(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

Dear Anne,
I’m a regular reader of your newsletter and always look inside the job postings list. I would like to find a writing job I can do from home one day but it is proving to be rather difficult.

One thing is that some jobs are for US based people only. Another obstacle is that they sometimes want someone with a long experience in a special field. Hmmm.. it’s not going well so far.

I teach English to foreigners for a living but do not have any qualifications in journalism or any degrees. I am new to writing and all I have to show is 3 articles printed in a magazine some years ago.

So my question is … When prospective employers on craigslist ask for a resume what should I write? I think my difficulty is shared by all new writers without lengthy experience!

ZZ

Hi ZZ,

I’m glad you find the site and the job postings helpful.

I don’t use a resume as such, but what I call a Credit List. You can see mine at www.annewayman.com/resume.htm Remember, I’ve been freelancing for years and years. But I remember what it was like. Well, that, for me, was before the ‘net…

I know I see and post writing gigs for ESL teachers - not often, but they’re out there. You do, however, have experience teaching which should give you some stories to tell and/or tips about what you do.

Don’t underestimate the value of the three articles even though they were awhile ago. It’s okay if your current credit list only has three items - that’s three more than someone who is really just beginning.

You might want to review No Writing Clips? No Problem! You may find you have more credits than you think.

You also indicate you’re not in the United States. Since most of the jobs I post are in the U.S., be sure you have a PayPal account or other way to make it super simple for someone in this country to pay you.

If you’re serious about a freelance writing career, invest in a website.

With all these elements in place, persistence is the key.

Good luck!

Do you have a question about freelance writing? Ask Anne, The Writing Pro - that’s me ;) Ask in the comments or send an email and put Q&A in the subject line so I can sort it out from spam and I’ll do my best. Meanwhile, you’ll find some Q&A’s here:

Ask Anne, The Pro Writer

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

Without a doubt, the biggest interest freelance writers have is how to get a gig. Experienced writers are almost always looking for the next writing job while, obviously perhaps, new writers are longing for their first. Writing experience does matter; I’d be fooling you if I said anything else. It’s way easier for me to get a gig than the first time I went for one. I’ve got so many credits they can seem intimidating. You may, however, have more experience than you think. Over time I’ve rarely if every run into people who truly want to earn their living via freelance writing who haven’t done some writing they can claim as credit, even if they didn’t get paid for it.

Have you, for example, written any of these:

• A newsletter for your church or other organization
• An article for a newsletter
• An article, even a short one, for a neighborhood newspaper
• A letter to an editor that got published
• A classified ad that sold what you were advertising
• Business letters
• An essay that got you into college or graduate school
• A winning entry to a contest requiring some writing, maybe a slogan or a jingle

This list is just to get you started. Make you’re own. Jot down anything at all that could remotely be considered a writing credit.

Part of the reason for this list is to encourage yourself so you can begin to see that you do have some writing experience, even if they seem obscure. Another reason is so you can begin to build your own credit list.

You may have to be a bit creative in how you state the items on your list. So if your classified ad sold your old birdcage, frame it as “successful classified ad writing” or some such. Don’t lie, but feel free to frame the truth so it shows your writing at its best.

I wrote an article called: No Writing Clips? No Problem! You might find it helpful.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

We end this week with 44 Writing, Blogging, Editing and Translation Jobs.

That’s 159 freelance writing, editing, etc. jobs this week. Freelance employment offers do seem to be slowing a bit; it may just be summer or it may be part of the general economy, although often freelancing increases during tough time.s

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

Just posted 63 Writing, Blogging, Editing and Translation Jobs.

Want help applying for a freelance writing job? How To Apply For A Freelance Writing Job has a lot of solid and helpful information.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
We start the week with 52 Writing, Blogging, Editing and Translation Jobs.

Remember, if you get a job through these postings we want to hear about it!

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

We end this week with 71 Writing, Blogging, Editing and Translation Jobs.

That brings this week’s total writing etc. jobs posted to 172.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

Well, we’ve got 51 Writing, Blogging, Editing and Translation Jobs.

I can’t get to one of my sources today… don’t you just love it when a site you count on is down? Are you old enough to remember life before the net?

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)

As you might expect, I get lots of questions about how to apply for a freelance writing job. Yesterday I put together a whole page on the topic.

It’s listed over there on the right, the first entry under “Pages” and titled How To Apply For A Freelance Writing Job.

Now, tell me what I left out or what should be added and I will.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
We start this week with 50 Writing, Blogging, Editing and Translation Jobs.

How’s your search for writing gigs going?

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

(www.thegoldenpencil.com)
We end the week with 60 Writing, Blogging, Editing and Translation Jobs.

I think that’s 180 or 182 jobs this week… I got one count wrong I know.

Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing - a resource for freelance writers including 3x a week job postings.
Writing With Vision - for those who want to get a book written.

Image from http://www.sxc.hu