I recently asked Jodee over at FreelanceWritingGigs to publish an advertisement for new writers for one of my blogs.  As is the norm,  I was impressed by the overall standard of the responses.  Most of the writers had great samples, online portfolios, links to other blogs they had written for, and a clear message in their application as to why my writing position appealed to them.  One or two, however, stood out as examples of how to shoot down your career before it has even begun.

If you have ever had to wade through job applications you will be aware that many will contain bad spelling, typos and other errors.  However, what struck me as even more unbelievable than a writer application riddled with basic writing errors was the obvious lack of awareness of who they were up against.

Writers: know thy peers!

Today more than ever, there is a hungry army of writers, journalists and bloggers all fighting for jobs.  They are armed with clips from some of the top publications in the country, with glowing recommendations from editors and clients alike.  They have decades of experience and a determination to keep learning new techniques and skills to stay on top of their game. Yet some wannabe writers are still thinking small time when they apply for jobs, or pitch a query.

Here are some of my tips for stepping up to the (high) bar of applying for work as a professional writer:

• Get to know who you are up against.
  Find the websites or online profiles for some of the writers that you admire.  Does their website stand out?  Does it showcase their writing?  What kind of clips or references do they have?  These will be their ammunition when fighting for a job.  Can you outgun them?
• Think about what gives you the edge.
  What makes you special?  Why should someone hire you?  You absolutely must know this and point it out in your applications.  What are your top skills or attributes as a writer?  List these and then explain why they will benefit the client.
• Ready, aim, fire.
  Be organized when applying for a job, or pitching.  Make sure that any links in your application work,  double check your website for errors and make sure all of the information you are supplying is up to date.
• Ready, fire, aim.
  In complete contradiction to what I said above, sometimes an 80% perfect application delivered before anyone else's can get your foot in the door if time is of the essence to the client.  Put off applying until everything is perfect and you might miss out.  What?  Don't like contradictions?  All is fair in love and freelance!
• Don't reveal your weakness.
  This one really threw me in the applications I received.  Several of them started out by saying 'I have never blogged before, but...' or 'I don't know anything about your subject but...'  Only apply for a job if you are confident that you can do it.
• Show them what you are made of
  Does your cover letter reflect your writing style and personality?  Start as you mean to go on and write your application as if you already had the job.