Job boards. Love them or hate them, job boards are a starting point for many new writers. Elna Cain, a prolific mom blogger and writer, says that:
If you’re new to freelance writing and you want to find quality jobs, responding to job ads is your best bet.
Cain recommends new writers use job boards to gain consistent work and confidence. She’s not alone in that suggestion.
Successful freelancer, Tom Ewer, has been featured on 100s of blogs. He reports that he got his first two freelance blogging jobs on the ProBlogger job board.
Whether you’re new to online writing, need a side hustle or full-time gig or want to see what options exist, then free job boards provide experience and opportunity.
Which writing job board do I start with?
A quick search turns up hundreds of job boards. I’ve narrowed this exhaustive list to the top 25 Free Job Boards for Writers. However, I only use two on a daily basis: Freelance Writing and Indeed.
Scroll through your job board options, then choose a few to add to your daily to-do list.
When you’re ready to pitch and take on paying jobs, then download my free e-book guide and pitch tracker for job board success.
Freelance Writing Job Board
This 100% free job board aggregates writing jobs from Indeed, Craig’s List, BloggingPro, ProBlogger, and offers some exclusive jobs as well. Not only is it free, but you don’t have to sign up or sign into the board.
The site is easy to use. Click on the “apply here” button for jobs of interest.
Each job ad is different, so it’s important to read carefully before applying. For some you’ll be sending off an email, others will take you over to the BloggingPro or Indeed website.
From my experience, the majority of the job ads come from Indeed. Which is why one of the first steps I took as a new writer was to set up my (free) Indeed resume and profile.
Indeed
Indeed is a free job board, although you’ll need to sign up and complete your profile to apply for jobs. Most jobs are through Indeed, so you can apply using your Indeed resume. For others gigs, you’ll be sent to the business website to go through their online application process.
Start by spending time tweaking your Indeed profile. Update your resume to include certifications, published articles, education, and relevant skills. Don’t forget to draft a compelling cover letter!
That’s it, folks.
When I was actively searching for work as a new online writer, I used the Freelance Writing job board almost daily. Through that job board, I found and secured gigs on Indeed.
Now, maybe this post simplifies things a bit. I don’t mean to make light of the hard, consistent work responsible for securing my current anchor writing jobs.
I’ve updated my Indeed profile a million times. I sent a zillion horrible cover letters before I figured out how to write one worth reading. Moreover, I didn’t see a ton of responses until I was able to say that I was published somewhere other than my blog.
If you’re low on time, then learn the tricks to save time on job boards and make every minute count. If you’re hungry for even more job markets, then head over to my job board resource that links to 25 online writing job boards.
Although competition is stiff, job boards offer an introduction to the world of writing. You don’t need a budget to find your first gig. But a little writing and marketing know-how won’t hurt!
Thanks for this post. I’ve never heard of Freelance Writing *bookmarks* I’m a huge Indeed fan (was just browsing earlier today), but don’t like how many sponsored jobs they have. It makes it hard to weed through the content, and they show up over and over on every page so you end up doing tons of scrolling.
I’ve applied for a few positions from ProBlogger but never hear back. I’m assuming I’m not experienced enough and that the competition is high. I mean, it’s Darren Rowse’s platform, after all lol
I’ve gone dizzy from over-scrolling plenty of times. 😂 For me, it’s a numbers game. For every 100 I pitch, I estimate that I get 15 responses. Being consistent and making it part of a near-daily routine helped me.
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