Bad Advice for Freelancers: 10 Proven Ways on How Not to Get the Job
I hired more than 60 people last year for everything from one-hour consultations to full-time
I hired more than 60 people last year for everything from one-hour consultations to full-time jobs.
I interviewed a few hundred and looked through thousands of profiles and CVs to get there.
In this post, I’ll summarize how people usually drive down their chances of getting hired. Follow this advice if you don’t want to get hired.
1. Ignore the client’s needs as much as possible
Don’t care about the client. Care about yourself and your services.
The best way to start your outreach is to pitch your services immediately. You better know what the client wants; their part of the game is to pay you money!
From the first words, your outreach is about you and your services.
2. Use “Trojan horses”
Want to play on “advanced”? Use “Trojan horses.”
Pretend to have the experience the client wants to ignite the conversation. Then, sell backlinks from your database no matter what.
The client is seeking a cold pitch pro. You can do it, but it’s better for them to buy links.
Do they need a technical writer to cover industry-specific topics? Sure, promise you can do it. Then tell them that buying links will help them better!
Does the client need a PHP developer to fix some pages? Now you know what to do!
3. Ignore the application process
Be creative and impress clients by finding their email, personal mobile number, and LinkedIn profile.
Then, apply #1 and pitch your services no matter what the client asks.
Spamming is the best way to get the client to respond to you.
4. Use weird greetings.
“Hello, Dear” or “Hi, Dear” are the best options.
Use “Sir” as many times in the text as you can.
5. Follow up frequently.
The best practice is to follow up several times within minutes of sending your application.
Nothing can be more critical.
You should keep your pitch on top of their inbox. Ask for an immediate interview. If needed, use medical documents about your sick relative to grab attention.
6. Use ChatGPT
Use ChatGPT to generate your pitch. Be wordy and generic.
Avoid business metrics, be vague, and keep it mysterious. It will intrigue the client, and they will reply to learn more!
Then, use ChatGPT again to generate answers. AI is so intelligent. It will win this job for you and then do it instead of you!
7. Make the pitch eye-popping
Your pitch should be eye-catching. Enrich your text with emojis, and use at least seven fonts and sizes.
Blood from the client’s eyes is the first step to a successful pitch!
8. Be more American than an American
Pretend to be a US company because it will help justify the pricing. Write USA everywhere and mention your US address several times. It’s precisely what actual American companies do all the time!
UK and London also work well, Zurich and Swiss—you get it.
Use an “expensive” location; the client cares where you are much more than about your expertise for their business.
9. Use the “assistant trick”
Want to really stand out from the crowd?
Use the “assistant trick” to show how important and busy you are. Ask another freelancer to pretend they are your assistant and write the introduction to their Boss in copy.
Nobody is doing it; be original. The “assistant trick” is your way to originality.
10. It is personal
If, after doing everything above, you were asked not to follow up anymore, take it personally.
Demand clarifications and continue stalking the client. They will be impressed by your desire to win and hire you!
Following the advice above, you will successfully drive your chances of getting hired to the lowest possible level.
Have more options to add? Disagree with my points? Join the conversation on LinkedIn!
Max Roslyakov
Founder, Xamsor