bills, appropriately marked, and you’ll be paid. If this clause isn’t mentioned in your contract, be sure to bring it up.
Finally, you want copies of the magazines. As many as you can get, actually. Most publications will give you two-three copies of the magazine or publication in which your work appears. If possible, ask for more. This is especially important for international writers who can’t buy copies of the magazine themselves.
Get it Right
If you’re like most writers, you’re a pro at writing emails with demands no editor dare refuse, but when it comes to negotiation in person or over the phone, you give in a little too soon. You know you could have got more, but you caved in before you could gather yourself to say, “I was expecting more.”
Negotiating is a whole other job in itself. (That’s why we have agents right?). But as a freelancer, an agent would do you more harm than good, so you’ll have to take up this profession as well. (You’re already a writer, marketer, promotion expert, website developer and accountant …what’s one more job?)
When an editor sends over a contract in which you can see the need for negotiation, don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and talk to her. It’s easier than you think. Editors expect writers to negotiate. Professionals do it all the time. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise to her when a writer asks for a bigger paycheck. She’s probably even prepared for it. And this is the sole reason why she’ll give in more easily than you thought. Stand your ground, and be confident. If you believe you deserve to be paid more for your words, she will too.
So, let’s imagine you’ve got an acceptance letter (or phone call) from the editor. Yippee! Do the victory dance, run around and tell everyone you know and then come back to planet Earth for a reality check.
Before talking to the editor, you should have a fair idea of what you’re expecting from the publication. Don’t keep your demands too high. At the same time, don’t keep your expectations too low either. The publication’s guidelines should give a rough idea of the upper and lower limits and depending on your article length and research, you should be able to determine a rough amount.
A few pointers on the actual process of negotiating:
Don’t be the first to state the figure. Sometimes you just have to, but try to get the editor to propose the amount and you can work your way up from there.
Use phrases such as “I was expecting more” and “That sounds a little low” or even “I was thinking more in the range of …”
Don’t argue with the editor. After all, you do want the assignment. Reach a figure that you’re both comfortable with.
If the editor doesn’t budge on the money front, ask for a better rights agreement or a bigger byline. Payment on acceptance is always a big plus.
Finally, never be unprofessional. If you don’t like the terms of the agreement and decide not to write for the publication after all, be polite. Demeaning the editor or the publication will get you nowhere but in the black list.
Get it in Writing
Nothing is final (or legal) until you get it on paper. If your old contract didn’t state the terms correctly, ask for a new one. Check and recheck the terms and only then sign the contract.
Writers are often deprived of their hard-earned money simply because they were too nervous to ask. Looking back, I see many times when I knew I could have asked for more, but didn’t. And there are many other writers who don’t either, because they don’t want to risk a relationship with an editor before it’s even begun. Whether you’re a novice, or a seasoned pro, the truth is – you won’t get something unless you ask for it. So next time, give it a try and you might end up making more than you thought.
e-Matchmaking: Can a Computer Program Find Love For You?
by: Devlyn Steele
I logged on to a dating site the other day and was greeted by a large, flashing message. It promised that if I took the time to answer a series of questions that they would find a "perfect match" for me. Imagine that? All the work and worry of being single - gone! We truly have evolved! Not only can computer programs manage the entire traffic system of a city and make chess grandmasters cry, but now they can lead my perfect match right to my doorstep. I always wanted a Stepford wife, I hope it comes assembled.
The recent trend in Internet Dating has been the use of a "computer personality test" of some sort. Websites claim that these tests, usually developed by a "top psychologist", have the ability to understand you and your needs through a series of questions. Confused? Lost in love? Problems communicating? Don't worry, the Online Dating Hal 5000 can figure you out! In fact, when you're done, this computer program will know your needs and desires better than you do.
Remember the Broadway play “Fiddler on The Roof”? You might not, it was the first Broadway play I went to when I was seven. A song that always stuck in my head for some reason was “matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match…” The song starts as a plea to the matchmaker to bring true love straight to the altar; someone beautiful, rich, intelligent, and perfect.
But by the end of the song, the singer realizes that the Matchmaker might not be up to the task. She decides that “playing with matches, a girl can get burned”.
So, do these tests really work?
Personality tests have a long history. Really, really smart guys with names like Freud, Maslov, Fromm, and Jung developed respected psychological theories, and these theories are used as the basis for all types of tests. “The Big Five” theory suggests that there are five dimensions of personality: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Some popular personality tests use this as a foundation. Others go the “Big Three” route, which does away with the “openness” and “agreeableness” dimensions - mostly because it’s easier to remember.
I joke a little about these theories, but the truth is that they’ve survived the test of time and there is a ton of scientific research behind them. The real question is if these tests can be effective in applying a theory to the complexity of a human being. Add to this the additional layer of meshing your answers with another, equally complex person. That’s a tall order.
People have impulsive behavior that simply can’t be measured when they’re sitting, relaxed and introspective, taking one of these tests. Often our answers reflect our perfect (or hopeful) idea of ourselves. Even if we are trying our best to be honest, our impulsive behavior in real-life situations can be far different than we’d expect.
Another wildcard is attraction. We can meet someone who’s empirically good-looking, has a similar background, is kind and successful – and yet we’re not attracted. Often we can’t explain why we like another person. It may be how they make us laugh, a crooked smile – even how they smell! Sometimes little things that are immeasurable on their own can collectively make us attracted.
Human beings and our emotions and desires are far too complex, and a computer program can’t solve the riddles of our romantic lives. As Jung put it, “the meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is a reaction both are transformed”. It sounds good, but even Jung was hedging his bet when it comes to love. What will cause two individuals to react to each other? Even the developers of the study of personality would not presume that a series of questions could predict romance.
If you rely solely on matchmaking services, you are missing the entire beauty of online dating. The beauty is opportunity. Online dating offers you an almost limitless opportunity to meet and date new people. It gives you the time and space to find what best suits you. Going to a quality dating site that isn’t trying to sell you fantasy of finding your match for you will mean you will have a pool of millions of singles to meet.
Treat matchmaking options as just another fun way to explore. It can serve as an ice breaker to start a conversation, but don’t expect them to be the answer to finding your perfect match. Keep all options open and explore possibilities. As a unique individual, only can you know what works for you. You need to develop skills to communicate and meet people. Developing both online and offline dating skills is the best way to find the right relationship.
Next time you’re brushing your teeth, take a look in the mirror. See that amazing person? That’s your matchmaker with a mouthful of toothpaste. Take charge of your life and get into action! Enjoy dating and enjoy the process of discovery. Your experiences, both good and not-so-good, are essential to finding the right person for you.
I logged on to a dating site the other day and was greeted by a large, flashing message. It promised that if I took the time to answer a series of questions that they would find a "perfect match" for me. Imagine that? All the work and worry of being single - gone! We truly have evolved! Not only can computer programs manage the entire traffic system of a city and make chess grandmasters cry, but now they can lead my perfect match right to my doorstep. I always wanted a Stepford wife, I hope it comes assembled.
The recent trend in Internet Dating has been the use of a "computer personality test" of some sort. Websites claim that these tests, usually developed by a "top psychologist", have the ability to understand you and your needs through a series of questions. Confused? Lost in love? Problems communicating? Don't worry, the Online Dating Hal 5000 can figure you out! In fact, when you're done, this computer program will know your needs and desires better than you do.
Remember the Broadway play “Fiddler on The Roof”? You might not, it was the first Broadway play I went to when I was seven. A song that always stuck in my head for some reason was “matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match…” The song starts as a plea to the matchmaker to bring true love straight to the altar; someone beautiful, rich, intelligent, and perfect.
But by the end of the song, the singer realizes that the Matchmaker might not be up to the task. She decides that “playing with matches, a girl can get burned”.
So, do these tests really work?
Personality tests have a long history. Really, really smart guys with names like Freud, Maslov, Fromm, and Jung developed respected psychological theories, and these theories are used as the basis for all types of tests. “The Big Five” theory suggests that there are five dimensions of personality: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Some popular personality tests use this as a foundation. Others go the “Big Three” route, which does away with the “openness” and “agreeableness” dimensions - mostly because it’s easier to remember.
I joke a little about these theories, but the truth is that they’ve survived the test of time and there is a ton of scientific research behind them. The real question is if these tests can be effective in applying a theory to the complexity of a human being. Add to this the additional layer of meshing your answers with another, equally complex person. That’s a tall order.
People have impulsive behavior that simply can’t be measured when they’re sitting, relaxed and introspective, taking one of these tests. Often our answers reflect our perfect (or hopeful) idea of ourselves. Even if we are trying our best to be honest, our impulsive behavior in real-life situations can be far different than we’d expect.
Another wildcard is attraction. We can meet someone who’s empirically good-looking, has a similar background, is kind and successful – and yet we’re not attracted. Often we can’t explain why we like another person. It may be how they make us laugh, a crooked smile – even how they smell! Sometimes little things that are immeasurable on their own can collectively make us attracted.
Human beings and our emotions and desires are far too complex, and a computer program can’t solve the riddles of our romantic lives. As Jung put it, “the meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is a reaction both are transformed”. It sounds good, but even Jung was hedging his bet when it comes to love. What will cause two individuals to react to each other? Even the developers of the study of personality would not presume that a series of questions could predict romance.
If you rely solely on matchmaking services, you are missing the entire beauty of online dating. The beauty is opportunity. Online dating offers you an almost limitless opportunity to meet and date new people. It gives you the time and space to find what best suits you. Going to a quality dating site that isn’t trying to sell you fantasy of finding your match for you will mean you will have a pool of millions of singles to meet.
Treat matchmaking options as just another fun way to explore. It can serve as an ice breaker to start a conversation, but don’t expect them to be the answer to finding your perfect match. Keep all options open and explore possibilities. As a unique individual, only can you know what works for you. You need to develop skills to communicate and meet people. Developing both online and offline dating skills is the best way to find the right relationship.
Next time you’re brushing your teeth, take a look in the mirror. See that amazing person? That’s your matchmaker with a mouthful of toothpaste. Take charge of your life and get into action! Enjoy dating and enjoy the process of discovery. Your experiences, both good and not-so-good, are essential to finding the right person for you.
How To Make Real Money From Writing?
by: Linda Correli
The significance of writing skills is emphasized far and wide over and over again. Writing skills are called mandatory, indispensable, crucial and drastic ability, a ticket to the thriving future of the person.
The overwhelming majority of instructors and employers which were surveyed recently stressed that writing skills are critical both for academic and career success. The survey carried by Lin Grensing revealed that 79 percent of respondent executives cited writing as one of the most neglected skills in the business world, yet one of the most important to productivity. They also admitted that approximately 80 percent of their employees at all levels need to improve their writing skills.
To master good writing skills means not only to become well-educated and competent person, but as well taps you into the wealth of lucrative opportunities. It exactly means that you can turn your gift of eloquence into sideline and perhaps steady income. The money earned from writing can become a good support for you, so you can spend them on different insignificant trinkets, which will significantly reduce your general outcome.
Practically anyone can make fortune writing and selling simple information. The only question is how to market your skills for profit-making results. The best advice for those who are willing to earn extra money and have the ability to express their ideas coherently is turning their writing skills into regular decent income and enjoining the independence and freedom everyone can earn in addition to the tidy sums of money.
Here are some easy-to-follow techniques and tested principles, which will reveal you how to make money from writing immediately and on regular basis. So let’s single out top 7 winning principles of how to make money from writing.
P1. Become a freelance writer. Perhaps someone thinks that making money from freelance writing is a lottery and he’ll never enter the game without having a famous name. Indeed when you take the risks of freelance writing you don’t jeopardy really. If it is your subsidiary income you can afford yourself to try making some extra money. First, you work at home and spend very little time to get started. In any case you can indemnify yourself from the unrequited labor by specifying all the details with the client preliminary, checking up the reliability of the company or client you are dealing with or solicit for the prepaid part of compensation for your work.
P2. Figure out the markets that pay and might be interesting in something you are willing and able to write. Always remember that whether you have yen writing about evolution and reproduction of mollusks or about data communications there is an audience hungry for your articles. Thus, the best thing the newcomers can do is to search for the topics which enjoy the popularity of the audience. Hence, you should try to swim with the current and write the articles which are in demand.
P3. You can start selling your services through the service agency, so that to leave your resume and wait for the call. Large and even small companies often apply to such agencies looking for the writers. It can be a good chance for you to start and develop a circle of potential clients.
P4. When you build up a vast network of clients, you can cut out the agencies and offer your services to the clients before the agencies do.
P5. You can query the editors and offer them an interesting article idea you think you can write for them. Also you can suggest the editors articles which you have already written and which are related to the subject-matter of their journal, magazine or bulletin, so that to have a chance that your article will be published. Compose press-releases, short stories or reviews and submit them to the targeted publications.
P6. You can write postcards both humor and verse for sure if you feel you can do it and suggest them for card publishers. One more winning and quick strategy is slogan writing. It takes minimum time, but brings good awards. So you can offer your slogans to the advertising agencies and become their permanent slogan writer in case if your slogans really work.
P7. Writing and selling jokes is not only money making, but pleasant and fun strategy of earning extra cash. You can compose short comedy material, radio comedy sketches and scripts for comedians, radio or TV.
With these tested principles you will make big dividends from your part-time writing. As well as making money you’ll be having fun, socializing, meeting new people and boosting your self-confidence and self-esteem. And if you wish, you’ll be well on your way to a full-time career as a well-paid freelance writer.
The significance of writing skills is emphasized far and wide over and over again. Writing skills are called mandatory, indispensable, crucial and drastic ability, a ticket to the thriving future of the person.
The overwhelming majority of instructors and employers which were surveyed recently stressed that writing skills are critical both for academic and career success. The survey carried by Lin Grensing revealed that 79 percent of respondent executives cited writing as one of the most neglected skills in the business world, yet one of the most important to productivity. They also admitted that approximately 80 percent of their employees at all levels need to improve their writing skills.
To master good writing skills means not only to become well-educated and competent person, but as well taps you into the wealth of lucrative opportunities. It exactly means that you can turn your gift of eloquence into sideline and perhaps steady income. The money earned from writing can become a good support for you, so you can spend them on different insignificant trinkets, which will significantly reduce your general outcome.
Practically anyone can make fortune writing and selling simple information. The only question is how to market your skills for profit-making results. The best advice for those who are willing to earn extra money and have the ability to express their ideas coherently is turning their writing skills into regular decent income and enjoining the independence and freedom everyone can earn in addition to the tidy sums of money.
Here are some easy-to-follow techniques and tested principles, which will reveal you how to make money from writing immediately and on regular basis. So let’s single out top 7 winning principles of how to make money from writing.
P1. Become a freelance writer. Perhaps someone thinks that making money from freelance writing is a lottery and he’ll never enter the game without having a famous name. Indeed when you take the risks of freelance writing you don’t jeopardy really. If it is your subsidiary income you can afford yourself to try making some extra money. First, you work at home and spend very little time to get started. In any case you can indemnify yourself from the unrequited labor by specifying all the details with the client preliminary, checking up the reliability of the company or client you are dealing with or solicit for the prepaid part of compensation for your work.
P2. Figure out the markets that pay and might be interesting in something you are willing and able to write. Always remember that whether you have yen writing about evolution and reproduction of mollusks or about data communications there is an audience hungry for your articles. Thus, the best thing the newcomers can do is to search for the topics which enjoy the popularity of the audience. Hence, you should try to swim with the current and write the articles which are in demand.
P3. You can start selling your services through the service agency, so that to leave your resume and wait for the call. Large and even small companies often apply to such agencies looking for the writers. It can be a good chance for you to start and develop a circle of potential clients.
P4. When you build up a vast network of clients, you can cut out the agencies and offer your services to the clients before the agencies do.
P5. You can query the editors and offer them an interesting article idea you think you can write for them. Also you can suggest the editors articles which you have already written and which are related to the subject-matter of their journal, magazine or bulletin, so that to have a chance that your article will be published. Compose press-releases, short stories or reviews and submit them to the targeted publications.
P6. You can write postcards both humor and verse for sure if you feel you can do it and suggest them for card publishers. One more winning and quick strategy is slogan writing. It takes minimum time, but brings good awards. So you can offer your slogans to the advertising agencies and become their permanent slogan writer in case if your slogans really work.
P7. Writing and selling jokes is not only money making, but pleasant and fun strategy of earning extra cash. You can compose short comedy material, radio comedy sketches and scripts for comedians, radio or TV.
With these tested principles you will make big dividends from your part-time writing. As well as making money you’ll be having fun, socializing, meeting new people and boosting your self-confidence and self-esteem. And if you wish, you’ll be well on your way to a full-time career as a well-paid freelance writer.
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