Searching for editing work is hard right now, with projects and positions becoming increasingly scarce. I’m hearing this from editors at every career stage, and I’m experiencing it myself.

When work becomes scarce, our instinct is to look harder. We look at more job boards, refresh listings more often, and widen our search terms. Maybe that nets us a couple more jobs we want. Mostly, though, it just increases the work of finding a job and ups our anxiety when we don’t hear back.

In chapter 5 of my book, The Chicago Guide for Freelance Editors, I walk readers through starting a freelance job search, and the point I emphasize is this:

The race to be noticed begins the moment the first person applies. Being 3rd in the inbox with a decent application beats being 20th with a great one.

I’ve written on my own blog about where to look for jobs, and that list still holds. Here, I want to discuss how to prepare to apply for those jobs when you find them so that you can apply in 20 minutes instead of two days. This applies whether you’re looking for an employee position or a freelance gig.

Prepare Your Materials

Your résumé should be current, aimed at the kind of work you actually want, and designed to fit in with today’s styles. If design isn’t your strength, templates, résumé writers, résumé builders, and AI tools can all help get you there.

If you’re searching for more than one type of job, create different versions of your résumé. For example, one version of my résumé focuses on editing and communications, while another focuses on teaching and coaching. It’s the same experience but with different skills highlighted.

Next, put your résumé into different formats, such as Word, PDF, and plain text. Application systems are inconsistent about what they’ll accept, and you don’t want to be reformatting a document at the moment you should be submitting it.

Do the same for your cover letter. Write a strong template that shows who you are and what you do well, and leave obvious slots for the parts that change: the client/employer, the project/job, and the one specific reason you’re a good fit. If you have multiple versions of your résumé, you’ll want multiple versions of your cover letter. Think of them as matching sets.

Narrow Your Search, Then Set It Up Fully

Instead of watching every job board, choose the two or three that consistently post the work you want. For a lot of editors that’s one members-only list from a professional association, such as EFA, Editors Canada, or ACES, and one or two general boards.

Set aside the time to do the full setup work for each board you want to use. Fully create your account, taking advantage of all the options: upload your résumé, add your headshot, and include every contact point you want a hiring manager to have, especially your website and the social platforms where you’re active professionally. If there’s an option to save searches and turn on alerts, do it. Play around with the keywords until you get some opportunities that fit.

One caution on the general boards: Read postings carefully. Scams are common, and so are listings that are really about training AI to do editing work. Know what you’re applying to.

Be Diligent, but Let a System Do the Work

Applying steadily is more useful than applying brilliantly once a month. Give yourself a regular window to look for and respond to opportunities: 15 minutes a day, an hour a week, whatever you’ll keep to. Make it at least weekly.

Steadiness is easier when you’re not holding everything in your head. Build a checklist of what applying requires and a tracker of what you’ve sent: the job, the date, the recipient, and any response or instructions to check back. AI is useful here, both for building the tools and, if you’re comfortable with agents, for monitoring your inbox for job alerts and flagging the most promising ones.

Check Your Network Before You Hit Send

Before you submit, take two minutes to see whether you know anyone at that organization. Then ask them to say something on your behalf. An internal word doesn’t guarantee anything, but it moves you from the big pile to the shortlist more reliably than any bullet point on a résumé.

Make Yourself Findable

People will research you, so make it easy for them.

A professional website benefits an in-house candidate as much as a freelancer. It doesn’t need to be a big site. A home page, a bit about your experience, a short bio, and a way to reach you are plenty, and a simple site builder will get you there in a few hours.

Fill out your LinkedIn profile completely. While indie authors might not check it, business professionals will, and a half-finished profile does you fewer favors than a complete one. Upload editing samples if you have them (get permission first!) and link to published projects you edited. Ask for recommendations from people who’ll be specific about working with you. Flesh out as many sections as you can.

Take the time to learn where your ideal client hangs out online, as well. Bluesky is good for conversations with potential clients, as well as other editors. Check out online groups, whether they’re on LinkedIn and Facebook or in professional spaces where editors are welcome. For example, I’m a member of a discussion group for progressive communicators and of a Slack group for marketers interested in data and AI. It’s not only a great way to build a network but also to learn about the problems my ideal clients face.

Build your in-person network too. Working remotely doesn’t mean working only with distant clients—the organizations in your own city hire editors, and they’re easier to meet in person. If your nearest in-person group or event is rather far, aim for maybe one or two a year and then focus on reconnecting online with the people you meet.

How the Prep Work Helps You

So what does all this planning do for you? Let’s say a listing goes up Tuesday morning, and you see it in an alert rather than stumbling on it Friday afternoon. Your targeted résumé is written and in the format the application system wants. Your cover letter needs one fresh paragraph about this particular job. You spend a few minutes checking whether anyone in your network knows someone there and reaching out, if you do.

That’s it! You’ve submitted your application before lunch. Not because you rushed but because you did the work weeks ago.

Two Tracks, Not One

Looking for editing work is really two activities: networking and applying. You need both, and they run on different schedules. The network you build this month is what makes an application land six months from now.

Do the prep work while you’re waiting. Then, when the listing you want finally shows up, you’ll be near the top of the pile instead of somewhere in the middle.

Resources

For more on how to use AI to help run your business, check out my webinar, AI for Editors: Business Growth Without Compromising Your Standards.

To build your own website, check out my course, The Editor’s Complete Website Toolkit.

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