Smarter Ways to Make Yourself a Better Hire

A resume that contains relevant experience, a persuasive cover letter, and a solid writing portfolio will always make a job candidate stand out. However, if there is a talented pool of fellow applicants with similar qualifications, a freelancer may not stand a chance at being interviewed or considered for hire.

By taking extra steps, and thinking about more than the typical expectations, a creative freelance writer will be recognized for his or her efforts. Here are some ways in which writers can distinguish themselves from the pack:

Post testimonials on professional website or blog

Most employers are going to ask for recommendations. Why wait for them to ask, though? If testimonials are out in the open, potential employers will see this as a positive. “True testimonials speak from the heart and can sell a product or service better than the best of your marketing tools,” said Write Choice for You‘s Usha Silva. “They come from a client who has subscribed to what you sell, has enjoyed it and is willing to share his positive feedback with the world. No amount of money can buy that kind of marketing, and no amount of money should.”

Utilize twitter to court potential clients

Twitter is useful to writers for a number of reasons. If writers have strong followings, when they tweet out their stories, it’s more likely they will see higher pageviews and engagement. This can come in the form of comments on the stories or retweets. Clients will be happy to take writers on if it means more traffic..

Twitter can also function as a means to build a writers’ influence in a certain field, according to Worldwide Freelance. “Start tweeting about your niche or industry and start to build up your reputation as an expert.” It also suggests writers follow potential clients to “try to get to know them and to discover what they are looking for.”

Pretty-up your blog

It’s important, even for writers, to pick attractive designs for their blogs and format stories well. Blogger Brandon Yanofsky, of Make a Living Writing, says that everything from the color of the site to the font a writer chooses and the amount of white space matters (by the way, there should be at most three colors, a sans-serif or serif font should be used, and make sure to include white space).

“Have you ever picked up a book and started reading just because the cover was interesting?,” he wrote. “If you have, you’ve experienced firsthand the power of design. Beautiful books just beg to be picked up and read. Likewise, your website’s visitors are more likely to read your articles if they are well-designed.” The same applies to potential clients and employers.

Guest write to infiltrate a niche

Guest blogging not only increases a writers’ visibility in a niche, but it can also be used to forge a new connection. When a writer steps in for a blog and posts his or her piece, he is essentially doing the editor a favor. “Once you play hero (successfully) to your host, and his fans are commenting, complimenting, and sharing your content, it won’t matter how far above you that your host is in the blogging hierarchy – you’ve reached the inner circle and can be considered a trusted associate,” said blogger Sean Platt. Guest blogging can lead to better and better connections, and it’s an excellent way to build up references and possible testimonials.

Branding 

Branding goes beyond a catch phrase, snappy website, and a nice looking logo, according to Genevieve DeGuzman of Freelance Switch. Freelancers who want to stand out as better hires need to make sure they have a consistent voice, that their distinct personalities shine through in their work, and that they can clearly identify what makes them different. “Your client says to you, ‘This is what I want to do. How can you do it differently and better (and at a competitive price) than others?’ Part of the function of your branding is to answer that question to some extent.”