The company is more concerned about finding the right person to hire for a writing job if they have an opening. There are tons of employment opportunities for writers. Next, your direct mail letter should include some information about you as a writer to add credibility to your background. A brief, one-page resume would assist in this effort. Last, and most important, you need to have a call to action in your letter. A call to action is material where you tell the person who is reading the letter exactly what you want them to do. For example, ''If you have a need for a professional writer and feel my background matches your needs, please call me so that we can set up an appointment to explore how I could help your company.''
If you find that you receive responses from these direct mail letters with companies who are interested in hiring a writer, you need to be prepared. First, you need a freelance writing portfolio which contains samples of the types of writing you have done. It is best to have a diverse sample of many different types of writing you did since you do not know entirely what type of writing a company is looking for. Second, you need to be prepared with some references your potential employer can call to get information on you and the quality of the writing work you did for these people.
Before providing a list of references you need to first call these references to make sure they would give a positive reference for you. Second, you should only provide references to a potential employer after the employer has indicated that they have a serious interest in you. This is because you do not want lots of people calling your references unless there is a strong potential that you will get hired.
Before your employment interview you should also be prepared for potential questions you may be asked and have effective answers to those questions. These questions and potential answers are as follows:
1. Q: Why do you want to work here?
A: Because I feel that your company can provide me with the kind of opportunity that would take full advantage of my writing skills.
2. Q: What type of salary are you looking for?
A: That would depend on what the responsibilities of the job are, but I would say the salary I am looking for is in the range of _____to _____. (You should have already researched what the type of writing job you are applying for pays before the interview.)
3. Q: What are your strengths?
A: I can complete a writing assignment under tight deadlines and still provide quality work. I also work well with others and am highly motivated when it comes to writing.
4. Q: Everyone has weaknesses—what are yours?
A: I would say one of my weaknesses is that I sometimes get impatient with others who are not as focused on getting the job done as intently as I am.
You should also be prepared with a good set of questions to ask your potential employer, because questions indicate a serious interest in a position and also communicate a great deal about you. If you ask intelligent questions you will be perceived better. Some sample questions could include:
1. Who had this job before me and why did they leave?
2. What is your management style as someone who would be hiring me?
3. What are the most important things you look for in hiring a new employee?
4. Could you give me an idea of the types of writing assignments I will be given?
5. How many people work in this department and what are their responsibilities?
6. What opportunities are there for career advancement in the company?
7. How long have you worked for this company?
8. What do you think the biggest challenges are that I would face if I worked here as a writer?
9. Is this the only writing position in this department?
There are many employment opportunities for writers. You just have to know how to pursue these opportunities. There are tons of writing opportunities for writers; you just have to know where to look. You can even be successful working in freelance writing jobs from home if you know how. Just remember, if you have a passion for writing you can be successful in the writing industry.
