Mark Cuban couldn't have said it better, "There is only one thing in life you can control: your own effort." Here are 3 reasons why you're not getting at least called in for an interview for the job:

Reason #1): In addition to following the directions precisely for the job application process, if you have an email address that's provided for the job did you have letters of recommendation sent from others to that email address? In this day and age (even before Covid competition, getting the job interview was difficult) now it's even worse specifically for those remote and/or freelance positions that involve working from home. It's a given that many got used to staying and working at home (since Covid) that they don't want to ever return to the office. I even saw a woman post that she never wanted to return to the office on LinkedIn. 

And in case you don't know how fierce the competition is, within 8 hours of a freelance writer position being posted on LinkedIn there were already 234 applicants.

How are you going to stand out amongst over 234 applicants (by the time you apply that number can be many more)?

I asked myself, "What worked in the past?" Sometimes what worked "back in the day" still works today. I remembered how I got all the scholarships I got in college: The Herbert Goodman highest GPA scholarship 2 consecutive years in a row at my community college, a scholarship my summer quarter at my community college, and the Milgard Tribute scholarship the first year at my University's business school. My tuition and books (thousands of dollars per quarter) weren't just paid because of my great grades, leadership and extra-curricular activities, my awesome essays or applications it was also because of the letters of recommendation that I had written.

A letter of recommendation is a letter that talks about why you're an awesome candidate & what you're currently doing and did in the past. You'd want to have someone who can vouch for you whether it's a current or former professor, someone you worked/work with, etc. It's approximately a page to a page and a quarter. Here's a sample one that a client wrote for me that is tailored to the specific position:

Mary Zennett, Doctor, business owner, and client of mine

I am writing to highly endorse Carly Calabrese for the content writer (Homes-Freelance) position.

It will be 5 years (this November) since I’ve known Carly. I met Carly through Puyallup Referral Masters Networking group for business professionals which Carly created and led. Since then, I hired Carly for a one-year project writing 2 articles a month on various health & wellness topics. Some of the topics included: 6 fitness classes that will make you want to go to the gym, 5 benefits of exercise, what congestive heart failure is & how to prevent it, how to read food labels to prevent heart disease, ways to prevent a heart attack, solutions to sore knees, 5 ways to improve your mental health, what chronic fatigue is, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, the difference between a panic attack & an anxiety attack, the difference between a cold & a flu, 5 ways to prevent getting sick, what is broken heart syndrome?, & daddy issues. Carly attracted positive reader feedback and her articles were a welcome addition to my newsletter. 

Another project that I feel would be relevant in discussing that I've hired Carly for was writing a biography that summed up who I am and what I do as a professional that I used for marketing myself and my business on my website, etc. 

Carly is proficient with Microsoft Word, has reliable internet & is a very responsible worker and collaborator. She has excellent communication skills, has over 11 years of direct writing experience (defined as positions which required heavy writing), has written for & been published in various publications: Woman’s World Magazine (TWICE), Eatonville Dispatch Newspaper 6 months, SouthSoundTalk.com for over 3 years, Tacoma.com over 3 years, the Tacoma Art Group for 1 year, and has also written for contract projects for: the Federal Way Mirror, South Sound Magazine, Showcase Media Magazine, the Business Examiner, & the Puyallup Herald. 

Carly goes above and beyond and has exceptional work ethic. She is detailed, thorough, and produces her finished product on time or early. When she wrote her first article for me, my website editor for uploading her article was not user friendly at all. Carly went above and beyond by making edits at least 9 times because of the mistakes caused by the website editor, spending 90 minutes in person on her own time to assist with the website editor’s technical issues to ensure the job was done well. 

I highly recommend Carly Calabrese for your content writer (Homes-Freelance) position as she has experience writing marketing material for career seekers, business owners, businesses, and individuals in general. She is a wordsmith wizard who shows not just tells the reader which is an essential skill for marketing and storytelling (in general). She has been in business performing this type of work for 9 years outside of successfully helping individuals find employment & marketing themselves to do so for over 13 years. These added skillsets are just bonuses to her extensive writing experience. 

Best Regards,

Dr. Mary Zennett

Movement For Global Health

Reason #2): Are you sending a follow up letter within a week of submitting for the position? This means you do the research to find out how you can send this letter to the hiring manager or recruiter for the position by finding them on LinkedIn so that you can send it to them as a message or to an email address that you can locate (with the hiring manager or recruiter's name if possible).

A follow up letter has an introduction about the details of the position you applied for & date submitted along with why you're interested in the position and how you're a perfect fit. You should also list what you like about the position (outside of why you're a perfect fit) and then mention how your resume is attached and include it. Conclude the letter with thanking them, showing gratitude, and conclude.

Click here to view a sample follow up letter

Reason #3):  Are you sending thank you letters NOT just when you receive an interview, but when you receive a rejection letter? This means you do the research to find out how you can send this letter to the hiring manager or recruiter for the position (if it's not obvious in the letter that you receive) by finding them on LinkedIn so that you can send it to them as a message or to an email address that you can locate (with the hiring manager or recruiter's name if possible).

It's really a thing now. Here are screenshots of the article on LinkedIn as recent ast May 12, 2022:

Click here to view a sample thank you letter after you receive the rejection letter from the company

Service #1: Letter of Recommendation for your job

You know the perfect person/people who can vouch for your skills, experience, character, and more but they may not have the time, interest, or skill to write an impactful and truthful letter. That's where I come in. I can ask the right questions to capture the right details that need to be included in your letter at a remote interview session where we'd meet on the computer, phone, or tablet and hear & see each other as if we were sitting across the table from one another. I would ask you the questions that you would've already received so that you can prepare before we meet remotely. I will then listen back to our recorded remote meeting and write your first draft and provide to you for any applicable edits. I make any applicable edits and then provide to you the final formatted draft (defined as font type, font size, bolds, italicizes, highlights, links where applicable) via email along with a subject title for your email so that you can forward to that person who will send your letter of recommendation for the job you're applying on your behalf.

You also may need another person to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf (you should aim for at least 3 per job that you can send them, too if an email address is present). I could write one on your behalf as another reference to you being the perfect fit for the position. (This would be available if it made sense. If I know you and feel comfortable doing).

These letters of recommendation need to be submitted as soon as possible after you've applied for the position, as it's more material the hiring manager/recruiter will have a chance to review besides your application materials.

A letter of recommendation that's approximately a page to a page and a quarter are ideal, along with the interview to write your letter of recommendation along with the one set of edits (if applicable), and pre-formatted finalized draft via email (defined as the: font type, font size, bolds, italicizes, highlights, links where applicable) to you (or sent from me on behalf of you if I'm the one recommending you) is all for $264.30 which includes the fee I'm charged to process your debit/credit card so I can net my $250 rate. **If you want to pay without a debit/credit card, contact me ASAP as the same deadline applies.**$250 is the non-debit/credit card rate.

Service #2: Follow up letter approximately a week after you submit for the position 

You're too busy looking for jobs in your field, preparing & submitting your applications for those jobs, writing, editing, and/or facilitating the process to get letters of recommendation for the jobs you're applying for that can send them for, etc. that's when you'd have me write your follow up letter for the positions you've applied for (approximately a week from when you've submitted them).

OR maybe you're not too busy to write your follow up letters, you just want the help, want the expertise, whatever your reason I'm here to do it!

A follow up letter that's approximately a page to no more than a page & a half are ideal, along with the quick interview to write your follow up letter along with the one set of edits (if applicable), and pre-formatted finalized draft via email (defined as the: font type, font size, bolds, italicizes, highlights, links where applicable) to you along with a subject title for your email so that you can forward from your own email account OR copy to a LinkedIn message is all for $211.60 which includes the fee I'm charged to process your debit/credit card so I can net my $200 rate. **If you want to pay without a debit/credit card, contact me ASAP as the same deadline applies.**$200 is the non-debit/credit card rate.

Service #3: Thank you letter for the rejection note/letter that you received after applying for a job

Don't want another letter to have to send? Don't think you'd write a good enough one? Want to make your life easier by delegating, but still being in control of it? That's where I come in.

I can write your thank you for the rejection letter, letter that's approximately a page to a page & a half are ideal to communicate back to your potential employer as they made the effort to communicate to you that they weren't moving forward with you for the position. I will thank them for providing you an update on the status of your application that you applied for including details of the position and when. I will include sincere gratitude and credit for them communicating to you the status of your application when they could've been like the many companies out there that don't but in your words! I will include a few bullet points on why you really liked the position (a quick interview to get something interesting & not just how you'd be great at the position other substantial relevant details where applicable such as perhaps you recently attended a financial seminar related to the financial position you're applying, why you're in the field/trying to get into the field, etc.) you were just rejected for, wish them the best in whoever they do hire while also letting them know you'd like to be considered for the opportunity should it not work out with who they choose and/or if another position becomes available. I will include in the letter that you'd like to keep in touch and propose how you'd do so (if you're a business owner who has an email newsletter you can discuss the purpose of your newsletter & why they'd want to be on it and ask for their email address OR you can let them know you'd like to keep in touch and how they'd propose doing so (some people like to message on LinkedIn or via phone or email). I will be sure to add a light line (that sounds like you as well) along the lines of, "Either way, have an awesome rest of your week!" before concluding. You'll be able to have one set of edits prior to the finished product. All for $211.60 which includes the fee I'm charged to process your debit/credit card so I can net my $200 rate. **If you want to pay without a debit/credit card, contact me ASAP as the same deadline applies.**$200 is the non-debit/credit card rate.

Thank you,

Carly Calabrese

Career Coach/Business Marketing Consultant/Writer/Editor/LinkedIn Consultant

Email me: info@worksolutionstoday.com

Work Solutions - "Providing career assistance/coaching/prep, business marketing, writing, editing, and LinkedIn services for individuals and freelance opportunities."

“Independence is happiness.”—Susan B. Anthony