Cover Letter – Careerstairs

Tips to Find Work

Many new freelancers really don’t know where to turn when it comes to finding their first gig. A lot of freelancing advice seems to assume you have work already, when in fact you don’t.
In desperation, many freelancers try to respond to obscure job listings for unknown companies or individuals that may be shady at best. Sadly, some of these new freelancers wind up being the victim of scams sets up expressly for the inexperienced.
Here are some better tips to help you find work:
1.Be visible. Having a freelancing website is great. In fact, I would say that it’s pretty close to a must for any new freelancer. However, your website will do you no good if no one ever sees it. Tell everyone you know to visit your freelancing website and encourage them to share the link with others.
2.Use your past connections. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with people you were once acquainted with to tell them about your business. Your initial contact list can include any or all of the following: friends, family, neighbors, former colleagues, former employers, former or current teachers, and so on. Continue reading Tips to Find Work

The 9 Best Tips for Submitting an Online Job Application

Statistics show that approximately 50 percent of mid-sized companies and almost all large corporations use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to screen candidates for job opportunities.There are a variety of reasons recruiters and hiring managers adopt this type of technology. With an ATS in place, human resources departments can automate and store hiring documents online so never have to worry about sifting through stacks of paperwork or hundreds of emails to find what they need.Colin Day, the founder and chief executive officer of iCIMS, Inc., a provider of talent acquisition software for growing businesses, is in an excellent position to advise job seekers on how to maximize their online applications. Here are Day’s top suggestions for getting the most visibility out of your online application:

1. Thoroughly read job descriptions. Most recruiters will tell you a big pet peeve is hearing from job seekers who apply even if they aren’t qualified for the job. Continue reading The 9 Best Tips for Submitting an Online Job Application

7 Tips To Win More Jobs On Elance

Now that you’ve learned the ropes around the Elance Work System, it’s time for you to push the pedal to the metal, crank up the volume, and get awarded more jobs than ever before.

After personally spending quite a bit of time studying the Elance universe, I’ve learned that there are a few ways that you, as a provider, can stand out and shine from the rest. So before you jump the gun and send off your next proposal, familiarize yourself with the following tips.

1. Keep Your Profile Up To Date: Your Profile page is one of the most important assets for any provider on Elance to maintain. Having a well-written, fully-completed, typo-free page shows your potential client that you will take meticulous care of their work, similar to your profile page. Additionally, take the time to fill out the Summary and Keywords sections in detail as these are two key areas that attract the eyes of many employers. DongoDevTeam and Yourtravelgirl are examples of great profiles. Continue reading 7 Tips To Win More Jobs On Elance

How to write a Cover Letter

Every cover letter should be unique. Recommending a specific form to follow for your cover letter would actually hurt your chances of getting a job – you don’t want your cover letter to sound like everyone else’s! What I do recommend is that you write every cover letter individually, targeting the specific needs of that particular job. You cannot edit your cover letter once it’s been submitted, so take the time to make it perfect before you apply!

While I can’t tell you exactly how to write the perfect cover letter, I can offer some basic guidelines about what to include (and what not to).

Don’t include your contact information in your cover letter (your email address, chat ID, etc.). This is a violation of oDesk policy and makes you an easy target for an unscrupulous buyer. When you are invited to an interview, then you are free to share whatever contact info you wish.

Don’t start with a “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir” greeting. Neither adds any value and they may even offend some buyers. If you do include a greeting, find a gender-neutral way to say hello or use the buyer’s name (if they’ve mentioned it).

Don’t copy and paste the same cover letter over and over again, even if you ‘fill in the blanks’ with specifics for the job at hand. Just as you can tell when a buyer posts a template job description, a buyer can tell you’re using a form cover letter. If you don’t put in the effort to write a custom letter, they are unlikely to take the time to interview you.

Do try to use the same keywords the buyer did. This shows you were paying attention to their job post.

Do answer specific questions or include special keywords the buyer put in the job description to prove you can follow directions. That is, unless the buyer is asking for your contact info or otherwise violating oDesk policy – in that case you should flag the job as inappropriate.

Do link directly to some relevant examples of your work whenever possible. Make sure you’ve added them in your portfolio as well.

Do state your availability (when and how much you can work) and explain what kind of commitments you have to any other oDesk assignments, regular employers, etc.