BootsnAll Travel Community

this is a branch off the lonely planet is hiring thread below.
i've been thinking about doing this for some time and now that the opportunity is there, it'd be stupid not to. i may not have the longest resume in travelling or writing but i think i'd be a good candidate for the job. i'm just looking for what style of resume i should submit. is there any specific format writers use. most of my experience comes from university and local publications. so it's not national geographic but that doesn't what the hell. any advice or good examples i could follow??
thanks for your help guys

I guess my plan to bury that "LP is hiring" thread by bumping other threads up so less people would see it didnt work eh? I'm also thinking of applying, if I dont get too lazy that is... my experience sounds similar to yours so, writer to writer, I'll give you my best tips

* Send them a marked-up copy of one of their guidebooks and point out in excruciating detail how the info was outdated, the maps were off and the many ways they failed you!!

* Crumple up your resume and add some dirt and coffee stains, maybe some notes in the margins, to give it that "on the road" feel.

* In your cover letter, outline the steps you will help LP take so they can finally be half as good as the Rough Guides.

* Create a global treasure hunt a la The Amazing Race with bits of your resume and portfolio scattered across the globe to show them how worldly and fun you are.

You can thank me after you get hired~

disclaimer: I am joking above, and wish you all the best.... I think normal rules apply; you want to stand out, not in a bad way, but in a professional way. Tell them what you can do for them, not what they can do for you etc etc

write on~

what countries are you applying for, mina

I sent in an application (mainly for Poland), but since I have no professional writing experience I don't estimate my chances as being very high.

i only heard about it late last week and haven't had the chance to get an application ready.. anyone know if there's a cutoff

gee, I didnt even look at the directions closely enough to know that you apply by country... hehehe... have to think about that. yea I'm serious competition

I'd really like to talk to someone who has worked for LP. I met a writer for them once in HNL and he was a fresh-scrubbed Harvard grad (urk). But I'm curious as to how they handle things as far as pay, itinerary, time schedules, expense account etc...

I spent some time looking at LP books in a bookstore yesterday, checked out a City Guide for the first time; it is interesting how the style differs from the regional and country guides.

seraphim, I bet you would make a good candidate, you're always very helpful and accurate and have some cool stories. best of luck~

Thanks Mina

An Israeli girl I hung out with in Mongolia met the LP writer who was updating the guide and said he was totally weird. I wasn't surprised, having read that guide.

I said in my application that many of their guides that I used left room for improvment, but I actually found 2 articles I wrote for bootsnall to attach to my application in which I didn't mention LP was crap. Phew!

The first LP I ever bought was the city guide to Berlin. It's quite good, though of course mine is very outdated now and they fail to mention Görlitzer Park (as most guidebooks do), imho one of the nicest places in Berlin.

I sent in an application to do the Romania duties. I have lived there and will return this summer/fall for more living (super cheap!) and a little travel, so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

Though I should have one by now, I don’t have a resume and haven’t the faintest idea what a freelance writer’s resume should look like. I’d love it if someone who is smarter than I am would post an example.

So, instead I did the creative approach. I wrote a carefully smart and witty 800 word introduction letter, illustrating why I am so smart and witty and why I’m perfect for Romania. I also attached two published writing samples, one of which incidentally was on the Romanian city of Iasi, an article I wrote for Global Traveler Magazine.

I received a reply about 10 days later saying that my application had been forwarded to the hiring administrator and that I would hear back in about two months. Why does nothing ever happen fast in publishing? Sigh.

I kind of already regret the letter tactic. I failed to mention even one reference (though if they are smart they can just contact the magazines where my two writing samples were published). Don’t be like me. Get a resume together. I suppose someone who thought about it for a second could Google and find a resume sample web site (I know there are some out there somewhere) and hopefully a freelance writing sample resume will be available.

In fact, I’m gonna do that now. Good luck everyone!

Here's my 100,000 journalism school 'secret': It should ALWAYS emphasize experience above anything else. The format my professor suggested (and the one I used) is like this:

Two column format

Name Educational Background
Contact Info

Experience Other Activities
Experience Interests
Experience

Pretty simple, but the two column thing makes it stand out a bit more. Doesn't use bullet points, but the paragraphs are short and to the point.

my experiences isn't exactly major. pretty much just university newspaper articles (although one of the bigger ones in the country), and mostly on film. i think the stuff i did on travel was very young, but it is published. other stuff is mostly a couple of newletter stuff.. in other words, i'm pretty much as novice as they come. do you think that if i can sell myself well enough, my lack of a thick portfolio will be overlooked?

yep. writing is one of the few fields where talent can override a portfolio (also a good portfolio never hurts!)