Dear Accidentally Qualified: Picking Up A New Project and Freelancer CV

“Accidentally Qualified” is a new advice column from Study Hall written by Sonia Weiser, a freelance journalist and the founder of the journalism opportunities newsletter, “Opportunities of the Week.” Questions can be submitted through our anonymous form for consideration: https://forms.gle/pwUbNgwTBaGKATyu5. 

Kat Boogaard tweeted this question and gave me permission to answer it publicly for the advice column. Follow Kat.

Something I still haven’t figured out 10 years into this freelancing thing:

Am I hesitant to take on that client/project because it’s new, challenging, and intimidating? Or am I hesitant to take it on because I feel like it’s not the right fit?

HOW DO YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE?!

—-

Dear Kat,

There’s a thin line between “I could hypothetically do something” and “I’m not qualified to do something” and often, the decision to take on the challenge comes down to a simple cost benefit analysis. If you’re tackling an assignment on a subject or in a style you know nothing about, will it be worth your time to learn it all first? Or will getting yourself prepared to start the work or do research as you go negate any of its financial value? Will what you learn while doing this one assignment be applicable to future assignments or is this a one-and-done? There’s never been a better time to diversify your skillset. 

If you’re certain you’ll need these new skills or knowledge base again, then maybe it is worth spending the extra time now, even if monetarily speaking, you come out at a loss. Admittedly, I’ve done a lot of “learning by doing” after claiming that I already had the competencies to do the job. Resume reformatting? Basic website maintenance? Photo edits? Yep, I figured it out as I went. Does the job require SEO expertise and you can’t even bullshit your way through a conversation about it? The internet is your friend. Online tutorials are a blessing and no one has to know that your search history consists of 100 how-to videos if the final product is professional-grade. 

I will admit that I’ve taken on assignments that I thought I could manage only to discover that not only do I not have the knowledge-based to handle it, I truly don’t find it interesting. I once took on a writing gig about Adobe while I was researching the company or whatever the hell it was that I needed to write about, I realized that there’s very likely someone out there who already has this information stored in their brain and could whip out this assignment in a third of the time that I could. Not only that, I had no desire to learn about Adobe. So that’s another thing to take into consideration: will this bore you so much that you won’t want to do it once you start? Then you’re stuck with work you both can’t really do and aren’t motivated to do. Which sucks. 

But if the assignment is exciting to you and you feel driven to give it a try, then why not go for it? The person who wants to hire you clearly thinks you’re capable, otherwise they wouldn’t have selected you to begin with. 

When I’m not feeling confident about my ability to deliver, I ask for examples of what the prospective client is looking for: either stuff they’ve published in the past or work they’ve seen online that mirrors their desired end product. If you still don’t have a grip on what they need from you, ask for a one-on-one meeting where all parties will have time to ask questions and explain any facets of the project that may have been hard to articulate via email.

(If they can’t give you anything, RUN AWAY! Apathetic, clueless, or indecisive people are the worst types of clients to work for.) I’ve found that knowing exactly what they want is the easiest way to decide whether it’s something in your wheelhouse, even if it’s something that forces you to move outside of your comfort zone. From experience, you may also find that what you’re imagining is leagues beyond what the client is expecting (us high-achievers forget that our “passable” is most people’s “excellent.” I’ve had clients tell me that I’m a life-saver and an angel and I’ve wanted to be like, “Really? This?”) 

So take that risk! You may find yourself a new niche in the process. 

Dear Accidentally Qualified: 

I’m planning to apply to a full-time job at a big company after five years of steady freelance journalism (writing, audio and film producing, and contract editing). I’m worried that corporate-ladder hiring managers simply won’t take my resume seriously. I would like my resume to represent me as a grown-ass professional but I fear that managers see it and read only gig salad. So I’m wondering: What’s a shrewd approach to incorporating freelance + contract work and self-employment onto a coherent, killer resume?

Side of Gig Salad

Dear Side of Gig Salad, 

First off, 38% of the U.S workforce freelances so you’re hardly an anomaly. That said, not every prospective employer understands that freelancing isn’t a codeword for unemployed or underqualified so you’ll have to catch their attention with your biggest, fanciest accomplishments. 

Unfortunately many freelance writers are at a disadvantage because most of our accomplishments aren’t exactly quantifiable; we pop in, write a piece, and pop back out. Unless you’re out there earning Pulitzers or getting legislation passed or helping overturn a wrongful conviction through your reportage, you’re unlikely to have anything to say about your work’s impact. I think I made someone cry once. But that’s about it. 

So to learn how to create a cohesive resume that showcases your capabilities, I hit up my favorite recruiting expert, Alex Fenstermacher.

His advice: “Every recruiter wants the resume to ‘fit’ a role, and that ‘fit’ will always be made harder if your resume isn’t easily digestible. Humans love categories and categorizing things, and grouping works with similar topics/clients, will give the resume reader the sense that you have a focus in your work.”

For some freelancers, that means subdividing the Freelance section of your resume into roles: On mine, I separate my gigs into Writer, Editor, Fact-Checker regardless of when I completed them. 

“If the freelance work is listed chronologically, the work may look like it’s all over the place,” says Fenstermacher. 

You can also add a section on top for Career Highlights so the first thing a recruiter or hiring manager sees is a list of your biggest wins. Did your work win any awards? Did you redesign an app resulting in a massive increase in users? Did your media pitches lead to coverage for your clients in big name publications? Was your article featured in a best-of list? All things worth bragging about! 

I recently read that the first third of your resume is the most important (Fenstermacher agreed), so use that real estate to prove that you’re the right person for the job. List the highlights that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for. You can include other ones beneath each job description. 

If your resume truly looks like a mishmosh, you can tack on a Personal Overview on top, basically a few lines about who you are, what you do, and what you’ve done. They’re a bit of a menace to write (in my opinion), but they do add clarity to what may look like a winding road of a career. 

Self-presentation can make all the difference, so take a few minutes before applying for a job to check that your resume truly shines. 

-Sonia

If you’re interested in getting freelancer advice, opportunities, and resources, sign up for Study Hall today using a 30 day free discount code “ADVICE.”