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05 Mar 11 How to Begin Your Freelance Writing Career

The growth of the Internet has translated into increase in demand for content producer, which means a lot of demand for writers. If you are a writer than you are born in the right time, as there is no dearth of writing assignment and you do not need to write a book or a play to live off your writing talent. And if you have not started yet then this article will help you start out, so start your journey.

Master the art of writing for web

Writing for web is remarkably different than writing for print, as the attention span of people on the web is pretty short. You need to write using bullet points, headings, subheadings, images, etc.

Master the art of writing headline

A headline is very important in increasing the open rate of your content. You may get the best ranking for all the keywords, but if you do not have an attractive headline, your article will not get read. You should know how to write killer headlines.

Learn a bit about keywords and SEO

A little knowledge of SEO and keywords is required for all online writers, as keywords are the basis on which the entire web is organized. You should educate yourself on these two.

Prepare a portfolio

Writing is an art, and you are an artist. And an artist who does not have anything to show cannot support his claim of producing a fantastic piece of art. You should, therefore, prepare a portfolio keeping everything that I talked above. This will be your asset that you will need to show your clients.

Write a cover letter

A cover letter is like a direct sales letter. It either persuades your prospective clients to see your portfolio, or it can bore them to death. Many a freelancing assignments are made or broken at this level only. So spend good deal of time in creating a killer cover letter that can literally pull your clients with hands and make them read your sample articles.

You should follow the above given suggestions to start a freelance career. You can add some more items to your preparation, but you should not remove any. Each one of them is important. Very important!

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10 Sep 10 3 Biggest Benefits of Part-time Freelancing

The side benefit of being a knowledge worker is the fact that you can anytime start on your own and make yourself free from the grind of “leaving home at 8.30 and returning god knows when.” And did I forget to say nosy bosses?

But, as you can guess it, the road less travelled is not nicely paved, so there could be a lot of patches, holes, dust, dirt, broken patches, and even molten pitches, so to speak on the road to freedom. You need to be cautious when faring through such road. That is why part-time freelancing is always a good idea before you embark on this life-changing journey. To help you take an informed decision, I am going to show you the 3 biggest benefits that part-time freelancing offers.

3 biggest benefits of part-tome freelancing

Get an opportunity to test the water

It is always wise to test the water before you leap into it completely submerging yourself up till your nose. By starting part-time freelancing you can test if the quality of your output is worth its salt or not. Based on the feedback you get from your clients and experiences you earn, you can fine tune your skills and yourself to make it marketable.

Extra bucks in extra time

Part time freelancing also helps you put some extra bucks in your pockets, every single day. This money could be used to meet your financial obligations and even you can use it to finance your vacation. Yes, you can earn this much to support your vacation.

Still get to put bread on the table and smile on your kid’s face

This is the biggest benefit of part-time freelancing. It allows you to keep your current job, which inevitably mean putting bread on the table and smile on your kid’s face — well, on the faces of everyone in the family.

Before you utter the highly motivated, adrenaline-charged two-word phrase, “I quit”, you should start your freelancing career as a part-timers, which you can turn anytime into a fulltime venture.

Tags: Dirt, , , , Financial Obligations, God, Holes, , Knowledge Worker, Leaving Home, Part Timers, Patches, Pitches, Pockets, Road To Freedom, Side Benefit, , , Time Part Time, Word Phrase

01 Mar 10 A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XVI

From the last post of the series, we are talking about interviews and how it will affect a 45-year old person in getting a job. In the previous post, we discussed how you need to carry yourself in the interview. In this article, I will talk about breaking stereotypes, using your age as an advantage, and how to handle questions that are not legal. So, let us begin our journey.

Play your age and tell them it is an asset

You didn’t grow old sleeping. You acquired certain skills and a hell load of experience, which a young person can only imagine to have, but can never have until he or she reaches your age. Play this card well, and tell you interviewer that your age has given you the wisdom and maturity that comes only with age. Convince your interviewer that it will be an asset not a liability for the company.

Smack the stereotype on its head

Your young interviewer has many preconceived idea attached with your age, which you need to dispel. This is necessary, but do not do it violently. Be calm, composed, and in the best of your selves when breaking the stereotypes.

Handle illegal questions well

So what you have grown old now? So what you are 40 plus? It does not mean anyone can discriminate against you based on your age. It is a crime, and if you are given hint of this then either politely move to other question or ask the interviewer to not go in that direction. You can also consider legal action, if it does not stop on that.

You need to be careful when working on the above suggestions. A wrong step may land you in trouble. It is a fine line to walk.

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