As a freelancer it is very important for you to take the right step to attract an employer to choose you from among numerous bids that is placed in popular freelance portals such as oDesk and freelancer.com.
Avoid Mistakes
A common mistake that most freelance writers do is giving a very vague reply to a job ad. This would cost you dearly, because not only would you not be able to get the job, but you also make a wrong impression to the employer who may be a person who is need of work very often.
Such prospective employers would shun you thereafter even if your approach the second time is better. Remember; a wrong impression once made is very hard to be removed.
Another more prominent is the mistake most people do, using a template type of reply that is just a copy and paste and poses you as a person who is not that qualified to do their job.
Using Right Words
It is very important to use the right words and structure while replying for a job ad. For example, use bullet points to describe your writing skills. This captures the attention of the prospective employer faster and lets them to look into your better qualifications quicker.
Make the points such that you emphasize the point that perfectly suits the job that you are applying for, first and then the others after that. This evokes interest in your work and lets the reader to read further rather than losing interest in the first point itself.
Give Suitable Samples
This is one important point that most newbie writers fail to ponder upon. You have to take care to submit a sample of your work that is most relevant to the job posting.
Suppose you are applying for a job in the health niche, giving a sample that is related to it would fetch better chances of being selected. Some people tend to keep a set of samples saved and send the same set to every job posting. This has to be avoided, if you are seriously searching for a freelance job.
Give an Accomplishable Goal
I have come across applications wherein the people tend to promise to complete 10 X 1000 words per day. The first thing that would cross my mind is ?how can that be possible by any human?. Well, if you are a group that different altogether, whereas when you apply for a job as a single person give some goal that seems real.
Reach To the Person
Remember, when you are applying for a job, you are selling to real persons and not any search engine, so make sure that you put in words that are straight forward and does not beat round the bush. People would lose interest if you were to tell stories to them.
They are outsourcing mainly because they do not have much time and if you were to waste their time, you are in for trouble.
Use a Different Subject Line
When I post a job opportunity, my inbox begins getting applications in tens and hundreds immediately. Most of them would read ?Re-writer required?. When hundred subjects come in with the same subject seldom would you want to open every one of them?
Thus a catchy subject would do the trick and gives an opportunity of your application being gone through. You can go for subjects like
?Your search for the best writer ends here?
?You would not find a better writer?
?Choose me and you would not regret?
Conclusion
Thus, it is not important to apply to a job; the most important thing is how you apply to the job.
You have to first get the attention of the employer, make him/her read your application, give him/her the impression that you are the best choice and invoke confidence in your capacity.
When you do all this in the right manner you would be able to get the job at the first go. I have got many, so would you too; the right approach is what is necessary.
