If you’re looking for a flexible career, with opportunities to travel the world and be paid plenty, then a legal career may be for you. A lot of law firms are looking for talented writers to join their team as copywriters. There’s a lot of job security and perks associated with becoming a copywriter. In fact, FlexJobs reported in 2018 that the average legal career income was $81,000 annually. And the best part is you don’t have to go through any serious training to become a legal copywriter. All you need is a passion for writing and an ability to string words together. With that, we’re going to introduce you to a fantastic portfolio strategy that will give you a solid foundation for your career as a copywriter.
The Basic Approach
When it comes to building a portfolio, there are three important things you need to keep in mind:
- You need a varied selection of work that represents your creative writing skills.
- You need to build a reputation for yourself as a reliable writer.
- You need to make sure that the work you feature in your portfolio is properly sourced and attributed to you.
With that in mind, here’s a basic approach to creating an effective copywriting portfolio that will make you stand out:
Make Sure That Your Work Is Varied
When you’re building your portfolio, don’t just choose work that’s been done previously by other writers. Instead, look for opportunities to create unique content that will make your work stand out. Even if you’re not a talented writer, you can become one by learning from the best. When you choose work that’s been done previously, it can sometimes be difficult for the reader to determine whether or not you’re claiming authorship of the work you’re replying to. Since you’re building a reputation as a reliable writer, sticking to original content that isn’t been published elsewhere will ensure that your work is distinctive and builds credibility.
Avoid Plagiarism
It’s not just a bad experience for the reader if a piece of content they’re reading was actually copied from another source. When you’re replying to an article, it’s important that the reader is able to tell the difference between original work and plagiarism. Even if you’re using another writer’s work as the basis of your response, you need to provide proper credit by clearly identifying the source of the content you’re using. While plagiarism is usually an issue that crops up at the very end of a curriculum vitae when securing employment, it can still be grounds for dismissal if it’s discovered during the course of your employment.
Be Confident
Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a naturally confident person, you need to be confident when building your portfolio. After all, you’re presenting yourself as an expert in your chosen field, so it’s important that you seem confident enough to convince the reader that you’re worth listening to. If you feel that you lack confidence, then practicing giving helpful and informative presentations will help you gain self-assurance. Being overly concerned with presenting yourself as an expert may even backfire and hurt your chances of securing employment. Instead, use your writing to prove your expertise and don’t be afraid to show off your strengths. In addition, try going through challenges that you’re facing as a writer or a business owner and see how your answer compares to what other people are saying. By doing this, you’ll be presenting yourself as someone who’s approachable and willing to listen to feedback.
Make Sure That Your Work Is Properly Credited
When you choose content that’s been done previously, it’s important to make sure that the original author is credited for the content you’re using. Even if you’re using another writer’s work as the basis for your response, you need to give proper credit by clearly identifying the source of the content you’re using. As a legal copywriter, you’ll be expected to create original content for court documents, websites, and so on. Since it’s important to stick to the facts, being able to present the original authors of the work you’re replying to is going to be crucial to your success as a copywriter. Not only does it demonstrate your ability to properly research and cite sources, but it also gives the reader the impression that you’ve actually been there. And last but not least, make sure that you’ve got the necessary permission to use other people’s work. Even if you’re using publicly available content, you still need to get permission from the copyright owner to use their content. You can assume that the author of the content you’re using has given you permission unless the contrary is stated.
When you put all these tips together, you’re going to see a massive improvement in your portfolio. It will start to seem like a complete collection of unique works that are all attributed to you. And that’s what makes it stand out. There are plenty of opportunities for legal copywriters who want to be the best in their field. By following these simple tips, you’ll be able to ensure that your portfolio does the trick and gets you that all-important job interview. Good luck out there!