I once interviewed a writer for a high-paying job in the corporate world. Judging from her resume, she’d have no trouble landing this job. She met all the requirements, with a great education, solid accomplishments and many years of relevant experience in the field. I was all set to hire her until I saw the writing sample she chose to submit: a five-page report to her veterinarian detailing the health of her aging cat.
Seriously.
It was in fact well-written, I have to hand it to her. Technically speaking, the grammar, syntax and general command of the English language were all plain to see. And it was sort of cute and clever. But it was nothing, at all, like what she’d be writing in this very professional position and she knew that.
I was annoyed that she had nothing better to show me than this. I expected to see something relevant to what I was hiring her for. Something that meant something to me.
I always think of the “cat report” when I work on my own writing portfolio. Freelance writers, perhaps even more than company-employed writers, need to have a ready portfolio of writing samples to show prospective employers/buyers. And it pays to prepare relevant samples for different jobs.
