You might think that because you’re a freelancer that it’s ok to offer a variety of skills and technically speaking you’d be correct. However, there are some things that you need to be aware of:
If I’m looking for a programmer (i.e. C Programming or other types) and your profile highlights what a great article writer you are, I’m not likely to even interview you.
If your skills are complimentary skills: I.E. a writer who’s really good at proofreading for example, I want to know that in your cover letter. The same thing would go for SEO marketing – if you’re a writer with extensive SEO experience then perhaps that’s going to help me make a DECISION to hire you over the next person.
Don’t mix your fields - if you’re signed up as a ‘professional’ data entry person then don’t apply for writing jobs, you immediately lose credibility. If you are ‘experimenting’ with a field, then make sure that you change your profile accordingly: If you’re an article writer/provider and I go to your portfolio and all I see are graphics that you designed – I’m out of here!
If you’re a ‘typical’ programmer but you’re trying to break into writing then the easy way to do that is to write a few articles for your portfolio or create a blog and point me there – if you don’t want to change your profile you can tell me in your cover letter ‘I normally focus on programming but I am working hard to develop my reputation as a writer – you can find some strong examples of my writing skills here’. You get the picture…
Whatever field you chose, be an expert. Don’t bounce around from field to field and be honest with yourself. If you’re a lousy writer but a good programmer – stick to programming. If you’re lousy programmer but you’re a decent writer then stick to writing. You get the drift!!
Writing does offer additional opportunities such as proofreading. In fact, proofreaders are hard to come by because not everyone can easily identify mistakes in a document (or on a website) so if you have an eye for it then highlight that skill!
Happy Freelancing!
About Doreen Martel
Well-rounded freelance writer who contributes to various blogs, paid to write sites and revenue sharing sites. Doreen is legally blind and has worked at home for more than 10 years. She uses the lessons learned from this experience to enhance her writing and share information with others.
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