So You Want to Write for a Living (Part 2: The Job Application Process)
What you need to know about applying for a writing job in the Philippines
If you were once a little kid who said, “I want to be a writer when I grow up!” and you’re reading this blog entry today, congratulations! You’re right on the brink of achieving your dream.
Now, there are several ways to achieve this dream - becoming a published author, a journalist, an advertising copywriter, etc. In the first part of this two-part series, we went through 7 tips for aspiring writers in high school and college.
Today, we’ll talk about the job application process for writing jobs in the Philippines.
So without further ado, here are tips for acing the app process and getting that writer job!
Polish your resume, portfolio, and cover letter
If you did an internship in college, you most likely have some form of these documents already. But if this isn’t the case, you’ll want to learn how to best present yourself to potential managers as well as HR staff. Remember, this is your first and best foot forward. Getting an interview schedule will depend on how they perceive your resume, portfolio, and even the cover letter in your email.
Tips for writing a resume:
When applying for a writer position, resumes don’t need to have a photo or be overly decorative. Your details are more important than any fancy-schmancy layout.
You may also want to highlight any experience related to the position you’re applying for (e.g. a student org you joined, contests you won).
Remember to proofread your resume, and if possible, have someone else proofread it too! After all, what could be more embarrassing than you, an aspiring writer, having typos and grammatical errors in your own resume?
Tips for prepping a portfolio:
As a fresh grad, you might be worried about having only school projects in your portfolio. But the way you present your work can help highlight your skillset and prove that you deserve the job! Hiring managers tend to ask you about your portfolio during the interview, so start with the most interesting items (e.g. award-winning articles or published work).
As a fresh grad in 2016, I would tote around my portfolio in a clear book during interviews. But in recent years, it’s become more common for hiring managers to view online portfolios that are linked in your resume. If you’re doing an online interview, expect to be asked to screen share your portfolio website and take the interviewer on a tour through your work and your thought process.
Some good portfolio websites include Clippings.me and Wix.com, though I do know writers who have gotten jobs with just a Google Drive folder as their portfolio!
Tips for writing a cover letter:
The cover letter is typically included in the email you send to the HR staff or hiring manager. You can come up with a rough template for this, but make sure to customize it to include the HR/hiring manager’s name, the company name, and job title. If the job opening said “Associate Writer”, place “Associate Writer” in the cover letter for that specific application. Don’t just copy-paste “Writer” across all your emails.
Lastly, mind the details in the To and Subject lines.
Send each application individually - don’t CC or BCC other companies.
Use “Application for [Position] - [Your Full Name]” to make viewing and searching easier for busy recruiters.
Be ready with professional references
Not all job applications will require you to send in references, but it helps to have a few people whose names, emails, and numbers you can give in case the recruiter asks. For fresh grads, your professional references can include professors, internship supervisors, or the head of your student org.
Use tech to help you find more job openings
Speaking of social networking sites and job websites, these may also help you find other openings. Besides the usual LinkedIn, Jobstreet and Kalibrr, Facebook groups like Independent Creative & Advertising Professionals and the hashtag #MayOpeningBaDiyan can help connect jobseekers with openings.
Be thorough about your research
Finding job openings can be tough, so you might be asking, “Why do research and be so maarte about it?” Well, doing due diligence can save you time, money, and a lot of heartache down the line.
Case in point: I once applied for a job with a company without knowing that the company was a BPO, and that the position required me to work the graveyard shift - something I was not amenable to. I was so psyched about getting an interview, passing the screening test, and getting a callback - only to be asked by the hiring manager if I was okay with starting on the night shift!
Doing your research on Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook can also help you learn more about the company in the eyes of people who work there. Sites like Glassdoor let employees review their company anonymously, and the reviews there might help you steer clear of a bad work environment. Checking if the company has a social media presence can also give you a better idea of what the company is like and what people think of them. And checking how long people stay in the company (based on their LinkedIn profiles) may also help you decide if a job opening is worth all your effort.
In this era of full on-site, hybrid, and remote work options, you’ll also want to be careful when reading the job opening posts. Great benefits or a cool company might excite you too much, and you might miss out on the fact that you’ll need to do a 3-hr commute 5x a week!
Get ready to answer - and ask - questions at interviews
Often, fresh grads view interviews as a series of questions they have to answer. But after a couple of interviews, you’ll notice that interviewers will ask if you have any questions. And this isn’t just to wrap things up or to refer to the next steps in the application process. This is your chance to show off your interest in the company and analytical chops!
Besides practising your answers to “What is your greatest weakness?” and “Why do you want to work at X?”, prepare a list of questions for the interviewer. These can include, but are not limited to:
What will my day-to-day work life be like, if ever I get the job?
Who will be approving my work?
What makes a person a great fit at your company?
Is this a new post, or am I replacing someone?
What is your mentoring style?
What is your leadership style?
Can you tell me about the company culture?
Questions specific to the company or industry
Make time for writing tests
As you schedule your interviews, make sure you allot enough time in your days for writing tests. Job application processes will usually involve some form or writing test, and you may be given a deadline of 2 to 7 days after receiving the instructions.
Manage and set expectations
When going through the job application process, there may be times when you want to say you know or can do more than you’re actually capable of. While it helps to show your interest, it will be harder for you later on when your manager realizes you overpromised and can’t deliver on an assignment. Instead, you can frame skills you don’t have as skills you’re willing to learn.
You may also experience being “ghosted” by recruiters, even after they said they’ll get back to you by a certain date. You can follow up on the status of your application via email since this shows excitement for the position. It also prompts the recruiter to manage your expectations regarding timelines, compensation, etc.
Do your due diligence even after you get a job offer
You can usually ask the recruiter to give you 2 to 3 days, or even a week, to think about the job offer. This helps, especially if you’re expecting to get another offer within the same time frame.
To best use that thinking time, you should review the job offer multiple times. Check if the salary offered is within an acceptable range (you can usually check this via Payscale). Check if the number of leaves is at par or even better than what is mandated by the government. You may also want to look into other non-monetary benefits, such as if you’ll get an HMO by your 6th month.
Choose a mentor for a boss, especially if it’s your first job
While it may be super-cool to get into a big, recognizable company as a fresh grad, I personally feel that it’s more important to find a boss who will be a mentor to you - someone who is willing to invest time and effort in training you from the ground up.
Here’s the thing: not every company or boss has the capacity to truly train fresh grads, since it saves them time and effort to hire someone more “plug and play”. And while that’s life and that’s unfair in a way, it also means that you’ll need to use the interview process to find a boss who is willing to nurture you and take a chance on your raw talent.
Have a job application process mentor
Let’s face it - you won’t know everything there is about applying for jobs, and while there is Google and resume-writing seminars and your batchmates, it also helps to have someone you can count on for your job application-related questions. In my case, my mom and partner are my go-to’s when I need someone to review my resume or assess a job offer. It helps that my mom has years of experience, while my partner happens to be in the same field.
I hope these tips help make your job application process a little easier! Got any questions or tips about applying for writer jobs in the Philippines? Leave them in the comments below!