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Old 03-15-2011, 12:36 PM   #12
Worldwalker
Curmudgeon
Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Worldwalker ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 3,085
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Device: PRS-505
Exactly.

Being able to apply correctly for a job -- whether it's sending in a multi-page CV or filling out an application from one of those pre-printed pads of them -- is the first step in proving you're capable of doing the job. If you can't get that right, the prospective employer has no further interest in you. They're not going to teach you how to write a better resume, or even how to write your name in the proper box on the application (yes, there are people who can't even get that much right); they're just going to toss it in the "bounced" pile and move on to the next of the big stack in front of them.

Every time you try to sell to a publisher, you're applying for the job of writer. If you can't demonstrate that you're at least minimally worthy of that job through your application -- your query, your manuscript, etc. -- they have no further interest in that application. They're not going to teach you how to write a better application any more than the person who sent queentess that wince-worthy resume.

One of the basic rules of applying for any job (including "writer") is that the person reading your resume, application, etc., is looking for a reason to reject it. No, they're not looking for a reason to accept it. They don't need to. Once they reject all the obvious failures, they can consider which of the handful remaining they actually want to investigate further. But the first step is weeding out the easy rejections. So a critical step in getting any job is not being one of those easy rejections. Not putting your name in the right box (or in the case of writing, not following the submission guidelines, submitting to the wrong market, etc.) will sink you before you start. If you're not even willing to work that much, they want you to go away and stay away, even if they're more polite than that about it.
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