Dealing with the ‘please want me!’ feelings of pitching for work and job hunting

I was chatting to a friend recently about the slog of freelancing and being self-employed. The constant jazz hands, the endless sending of cold (and warm, ew) emails, the introducing yourself, the networking, the ‘hello… PLEASE WANT ME’ feelings.

It’s a LOT.

And often in my career I’ve solved the pitching/selling myself issue by getting a ‘real job’. A staff job or a part-time contract.

But I’ve always come back to freelancing and self-employment and now I’m not in That London it’s something I am determined to make work long-term.

Balancing coaching with journalism helps because I can have two ways to earn but it’s also double the jazz hands. (Anyone else think of Joey Tribbiani when I say Jazz Hands?)

After my phone call with my mate I had a little scroll on Instagram and I saw a post from an annual countryside event, which I’d applied to work with as a copywriting and content creation client I think three years ago. Might be four.

I’d had a call with them after putting my name forward and even did some mocked-up content ideas. After a video call, I was told I’d hear back. Yep, still waiting.

It’s funny when you see brands or companies going about their business but knowing that they’ve ignored you. Knowing that you are either being ghosted or just plain ignored.

In January I applied for a short-term contract role with a charity which posts regularly on LinkedIn about its values and the roles it’s recruiting for. Have a guess if I got any contact from them after my application?

(And it was on their website, so it isn’t lost in the LI algo).

Then there was the national newspaper, where I bought new shoes for the interview, and have never heard back, approx 15 years or so ago.

So many job applications have gone unanswered. So many pitches go ignored. I’ve sent out an idea for an opinion piece this week to five different editors, only one has replied (sadly with a no).

It can feel - whether you’re job hunting or client/work hunting - that the world is ignoring you.

How to cope with the constant ‘putting yourself out there’ feelings.

But you have to continue. You have to keep emailing, you have to keep posting, you have to keep commenting and resetting and sending out more missives in the hope that they’ll land.

As I said to my mate on the phone, it’s like throwing seeds onto soil - you don’t know which will grow but you have to keep sowing those seeds!

The waiting game is the hardest part, because in that time between the pitch, or the application, and the answer (or not), there is a silence. Crickets, or tumbleweed. We have to ride that wave, wait it out. Sit and wonder if we’ll get a reply or if being ‘out there’ again will reap rewards.

It’s frustrating and can even make you anxious. I know it’s triggered my anxiety many times.

The answer is simple: “Focus on what you can control”

While you wait for the pitches to land, the emails to get replies, and the applications to get responses (or not), do things you CAN control.

If you’re a small business owner waiting to hear about a project, why not sit and create some content, or write a blog?

Spruce up your LinkedIn or social media - or try some networking. You could join a freelance community for moral support and co-working - Being Freelance is my go-to (there are even puzzles!). There is also Freelancer Magazine and I run a group for women in the media on Facebook, too.

Sign up for some events, if you can, so you meet other people in the same boat and learn, too. Why not learn in the time you’re waiting, instead of just worrying and hitting ‘refresh’?

If you are job hunting, make time for something you love once you’ve sent out that application. Even if it’s a cuppa and some telly.

Also read my take on how to keep going when you’re job hunting.

And brace yourself for a dose of career revenge - when you do land a project, or role, and you can announce it on social media and feel all the smug feelings!

If the feelings of it all are getting too much, consider coming and brain dumping it all on me! That’s what a Power Hour is - an hour with me, your coach, listening and guiding you to finding some clarity and answers.

I’d love to spend that time with you! And I promise it’ll help.

Jenny