There are various ways in which you can make the most of your creative writing skills and land yourself a job as a writer. However, to stand out from the crowd, you need to do something rather unique. What follows is a handpicked list of the top 20 tips that will help you get a job writing.
1. Be Brave
The first and most critical step to becoming a successful writer is to be brave enough to pursue your dream. Many people, for one reason or the other, choose to remain anonymous when it comes to their writing, assuming that it is not good enough to be recognized. That is the complete opposite to being brave – being confident enough to stand out and be recognized for what you do. The sooner you start believing in yourself, the easier it will be for you to achieve greatness. And that, in turn, will give you the courage to be brave enough to pursue your dream of being a writer.
2. Join A Society
One of the best ways to become a successful writer is to join a society of writers. You can find various writing societies all over the world that you can join. The sooner you join one, the better. Being a member will give you the opportunity to network with other professionals, get advice, and open up new marketing channels. Never underestimate the power of networking when seeking employment. Being a member of a writers’ society will undoubtedly increase your chances of getting noticed by potential publishers.
3. Create A Portfolio
In addition to being brave, the next step in your pursuit of becoming a writer is to create a portfolio. A portfolio is a collection of samples of your work that you can use to display your creativity and expertise to potential employers. As a writer, whether you are experienced or simply at the very beginning of your career, having a portfolio is an absolute must. When seeking employment, whether it is in writing or otherwise, having a portfolio is equivalent to having a resume. A resume is essentially a portfolio for jobs in writing.
4. Start A Blog
Blogs have been around for a while now, and for good reason – they are one of the simplest and most effective ways of creating and maintaining a steady stream of content that is both interesting and relevant to your target audience. If you can establish yourself as an expert in your field and create an authoritative blog, you will be well on your way to creating a valuable resource for your target audience. And when your target audience finds value in your blog, they will most certainly value your contributions as a writer. Establishing yourself as an expert in your field can be a difficult task, however, so be sure that you are prepared to put in the effort before you begin publishing your blog. In the beginning, you will likely have to engage in some trial and error to figure out what content works best for your blog and what topics are of most interest to your audience. Once you establish a solid foundation of content, you can begin to experiment with different styles of posts and ways of engaging your audience. When it comes to getting paid to write, you will not get far if you do not have a steady stream of quality content published regularly. So, be sure to establish yourself as a reliable and trustworthy source of content before you begin to look for work.
5. Start A YouTube Channel
YouTube channels have been around for even longer than blogs and offer a potentially limitless market for content. With YouTube, you can create and upload videos on virtually any topic that you can think of (within reason). While you can use YouTube to create and upload videos on any subject, many creators choose to specialize in certain areas of expertise. If you have a specific topic or area of interest that you feel you are an expert in, you can use YouTube to showcase your expertise by creating and uploading videos on the subject matter. Establishing yourself as an authority in your field via YouTube can be an effective way of driving traffic to your website and increasing your chances of getting noticed by potential employers. If you can get at least 500 views per week, you will be able to attract the interest of major publishers (note: not all publishers, but many).
6. Create An Online Store
With an online store such as Etsy, you can sell and market your products (be they articles or otherwise) directly to consumers without having to go through a middleman. There are various opportunities for writers on Etsy, and you can use the site to establish yourself as an expert in your field and showcase your products (be they articles or otherwise). Do not underestimate the power of a simple store like Etsy – you can put up a simple listing with attractive products (whether you create them yourself or find them elsewhere) and achieve some degree of success without having to go through the traditional publisher channel. Many independent writers, bloggers, and journalists, among others, have used the site to establish themselves as experts in their fields and to get the word out about their work. Writers can be found selling everything from clothes and accessories to artwork, invitations, yard signs, and more. When seeking employment as a writer, be sure to check out Etsy for potential job openings.
7. Search For Work
With the exception of YouTube, the platforms discussed thus far have all been relatively passive venues for engagement – you can either create content and hope that people will discover you and your work, or you can go out there and seek people to discover you. When it comes to making the most of your writing skills, you have two distinct options – you can either sit back and wait for your work to be found, or, you can actively seek out work and increase your chances of being employed. While you can do both, the former is certainly the simplest and most passive option.
8. Be Different
To land yourself a job writing, you need to stand out from the crowd. Different is good. If you can come up with an idea that has not been done before, you will most certainly find a publisher willing to give you a try. The better your idea, the more opportunities you will have to make it happen. The sooner you start thinking about your idea, the easier it will be to make it a reality. And that is exactly what separates the successful writers from the rest; they can come up with unique ideas and concepts that can be both an inspiration and an instruction to others.
9. Use Social Media
To get a job writing, you need to be on social media. Social media, especially LinkedIn, can be a valuable tool in your job search. LinkedIn is a professional network with millions of members that you can use to connect with potential employers. When you connect with potential employers on LinkedIn, you will have the opportunity to add your blog, YouTube channel, or Etsy store as a profile attachment. Doing this will make it easier for employers to discover your work and connect with you if they are interested in your field. Never underestimate the power of a simple profile on a professional network like LinkedIn.
10. Customize Your Resume
A resume, whether it is created electronically or by hand, needs to be professional. To ensure that it is a) authoritative and b) memorable, you need to put in the time and effort to make it stand out from the rest. One of the simplest ways of doing this is by customization – add a logo, design, or theme to make it unique. You can also create a template resume and use various items from the list below to make it stand out.
A good resume should include the following: