blog @ spacebarpress » inspiration

Tell Me How You’re Unique

Julia — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:27:34 +0000

This was an excellent question I was asked at a recent job interview, and it’s something that writers often think about, especially freelance ones. I even blogged about this already a while ago, so it’s obviously something that’s on my mind.

I found it a unique interview question (see what I did there?) because it’s not one that gets asked often. If it is asked, it’s not asked in that way, and perhaps that’s why it stuck in my brain.

We technical writers can be a peculiar bunch of people, so I found it an interesting question. We’re often:

Type B personalities
Very introverted
Quite geeky
Not always social

Of course there are exceptions to this, and I consider myself to be one of them. While I enjoy the tranquility and silence of my cubicle when I need to write, I also enjoy the company of my colleagues. I like to hear about their projects, and how they’re doing in general. I like to go out for a pint or two with friends and talk about our favourite hockey teams. (Go Habs Go!) I’m also a computer geek that likes to learn about VPNs, how to set up a server, or figure out how to change the code in my Wordpress theme so that all my post titles are in a sans-serif font.

So come on everyone, why don’t you tell me how you’re unique? I’m curious.

Should You Ever Apply For A Job With a Company You Know You Don’t Like?

Julia — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:12:59 +0000

In my quest to find contract technical writing positions, I came across one for a full-time position at a company that I’ve dealt with before. It was a bad experience from several years ago, and it left me with such a bad taste in my mouth that I haven’t bothered to apply to them again…even though they’ve always, and I mean always have technical writing job openings. BUT, the other day I went ahead and actually applied to the Evil IT Company anyways.

“Why did you do that Julia?” you might be asking.

- I did it because I was curious.
- I did it because it would look good on my resume.
- I did it because incoming cash flow is zero.

I probably wouldn’t actually take the job if I were to be the “successful candidate” (as HR types like to say), but I figured it was worth a shot. In this economy you sometimes can’t be choosy. I don’t actually want a full-time job, and am working on making it as a freelancer, but since companies are taking longer to go through their hiring process because of the state of the economy, I thought it was worth sending in my application. As I’ve often told friends, I can always say no, especially since I’m not a big fan of this company. But if, in two months time, I still haven’t made much money as a freelancer, and am coming to the end of my savings fun, and the Evil IT Company comes a-calling, I might just have to grin and accept it while I continue to look for “better” jobs.

Have you ever been in this situation? I’d like to hear your experiences.

Edit: Just secured an interview at the Evil IT Company for next week. While I’m willing to hear them out, if there’s any hint of strangeness at all during the interview process, I-am-out-of-there.

Finding My Uniqueness

Julia — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:18:43 +0000

While searching the Internet for new freelancing opportunities, I came across an article that talked about the number 1 rule of freelancing: Find what makes you unique. If you don’t do that then customers aren’t going to want to hire you, because they can just hire anybody. If you’re the first freelancer they find, then great! But what if you’re not the first one, how are you going to earn their money?

Step 1-how many layers of uniqueness do I have?

I am a writer.
I am a computer geek.
I am a sports fan. (My friends would probably say that should be the first layer, given my loyalty to my beloved Montreal Canadiens. [I am feeling their current pain far too deeply. ])
I am a woman.
I am concerned about the environment.

Interesting list, if I do say so myself. A few of those are obvious, a few others aren’t. Let’s see what else I can learn.

Step 2-List two things for each layer that I could write about.

Style guides and writing standard documents for software development.
Puzzle video games like Tetris.
How does technology affect us as a society?
Why is the NHL not as popular in the US as it is in Canada?
Why do hockey players not wear their protective equipment properly?
Why doesn’t the NHL regulate safety equipment like the NFL?
The daily grind of being a professional tennis player.
How I can reduce my carbon footprint.
What household products can I use that are “green”?

Wow, that list didn’t take me too long to write at all. Funny, considering I was just lamenting the other day that I had lost my inspiration for writing. I think I’m going to have to start making more of an effort to come up with these types of lists and just start writing! Apparently I have a lot to say.

Step 3-Find places that need these types of articles.

This could present more of a challenge, but it’s one that I’ve got to make an effort on if I want to kick-start my freelancing career. Currently I could use Helium.com, or even Today.com, a new place I discovered this morning. Also I was thinking of using this blog to showcase my writing, as I’ve seen some freelancers do. Particularly the ones that do more SEO and keyword article writing. If I want to develop that aspect of my business, I’ve got to start doing that as well.