The editor who taught me how to get hired

Hi Reader,

“Where can I get a job?”

An email subscriber asked me that exact question last week. Some one of few words, they provided no context or information about who they are or what they offer.

I get brief emails like these a few times a month. I love hearing from readers, but I can’t do much with these one-line questions.

Are they looking for a job writing for my website? In that case, I stopped hiring over a year ago because I changed my business model…

Do they want to know which big tech company they should bang a CV into? Try a Fintech.

Or perhaps they want me to hire them to fix the bathroom press in my house, paint my office, mind the kids, and cook spaghetti bolognese so I can write these emails.

For a while, I replied to these one-line questions. I wanted to learn more about who these people are. I even sent them a list of places hiring writers and creators.

But if someone asks, “Where can I get a job?” they’ll likely find it hard to land paying work.

Unemployment isn’t fun, and I feel for someone struggling to pay the bills. Years ago, I sent these emails to newspaper and magazine editors in Ireland. They almost never replied.

Except for one editor. He invited me into his office for a chat on Friday morning. He told me, “The magazine can’t offer any paying work.”

I was disappointed, but then he carefully explained how to write a pitch that prioritizes the editor and the magazine.

I tried his approach and a few weeks later, I landed a nice gig writing features for a tech magazine in Ireland.

I’m not a freelance journalist anymore, but finding paying work and even selling offers requires a simple reframe—one that an editor taught me.

Rather than telling someone YOU need paying work, explain how you can help your ideal client get what they want.

If you like reading these daily emails, you’ll love my private, no-cost Telegram channel. I share behind-the-scenes content about how I’m growing my content business. My goal is to help you add $3–5k to your business in 2025. Join here

Write on,
Bryan Collins