These 3 Simple Steps Helped Me Land a Full-Time Writing Job
Anyone can make it. All you need is passion and persistence.
I won my first full-time writing job with a registered training organization.
They hired me even though I’d never worked as a writer before. I wrote a lot in my spare time, but none of it was for clients.
My current full-time writing job is with an advertising agency. They hired me to write articles, blogs and social copy. They hired me even though I’d never written for an advertising agency before.
None of this is said to brag. Only to show that I speak from experience.
I see a lot of talented writers who are still struggling. I struggled. I’ve been there, and I hope that by sharing what I went through, I might make the path ahead a little bit clearer to those people looking for their dream job.
Let’s start, shall we?
Step 1: Build a killer portfolio
Like many people, I used to work in customer service hell.
I thought copywriting might be my escape route, so I started learning about it. I studied landing pages, product descriptions and online articles.
Because nobody wanted to hire someone who was only just learning the craft, I gave myself assignments. I built my own website and wrote on everything from beauty therapy to frying pans.
By the end, I had something that almost looked professional.
Not only that, but I also had a huge backlog of Medium articles. It was stuff about economics and climate change that I had poured hours of research into, stuff that showed I could be thorough and analytical.
I shoved it all into a display book and made sure it was always at hand.
Yeah, I was damn proud of it, but I didn’t know if it would ever come in handy. Well, not until I managed to land my interview.
Step 2: Take the long shots
I started applying for writing jobs, but months flew by and nobody responded.
Then, I finally got the email. A small agency asked me to complete some pre-employment assignments. I thought that, even if I didn’t get the job, it would still beef up my portfolio.
Here’s the long and short of what I did:
- I poured a decent amount of time into the tasks, but I didn’t overcook or overdraft anything.
- I researched the agency so that if I did land an interview then I’d be well-prepared.
- I also worked on how I could promote myself: my skills, my passions and how they related to the job.
Obviously, this involved a lot of time and effort. And sure, I didn’t know if it would pay off, but I didn’t want to bungle any opportunity.
And when they called me for an interview afterwards? I have to admit it felt pretty good.
Step 3: Bring the enthusiasm
My strategy for the interview was the same one I used to snag my last writing job:
Be as passionate as possible.
I would talk about how much I loved writing, how it allowed me to communicate with clarity and strength. I would talk about the happy feeling you get when you manage to pin down that perfect turn of phrase.
Just like before, it worked wonders. I joked and bantered with the interviewers as they looked through my portfolio with interest.
But the job went to someone else.
It wasn’t until six months later, still stuck in customer service hell, when I received another call from them.
They remembered my enthusiasm. They had an overflow of work and now needed another writer. At first, it began as a part-time job, but I made sure to provide the best writing I could, and after six more months it became full-time.
I won’t pretend that luck didn’t play a big part in this story.
But so did doing my homework, taking every chance I could and showing everyone just how passionate I was about writing.
The path I took was still incredibly convoluted. I could have lost hope at any time, resigned myself to a job that paid reasonably well and let my dream career remain a dream.
But I didn’t know what was around the corner. And neither do you.
If you have a passion for writing, this is absolutely something you can do as a career. The competition can be fierce, but you only need one lucky break — and a lot of determination — to win the day.
