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Title: The Right Writer: How to Choose Your Next Freelancer
Written By: Dr. Barry W. Morris
Web Site: http://BarryMorris.com
© 2006 Dr. Barry W. Morris
So you've decided to outsource your next communications project! Great! By doing so, it allows you to devote more time and energy to doing what you do best: managing other projects and employees and getting more value for your marketing dollars.
However, you'll soon discover that now you're confronted with an even larger task than writing it yourself: finding the 'right' writer for the job.
Hiring a writer is sometimes a Catch-22 situation. At times, quality writers seem to grow on trees, but when you need one in a hurry to meet a rapidly approaching deadline, it can be difficult finding one who understands your business, your deadline, and your audience.
While finding the "Right Writer" can still be a tricky business, we've developed the four following guidelines that will enable you to locate and hire the most deserving candidate for your project!
Guideline One
Look for a Writer With an Established Web Presence
With technology becoming ever more affordable and user-friendly, designing and maintaining a web presence is becoming easier and almost commonplace. A writer with her own registered domain name is making a more serious statement than her counterpart whose material is hosted on a free AOL or Yahoo homepage.
Look for the most qualified writers to craft a personally branded presence that include the following:
- Sample of selected projects
- A biography or resume
- Listing of services and areas of expertise
Guideline Two
Look for an Effective Writing Ability
What's an effective writing ability? Think of it as a writer who can easily adapt and rapidly get up to speed in your business area. Many business writing projects are better handled by writers that have a broad range of business writing experience. The decision to assign the task to an in-house employee who is familiar with the project is almost always a mistake.
Why? The first reason is that the person chosen for their familiarity is too close to the project. Writing requires an objectivity that writers possess as an innate ability.
A product engineer who knows the product inside and out will rarely possess the skills of professional writer.
How do you know if your writer has the right mix of effective writing ability and project or topic distance? Return to their web site and look again at their samples asking the following questions:
- Does the writer's past experience place them too close to the details of the work?
- Do the samples posted online effectively communicate a clear message?
- Is the web site copy selling the writer's ability and skills effectively?
- Is there a diversity of industry experience in the projects posted?
Guideline Three
Look for Creativity
Selecting a writer with a creative mind is essential to the success of any writing project. A creative writer is a creative thinker.
Unless you have the time and inclination to micromanage each stage of the writing process, you'll want a professional who will ask the appropriate questions in the beginning and get straight to work without the need for constant supervision.
Such writers are in good supply. How do you find them? Again, return to the all-important web site.
This time examine the site for appropriate use of:
- Proper and orderly layout
- Appropriate use of color
- Overall presentation of information
- And above all, creative copy
Chances are good that if a writer has difficulty with any of these on her own site, she's not the writer you're looking to hire.
Guideline Four
The Life/Experience Quotient
This is a non-mathematical phrase we coined to describe the collective feel one gets in evaluating writers for assignment.
It involves several criteria:
- Educational accomplishments
- Career accomplishments outside of writing
- Industry diversity in their writing career
- References from past employers/clients
Once you get a feel for the type of work a writer has completed, you'll be in a more favorable position to select the appropriate candidate.
If you feel that a particular writer is well balanced on terms of life/work experience, exposure to industry diversity, and presents herself well online and in person, then you've found the "Right Writer".
Conclusion
Selecting the best freelance commercial writer for your writing project depends on many factors. Some of these include the type of project, deadline issues, budget constraints, client expectations, etc.
Once you've narrowed the list of candidates down to an acceptable number, look for the writer with an effective web presence as well as one who presents himself well in person and in print.
Select a writer who is a creative thinker and is able to translate this into a fresh perspective for your piece. Finally, select a professional whom you feel is in possession of the right mix of life/work experiences that will bring the proper tone to your project.
Using these four guidelines, I feel confident that you'll have no difficulty finding the "Right Writer" for your next project.
About the Author
Barry W. Morris is a Freelance Commercial Writer based in San Jose, California, USA. He works primarily with independent business owners who are frustrated with how long it takes to get their business writing projects out-the-door. His site is http://BarryMorris.com
Today's article was orginally received for publication in July 2005. The author has given full permission to publish it either electronically or in print, free of charge, in its entirety, as long as the article content remains unchanged as is published here today and that the authors copyright with resource box are included.
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