Jenny Foss Reveals The Secret To Freelance Resume Success

Though this blog is all about freelancing, it’s become clear to me over the past eight years that freelancing doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition.

In fact, my own career has taken on a variety of slash career permutations. I’ve done freelance writing and editing while working full-time in the book publishing industry. I’ve juggled part-time permalance gigs with freelance projects and internships. And now I’m a full-time freelance sex writing, funeral singing career coach to word nerds.

I love having that variety, but doing so many things has made it difficult to build one, cohesive platform.

Which is why I approached Jenny Foss — founder of her own recruiting agency, resume guru, job search consultant, and author of To Whom It May Concern: Or, How To Stop Sucking at Your Job Search — and asked her to give my resume a major overhaul.

After she created a resume for me that made me want to make out with myself, it occurred to me that she might have more insight to share in terms of creating a cohesive marketing platform as a freelancer.

So I put on mascara and interviewed Jenny (also known as @JobJenny) via Skype video chat.

You’re welcome.

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How To Throw An Event That Rocks The House

A Dramatic Reenactment of the Entrance to Word Nerd Networking

Last week, about 75 people crammed themselves into a small back room at the Galway Hooker for an event I’d planned with the fantabulous Marian Schembari.

Needless to say, I was shocked. It was my very first foray into event planning, and I had assumed we’d be lucky if even five people bought tickets.

But apparently, we had hit upon a real need amongst word nerdy types.

In the end, the event was a success. People raved to me about the great conversations they’d had, and the connections they’d made. They even asked me when the next event was taking place! (To which I began laughing maniacally because I was having a nervous breakdown… you’ll soon see why…)

Still — as I assume happens with most events of this sort — not everything went smoothly.

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10 Ways To Prove Experience… Without Any

press passSeveral months ago,  I asked for your burning, publishing-related questions. In response, Alisa Bowman — a fellow blogger — mentioned that she was constantly being asked how to prove credibility and experience when just starting out:

“You need experience and contacts in order to get assignments and jobs, but how do you do that when you are right out of school?”

It’s a good question, especially considering that — when at a loss for how to move forward — many college grads consider just staying in school and pursuing a graduate degree.

I’m of the mind, however, that getting your Masters degree isn’t a necessity. Rather, I think it’s better to dive right in, instead of spending countless hours (and dollars) in a classroom environment.

So how do you prove your credibility when you don’t have a lick of experience?

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How To Market The Crap Out Of Yourself

I recently watched a video by very talented lady Marie Forleo, in which she touted the importance of marketing above all other things — even more important than product.

Say what?

Come on. It makes perfect sense. As Forleo pointed out, you can have the most high-quality product in the world but, unless people know about it, your business is sunk.

Many of us dread marketing as a necessary evil. I know I did. I wanted nothing more than to just practice my art. But recently, I found myself in the middle of some great brainstorming sessions, and I also had a blast writing up my marketing plan. And now? I’m eager to finally put that plan into action.

Have you written up a marketing plan yet? Why not!? Even if you’re not launching a fancy-pants career coaching practice or consulting business, your freelance business could still benefit. And it’s not scary at all! I swear!

Here. I’ll walk you through it.

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Bring In New Projects Without Lifting a Finger

Things have been awesomer than usual lately, and that’s a relief.

Because 2009 was a rough one.

This time last year, it seemed that — no matter how desperately I looked — it was impossible to find paying work.

But then, at the end of 2009, shortly after I had started a new part-time job at YourTango, Ian Kerner contacted me about co-writing an ebook with him for his new Good In Bed web project. Several months later, I was contacted by someone at AOL’s Patch about copy editing. The other month, an editor at The Frisky asked me if I’d be interested in writing a regular sex column for them. And then, the other week, someone at Psych Central e-mailed me, asking if I would be interested in writing for their site, as one of their editors had seen my LoveMom piece on depression, and had been impressed.

I’m not trying to gloat (though sometimes I like to point at my husband and say neener-neener). I’m just sayin’… it’s totally possible to bring in new projects without lifting a finger. How?

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12 Ways To Market An Ebook

You guys. I’m feeling a little verklempt right now, for a number of reasons. 1. This is the first guest post I’ve ever run on my blog. 2. It’s written by Susan Johnston (of The Urban Muse), one of my very first readers here at Freelancedom, and a constant source of inspiration, resources, and damn good advice. And 3. She wrote it as part of a marketing campaign for her forthcoming ebook — The Urban Muse Guide to Online Writing Markets — which I’m excited as hell to finally be able to purchase this coming Monday.

Okay. I’ll shut up now. Soak in the brilliance:

*****

The good news about self-publishing an ebook is that you have almost complete control over the content and distribution methods. The bad news? You’ll need to market the #*%$ out of it if you want to turn a profit. My ebook launches this coming Monday. Hopefully, my initial marketing push will pay off. For everyone else working on their own ebooks, here’s a glimpse at my marketing plan. Not all of these ideas will make sense for all ebook authors and, in fact, I chose to skip a few of them for the sake of my sanity. But this list should give you plenty of ideas for reaching potential readers.

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How To Get Your Book Published Before the Age of 25

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You want the lowdown on how to get your book published…the sooner the better? Let me lay it out for you. First: Catch the writing bug. You know the one I’m talking about. The one where you can’t see yourself doing anything else and so spend your every free moment putting word to page, churning out three novels in as many years, yet coming up against rejection after rejection. Next: Experience desperation and disillusionment. Take on a mind-numbing job writing about things you care nothing about. At least you’ll have a steady paycheck, and can say that — technically — you’re a published writer. After that: Decide to do something crazy, like writing a book about writing a book, in the hopes that said book will actually be published. Swiftly realize that such a prospect is completely unwieldy, and utterly insane. And yet: Find yourself an agent, and then an editor, willing to give you a chance. Actually publish said book.

And there you have it.

Oh wait…I suppose that’s not how it’s always been done. But that’s how Stephen Markley did it.

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How To Avoid Social Media Fatigue in 5 Easy Steps

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Oh my god, you guys. The other week, I asked for suggestions on what I should include in my Job Hopping for Word Nerds e-book. Heather of CraftLit provided me with a goldmine of great suggestions, some of which I deemed outside the scope of my book. Still, I thought they would make for some great blog post fodder. So today, I decided to address this one:

How can I use social media without being swallowed by it?

So I opened up my Freelancedom dashboard, typed in the title of this post, aaand… then proceeded to spend the next four hours on Twitter.

Oy.

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My New Web Platform Has Launched!

You guys. I’m so excited I could puke. Last night, my (darling, beloved, uber-talented, handsome) husband put the finishing touches on my new web platform, and then set it to go live. Ever since then, I’ve been gazing at it lovingly, clicking between the different tabs and feeling giddy.

I tasked my husband with this project back in the fall, when I first entered my career coaching certification program. My professional site was feeling a bit out of date, and I wanted a more comprehensive platform that would present me as a writer, editor, and coach in a fairly seamless manner. Voila. Would you like the grand tour?

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What I Learned About Running a Business from Tabatha Coffey

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I channel-surfed my way to Tabatha’s Salon Takeover during today’s lunch break. I had never seen it before and, honestly, had never felt compelled to. What did I care about the trials and tribulations of hair salons across the country?

Silly me. I was quickly sucked into a three-hour marathon (I know) and, aside from constantly wondering where she got that fierce black jacket she’s always wearing, I realized: Tabatha Coffey has a lot to teach me about running a business.

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