Are you puzzled by the term “writing sample” and its role in your professional journey? This guide demystifies the question: What is a writing sample? Explore its significance in content creation, job application, and career advancement. Unlock the secrets to crafting compelling writing samples that captivate the reader and impress potential employers.
Have you ever experienced a situation where you applied for a job that required strong writing skills, and upon receiving a response from the employer, you discovered a specific requirement in the application process that involves you submitting a writing sample?
Writing samples serve as a gateway to showcasing your writing skills to potential employers, clients, or academic institutions.
Now, if you have a sample then Great! You can just email it over and be done with it but what happens if you don’t have one? Or you have samples but they lack the guidelines provided by the company.
This is your chance to write an amazing sample, the following article will provide you a detailed understanding of what a writing sample is, what it consists of, how to write it and different kinds of samples.
What is a writing sample?
A writing sample is a collection of your writings that the company wants to see and review before hiring. Companies hiring for content writer jobs, journalism, public relations and internships need samples as they are important as the employer wants to assess the applicant’s writing skills. Imagine you’re applying for a creative writing program. In this case, your writing sample could be a captivating short story that showcases your storytelling abilities, character development, and descriptive writing.
It should engage the reader, demonstrate your creativity, and leave a lasting impression. The sample should be polished, error-free, and carefully edited to highlight your best writing. Your ultimate goal when curating a writing sample should be to stand out and leave a positive impression on the reader.
What makes a good writing sample?
If you do not have a sample readily available, you can start writing it. Creating a compelling writing sample is an essential step when showcasing your writing skills and abilities. Whether you’re applying for a job, academic program or other opportunities, a well-crafted writing sample can leave a lasting impression. Here are the elements required for creating an exceptional piece that will guarantee a job for you.
- Selecting Engaging Topics
- Research
- Outline
- Body
- Conclusion
This is the step-by-step process of how your writing sample should be;
Selecting Engaging Topics
If you are writing samples for future job endeavors, think of different topics that grab your attention. This way, you can also give yourself the freedom to write and choose your writing style.
It can be about general stuff, your favorite tv show, your favorite food, a current event or an event in history that you can write a lot on. It is better to stick with what you know and you can always research to perfect your sample for your employers.
Research
If the firm you are applying to has already provided you with a topic or a writing style, it’s best to stick with it. If you already have ample knowledge about it, you can start writing, and if you think you can benefit from some pointers, the internet is just a click away.
Strive your best to give the perfect sample that showcases all your skills. But do not write extra information; there is no need to put stuff that has no space in the article. Even if the information is limited, you can write and structure your sample to help your cause. Research is key to a good writing piece.
Talking about research, it is smart to research the company you want to work for, in order to learn what they are looking for in their employees.
Outline
The outline provides a path for writing your article without going off-topic. You can add important pointers that will be crucial to the substance of your writing piece.
Body
Keep the body of the article with the most information. It should contain the main paragraphs ranging from five to seven in number. The body will have all the content of your sample. Write all the information you gained from the research earlier and put it towards the body.
Conclusion
The conclusion is like the cherry on top of a perfect sundae. It wraps your article into a nice little bundle; make sure to give away the main idea or main learning per your article in your ending. Your conclusion is substantial to a nice finish to your sample.
How to write a sample?
Here is how you write your sample; the first thing you will do is choose your topic. You don’t necessarily have to name the article yet; you can start with the outline. The outline is the most important part, and it gives you a path; without the course, it is difficult to stay in one direction; you can easily drift away from the main topic, so it’s always better to write an outline.
When you write the outline, start with the intro in an interactive manner, and give people a reason to read your article; hundreds and thousands of people must’ve written articles about what you are writing as well, so what is it that you are providing in your article and others aren’t.
You have to give people something interactive that they can relate to, and an excellent way of doing that is to write about something you can relate to. When the writer believes in something, it is much easier to make the readers feel it too.
- Introduction of the article
- Body of the article
- Formatting
- Editing
- Substantial Information
These are the pivotal parts of your writing sample;
● Introduction of the article
The introduction is the selling point of the article. It has attention-grabbing information and helps the readers get to the main end of the article. It typically consists of quotes and anecdotes. An introduction is also the part where you give the main idea of your article.
● Body of the article
The body of the article should be knowledgeable and should contain useful information. Try to include some statistics or quotes if they apply to your topic, and if they suit your theme, don’t put unnecessary information. For unnecessary information, you can provide hyperlinks.
● Formatting
Formatting is a very important aspect of your article. Here’s how you format your article. First, you must decide on the number of words in your article. Let’s say your article is 700 words; you have to make sure there should be seven to eight paragraphs, each containing four to five lines, no more than that.
You should use 1-inch margins with a 12-size font. A single font, such as Arial or Times New Roman, should be used for the entire document.
● Editing
Editing is one of the most important parts of a writing sample. Editing out unimportant and unnecessary parts in your piece is important. Correct grammar is crucial, your substance can be great, but if your grammar is bad, it throws off the whole article flow.
● Substantial information
Make sure you have included substantial information in your writing sample. Your article should consist of information that is important and demanded by the topic of your writing piece to be accepted. This is the only chance the employer gives you to showcase your writing, so ensure it is done in the best way possible.
If this sample is messed up, you may not get another chance to write it for this company. So make it your best one.
Mistakes to avoid
Making mistakes is inevitable, but these are some mistakes that you need to steer away from,
- Language errors
- Plagiarism
- Neglecting to edit
These are the commonly made errors while writing samples which are easily avoidable with attention to detail;
● Language errors
The language you are using should be simple and easy to understand. You should not use informal writing, such as slang and irregular abbreviations. You should be using the appropriate tone and style.
● Plagiarism
Plagiarism can wildly destroy the credibility of your work. It is regarded as an ethical offense. Make sure to write original content; otherwise, your content will be rejected. You can even get legal action taken against you, as plagiarism is a criminal offense.
● Neglecting to edit
As we have discussed before, editing is an integral part of writing. Read through your entire article and proofread it. It will help you catch your mistakes and also help you improve your writing.
Factors to keep in mind
While writing or submitting your sample, you should keep these factors in mind.
- Follow guidelines
- Understand the purpose of the sample
- Choose a stronger sample
These factors will keep your writing direction in one tone, and you can easily avoid steering away;
Follow guidelines
Sometimes the recruiter has provided certain guidelines for you to follow. It can be about the writing style or the niche of the writing sample. Companies often give these guidelines so they can judge your piece following their company’s demands. So follow them accurately; otherwise, you can appear non-serious towards your work.
Understand the purpose of the sample
If a company is asking you for a sample, it is for a predetermined purpose. Figure out the goal that your employer may have left in the job description and create a product that fulfills that demand.
Choose the stronger sample
If you already have your samples written and are confused about which one to send. The answer is in your writing. Go through the written pieces and pick the strongest content and proper formatting. Reading your sample out loud can also help.
What counts as a writing sample?
Companies often look for a certain type of writing style, and they make sure to highlight it in the job posting. But, if it is not specified what tone of writing should be selected, it falls upon you to pick it.
- Articles
- Press releases
- Blog posts
- Research papers
- Short stories
These are some kinds of samples that you can write that will give your pieces a lot of variety;
● Articles
Articles are one of the safest options for a writing piece to give to your recruiter. Whether they are news articles, features, opinion pieces, or any other form of journalistic writing, they can serve as excellent writing samples. They demonstrate your ability to research, report, and write in a journalistic style.
Whether they are news articles, features, opinion pieces, or any other form of journalistic writing, they can serve as excellent writing samples. They demonstrate your ability to research, report, and write in a journalistic style.
● Press releases
A press release contains newsworthy information about a new update in any business. It is an official statement. This could be a good way to show your writing range.
● Blog posts
Blog posts may include an article or a news post, among others. They are usually published on websites, so this could show your exposure to your recruiter. Send a link to your blog posts on respective websites to your employer.
● Research papers
The research appears to fall in academic writing. You can also use research papers or essays you have written as part of your coursework or academic projects. They show your independent research in-depth, which can be an impressive addition to your job application.
● Short stories
Short stories are an excellent way of showing off your creative writing. It will provide a way into your own tone of writing.
● Reports
Writing samples can include professional reports or proposals that you have created in a work or internship setting. These showcase your ability to organize information, provide analysis, and make recommendations.
● Marketing
If you have written marketing materials, advertising copy, or promotional content, they can be used as writing samples. These demonstrate your ability to create persuasive and engaging content that captures the target audience’s attention and drives desired actions.
● Technical Writing
If you have created technical documents, instructional manuals, or user guides, they can be utilized as writing samples. These showcase your ability to convey complex information in a clear and understandable manner.
Different kinds of writing samples
To get you started, here are different kinds of samples to help you begin your writing process.
- Official email writing samples
- Social media writing samples
- Personal favorites
While you are starting your piece, this listicle will help you determine which direction of writing you want to write in;
● Official email writing samples
You can write email samples about company-wide news or for a holiday such as Independence Day or Thanksgiving.
● Social media writing samples
In the social media category, you can have fun writing as there are a lot of areas to play with. You can write about social media campaigns for the company you are applying to or any other brand you have worked for.
● Personal favorites
You can write about your favorite topics in this area. You can write an article about your favorite characters from a season or discuss your favorite foods.
Conclusion
A writing sample is a representative piece of written work that people are often asked to provide as part of job applications, academic admissions, or other evaluation processes. It serves as a demonstration of an individual’s skills, style, and ability to communicate effectively.
Writing samples can vary in length and topic depending on the specific requirements, and they provide evaluators with insights into an applicant’s critical thinking, organization, grammar, and overall proficiency in written communication. It is essential to choose a writing sample that showcases one’s strengths and aligns with the purpose or criteria of evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Can I give an informally written article as a writing sample?
Yes, casually speaking, some companies demand informal writing. Let’s say they are looking for a youtube scriptwriter; some slang will be included, which makes up a relaxed way of writing.
2. Am I inclined to provide a writing sample?
If your employer has not explicitly mentioned its need, you are not required to send it in, but it’s highly recommended.
3. How many samples should I provide?
If your employer has specified the amount, i.e., one or two samples, then go on that amount, but if it is not determined, then two to three pieces of different niches would suffice.
4. Will sending samples increase my chances of getting a job?
Yes, a number of well-written samples increases your chances of getting your desired job considerably.
5. What should be the word limit for my sample?
It depends on the kind of sample you are writing. If it is an article such as a blog post, 500-700 words shall suffice.
