Are you qualified to write that?

Do you need a degree to fill that writing job position?

How many times have you been on the verge of applying for a writing gig, only to discover that you don’t have the qualifications they are looking for?

I know I’ve done it before, but I read an interesting blog post tonight on Carol Tice’s excellent writing blog that made me question those actions.  You can read the post yourself here, and I would recommend you sign up for her RSS feed as well.  Her blog posts are always well worth reading.

But back to the story.  Carol talks about the fact that she has won various writing jobs that she hasn’t been qualified for, and she makes an excellent case why we should probably all take a leaf out of her book.

I guess there would be some instances where applying for a writing job we aren’t qualified for would be an obvious waste of time.  For example, those ads where the poster says ‘if you don’t have these qualifications, don’t apply’.

But in other cases I think Carol is right.  She has proved as much by winning gigs that she hasn’t had the right qualifications for.  So maybe we should all think about re-evaluating how we apply for jobs as we head for a brand new writing year.  As Carol indicates in her post, education and degrees aren’t everything.  There is practical experience too, not to mention clips that prove it.

So think twice when you are about to discard that job you’re not qualified for.  You might be just the person they need.

Tags: clients, job, jobs