Let’s just say it. Some job postings are there to attract tons of responses. And they get what they ask for.
Why would anyone want to attract tons of job applicants? And exactly why is that bad?
First, let’s look at an example of the cattle call.
We looking for a freelance copyeditor to review and edit a range of short-form copy on a daily basis (~10-12 hours a week).
That’s the entirety of an ad that recently appeared on a forum. What do these people do? What kind of writing do they need? You can’t really tell from that ad, can you?
No, but if you click through to the company’s website from the link provided, you’ll see it’s a computer software firm in another country.
So let’s get to why this is bad:
The more freelancers vying for a questionable job, the lower the price the client will pay goes.
Don’t think they won’t do that.
Within a day of the post appearing, over 60 freelancers had applied. How many of those freelancers actually checked out what the company does? And how many of them read deeply enough into the job posting to realize they have to be on hand every single day? That’s what it says in that sentence up there. “daily basis” could mean weekends, for this company didn’t specify.
And yet 60+ freelancers applied. How many asked questions? How many thought to check them out? Doubtful it was all 60+.
There’s a two-pronged issue here, though. The first is the vague ad asking for a freelancer to give up free time for the gig. But there’s an equally disturbing issue right under our noses:
Freelancers are buying into it.
And what kind of pitch are they sending? Well, if history is any indication, it went something like this:
“I’ve written about a wide range of topics, including X, Y, and Z.”
Oh my lord, let me sign you up right now. No wait, sorry. Just kidding.
And if you send out a pitch like that to any potential client, you must be kidding, too.
So how are we going to fix these issues? Well, the first one is simple:
[bctt tweet=”Stop responding to #freelancewriting cattle calls.” username=”LoriWidmer”]
These aren’t jobs for freelance professionals. They’re jobs for wanna-be writers and beginners who haven’t been screwed over enough yet to discern between good and bad opportunities. (Pssst: It’s bad. Really bad.)
Frankly, I’m of the opinion that most (not all) job postings don’t fit professional writers. That said, ones you find on LinkedIn or vetted sites can sometimes be worth your effort. However, in general, I’d much rather you make your own opportunities and not rely on someone else to do your fishing for you.
The second issue is a bit tougher to fix. It requires giving up something that far too many freelancers are clinging to:
Laziness.
It’s damn lazy to just toss out one line thinking you’re all cool and aloof and dripping in the “hire me” mojo. Honey, you’re not. Aloof never instills confidence in your clients, and cool doesn’t compute when a client wants someone who will get the job done.
And another thing, while I’m on a roll. Lots of job postings ask people to send resumes to a certain email. Seems there are a lot of writers or would-be writers out there whose “application” is nothing more than a “I’m interested in the job. Check out my profile and get in touch at ….”
Really? You’re going to make the client find you? Tell me you don’t expect to be hired by saying “I can’t really be bothered sending a resume like you asked. Just look at my LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter/website profile and get back to me.”
That writer just failed the first test: not following directions. Inability to read through the job posting and glean the necessary information. Lack of attention to detail.
In other words, that’s all bad stuff this writer just did in one lazy-assed move.
So let’s fix it like so:
- Follow directions thoroughly (remember, this is your first test)
- Don’t take part in obvious cattle calls for freelancers
- Put the effort into finding clients and building relationships
That last one will give you plenty more mileage than a one-liner, half-baked response to a job posting from a company that’s deliberately vague.
You deserve better than that. And your next client deserves a writer who is willing to put the work into their projects.
Writers, have you answered a cattle call before without realizing it?
What are some of the telltale signs you see that a posting is not worth your time? What would make it better?