Write an article based on this "Start building your portfolio while you're working for someone else. Partner with someone starting a related service business. Look for pro bono projects. Write for local publications. Create your own samples."
article: Use your free time to make contacts, design your Web site and take on smaller projects. When you start freelancing full-time, you'll have a collection of work to select from to put in your portfolio. If you're starting out as a copywriter, for example, find someone starting a graphic design or photography business and work on joint projects with them. You won't make money, but you will create something to show later to someone who has it to spend on you. The best places to look are non-profit organizations (charities) and startup businesses. Many local publications, particularly those published on a weekly or monthly basis, depend heavily on freelance content. If you have an area of expertise or interest that they can use, pitch them a story idea. If you think you can write better copy than what a prospective client has now, create an example to show him. You can use the actual company or several made-up similar companies in your sample copy.

Write an article based on this "Decide whether it's a complaint or appreciation email. Write a clear subject line. Open with a greeting. Keep standard writing practices. Maintain a courteous tone. Identify yourself. Be specific. Ask clear questions. Write short paragraphs. Close with a simple signature. Leave out attachments. Proofread before sending. Follow up."
article: Not all email communications with customer support have to be complaints or questions. You may simply want to thank them for their good customer service. Positive emails like this are welcomed by most companies just as much as emails posing questions. The truth is that sometimes, registering a complaint by phone call is faster and more direct than an email. Email is great for submitting your gratitude or asking a question that doesn't need an immediate answer, but if you want an issue resolved instantly, the best way is to call. Make your subject line meaningful and to the point. You want the customer service rep who looks at their inbox to notice yours first so that you get a faster response. Make the subject short, contain a summary of your email, and beg to be opened. For example: "Dog Chewed My Lifetime Warranty ChacosNeed Replacement" Once you've nailed down a solid subject line, the next step is to greet the customer service rep. Don't just launch into your problem. You wouldn't skip the greeting on a phone call or in person, would you? It can be as simple as "Dear Customer Service Team." Try to find a name to insert in your greeting. Some smaller companies may list the names of their customer service reps, and utilizing this can make you seem more personable and desirable to work with. You can end this greeting with a comma or colon. Dear Customer Service, OR Dear Customer Service: Maintain the rep's respect by using standard type. Don't use all caps, a mix of uppercase and lowercase caps, or script fonts. Just type using standard punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. This will help your email to be taken seriously. Keep a courteous tone, even if you are registering a complaint or expressing your frustration. You will be more valued as a customer and probably given more courteous treatment in return. After your greeting to the rep, introduce yourself. Offer your name and explain what type of customer you are, whether a first-time or repeat. In both cases, the rep will want to keep your business. If it is relevant, mention your geographic location (such as for an outdoors product or service). Use specific language in your email. Avoid using generic terms, like "my product;" instead, describe in detail what the product or service is and why this item is worth emailing about. Describe any relevant events associated with it so that the rep knows exactly what the problem is. Offering this information in the initial email prevents a long email conversation. Use the URL of the product, if available, so that the rep has an immediate reference for your description. Include your order ID in the email as well, since most reps are going to ask you for it anyway. This ID number is how your order is tracked and maintained in their system. Get right to the point in your email. Don't beat around the bush. Once you have greeted the rep and introduced yourself, start a new paragraph that tells the rep exactly what is going on, using the specific language mentioned in the previous step. Directly ask for any concessions you want. You may feel shy about asking for them, but set that aside in your email. If you want something in exchange for a defective product, say so. Make sure your paragraphs are short. Keeping them to one, two, or at the most three sentences is easier on the eyes. It also allows the rep to quickly scan the email for how to prioritize it, and if your email is a block of text, they will likely lower it to the bottom of the list just because they don't have time to figure out what you're saying. End the email with a final sentence to summarize your request or compliment, followed by a salutation. Signing off as "Sincerely" works fine, but you can also leave off a salutation and just insert your email signature. You can also indicate your urgency by signing off with "Eagerly awaiting your reply," or something along those lines. An email signature is a short block of text that includes your name, occupation, and contact info. You can format an email signature in your email provider's settings and set it to automatically appear in new messages. Try not to attach any documents to an email you are sending to someone for the first time. Many websites have spam filters that target emails with attachments, making it likely that your email will get moved to the trash before it is ever read. You should of course include an attachment if you are submitting an email application to a job and are asked to attach your resume as a Word document. Don't include any usernames, passwords, or credit card/payment information either. After your email is complete, don't get excited and hit the submit button quite yet. You need to proofread this email, making sure no careless typos interfere with the excellence of your words. Even if you typed the email using your smartphone, the automatic "sent from my iPhone" tag does not excuse errors in grammar and punctuation that make you look less than professional. If you haven't heard a reply to your email after a few days, it is likely that the email was caught in a spam filter or moved to the bottom of the stack. Send an email noting your previous email and asking if your first one has been received.

Write an article based on this "Arrive early. Read the news. Prepare for your assignments or projects. Dress for success. Set up a good reputation. Follow through on your promises. Tell the truth. Speak up when you disagree."
article:
Show that you mean business by arriving five to ten minutes early for any meeting or appointment you might have. This shows that you respect your time and the time of others. This applies to professional settings. It is typically okay to be a few minutes late to parties and other social events. Stay up on the current events in your city, state, country and the world. Don't just know about the latest pop culture, know about the politics that are affecting you. This will give you serious topics to discuss with others. Download news apps to your phone and take fifteen minutes daily to read articles every morning. You can even sign up for news alerts. Should you be assigned a task at work or school, work diligently on it. Do your research so you can do it to the best of you ability. If there is a presentation portion, practice beforehand until you have mastered it. This will show that you take your work seriously. For instance, if you have a presentation coming up, prepare a powerpoint. Use a simplistic format and include visuals or charts. Check for typos and practice presenting in the mirror. Take care of your appearance by showering and keeping your hair and clothes presentable. This will keep you looking sharp, neat and clean. You don't have to look ready for a board meeting (unless you're actually going to a board meeting), but you should always look nice. Iron your clothes the night before so you don't have to rush in the mornings. Use your clothes to tell people what you want them to think about you. If you want to be taken seriously, don't do things that make people think less of you. Avoid public intoxication, drugs, crime, and other poor decisions. Instead, involve yourself in positive activities like volunteering. Be mindful of what you post on social media, too. Avoid posts that glorify drugs, violence or other negative behaviors. If you tell someone that you will do something, you should follow through on that. If they see you as someone that just makes empty promises, they will be very unlikely to take you seriously. Perhaps you promised a coworker that you would pick them up the following morning for work. Be sure to set a reminder on your phone and wake up early so you can keep the promise. If you are lying often, you can't really expect people to believe you. They aren't going to trust you to tell them the right information. Always be truthful with others, even when it's difficult. They will begin to take you seriously if they know you will be honest with them. People value honesty and genuineness in others. For example, if you don't know something, say, "I'm not familiar with that, but I'll look it up." If someone is being rude to others or suggest something that is wrong, speak up for what you believe. Do so in a respectful and kind manner. This will show to others that you have integrity and that you're willing to fight for what's right. For instance, your boss might suggest paying the new female coworker less than the male staff because of her gender. Let him know that this is not okay and that she deserves equal pay to do equal work.