People sometimes have misconceptions about writers’ lifestyles and the job-hunting process. It is not all about trying to get a novel published or pitching to a couple of editors. For some writers, it is not about that at all. The truth is, looking for and applying to writer jobs is mostly not any different from applying to any other job, whatever the industry. Trust me, I should know. I am a Business and Advertising major, with 3 internships, 2 office jobs and a freelance translation job under my belt. I survived many interviews, applications and CV-writing. It is also very easy to observe the job-hunting process on a multi-industrial –and even universal- basis, since we all have friends and relatives with different degrees and qualifications. And we hear about a career story pretty much everywhere. So here are the similarities:

- You research and select the job-posting websites that appeal to you most. Sites like Monster or Linkedin are great for career management. Not to mention, each country has its own sites where job ads are posted. It is no different with the writing industry.

- Many job owners reply very late. When you are not hired, most of the time the editors/business owners don’t take the time to contact you to say you weren’t hired. One of my friends had an interview at this big toy manufacturing company. The next day, he was contacted through a very sincere and personalized e-mail that they were unable to hire him. He was over the moon. Yes, he didn’t get the job but it was very refreshing that interviewers respected his time and goals.

- Even when you are hired, there is a chance they returned your email weeks, if not months, later. By the time they do, you are probably wrapped up in other projects or there is a good chance you don’t even remember you applied to that specific ad. It happened to me with writing jobs, advertising jobs and other areas I have worked in, including sales, business, marketing and public relations.

- They offer a lot less than they ask for. All employers want the perfect employee. While this makes sense at a certain level, it is fairly unfair and I’ll dare say unprofessional when the employer himself couldn’t be further from perfect. Think about it. Everyone wants the perfect candidate: Best schools, years of experience, outstanding portfolio…. Yet they rarely offer the perfect working hours, paycheck or the working environment. How many times did you come across very selective and highly demanding writing job requirements only to find out they are offering only $10 per article?

- Your happiness is the least of their concerns. Unfortunately this is most often the case. You live to make your boss/supervisor/manager/editor happy. It seems like people often forget that happy employees are more productive and successful.

- You usually need to wait for at the end of the payment period to see if they really pay. No matter how we much we ask around and google the company, we can’t always be sure the payment will appear in our bank accounts. Sometimes the firm is too small or new for us to acquire their “credentials” and reputations. And sometimes we just want or need the job so badly that we take our chances.

- Some ads have requirements that are totally hypocritical or plain irrational, like wanting writers only from certain countries (with the few exceptions. A Chicago lifestyle writer has to be from Chicago. We have no objections to that). Some expect you to give you sample of work when they haven’t even offered the pay rate and/or the name of the company. Or some expect you to be a blogger with a blog –ranked 3 or 4 on Google and offering you 10/15$ a piece. If I have that page rank, I won’t bother with that pay rate. Talking about other industries, I used to work at a customer relations job where was paid about $900 a month and was expected to work on Saturdays as well. I was one time interviewed at a public relations agency. The woman wanted me to work for 3 months for free, as a trial period. Of course, I said no.

- You need a customized CV. Not all of your experiences or hoobies are relevant to any give job. You need to higlight different areas. Applying to Coca-Cola may require a different resume than applying to Nike. The same goes for writing. 

         How familiar has these processes sounded to you? You have probably been there, done that. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments.