As a freelancer, you tend to come across a variety of clients with either fiction or non-fiction works. The writing itself is diverse as you may get yourself doing blogs, articles, web content, script, marketing copy, product description and product reviews, cooking recipes, poetry, and even novels.
Your work, therefore, as a freelancer is to search for the jobs, apply for them, choose the subject matter, and doing the required research. After this, you will need to write down your research, review it after you are done writing and of course, doing the corrections after the client’s gives his or her feedback.
However, without a proper and selling cover letter is very tricky and hard to land yourself an employer. It requires you to grab the attention of the client’s pitch the skills you have and as well proves that you are the best suited for that specific project.
Having proper know-how on what can sell your application in such a case is very important. The following are some of the tips that you can use to write a winning cover letter.
- Try to focus on you having the solution to the problem they intend to solve
In this case, try to identify the main reason as to why they are hiring. After you determine the problem, the company want to be solved, make it your goal to show the company as to why you are the best-suited person to solve that problem.
This will make you have that laser focus towards the things that matter most. You try to fix what is broken while saving much time for the client by turning something useful to its excellences.
- Format for the Busy and Bored
On this, just like any other cover letter, it should have at least three paragraphs explaining how you came across the job, the second one telling your abilities and skills and the last one indicating the appreciations and that you will be doing a follow-up. Try to use bullets when highlighting your skills and the relevant projects that way show or demonstration of the previous projects.
Ensure that the cover letter can be seen in few seconds assuming the person going through it is busy through highlighting. Most importantly, don’t forget to use the keywords more so if there will be some software screening.
- Give the Cover Letter a Personal Touch
Around 60% of the jobs are gotten through networking freelancing included. Having a mutual acquaintance is better to pass together with your material.
You can also take time to find the name of your employer so that you can include it in your salutations. If you can avoid” To whom it may concern” the better for you. Many hiring managers get off the hook due to these generic addresses.
- Provide Some of your Previous Works/Projects
By including your previous works/ projects, URLs, sites or even an attachment of your portfolio, as well as the explanation as to why you choose them and how they relate to the company’s need, is very relevant. Don’t just attach all you have done before as it may be entirely irrelevant to the company’ demands.
- Make it Upon yourself to do the Follow Up, Do not Just Stalk
When closing your cover letter, let the hiring manager know that you will be doing a follow-up. In that case, be committed to the following, but if you see nothing is panning up, you may discontinue the following up.
If there is no reply after the first communication, or within the given period, it can be the right time to do the follow-up. You can also do this again after two weeks.
In conclusion, a cover letter being a formal correspondence, it is very vital not to be friendly or casual when you are writing and therefore, try to adopt a more formal tone and language. It is worth noting that, when ending the cover letter, the closing should be followed by a comma and in a new line, you place your name. If it’s an Email, contact information can be added just below your name.