This is an example of a job listing for a writer, entry-level:
Requirements:
● 3-5 years of professional writing and editing
● Creating 1-2 10X-quality blog posts (3,000+ words) per week
● Writing articles that are highly researched, detailed, and engaging
● Returning drafts that require minimal edits and deliver on the brief
● Generating content that increases new blog traffic, subscriptions, and shares
Desired Skills & Experience:
● At least 4+ years of content writing experience.
● You have a (Bachelor’s) degree in Marketing or another related field.
● You have a minimum of 1 year of experience with Adobe Illustrator/ Photoshop/InDesign.
● You’re a native or high professional English writer.
● It’s a plus if you have experience in optimizing online visualization with the use of HTML5 and CSS coding.
● You have an affiliation with technology.
● You have an understanding of Inbound marketing and SEO mythology.
● You have an understanding of the basic best practices of B2B thought leadership.
If you have the inclination for writing you usually graduate from Journalism, Literature, Communications, or even Marketing. You have dedicated your college years to reading as much as possible and to experiment with many writing styles. How could you, a recent graduate, have that many years of experience and how would you know to work with tools like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop & InDesign? How would you know about HTML5 and CSS coding? And why is that even listed in a writer job posting? These are the questions that make a candidate hit a brick wall, be disappointed, and eventually give up looking for a job in their ideal domain.
I know and understand why many companies want people with experience and knowledge because you want them to do their job right. That is why internships appeared! It gives a chance to students or graduates to learn and to be trained by the best companies, with the hope that they will remain in a permanent position.
However, even internships nowadays require experience: 3-6 months, or even one year! Here’s an example.
Requirements:
● Bachelor’s degree in English, Marketing, Journalism, Finance or related field
● Enjoys writing and can create concise, professional content quickly
● Creative, resourceful, detail-oriented, and organized
● Can share a portfolio with writing samples
● Minimum 1-2 years of copywriting/content writing experience
● Excellent grammar skills and demonstrated ability in creative writing
● Ability to proactively gather marketing information and trending topics
● Strong ability to multitask and work quickly under tight daily deadlines
Let me ask you again: how are we supposed to gain that experience if there is no position available for us?
Even if this process of getting hired wasn’t tiring enough, we also have to put up with many companies who don’t have the decency to let the candidate know they didn’t make it to the next step.
For all job postings companies should have a message that is automatically sent to the applicants, confirming the receipt of the CV and to let them know that if they have not heard in 30 days they have not been selected. It is as easy as it sounds. All companies should have a tailored message for the people who apply to their company.
Something else I saw many times in my 10 month period of looking for a job is the indifference of the hiring department. For instance, I apply for a job; I get an email saying I am invited to the next step; I get that step done, and then nothing. No email, no phone call telling me what happened with my application.
A couple of days, even a week go by and there is still no answer. So, I send an email where I ask for feedback regarding my application. In some cases, I receive the same old message listed above, but the cases the hurt me the most are the ones where I receive no answer.
How come I spend the time to take the interview, to complete the test/assessment, but they don’t even have the decency to respond to my email? I think it is common sense to inform the applicants if they were not moved to the next stage in the hiring process.
Hundreds of people apply for a position and it is the job of the company to make sure they hire the most suited person for the job. But, they should always consider all the applicants that took their time to fill out the application.
I am writing this as I still searching for a company that will give me a chance. In these months, I learned to not get excited every time I get a response. You should enjoy every step you took on the ladder, but you should not believe that you will get this job until you receive the final offer.
So many others are looking for a job for far longer than I have. Some are barely starting and this might scare the. But this is the reality and my only advice to you is to prepare mentally for this journey because it might be a long and exhausting rollercoaster.