🎶 Comma comma down doobie doo down down 🎶

Sorry. Sometimes my brain just goes to random pop culture references like the song that inspired this title. Have a listen so you don’t think I’m a lunatic.

Anyway. Getting hired as a freelance writer feels really hard sometimes, doesn’t it? (Abrupt segue—stay with me here.)

Whether it’s for an amazing in-house gig at a company you admire, or a remote job that would eliminate your life-sucking commute each day, or even a freelance writing opportunity with a dream client—it’s not an easy process.

Not only do you have to stand out from the pile of applicants, but if you do, perchance, get noticed…then you have to dazzle during the interviewing process.

So, erm...how do you do that?

How I Got Hiring Teams to Notice Me

I somehow figured out how to do that not once, but *TWICE* not too long after I graduated college.

One interview was with a news/journalism startup (now defunct, RIP) and one was with a New York Times bestselling author (who is still raking in that $). You can read the full story on that right here if you’re interested.

Getting noticed is the first step. You have to do something unique that makes you stand out from the stack of applicants who also think they’re the perfect candidate. (Again, read that story for some ideas on how to do that.)

But once you get noticed, the next step is having a home-run interview that makes the person doing the hiring realize you’re not only smart, willing to learn, and charming, but you’re also an A+ culture fit that will mesh well with the rest of the team.

That’s the part I’ve learned a lot about since landing those initial interviews.

Getting hired by 80+ clients over the past five years has taught me a lot about what companies are looking for in a new team member (and I've learned a lot about how to show you're all those things.)

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.