| SUNOASIS JOBLOG JANUARY 2006
The CareerJournal.com has an excellent article on jump-starting a job hunt. With it comes a generous
amount of links in the major categories of resumes, networking, searching online, writing a cover letter,
preparing for an interview, and how to negotiate. This article will help anyone, writer or editor, sharpen
her focus.
Some resources worth checking out:
Making Valuable Freelance Contacts Online.
Contract Employee's Handbook. It says a few nice things about Sunoasis Jobs and is a splendid
reference for anyone who is going solo.
Posted January 27, 2006
Tip:One of the best ways to get a job, writing or not, is
through employee referral. The whole process of deciding to hire someone comes down to
trust. It's difficult to establish trust. But if a trusted employee recommends a friend
the employer will often put that referral at the top of the list. Editors will work
with writers recommended by other writers they have happily worked with. So, when looking
for a writing assignment or a job, in or out of the writing profession, drop a note to friends on the inside
and tell them what you are looking for.
We got a question the other day about cover letters. I always tell people, "It's one
of the most important pieces of writing you will do." It is the writerly form of the
"first impression." Here are some articles to help you develop cover letters:
Todd Pierce's 11 Tips.
The Cover Letter Made Easy by Liana Metal.
Cover letter writing blues by Sylvia Van Nooten.
Posted January 24, 2006
Tip:Do you want to write for magazines? Show the person doing the hiring
your enthusiasm for, not simply the magazine you are applying at, but the industry itself. It is a unique,
historic industry. Go read a book like The Magazine From Cover to Cover by Johnson and Prijatel
and understand magazines as a particular structure of communication with a unique legacy.
Two terrific articles about the art and craft of writing:
Posted January 19, 2006
Tip: Believe it or not, even the most conscientious writer
will mess up an interview by getting lost on the way. Take some time to go to MapQuest
and print it out, visualize the way to get there, even take a practice run a day or two
before the interview. There's nothing worse than being late for a job interview. You should also
check the traffic on the local news website.
Speaking of interviews here are helpful interviews with freelance writers, from
Absolute Write.
And since the freelance writer
sets up his or her own fees a link to do that very thing.
Posted January 17, 2006
Tip: Don't write just one resume, write one for
each type of job you want to apply for. This is
relatively simple to do on computers. Just cut
and paste sections as you need and tailor the
resume to each company or job. Remember that each publishing
company, each publication, each business that you
want to work for has different needs it's trying
to fill. Find out what those are and tailor your
resume accordingly.
Time management tips from editors.
Very good tips for writers who run their own business.
The Occupational Information Network has a great summary
report on what kind of tasks, skills, abilities, etc. are
required for a variety of editing positions.
Posted January 11, 2006
TIP: Human Resources Departments are there to filter out as many
job applicants as they can. Research the company you want to work for. Find the person who will
be your boss and contact them directly. Throwing a resume on a heap of resumes is going to
result in a lot of frustration. Show the person who is going to hire you a bit of guts and
ingenuity.
Writers always try to improve their relation to the craft of writing.
What follows are excellent links to the writing craft:
In journalism there is the infamous nut graf used to
synthesize the significance of the article early on. Some
writers hate them; editors usually insist on them.
This article on structure in writing is valuable.
Leads, Nut Grafs, Bodies, End, Headlines.
Advice on nut grafs and other edifying advice for your
writing.
Bob Baker's News Thinking. Impressive run-down on the nuts
and bolts of non-fiction writing.
Posted January 9, 2006
TIP: Before you go to that interview, whether it is for a copywriting
job, staff writing job, copy editing job, or any writing job remember to leave these impressions with the interviewer:
- I am a trustworthy person who can work with little supervision.
- I have some rare experiences tucked inside my career path.
- I am a self-starter. I'm going to act in a positive way to get valuable things done for the company that hires me.
Perhaps it's writer's block that has you down. Use the wonderful resources below to unblock yourself:
Article on writer's block in New Yorker Magazine..
How to overcome writer's block from Page Wise..
Jamie Walker has some excellent things to say about
the condition..
How to get rid of writer's block..
Posted January 4, 2006
Contribute to the Sunoasis Joblog! If you find a resourceful story
on writing, employment, careers, etc. just fill out the box below
and send away. The most resourceful will get posted. If you want to see
an aspect of job news covered, let us know!
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David
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