Following up on a job application

Thanks for the response. My fingers went wild with frustration. I've been a freelancer for far too long, which was fine when I was working a regular ol' day job -- but now I can't break free from that function to land a staff job. And all the people enjoying the grass on the other side keep trying to convince me that it's not greener, and I'm better off freelancing.

Sucks living in a metropolis and not knowing how much you're earning month to month.

Either way, thanks for the insight and your patience. I've experimented a lot with cover letters, and pretty much scrapped the formal approach. (What good is applying for a writer job and using the "I'm an enthusiastic journalist with x, y, z to offer" if everyone does it?) I go the personable route, try to be charming, and see if that nets a response.

At best, all I've received were offers to pitch them for freelance gigs.

 

So what you're saying is sending texts to your personal phone, which you can answer at your leisure, is the way to go?

 

Damn straight!

 

Was thinking about this after just getting a response to a follow-up email (explaining the status of the search at this time). Should anything be read into actually getting a response, as in, the fact that the guy doing the interviewing and hiring would respond to my email (given the likelihood of a lot of applicants) bode well for my chances of getting a call?

Or it could mean nothing and is just a courtesy. That's fine, but I figure very few answer every follow up email.

 

No, you can't really read anything into a response, unless there is a clear-cut statement to expect a call. Some editors really take the time to respond to people.

 

Editors look for someone who don't need to have their handheld every day of the week. Knowing how to write, report and paginate is a bonus as well.

 

How would you be able to tell if somebody needs their hand held from a resume?

 

If they don't have any experience in the business, even writing for a college paper, that's a good sign. Or if someone hops from paper to paper without moving up.

 

Asking a lot of stupid questions is a big red flag, for example.

 

Bring it on doodah!