In this article, I will tell you how I look for a job and how I write cover letters. And in case you prefer videos, here’s a video edition:
I know lots of freelancers submit as many proposals as possible. For me, looking for a job takes more time than writing the proposal.
Why? Because not every job is going to be the right fit for you. You have to choose the jobs carefully
Look for narrow and broad search terms. For example, for my specialization, broad search term would be “Digital marketing specialist” and narrow one would be “Social media” even a narrower one would be “Social media strategy”.
Remember that different clients have a different understanding of your profession so by doing different search terms you give them a chance to find you and you give yourself a chance to find them.
After testing different types of searches, go ahead and look for the following in the job:
- Is it posted recently?
- Is the competition high? How many proposals are there? If the proposals are more than 10, your chances of getting the job become lower.
- Are the skills mentioned relevantly?
- Is the description enough for you to understand the type of job?
Some people say it’s not a good idea to apply to Payment Unverified jobs. But I don’t really agree because for beginners, this can be a good chance. If the client sends you a proposal, they have to make their payment verified. Otherwise, UpWork won’t let them hire you. So don’t limit your chances.
If the answer to all of the mentioned questions is YES, proceed to the next step.
The logic behind submitting proposals
After reading the job title, I read the description carefully to see if the client is reasonable. Sometimes there are clients that say “This is a very simple job” so that you don’t charge a lot. But the job is going to be really time-consuming and tiring for you. Don’t fall into such traps.
The next thing I look at is the Client Information. The hire rate and completed jobs. If the client posted 10 jobs but the hire rate is very low, I won’t submit a proposal. Because the client is not going to hire anyone for that job.
After that, I check the skills the client mentioned in the job because I want them to be very relevant. This part of the job post is very important (here’s why)
And then I want to know if the client is interviewing anyone. If they do, I won’t submit a proposal. Because most likely, they already have a lot of proposals and are going to choose the freelancer who they are interviewing.
And the final thing I do here is to take a look at the client feedback, if there is any. I don’t just look at the five-star rating, I also read the descriptions because sometimes people rate 5 stars and write a really passive-aggressive message.
At the feedback section, I want to see if any of the freelancers mentioned the client’s name. If I include their name in my proposal, the message will be more personalized and the client will definitely read my proposal. Even if it’s only because the cover letter includes their name.
At this section, I also check out the amount paid to the freelancer. If the job is difficult but the rate/fixed price is low, I won’t submit a proposal. Because I am experienced and won’t work with $3 or $4 per hour. If I were very new to the industry, I would.
But that’s a choice everyone has to make for themselves. I started at low rates because I was at a beginner level. Now, I have enough experience to raise my rates for new clients.
As you can see, it’s very important to read all the aspects of the job post. Don’t just read the title or the description only and go ahead to submit a proposal. You want to know as much about the client and the job as possible.
How to write cover letters
After a long search of a job, I start submitting the proposal.
The first step in writing a cover letter is — I know that the clients are going to see only the first two sentences so I want to make sure that they know I read their job posting.
If I can mention anything from the job description, I include their words in my cover letter. Like this guy did. Here’s the inicial job posting.
The client (me, in this case :D ) mentioned that they want a freelancer who’s available during the week. This is the most important requirement. And the freelancer above addressed the client pain points. This greatly improved the freelancer’s chances in getting the client’s attention.
Usually, freelancers write a really long, self-introductory proposal and then complain why they don’t get a job. A really good cover letter will improve your chances of at least being noticed by the client.
This is how it should be. Don’t submit proposals to every single job that you see. Just be very selective and choose only the ones that you think are very good fit for you and you will be the best at it.
If you don’t get the job, this doesn’t mean that you are not the good fit. Maybe you are a good fit but you are late to submit a proposal, maybe the client chose another freelancer who proposed a lower budget. There could be lots of reasons.
Don’t get discouraged and try lots of different things, try to understand the project and work on your proposals.
Never submit a cover letter template because templates don’t work. I as a client would like you to send me a personalized message. Make me understand that you read the description you know my pain points and
you are going to help me with that.
