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I recently advertised for freelance copywriters to work for my copywriting business and received some 200 applications. I've done quite a bit of recruiting in the past, so, from the outset, I knew exactly what sort of expertise I was after. I also knew I'd be inundated with applications, and that the applicants would come from all sorts of backgrounds with varying levels of copywriting expertise. I was very specific about the application requirements, and I had systems set up to filter and categorize applications. I thought I had it all covered. I should have known I couldn't be that lucky!
When the applications started rolling in, I was dumbfounded. All of my best intentions and systems notwithstanding, the applicants seemed intent on ruling themselves out of contention by sending sub-standard application emails. They were so bad that, at times, I felt like I was shortlisting based on the quality of the application, rather than the quality of the applicant.
This article is for any writer - experienced or not - who plans to apply for a copywriting job. It presents 12 tips (in order of importance) on how to apply in such a way that you stand a chance of making the shortlist.
1) Follow Instructions If the job ad contains instructions, follow them. If it contains instructions which are labelled "IMPORTANT", and which are formatted bold and red, you can assume they're somewhat important and that there's a reason for them. Follow them! Read and re-read the ad to make sure you've followed every instruction. If the ad says apply via email, apply via email! If it says to use "Copywriter Application" as the subject line, use "Copywriter Application" as the subject line! If it says to visit a website, provide a quote, supply three copy samples, and include your resume, DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS! If you don't follow the simple, obvious instructions in a job ad, the employer will have no faith that you'll be able to adhere to a complex copywriting brief!
2) Less is More Don't waste the employer's time. Remember, they're hiring a freelance copywriter because they need someone to take on a bit of their workload. They're 'time poor'. Keep your application short 'n' sweet. This is your chance to show what you're capable of, so don't fall into the trap of using big words and complex sentences. Less is more.
3) Show How You'll Help Their Business Try to see things from the employer's perspective. Most employers who advertise for freelancer copywriters are looking for people who can help them streamline their business. Employers - particularly copywriting studios, advertising agencies and web design agencies - who want freelance copywriters are trying to 'productize' copywriting. They want to be able to 'turn the handle': they want an affordable freelance copywriter who can be relied upon to deliver client-ready first draft copy, with minimal supervision. They're trying to build a copywriter factory line. Remember this when you apply, and try to show how you'll help them achieve this goal.
4) Make Your Application Scannable Once again, remember that the employer doesn't have a lot of time. So make your copywriter application easy to scan. Don't just write one long block of text. Use short paragraphs, headings and bullets, and bold the important bits.
5) Address the Requirements If the copywriter ad lists the requirements of the job, make sure you address them, individually. (But remember, keep it short 'n' sweet.)
6) Be Open and Honest Don't oversell yourself; if the story told by your samples and resume doesn't match your sales spiel, you'll be discounted. If you don't have the experience or expertise to satisfy one or more of the requirements, say so. And don't lie about your experience or include samples you didn't actually write. This may get you one job, but you may not get paid for it, and you'll certainly never get another. And remember, the copywriting world is very small; everyone knows everyone, and warnings about deceptive freelancers travel very fast along the grapevine.
7) Provide Relevant Samples If the job ad asks you to supply samples of your copy, do everything in your power to find and supply samples that are relevant. The ad may specify the kind of samples you need to supply, but if not, take a look at the employer's website, and send samples that are relevant to their main service offering. If they do mostly web copy, send web copy samples. If they do short copy, send short copy samples. And if you don't have any relevant samples, try to identify the core qualities required by the employer, and send samples that show you possess those qualities. (e.g. If the employer does mostly online brochure-type web copy, you'll need to supply samples which show your ability to simultaneously capture a product and an audience, and maybe even educate the audience.)
8) Don't Expect Immediate Feedback Because most job ads attract hundreds of applications, and because the employer is still trying to run their business, you can't expect immediate feedback on your application. Don't send a reminder email after a day or two days. If you're going to send a reminder, do it after a week or two weeks. And, unless the ad says to call, don't call! Phone calls take up a lot of time, and this can be very frustrating to a busy employer who, most likely, has no feedback to give yet, anyway.
9) Don't Use Broken English If you're applying for a job as an English-language copywriter, you have to have a solid mastery of English. If your application is written in broken English, you WILL NOT get the role; you're simply wasting your time and the employer's time.
10) Proof-Read Your Application Nothing undermines a copywriter more than mistakes in spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax (he says as he nervously scans his article!). Pay close attention to detail. You may be applying for quite a few roles, but don't hurry through your application; always take the time to proof-read and spell-check. TIP: Although it's not a show-stopper, try to spell the employer's correctly!
11) Don't Ask for Work Experience Unless the ad specifically states that unpaid work experience is a possibility, don't ask for it. While it certainly indicates great enthusiasm, most employers simply don't have the time to mentor a junior copywriter, even if they're not paying the writer anything.
12) Don't Ask for a Critique of Your Writing If your application is unsuccessful, feel free to ask why not, but don't ask the employer to critique your writing. Explaining why your writing is inadequate is a very time consuming task, and it's not the responsibility of a prospective employer. If you ever had a chance at a call-back somewhere down the line, this is the surest way to lose it.
Conclusion You'd be surprised how many freelance copywriter applicants DON'T observe the above guidelines. These applicants make the employer's job extremely frustrating and time consuming, and they all but rule themselves out of contention. Follow all of the above tips when applying for your next freelance copywriter position, and you'll be a very big step ahead of your competition.
Happy applying! About The Author: Glenn Murray is an SEO copywriter and article submission and article PR specialist. Visit http://www.DivineWrite.com or http://www.ArticlePR.com for details.
Source:www.webmasterinfoandcontent.com
Do you know the secret that allowed 100% of the top Internet Marketers to become successful?
Amazingly though, even if you read all their books, attend their seminars, or even ask them in person, you'll probably never discover the one true secret of their success.
Why?
Because they probably don't even know themselves ...
They're too caught up in marketing techniques. They may be totally unaware of why almost everything they're involved in becomes a success.
Would you like to know their secret?
Listen closely:
All truly successful people live in alignment with their passions ... they're fulfilling their purpose in life. They're living their own dreams.
The famous theologian William Barclay once said, "There are two great days in a person's life--the day we are born and the day we discover why."
Most people, regardless of religion or lack of religion, instinctively feel that there's a higher purpose to life ... and that if they could determine their mission in life, they'd be much more happy and satisfied.
Once you start to follow your passions and mission in life, the Universe (God or Nature, depending on what you believe) seems to start helping you achieve your goals, often by presenting startling opportunities for you ...
In a recent interview with Janet Attwood, she revealed a remarkable tool that'll help you quickly determine your purpose in life--The Passion Test.
The simple test, a series of probing questions that you ask yourself, will quickly help you identify your top passions, what's really important in your life.
According to Attwood, "The number-one reason people don't get what they want is--is they don't know what they want."
Once you discover your passions and align your life with them, success comes quickly and automatically.
What's more startling, she found that every single highly successful person who's taken the test (Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, T. Harv Eker, Dan Poynter, to name a few) already are accomplishing their top passions.
Undoubtedly knowing your passions speeds up the path to success.
Most importantly, she also revealed ways to help you realign your life to help you follow those passions.
The one key ingredient in reaching any goal or accomplishment is that you must totally love and enjoy whatever you are wanting to appear in your life.
It has to be your dream, not someone else's.
Do you really want a million dollars or would you rather have someone to love and be loved back?
Do you want that mansion or would you rather travel and not be tied down to any geographical location?
Only you can decide ...
After taking the Passion Test, I was profoundly changed in the way I view my life.
For me, I discovered that my number one passion is gaining dynamic health, my number two passion is improving myself, and three is mastering the guitar.
I realize now that I've put those desires on the back burner while I worked totally on survival goals (you know, making money and dealing with life's obstacles).
With that in mind, it's clear to me that I've missed out on a lot of joys that accomplishments in those areas would have brought me.
So I have a lot of work ahead of me to bring my life back into alignment with my most important passions ...
Maybe it's time I do something with the domain name that I've owned for several years (and done nothing with) that's focused on health and self-improvement.
What about you? You owe it to yourself to discover your passions. It'll help you in all areas of your life and in your Internet business.
Rick Miller is a Certified Master of Web Copywriting and co-founder of List Crusade. We've arranged scholarships for 50 of our readers to get the audio lesson with Janet Attwood for free, along with 26 weeks of training from Jay Abraham, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Joe Vitale, Robert Allen, Dr. Robert Anthony and other top self-help/wealth gurus--simply visit: http://www.ScientificInternetMarketing.com/attwood
Source:www.webmasterinfoandcontent.com