Tag Archives: writing jobs

resources

Need a Gig? Try Krop

I just stumbled across this job site for creatives while reading through a great list of freelance resources at FreelanceSwitch. Krop.com offers a variety of gigs for creatives, and while the opportunities listed at Krop for writers are fewer than a graphic designers, you can still find some new media jobs where the boss is hungry for writing skills. In our new (dead) economy, chances are everyone you know is looking around to see where they might be able to hook up on the rebound when that main gig or gravy-train freelance work dries up.

Of course, none of the freelancers I know are hurting at present, but you never know when you might need to take a few extra jobs to replace a skittish publisher for a little while.  If your current markets are getting tougher to sell, have a look at Krop and see what you can find…

advice, editorial

Confessions of an Editor: How NOT To Write a Cover Letter

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I couldn’t resist. This is a section from an actual response I received after putting out a call for writers. My ad specifically mentions article writing, research, SEO-optimized content and other specifics. So what does one boy-wonder, college edutcated job seeker write in response to “New Writers and Writing Interns Wanted”?

“To Whom It May Concern,”

STRIKE ONE–This guy doesn’t know TWIMC is the kiss of death in the minds of many editors, or at least the ones I know.

“Please consider my resume for the position that I saw
advertised on your website.”

STRIKE TWO–this was a Craigslist ad. Can anyone say “form letter”? Continue reading Confessions of an Editor: How NOT To Write a Cover Letter →

advice, editorial

Confessions of an Editor, Part Three

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When I posted a call for writers on Craigslist recently, I was flooded with replies. Two of those replies stood out to me because of their exceptional writing samples.

Unfortunately, “exceptional” in this case does not equal “great writing”.

I recieved two e-mails from two different people who included sexual content in their samples. One writer’s first sample runs an opening sentence discussing his younger sister’s developing breasts, the second writer’s opening line included a reference to oral sex with a tongue piercing.

Neither of these two samples are “wrong” per se, unless of course you take the time to read what the actual job post is about. Nowhere in the Craigslist ad do you find anything about creative nonfiction, Hunter Thompson-style journalism, or whatever these two job seekers were aspiring to with these two samples. The ad uses phrases like “SEO optimized content”, “e-commerce” and “research”, so what these job seekers were thinking when they submitted such writing samples is a mystery.

Chances are, they weren’t thinking at all. Continue reading Confessions of an Editor, Part Three →

editorial, resources

Chris Bibey Says You Too Can Earn 9K per Month as a Freelancer

You have to admire the cajones of a freelancer who lists his monthly earnings on his blog, especially when those earnings are near 10K in a single month. Chris Bibey’s ChrisBlogging.com is an inspiration even to this jaded old hack. I am sorely tempted to pay homage to Bibey by listing my own freelance income for this month, but it would be a shameless grab for credibility on my part (I’m not accusing Bibey of the same thing, mind you) even though I WAS surprised to see someone actively blogging about my tax bracket as a writer.

Now that last bit was totally disingenuous, wasn’t it? On one side of my mouth I say I won’t brag, on the other I let slip that I have a peer in the high income bracket. Pathetic. Ahh, well. If you can’t beat ’em, join em. For the record though, nobody EVER knows how long that gravy train will last, and you constantly judge your game by higher and higher standards. If I miss an apostrophe in this blog, or repeat the word “probably”, I’m giving myself a mental curb-stomping.

Back to Bibey. His blog has some serious advice for beginners in this game of ours, and I am happy to say that a sharp writer will notice a few advanced tricks on display that, while Bibey doesn’t WRITE about them, you can deduce WTF is going on just by paying attention. Don’t worry, Chris, I won’t give the game away–but I will say that using Associated Content as you have is a brilliant move. For those who can look at Bibey’s site and sort it out, marvel at his marketing genius. For those who can’t, well…that’s your tough luck. One day you’ll figure it out for yourself, and give it a shot.

See, kids–in spite of our altrusitc blogging on sites like these, there are some secrets that freelancers hang on to for themselves. Those in the know are already chuckling, those who don’t get it are wondering why we’re such utter bastards for holding out. Trust me, when you get your own little bag of tricks going you won’t be so quick to share all your hard work, either. But Bibey makes with the sage advice in many ways a new freelancer really should take to heart. This is a great site and my new favorite recommendation to newcomers.

advice, editorial, lifestyle

Confessions of an Editor, Part Two

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Since I took my recent editing gig at an Internet publication and e-commerce site I won’t name here, I’ve jumped into the hiring game headfirst. I put out a recent call for writers and as expected, I was flooded with responses.

Regular readers of this site may recall me complaining in my last Confessions entry about a good 50% of the replies, which are totally useless. I won’t be responding to any of them because of a simple inability to follow directions. I won’t even send a mean-spirited note to say, “Drop dead!”

A disturbingly large portion of the responses–with or without my automatic dismissal based on the above–also had shoddy grammar in the cover letter, and writing samples riddled with errors. Folks, here’s a FREE WRITING SECRET for you straight from the desk of yours truly; Continue reading Confessions of an Editor, Part Two →

editorial

How to Respond to Writing Job Ads on Craigslist

I will be the first to point out that there’s a high signal-to-noise ratio on Craigslist, especially for writers. That said, you can sometimes find real opportunities there, and I’d caution new writers against dismissing it out of hand. When I worked as Managing Editor at Gearwire.com, I once put out a call for writers that had almost no effect other than making me laugh. I did manage to hire one good writer, but a good 90% of the responses I got went instantly into the trash. Here’s why:

Continue reading How to Respond to Writing Job Ads on Craigslist →