Cover Letters that Land Jobs

If you don't think you need a cover letter to apply for online jobs, you should read this article. Here is an excerpt:

"For MSNBC Career Columnist Eve Tahmincioglu, cover letters are even more important for social media and tech job seekers. “Today companies want tech employees who are critical thinkers, well-rounded and do more than just tech speak,” she says. “These things are hard to convey in a résumé.”

In some cases, Tahmincioglu adds, the first person to see your application is a human resources manager, who may not know much about the dense list of computer programs and technical projects on your résumé. The cover letter can be an opportunity to draw them in with a personal touch."

Cover Letters that Land Jobs

The nature of the beast of a freelance career is to always be on the lookout for new jobs leads, for although we might have enough clients and freelance work to keep us busy and pay the bills things can change at the drop of a hat. If you have been a freelance writer or blogger for any amount of time you know this.



But searching for and applying for freelance writing and blogging jobs you're qualified for is only the first step toward landing the jobs you want. The next, crucial step is writing a cover letter in your email that will impress the potential client enough to set you apart from the hundreds and sometimes thousands of other, qualified candidates who are also applying for the job you are after.



The competition for good paying freelance jobs is fiercer than ever, so writing a cover letter that sings is the one shot you get at setting yourself apart from the crowd. Of course, you must make sure that your resume is up to snuff, for even though you might have a kick ass cover letter that makes the client click on the link to or read the resume you have included in your email, once he/she views the resume it should blow their socks off.

With all that said, I think the best way to help you learn to create a cover letter that lands freelance writing and blogging jobs is to show you examples of cover letters I have written that have landed jobs for me. Here are two:

Dr. Sir or Madam,

I am especially qualified to blog about business cards. I owned a marketing company for 10 years and designed and sold business cards to clients.

I have been blogging for business clients for the past few years and am very interested in speaking with you about the opportunity you have listed at ProBlogger.net. A few of my clients have been Health and Safety Source.com, Plastic Jungle.com, and Mercardi.com. You can see client testimonials at PromotingU, and my resume, bio and portfolio at K.D.Grier. I am an expert in Wordpress and SEO. I am also very active on social networks and know how to make those avenues of marketing work for your business card site.

Here are a few sample posts:

http://www.healthandsafetysource.com/store/blog.php/category/emergency-and-disaster-resources/

http://www.plasticjungle.com/blog/2010/12/01/how-to-make-the-gift-of-a-gift-card-something-special/

Please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Thanks!

Denise Grier

Copywriter, Pro Blogger, Editor, Social Media Maven

LinkedIn

Twitter

PromotingU

Learn Web Writing

Dear Editor,

I am a professional freelance writer and blogger who is keenly interested in and highly qualified for a position blogging for you about healthy food and green living. I am a practitioner of healthy and environmentally-friendly living, a female blogger, a member of Peta, One2One Network, BlogHer, SheBlogs, and B2B Blogger. I have blogged for such clients as Plastic Jungle, Health and Safety Source.com, and Travelers-Life.com. Clients often comment on how fresh and engaging my writing is.

Below you will find my resume and links to blog posts I have written. In the signature of this email you will find links to a few of my social profiles. I am proficient in Wordpress, image posting, and building readership through link building using social media and best SEO practices.

Please contact me.

Thanks!

Denise Grier

RESUME:

Denise Kincy Grier

Waxahachie, Texas

Objective: To make a good living as a freelance writer, editor, and PR expert

Background:

Writing: Three years experience with newspapers, magazines & online journals, experienced in ad copy and SEO web content, paid to blog services and ghost blogging. Over 60 articles, interviews, essays, press releases, short fiction or poetry pieces published, middle reader novel being shopped to publishers, nominated for Pushcart Prize. I have ghost written several e-books for private clients.

Editing: Created and edited Giggle Water Review. Content Manager/Editor for As the World Turns for Soaps.Com, thirteen years copy editing. Have edited both fiction and non-fiction tomes for writers.

Business and Corporate Copywriting: Developer, copywriter and design of brochures, press releases and various other forms of marketing material.

Web Management and HTML: Proficient in HTML and web management, former editor of B5Media blog, Leadership Turn; four professional blogs.

Business Experience and Marketing: 20+ years experience in sales–both retail and business to business–administration and finance. Five years doing PR work for authors, companies, websites, and blogs; marketing online, social networking, all things Web 2.0.

Research: Three years extensive online research material accumulated and growing concerning writing, publishing, book promotion, blog monetization and internet marketing. Tremendous enjoyment and application of online research

Clients: Soaps.Com, Associated Content, Fruition Content Management Inc., Organize Yourself Online, Lobexs.Com, Nutritional Tree, Lee Cooke, B5Media, Chris Knight–Grandson of Al Capone, Terry Marshall, Plastic Jungle, Health and Safety Source, Mercardi.com, American Beauty, The Frisky Geezer, Hoxy Magazine, and numerous article sites.

Employment History

Freelance Writer/Editor—July 2003-Present

Ad copy, SEO content, blogging, web, print publishing, editing and management. Public relations for various individuals and companies, online marketing. Also ghost write both fiction and non-fiction, along with editing same.

Advertising & Stuff—June 1993-August 2003

Creator and owner, B to B sales, copywriting, design, collections, bookkeeping, marketing, PR work

References and Clips Available Upon Request

LINKS TO BLOG POSTS:

http://www.healthandsafetysource.com/store/blog.php/category/travel-safety/

http://www.plasticjungle.com/blog/2010/12/01/how-to-make-the-gift-of-a-gift-card-something-special/

http://travelers-life.com/?p=24

Denise Grier

Copywriter, Pro Blogger, Editor, Social Media Maven

LinkedIn

Twitter

PromotingU

Learn Web Writing

As you can see each letter is quite different in tone and content. The reason is that I believe you should use a tone in your cover letter than mimics the tone the client uses in their job listing. Also, make sure to mention the qualifications and attributes they require in their job listing in your cover letter, and why you are the best person for the job. Always have a great signature in your email with links to your online stuff.

I am firmly convinced that if you spruce up your cover letter you will begin landing freelance writing and blogging jobs on a much more frequent basis.

If you need help with your cover letters or resume, don't hesitate to ask me, for I will try my best to help you so that you can be successful.

Good luck and let me know when you land that next great job using a more persuasive and dynamic cover letter.