I work for clients who I have never actually met, and while it did seem a little strange at the beginning, it’s all good.

When you are contacting a prospective client for a gig where you will be working off site and it’s not practical for you to meet with them in person, the hiring process is a little different than if you were looking for work in the brick and mortar world. In that scenario, the accepted practice is for the employer/client to invite candidates they are interested in hiring to come for an interview.

During this process, the candidate and the employer have the opportunity to get to know each other a little better. The employer/client asks a series of questions to find out what kind of worker they are getting if they decided to make an offer of employment to the candidate.

A lot of the time, clients hiring freelance writers skip the interview step. When you submit your cover letter, resume and samples to a prospective client, it may be your one shot to make your case that you are the person who can give them what they are looking for. Your cover letter can be used to answer the question that the client is asking when they review your materials: “What am I getting if I choose to work with this freelancer?”

I admit that my earlier cover letters were pretty basic. I would explain why I was writing and offer some information about my experience. The last paragraph would invite the client to get in touch to discuss the gig further. Guess what? I didn’t hear back from prospective clients all that often. Some of the lack of response can be attributed to the number of applications that the client would have to go through, I’m sure, but I’ve had a much better response rate since I’ve shared a bit more information about my approach to my work.

Now I try to give a prospective client an idea of who I am as a person and a writer. That cover letter may be the only chance I will have to let the client see whether I am someone who they think they can work with. By sharing the qualities that I can bring to the table, they have more information to make that decision.

Do you share information about your approach to your work when you apply for a freelance writing gig?

It’s not a trick question. Many freelance writers would say something along the lines of “not unless I pretty much wanted to ruin my career.” Being known as someone who discusses their clients in public isn’t a good reputation to have. If I were looking to hire someone to work with me, I would hesitate to hire someone who I discovered was engaging in this type of behavior. To be honest, I wouldn’t want to be next on the list.

If you wouldn’t put information about a client on a billboard, then you shouldn’t be posting it online. The Internet is like one giant billboard where anyone can see whatever you write. Potential clients do search for information about writers online before making hiring decisions. Not only do you need to be careful about what you post on a blog, but you also need to know that your tweets and comments on discussion forums may show up on Google and other search engines.

Why am I talking about this issue today? I saw a thread on another discussion forum where a member had posted an e-mail she received from a client who was not pleased. In fact, this client fired the writer in question. While the client was not professional and the writer is probably better off not working with that person anymore, posting the correspondence online wasn’t appropriate either, even though the person’s name was not published.

I’ve been fired before – in the brick and mortar world and since I’ve started freelancing. While it can be upsetting, I’ve never discussed what happened in a public forum. I’ve taken time to think about the events that led up to that decision to learn from them so that I can do better next time, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to share them with anyone else. I won’t even share the contents of an e-mail I got from a client once where the subject line told me to grab a helmet and a flak jacket before opening it – trust me, it was interesting reading!

So what does this have to do with job hunting? Everything! You need to guard your online reputation carefully. Potential clients can and will check you out before hiring you.  They get an idea of who you are and the kind of work you produce based on how you present yourself. Unless you would feel comfortable posting something on a billboard on a busy downtown street in your city or town, maybe you should rethink the matter.

You can find this week’s edition of Monday Markets here. I hope you find something interesting in the listings.

When you are looking for new opportunities to advance your freelance writing career, there are two tracks you should keep in mind. The good news is that you can (and should) be working on both of them at once.

Work Available Now

Cash flow is what keeps a freelance writer’s business afloat. When you are starting out, you need to land paying clients who have projects available now. As you develop your business, you may look to content sites or answer job ads to keep you busy and keep money coming in.

Future Opportunities

The second type of opportunity that you should be working in is one where you are looking for work that may not necessarily start right away. You could be spending part of your time pitching ideas to magazines, for example. Chances are that there will be a lag time between the editor receiving your idea and a decision to accept it or not. Once your idea is accepted, there will probably be a further delay from the time you submit it to when you get paid, especially if the magazine pays on publication.

Future opportunities also include making a pitch to clients, whether you know they are currently looking for a freelance writer or not. You may happen to find someone who is looking to hire right away, but chances are that it may take some time before a new client gets back to you with a project.

A third way you can find future opportunities is by promoting yourself and your business. Get a web site and submit it to search engines so that potential clients can find you. Ask your current clients and contacts you make for referrals. Set up a profile on LinkedIn. Use Twitter to build relationships and share what you do. Visit discussion boards where your target market is likely to hang out and start participating.

All of these strategies will help you land assignments down the road. In the meantime, you can fill in your time and gain experience by looking for gigs that will put some cash in your pocket now.

Where do you focus your efforts when looking for freelance writing work – on gigs that pay money now or ones that may take time to develop but could be more lucrative?

It has occurred to me more than once that people who act and those who write have a lot in common. Check out this list to see if you agree:

1. A lot of people think they can do the job.

How hard can it be to dress up and pretend to be someone else or put a few words on a page? Well, the truth is that neither one of these jobs is always easy. There is work involved, and it can be challenging.

2. There are many more people who want to do the job than those who are actually working.

The unemployment rate for actors sits at around 90 percent on a permanent basis. Writers are either working or pitching for their next gig – most of us are constantly on the lookout for our next assignment.

There are a number of people who want to write for money but change their minds when they find out about the the amount of work involved. The business part of this creative venture may be what turns them off, or they may underestimate how long it takes to get a group of clients who can give them steady work. The feast and famine that can be part of running a business may be what turns them off.

3. The public only sees the finished product.

When an actor gives a performance or the writer submits his or her work to a client, they only see what has been created. The prep work, whether it is time spent in rehearsals or writing drafts and tweaking it, isn’t shared with the person who is paying for it.

4. It takes more than talent to be successful.

Having some degree of talent is a must if you want to write for a living. It’s also important to develop good relationships with other people who can help you along the way. These include your existing clients, potential clients, and other writers.

5. You’re only as good as your last gig.

Unfortunately, the fact that people have hired you for writing positions in the past doesn’t mean that they will be lined up to hire you in the future. Turning in good quality work on time and treating your clients like gold are ways to increase your chance of having steady work.

6. A big ego can get in your way.

The minute you start believing that you are special and that no one else could possibly do what you do, you are sunk. Clients can always choose to hire someone else for their projects. You aren’t doing them a favor by agreeing to work with them; they are honoring you by choosing you.

7. It can be a satisfying and lucrative career choice.

Getting paid to do something that you love is wonderful. Like anything else, there are challenges and frustrations that go with the territory, but deciding to be a freelance writer was one of the best decisions I ever made.

We talk a lot here at Freelance Writing Jobs about how to find work and how to treat clients at the beginning of your working relationship. How you behave at the end of the gig is just as important.

Sometimes your relationship with a client ends because you have decided that it’s time to move on. You may have found higher paying work elsewhere or you may have decided not to work with that client for personal reasons.

In other situations, the decision to end the working relationship is made by the client. They may not have any more work for you, or may need to stop handing out assignments due to economic reasons. It’s possible that the client may decide not to work with you any longer because they are not happy with your work.

Whether the decision to end the working relationship is yours or the client’s you have a choice about how you are going to behave. If there is any work outstanding that you have agreed to do, get it wrapped up. Prepare your final invoice and submit it.

If you are the one who has decided not to accept any further assignments and you feel comfortable doing so, offer to refer the client to another writer. Someone you know may be a great fit for the gig, even if it isn’t a good one for you anymore.

In a situation where the client has made the decision to end things, you can still behave with class. If the client is not pleased and you can’t work things out, you can tell him or her that you are sorry that you weren’t able to resolve the situation. The result may be the same, but there is no reason why you both can’t walk away with your dignity intact.

When the reason for the client ending your working relationship is due to economic reasons, tell him or her that you understand and that you are sorry that they are having a difficult time. If you would be interested in working with the client again when the situation changes, tell them that. You could also ask the client for referrals to other people who may be hiring.

How do you handle the end of a freelance writing gig?

I spotted a thread on a discussion forum in my online travels recently that caught my eye. The subject was whether taking a freelance writing job that pays at an entry-level rate is a good idea or if doing so will hurt your career.

I have always been of the opinion that it’s better to be working than not doing so. My family enjoys eating and living indoors, so that’s a prime motivator for keeping busy. Simply because someone takes on a project that pays lower than they would normally accept doesn’t mean that they have done the one thing that is going to mess up their entire career.

I’ve never had someone who has hired me ask how much I charge other clients for my work. I don’t discuss my clients with each other, and I consider that the work that I do for them is confidential. In some cases, I have been asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement that prohibit me from discussing anything about the work that I do and my rates.

When someone is looking to hire a writer, I doubt they have time to follow up with the candidate’s previous clients to find out how much they were charged for their work. A client cares about getting their own work done. Period.

In the brick and mortar world, people generally start their working careers in entry-level positions. Over time as they get more experience, they move onto more lucrative work. The same thing happens for freelance writers. Taking an entry-level gig means you get some experience and some green in your pocket. During times when more lucrative work is lean, taking on something at the low end of your acceptable pay scale keeps your skills sharp and some money coming in.

If you are concerned about your lower-paying gigs appearing on your resume, do some editing. You don’t have to list each client you have ever worked for if you choose not to.

Getting back to the original question, I don’t think that you can hurt your career by taking a certain gig. If the subject about rates you used to charge ever comes up, you can explain that you have gained some experience and honed your skills since that point and now you charge $X.

What do you think? Can taking a low paying freelance writing job mean the Kiss of Death for your career?

I’ve been thinking about luck and freelancing lately. I’ve noticed something that I tend to do, and I’ve decided that I need to give myself an attitude adjustment. Here’s the scoop:

I’ve caught myself explaining to people who have been kind enough to ask about my writing career that I’ve been very lucky. A friend of mine gently reminded me that I have worked very hard and that luck had nothing to do with it. She’s right.

When I was trying to get started, it took awhile for me to get to the point where I was working regularly. Rather than blame the situation on “bad” luck, I figured that I wasn’t working hard enough. That wasn’t true, any more than getting positive results has to do with pure, dumb luck.

Rather than assume that landing a great gig has to do with being lucky or in the right place at the right time, a better approach is to give yourself a pat on the back and tell yourself that your hard work got you the experience or helped you make the contact that led to whatever it is that is working for you now.

I’ve lost track of the gigs that I’ve applied for that I didn’t get. The irony of being paid to find leads and still not getting hired when I’ve applied for some of them is not lost on me. But I kept plugging away and developed contacts that have led to getting hired for freelance writing gigs.

Do I feel lucky when I get hired? You bet. It’s a privilege to work with a client to help them build their business in some way. Is it all down to luck? No way.

The next time someone asks me about my career (so far), I’ll tell them that I feel fortunate to have met some wonderful people and that I have worked very hard to get where I am. What are you doing to make your own luck when it comes to freelance writing?

If you’re not reading this through a feed reader it’s safe to assume the person who posted this is a slimy content thief who is too unoriginal to come up with his or her own ideas. Feel free to report this content theft to freelancewritinggigs(at)gmail(dot)com.

You can see the October 19, 2009 edition of Monday Markets here.

Recently, I had the privilege of chatting with Ryan Roberts, the founder of E1even, a web development agency. Ryan has hired a number of contractors, including freelance writers, and has given me permission to share his thoughts with our readers:

What is your experience with hiring contractors and negotiating rates?

“As someone who frequently hires contractors, I offer a rate for the work that is based on the person’s talent and skill set. It seems like most freelancers/contractors hit you by asking for the moon. Eventually they back down on the rate they are asking for in anticipation of getting at least some work. When I’m negotiating with the freelancer, I’ll offer a rate that is in keeping with our budget. I expect to meet the freelancer somewhere in the middle.”

How would you respond to a contractor who quoted what you thought was a reasonable rate from the outset?

“Unless they were below budget I would negotiate, regardless. Even if someone’s skill set directly reflects their rate, business is business and bottom lines are bottom lines. If we can cut costs in one area to free up finances for other things this is directly reflected in the end rate a client pays.”

If someone was easy to negotiate with and did their work well, would that would make you more inclined to hire them for future projects?

“Absolutely. I will be the first to admit that if you are on point when working with me, I have no problem offering a mid-to-high rate right from the start. Not only that, I’ll keep you busy.”

“However, the flip side to that is that if you are slow, not on point and your portfolio/interpersonal communication skills reflect this, any employer will be able to tell right away what you are worth.”

How would you respond to a contractor who told you that they aren’t prepared to work for anything less than, say, $100 an hour?

“Personally, freelancers who bill at rates like that I believe are focusing on their ego, not their skill set. Honestly, I only know two people that I’ve ever paid that rate to, and for good reason. They are the best in the world at what they do.”

“Simply put, freelancers, at least the majority of them, are not worth that kind of money. Their overhead becomes my overhead, which becomes our clients’ overhead. I’d have to bill at $320 an hour to consider that fair game and make a profit. Real world agencies don’t bill at these rates. You typically see agencies bill at $120 an hour, and making a gross profit of $20 an hour on a contractor/employee is just not enough to keep the lights on in most cases.”

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Are there any surprises here, or did you already have a good idea about how clients set the rates they pay for the freelancers they hire?