A strong resume can open multiple doors for employment in any industry. It is an important key to standing out from a crowded pool of candidates and landing an interview where you can sell yourself and your abilities to a hiring manager. The same principle holds true in the realm of freelance writing.
Making your mark as a freelance writer can be a difficult task in a crowded marketplace. You need to sell your writing abilities to a client and convince them that you are the one they should hire to take on paid writing assignments. How do you stand out from the average freelance writer? The answer is quite simple – you turn your personal website into a living resume.
A personal website can contain a record of your professional accomplishments much like a traditional resume does. The major difference is that it gives a visual component. A potential client can access multiple examples of your best work. They can see your skills and expertise in action. Going visual increases your visibility with clients.
It makes sense to have a place where you can pull your expertise off the page and showcase your work. Noting in a resume that you have written articles for a business magazine sounds good. However, giving clients a place to go where they can actually read a business article you have written is much more effective.
Building a virtual resume on your personal website is a simple task. You can create a template to manage the basic layout of your website. This can govern everything from background graphics to font colors. Then you can create multiple web pages and devote each one to a section you would find in a traditional resume. One section can focus on education. Another section can focus on specific training you have completed at past jobs.
You can create pages that are devoted exclusively to specific types of writing. If you are trying to land technical writing gigs, one page can focus on your technical writing expertise. This can include samples and links of everything from white papers to instructional manuals. This holds true for any type of writing from corporate blogging to writing sports articles.
A freelance writer needs to take the same approach to their work as an entrepreneur does in the business world. You need to see your writing career as a company you are building. Creating your personal website to showcase to clients shows them what you can accomplish for them if hired. It acts as a personal advertisement and you want to tailor that advertisement to reach the right target audience.
Social media and the Internet have changed how people in all industries advance their careers in the 21st century. A writer needs to build an active online presence to flourish as a freelancer. Networking with past, present and future clients through your own website offers them evidence that you can handle writing content they need right now.
John C is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
