Comments on: Why They Don’t Hire You

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:48:34 +0000

Great points, Devon. Learning the craft and understanding how that affects the product is essential.

Paula, having been trapped by one such writer last year at the show, I wholeheartedly agree. Overshare and Too Much Information were his calling cards.

I say this in my marketing book, Jake -- you can't propose on the first date. I wish more writers did as you do: treat it like a first date and be on your best behavior.

Cathy, amen. I've spent way too much time around salespeople who ask you how you are and their eyes are scanning the room as you're answering. I could bet money few of them could have repeated what I'd said. Those are not people I care to talk to, nor do business with.

Sharon, exactly. It works as a great filter, too!

Anne, too many are selling themselves short, aren't they? It's been a point of frustration for me, but I've had to shed that and let them make their mistakes. My goal is to be there as a resource when they come to their senses. LOL

Devon, that's also true. I know a lot of freelancers whom I'd avoided back in the day because they were too married to their own brilliant prose for me to make any sense of their articles. No thanks.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:31:06 +0000

Anne,
I think a lot of it has to do with insecurity hiding behind ego. I hear a lot of that, "I'm good enough so I don't HAVE to follow the rules."

Well, when you're working with a client, it's not all about YOU. It's about meeting the client's needs.

And, in fiction, it's about understanding the craft and seducing the reader, not whacking him with a 2 x 4. Few people will choose to be continually whacked. They'll find another writer who enchants them instead.

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:53:34 +0000

I wonder why so many folks seem to have trouble figuring this out… it's not rocket science… following the instructions, building relationships, refusing to sell yourself short. sigh

By: Sharon Hurley Hall

Sharon Hurley Hall — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:11:06 +0000

Listening is a key one, Lori, as is knowing your value – that stops you from jumping into something that may not actually be worth it.

By: Cathy Miller

Cathy Miller — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:56:20 +0000

Great comments all. Another biggie is not listening, which manifests itself in writing like those you listed, Lori-not following directions.

Especially the first time you speak with a prospect, you need to notch up the listening skills. If you are distracted, it's better to let that call go to Voice Mail than to pick it up, find out it's a potential client and your head's still lingering on what you were working on.

By: Jake P

Jake P — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:29:09 +0000

To your penultimate point, and Paula's followup: This is paramount, to work things in terms of relationships evolving. I act quite a bit different with clients on first interaction versus those I've worked with for 10+ years. I dress nicer for the first few meetings...I'm a little more formal in written and verbal comms, but not to the point of dorkiness...I might joke lightly, but not in my (far more natural) cynical or sarcastic tone.

Interestingly enough, I think that's why at least one in-person meeting (and periodic ones thereafter) is such a powerful relationship tool. It's much more challenging to read cues purely over the phone or net; which is not to say long-distance clients are worse, only that I personally find it easier to cement things face-to-face -- or to figure out more quickly, "this ISN'T someone I care to work with."

By: Paula

Paula — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:57:34 +0000

There's also the opposite of the "not congenial" writer: the overly familiar writer. A bit too casual, overly friendly (often unaware of normal boundaries). They're the ones most likely to intrude on a client's time, too. At least they're usually pretty easy to spot – which is why they probably lose out on some great jobs opportunities.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:09:16 +0000

Not following directions is a big one. I tell my students to think of exercise guidelines as the same as submission guidelines -- if they don't follow them, it's sent back, and at least in class, they get a second chance, which they don't in the real world. "Creativity" is not an excuse to send whatever you want, especially if it doesn't fit and isn't proofread.

Biggest problem I see from writers? Lack of craft and lack of care to take the time to build it. There are 10,000 lined up right behind you just as talented who bothered to learn the craft, so when they deviate, it's a CHOICE, not a careless mistake.