Quick answer: I took a risk.
Actually, I took a few risks and some of them didn’t pan out, leaving me broke and scrambling for a Plan B.
I found a listing for a job I knew I could do but didn’t have the required experience. My desperation led me to think a bit more and try a little harder. I crafted an unorthodox application and hit Send, not sure if I was about to make a giant fool of myself (who does this girl think she is?) or perhaps provide some good humour for their next meeting (did you hear about that ridiculous application that came through?). I was as nervous as I’d ever been.
Imagine my surprise when I got a positive reply a couple of hours later. I had caught their interest.
The job was for a content writer. Did I know what a content writer even was? NOPE. The ad said they were looking for a storyteller and I knew I could do that. So how did I convince them?
I told a story. I showed them I could write by writing. Sounds kinda obvious, doesn’t it?
If you want to read what I sent them, I’ve attached it below. I still look at it every now and then when I need to get my writing brain in gear.
There are a couple of takeaway messages here. One is, YOU NEVER KNOW UNTIL YOU TRY. The other is, TAKE CHANCES, LOOK FOOLISH, WHO CARES? (And I’d throw in a third, that a lot of job ads are written in a search for the penultimate perfect employee, so if you’ve got most but not all of the qualities they are asking for, apply anyway.)
Needless to say this was a huge boost to my confidence in my writing abilities and also in my general live-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style I had secretly cultivated my entire life. I took that loosey-goosey way of living and brought it out into the open, embraced it even, to see where it would take me next.
This is your life. Live it.
Here is the cover letter I crafted in the Pages app of my iPhone in the lounge of the backpacker’s that was my living room for a few weeks:
Dear Mr Ballantyne,
I’m writing to tell you a story.
It begins about 30 years ago, with a young girl growing up in a small rural town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A shy child who preferred her own company to that of others, she devoured books and lived an imaginative quiet life.
One day the girl’s mother brought her a present – a typewriter. She sat in her bedroom writing chapter after chapter. In school, she had an encouraging teacher who constantly challenged her with writing topics which she tackled eagerly.
Through high school her teachers praised her writing skills, and at university her professors did as well. Busy working her way through university, she had less and less time for writing for enjoyment. Others thought it was silly that she might imagine she could make a living writing. She focused on her studies in nutrition science, excelling as a student and running research studies through the laboratory.
One day her professor handed her a stack of published studies and asked her to write a paper summarising the findings. The subject matter was foreign; it had to do with genetic markers and diet. She persevered, picking out the important information without understanding what it all meant. A few days later she nervously handed the paper to her professor. After sitting back and reading, her professor looked at her with a puzzled expression. She said she had assigned this task to challenge the young student and see how she would handle it. She was astonished that what she read was an excellent, coherent summary on a complex topic she knew nothing about. She recognised in the student the ability to see the big picture and pull out the important details.
During her studies she went on to author three papers that were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Two of these were regarding studies she had performed in the lab, having written her own grants for funding and performed the lab procedures herself. The third was her Master’s degree project, a paper on the effects of war on food systems. It was a project she sank her teeth into and enjoyed the long days researching and writing.
When she finished school, she felt a bit lost in the world, and tired of studying nutrition. Her jobs up until now had mostly been in hospitality so she went back to what she knew and started waiting tables at a new restaurant while she tried to figure out what to do with her life.
She ended up becoming the manager of the restaurant, working under the owner, a Kiwi who was full of life and encouraged her not to settle for anything less than she deserved. She flourished under his guidance for four years, until the restaurant closed its doors and he had to return to New Zealand. They made plans that she would follow him to NZ and see if they could make a go of a life together. She waited tables and saved money for six months, then sold everything she owned and flew to NZ.
They lived in Nelson for five years, during which time she worked as the manager of two retail stores, a job she fell into but never really loved. Feeling disgruntled with daily life, she sought a change.
They found jobs on Stewart Island, packed the car and the cat and hit the road south.
Things did not go as planned (do they ever?) and the couple ended up with no jobs, not being paid what was due them, and living in a tent at a backpackers while the cat was sent to a cattery on the mainland. Not to be discouraged, she was convinced it meant better things were in store. As they were running out of money they examined their options. Do they stay on the island and hope jobs and accommodation work out? Leave and find work on the mainland? Give up and return to Nelson?
They got on the web to see what job prospects would be like nearby in Invercargill. They had stayed the night there before catching the ferry to the island and were pleasantly surprised to find it a nice town they could see themselves living in. She opened up a job search site and the first listing made her catch her breath. Content writer. Listed two hours ago.
She read the ad several times – it sounded like it was right up her alley. Research, writing, storytelling, technical topics, meeting deadlines and following guidelines, self-starter with initiative! It was a checklist describing herself. This could be her dream! However one item stood out in cold hard black and white – minimum 2+ years experience as a journalist or content writer. The feeling of defeat began to creep in. How could she think she could have a dream job as a content writer with no experience to demonstrate her abilities?
She went to her partner.
How can I get this job?
Well you don’t have the experience, he said.
Yes but I know I can do this! I need to get around this obstacle.
Think of how you can show them you can do it, he said.
She researched content writing and B2B marketing and became even more convinced this was the job for her. How could she convince them to give her a chance? She knew she had the skills to excel in this job. She needed to show them.
She had a brilliant idea. Write a story. Catch their interest. Then offer to do a freelance project for free. If they like her work, hire her. If not, nothing is lost.
She sat down and prepared her story. She attached her CV to an email and then began typing.
Dear Mr. Ballantyne…