Turn Yourself Into A Freelance Writer

The job market isn't too great at the moment, and I know a lot of people who should have a job. They're qualified, willing, inventive and hard-working, but there still aren't any companies willing to hire them unless they have experience.

So how do you get around this? It's not like you can just give yourself a job.

Well, actually you can.

I didn't just send off my CV and hoped for the best, I put myself at the top of the list of potentials by doing extra research and work. I called up the owner of the company, asked them about the job, made sure they knew my name, put across how keen I was to work and then showed off a little bit (only a little bit, you don't want to look arrogant).

When I was in my second year of university, I needed a job to help out financially. At first, I did what all the other job hunters were doing: handed out CV's to retail stores nearby, filled out online forms and took any quick-cash chores I could.

After a lot of failed job applications, I tried a different approach. I contacted a company called Right Casino Media that was advertising a job for a permanent, full-time writing position. I called them up and spoke with the owner for a while about the job. I asked whether he would be able to offer the job with less, more flexible hours, so that I could fit it around my university schedule. As expected, he politely declined. 

Did I stop there? Nope.

Instead of just giving up, I tried something else. I asked them if they would let me write an article for them, free of charge. I also directed them towards a blog that I updated regularly to show off my writing skills. They perked up at this, and shortly after had sent me over a piece of work to write for one of their websites, LiveRoulette.co.uk.

I finished the article within a couple of hours, and sent it off to them. They called me back and said they liked the piece and wanted permission to post it on LiveRoulette.co.uk. After some general small talk, they asked "Would you be willing to do this again?" We finished the conversation by exchanging contact details and times that we would be able to contact each other.

Every time they sent me overwork, they would give me time to write it in and the amount I'd be paid, I was always happy to accept their terms. After I finished my degree, I was immediately given a full-time job at Right Casino Media in a professional environment. I've only been here for 6 months and I've gained so much experience that I shouldn't have trouble moving to another job when the time is right (not just yet though, I like it here).

So that's my story, it wasn't the traditional way of job hunting, but putting all of my effort into one job didn't only get me some money whilst I was at university, it also secured me a full-time job afterward.

So here are my pointers on how you can get yourself a job:

Make yourself memorable. 

One CV in a storm of job applications is easy to forget. It's not easy making yourself stand out on a piece of paper, especially when you're not really allowed to be imaginative with formal applications. So do something different.

Try and get some face (or phone) time with the business, let them know your name, your story, and just have a good chat. The phone call will last in their mind a lot longer than a piece of paper ever will.

Strut your stuff.

So you've made yourself memorable, good. Do you know who else is memorable? Hitler. So now you need to make sure you're remembered for the right reasons. You don't need to look like you're the king/queen of grammar, but you'll always want to show them an example of how good your work is.

Make sure you have a piece of work ready to hand to them, or you can offer to do a piece for free and point them in the direction of other, more casual written work you've done before (like a blog). It shows your potential employer that you're not completely new to writing.

 

 

Don't let yourself down.

Make sure you live up to your expectations. Don't rush the job, and when you're finished, keep going over it to get rid of any silly mistakes like spelling or grammar errors.

Remember, a freelance job isn't necessarily permanent, if you don't continue to show your worth, or if you prove to be problematic, then you might not get business again. Don't be lazy with your work, because they might not come back to you.

The finishing touches. 

Everything's done; it's written, edited, and ready. Hand the article in and make sure you brief your soon-to-be employers. This brief should always include an overview of what you've written and any additional information you've included.

You should also let them know that you can take questions on the piece and you're also willing to do some extra editing, just in case you've missed something out (you probably won't get it right first time).

That's all there is to it really, although I've probably made it look easier than it actually is. Even if you follow all these steps, there's no guarantee you'll get the work. On the other hand, there's no harm in trying, and you'll make more of an impression than you would if you just hand in a CV. Just remember you want people to remember you, and how well you would fit into their business.

Entrepreneur Michael Charalambous, the co-owner and Director of Right Casino Media, wrote this post. Michael and his business partner have grown from operating just one website to over 30 in the space of two years, expanding into their own office in the process with a team of six employees.

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