A 3 step guide to putting yourself forward for advertised work

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Applying for a piece of work you’ve seen advertised online, or elsewhere is a tricky business.

Too much selling or long, key word stuffed paragraphs gets you dropped in the bin, a single line saying “Hi” gets you to the same place.

Here’s your checklist:

  1. Introduce yourself, give your portfolio address (check the link, I’ve sent dead ones before) and explicitly state your years of experience.
  2. Give 2, maximum 3 examples of feeding key points of the brief back to the potential client, explaining how you can help with that issue and the benefit to the client (bigger business, more footfall, more conversions). 1 Paragraph per point, 2, maybe 3 sentences per paragraph.
  3. Offer to meet or communicate further to discuss.

That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. Think of the clients job as the same as looking through dozens of CVs, don’t give them an excuse to bin yours.

After a week, message them and ask if they had any further questions and if they have made a decision to go with someone else, what feedback they could offer you on your specific application.

Learn from that feedback.

Repeat.