No…I said BLITZ
Blitz: 1. an intensive or sudden military attack. 2. a sudden, energetic, and concerted effort, typically on a specific task
We don’t need to involve tanks or bombers, so let’s focus on definition #2. Although, I do like the word “attack.” It’s really what I’m recommending you do next: Attack job opportunities with ferocious effort. So really, that first description of your blitz is fairly accurate.
To secure your first jobs as a freelance writer, you should complete an application blitz. You’ll develop a plan of attack, then execute it. If you aren’t a military strategist, that’s ok. You don’t need evasive maneuvers or heavy defenses. What you do need is energy, effort and perseverance.
My Recipe: The Spaghetti Toss
Keep in mind, if you do a search for job-hunting tips, you’ll get a plethora of results. Many will disagree with what I’m suggesting. Many will say that you should remain very focused in your job applications, spending time applying only to the ones with an ideal fit. “Don’t waste your time applying to dozens and dozens of jobs.” “Focus on networking rather than anonymous online applications.” “Don’t bother with a cover letter.” And on and on.
In certain situations, each of these might be good advice. But…these ideas didn’t fit with my plan, and they might not work with yours either.
My approach was an all-out freelancing blitz to get my name and portfolio in front of as many people as possible – in hopes to get a few things to stick. 
You might say I prayerfully played the odds – figuring for every dozen or so jobs I applied to I might find someone interested in giving me a shot. With very little experience, I hoped to find a few among the potential clients who would let me prove my writing talent to them. And…it worked. God answered those prayers.
The main reason my job search looked different from others was my end goal. I wasn’t trying to secure one 40-hour-a-week job. My goal was essentially several part-time jobs. I hoped to put together enough writing gigs, working with many clients, to create full-time income. I didn’t want to rely on one company to supply all of my pay, and I also wanted to ultimately work for myself. I only wanted jobs that allowed me to work from home, on my own schedule. I would decide what hours to work, what rate to charge and what jobs to accept.
Of course, I didn’t get all of these things at once. When you’re initially looking to establish yourself, you have less freedom in what you can turn down. You may have to start with lower pay than you want, and accept jobs that aren’t your favorite, just to get some writing under your pen. But, my point is, I wanted variety. I wanted lots of jobs.
So, I had to apply to a lot of postings, in a variety of fields and formats. That meant an application blitz.
What does an application blitz look like?
I’m glad you asked. Here’s what mine involved.
1. Search for job sources.
Here’s a few that I came up with:
craigslist: This was a top source for my blitz. It was time consuming to set up, but I’m still reaping benefits from it. I hopped on craigslist, chose a major US city, clicked “writing/editing” under the jobs section, checked off “telecommute” and saved the search. Under my saved searches, I turned on alerts, so I would receive an email notification any time someone posted a new writing/editing position. I did this for pretty much every major US city (since I can write from anywhere).
Of course, I started by applying to the opportunities that come up in my original search. But, once you’ve applied to all current jobs that interest you, you can continue to apply as new notices arrive in your inbox. Two years after setting up this search, I still receive alerts and occasionally find something that peaks my interest and results in a new opportunity.
Job boards: I didn’t find these helpful. I tried saving my search as I did with craigslist, but I quickly discovered I received many jobs that didn’t match my criteria (despite the selections I made when saving the search). I also become the target of recruiters for jobs in which I had no interest, like insurance sales. Ugh. I eventually turned off all these alerts (Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder). Maybe you’ll have better luck and want to include them in your initial blitz, but I don’t recommend them for freelance writing job searches. 
Freelance sites: I have found these to be hit or miss. In my experience, the people who use these sites to find freelancers are often expecting to get writing done dirt cheap. They expect to pay little to nothing for work, offering way less than market value for your skills. But…if you have very little experience, taking on a few of these tasks might be worthwhile to get some things on your portfolio. These sites include:
- Freelancer
- Freelanced
- Upwork (previously elance)
A quick Google search for freelance writing sites yields a host of results. To get started with each, you typically complete a profile that others can view as they search for freelancers. If they like what they see, they will contact you. You can also search posted opportunities and, on some sites, put in bids for specific jobs. Some are more user friendly than others. Again, I’ve found these only marginally helpful.
Newsletters: Why search for writing jobs when someone else can do it for you? I signed up for a couple of free newsletters which the creators are kind enough to compose and send out to job seekers. They include daily postings from across the world wide web of opportunities. Here’s a couple I’ve found helpful.
Shhh…Hidden jobs: Did you know a majority of jobs aren’t actually posted online or advertised in any way? This makes two things important. Networking and fishing.
You probably know what I mean by networking. Get your LinkedIn profile complete. Make good connections to get your name out there. Yadda yadda yadda. I’m personally sick of the term and hate the “schmoozing” sound of it. But, it is effective.
As far as fishing goes…I’ve found this to be just as effective as networking when I was first starting out. By “fishing,” I mean applying when there’s no job posted. As far as you know, the company isn’t even hiring. But, you’d like to work for them, so you inquire anyway.
Perhaps you’d love to write newsletter articles. So, you search for newsletter companies and send a cover letter and resume to a slew of them, introducing yourself and letting them know you are available for any opportunities they might have. The same goes for magazines or other media. To some, this may sound like a waste of time, but I actually got one of my best on-going writing gigs this way. Just sayin’.
2. Blast away, blitzer
Once you’ve assembled your list of job sources and have new job notices coming in regularly, you can blitz. Apply like crazy. When I was starting to build my business with the goal of writing full-time, I applied to dozens of jobs each week. Initially, it was dozens per day.
3. Get organized
It’s important to stay organized in this process. Track everything you apply to. Start a spreadsheet, or a journal (if you like low-tech options) 
or save each job posting/application in a “Freelance Jobs Applied To” folder in your email. These will be helpful to reference if someone gets back to you regarding one of the zillion jobs you’ve applied to, since they all start to run together eventually.
Why don’t you go…where writing fits…
Cast a wide net. Explore new possibilities. Apply. Apply. Apply. Eventually, you’ll find some things that stick. From there, you can find a few more. With experience, you can become more selective in your applications and job selections.
For now, your goal is simply experience. To find what fits…we’re puttin’ on a blitz.
Up next: So you wanna be a writer…Step 4: Check the Price Tag on Your Soul
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