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Make your Application Stand out from the Crowd – A Guide for Freelance Translators

As a Vendor Manager, I probably post about 5 adverts per month in order to cover my company's needs for translators. I will be honest and admit that Proz.com is my go-to website to recruit translators in most cases. With each advert posted, I receive between 20 to 60* emails applying/bidding for the project advertised. However, I would generally choose around 5 translators to onboard per language combination.

A high volume of applications is great news for any Vendor Manager, but it means some translators will pass unnoticed and won't be successful on their application for this particular opening. So, how to make your application stand out from the crowd as a freelance translator?

Don't start your email with "Dear Sir/Madam, Sirs, hiring manager".

Always find the name of the person hiring and address them directly wherever possible. Whenever I advertise a position, my name and position are always clearly stated, but if you are still not sure, check the profile and email (picture included) on a company´s website. I advise you to browse the company´s Proz.com profile and website to find out who would be screening your application, and make sure you are dealing with a professional and honest company.

Make your application easy to read.

No-one likes receiving long emails, but sometimes two sentences are not enough for a Vendor Manager to decide if you are a good candidate for the job. State some information about your experience relevant to the job you are applying for on your email and don't forget your rates! The rest of the information should be covered in your CV/portfolio.

Always send your CV!

It will definitely be a help to Vendor Managers if all your information is together in one place i. e. if your CV is attached to the first email you send to the Vendor Manager, also stating your rates and experience. Moreover, it makes the on-boarding process faster.

Follow-up.

I recommend following up an application with a call or an email if you are genuinely interested in working with that company long-term. Job openings come and go, but once you are in the Vendor Manager's radar, you are more likely to be added to the database, and therefore, given more work!

I hope you find this advice useful when applying for new projects. Best of luck!

*We can assume 50% of those emails are probably fake profiles, sales representatives and translators that don't fulfil the advert's requirements.

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