Fema Employment
How can I get hired as a proposal writer?
I am an editor right now but I want to get into the more lucrative area of proposal writing for government and other contracts. Not that interested in nonprofit grant writing. I live in Southern California, where there are a lot of military contractors and a decent amount of high-tech firms. I won't relocate. My bachelor's degree is in journalism with a minor in engineering. I have been working for news organizations for the last 2 /12 years or so. I don't really know anyone who would hire a proposal writer so networking opportunities are limited. I never see entry level proposal writing jobs advertised. They always want lots of experience. I support myself so I can't do anything crazy like quit my job without another one to go to or work for free unless it was after hours (I am willing to give up my second job). I'm especially interested in hearing from anyone who's done proposal writing. How can I get a break without having a friend in the industry? How did you get the government job?
Public Comments
- Several government agencies outsource for grant writers. Your biggest obstacle is going to be experience. No one wants to hire a grant writer who doesn't have a successful grant on their resume. Your best bet is to do a couple for the non-profits as a volunteer. From there, if you win the grant, you have experience. If that really doesn't work for you, you might consider working with small small businesses that are looking at the SBIR and STTR, but again they prefer people with experience. This is one field where people don't care what your education is, but rather what your results are.
