Do you love to cook, bake or try new recipes? Do you like to use whole foods, real ingredients and can you make food that real people eat? Do you like to make things from scratch? Oh. . . and are you good with a camera – like really, really good with a camera? Then we should talk.
I love recipes. I love cooking. I love blogging about my recipes – but it’s very, very time consuming. At this season in my life (juggling the blog and a 6- and 3-year old) we are eating a lot of the same meals and trying new recipes (while also photographing them and blogging about them) just isn’t in the cards as often as I would like. But I still want to provide recipes and meal planning inspiration for my readers – because I believe eating at home is one of the biggest ways we can save!
So after months of consideration and although it will be hard to let go of my control-freak-I-can-do-it-all-ways – I’m looking for help with recipe and homemaking posts. I can’t do it all and that’s okay. I want the things that I do personally – to be done well and consistently. So I’m looking to hiring a recipe/homemaking contributor on the blog.
Before you keep reading – please hear this – I’m going to be very PICKY about this position. Like more than normal. You must know what you’re talking about when it comes to being in the kitchen and you MUST be a stellar photographer. This combination is unique but without both skill sets, it’s not going to work.
Please read this post in it’s entirety to get a good grasp of what I’m looking for.
Weekly commitment:
- At least one recipe a week. Based on a recipe schedule/timeline that we agree on. You would be responsible for grocery shopping, cooking/making recipe, photographing, editing photos, publishing all information in a post. These can be done ahead of time and scheduled. At the minimum – one recipe per week.
- Possibly more? Depending on the fit/time commitments, I’d love additional recipes and/or homemaking posts. Especially those that are frugally focused or that will save my readers time and money in the kitchen.
My wish list for this person:
- Ethical, honest, loyal
- Reliable. Reliable. Reliable.
- Must be passionate about recipes, cooking and photography
- Attention to detail, willingness to go extra mile to make recipes and homemaking posts easy and clear for our readers
- Appreciation for real foods, real recipes that real people eat. Rack of lamb is delicious, but that’s just not how we roll around here. We’re talking crockpot, salads, casseroles, pies – stuff your grandma would make and that families enjoy.
- Able to take direction and constructive advice. Comfortable with me editing your work.
- Will not copy others work and will provide credits and links to all sources/inspiration. All recipes do not need to be original – but if you get recipe inspiration from a site, cookbook or even friend – we want to give credit where it’s due.
- Good time management, able to prioritize
- Tech savvy – easily navigate the web, operate and efficiently use a computer (must have own computer). High-quality camera is REQUIRED – iPhone pictures are not going to cut it.
- Cheerful disposition (sorry, no grumps!)
- Flexible, team player.
- Commit to a schedule, meet deadlines
- And again: Ethical, honest, loyal
As far as recipe and homemaking posts some of the topics that I’d like to cover include:
- recipes of all kinds (as little processed foods as possible)
- tips for making things from scratch
- freezer meals
- crockpot meals
- time-saving tips in the kitchen
- kid-friendly, family-friendly, potluck-friendly meals
- meal planning
- anything else that will help put meals on the table in an affordable, fun and efficient way!
Here are a few other things to note:
- You will not get rich blogging (sorry, it’s true!) but I will pay you fairly for your time (about $10-$15/hr or a flat rate per post, negotiable upon hiring )
- Looking for someone passionate about food and photography. If being in the kitchen is FUN for you and you love photography – this will seem a lot less like work and you’ll find it more rewarding. You’ll also naturally be better at it – if it’s something you enjoy.
- Content is owned by Queen Bee. The content that you compile, the photographs you take and anything published on QueenBeeCoupons.com becomes content owned by Queen Bee LLC. This content cannot be sold or republished on other blogs or platforms.
- I hire contractors (not employees) – You work independently as a Queen Bee contractor. This means you’re responsible for paying your own taxes and/or handling yourself as a separate entity. I send out 1099’s at the end of each year and report it to the IRS.
- Work from your own location – A great perk – you work from home! There is no Queen Bee office, LOL. We all work from home – you can do your job pretty much anywhere you have a kitchen and good lighting.
- Cannot have competing blog – Sorry, but ideally you would not have a competing blog in the same niche (coupons/deals/frugal living/recipes). It’s too easily a conflict of interest.
- Drama-free, please – If you could easily be on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with your drama-laden days, please don’t apply – we probably wouldn’t make a good fit. We are a gossip-free, supportive team of amazing ladies and I’d like to keep it that way.
- Must commit for foreseeable future – We will do a trial run for 3-months to make sure we are a good fit. But if things are going well – I’d love for someone to commit long-term. I’m proud to say that I’ve had contractors stick around for a longtime – as long as 2.5 years and we have very little turnover.
- I’m a pretty easy-going, hands off team leader – but I do have high expectations. Queen Bee is (one of) my babies and I won’t trust it to just anyone.
Still interested?
You still here? If all of the above didn’t scare you away – wow, let’s do this. . .
Here are the next steps. . .
1.) Complete this application here
Then complete these steps 2 and 3 and EMAIL all of it, in one email, to thehive @ queenbeetoday.com (remove spaces), Use subject line: Cover letter and Recipe <insert your full name>
2.) Write a cover letter. Tell me why you think you’d be a good fit for the Queen Bee team. Remember writing is a big part of this job. Convince me your a good fit.
3.) Complete an example recipe post! That’s right, I want to see what you can do. Pick any recipe, make it, photograph it and email me it to me. Write up the recipe in Word or Open Office. Edit your photos as if they would be published on the site. I’m looking for – attention to detail and photographs that highlight the recipe and/or ingredients. The best photographs use natural light – no harsh flash and no awkward shadows. Using tasteful props is encouraged.
DUE Saturday May 3, 2014 at 9 p.m. PST
I’m hoping to review applications the following week and contact qualifying individuals via email for follow-up conversations.
Please, please, please know – I will not be able to respond to everyone that applies or emails me. I will review all applications and will contact the people who fit the bill – to continue the application process off-line. Please know that I won’t be able to hire everyone. I reserve the right to change this process at anytime if I feel it’s not working or I’m not receiving qualified applicants. Any costs associated to make the sample recipe for the application process, are your responsibility and will not be reimbursed.
For my readers – Thank you for your patience with me as we search for someone to provide recipes. I will still be doing a lot of these types of posts – when time allows. And I’ll still blogging about my chickens and garden – hopefully more as the summer progresses. And of course, I’m still having a heavy hand in all posts here at Queen Bee. 🙂
Questions? And if you have ideas for how your talents might help Queen Bee Coupons (in any capacity) – I’d love to hear as well. I’m kicking around the idea of featuring more crafts – so if you’re crafty and good with a good camera – we might have a space for you too. Leave a comment on this post or email me at thehive@queenbeetoday.com.
Theresa says
This sounds like an amazing opportunity! I read that all content submitted becomes your property. Which makes total sense. I was wondering if that’s the case with the recipes and information submitted with the applications as well? When I submit recipes and ideas in the application do they automatically become the property of Queen Bee Coupons or do they only become your property if I’m hired. Thanks so much.
Heather Clarke says
Good question. I don’t plan to use the recipes of applicants as my own content. I don’t think that would be fair. I would only expect to use the content from someone who had agreed and was on board 100%. Hope that helps!
Theresa says
Yes, very helpful, Thank you. Thanks also for your quick response to my inquiry.
Kathy says
I’m going to go cry in my scone mixture (TIP: use a box grater and grate the cold butter when making scones/biscuits for flaky product every time) because although I love to cook, cook for picky eaters all day long, and am super passionate about frugal cooking, I don’t have a good camera and can’t take very good pictures. Alas, I will have to learn how to take a decent picture and apply next time. 🙁
Heather Clarke says
Sorry Kathy. Your scones sound amazing and I bet you have mad skillz for frugal cooking. Just like a cookbook – photographs help translate the recipe to the reader, so even though it’s limiting, it’s definitely at the top of my list. Thank you for reading and keep commenting/sharing when you have recipes/cooking advice!
Kiersten Slevin says
Wow! This sounds like it could be a wonderful fit for me. Combining homemade meals and photography – Thank you for the opportunity! My question is: Would you be interested in meals for families on the go? We just recently finished a 3 month cycle where we were gone 4 nights a week – which meant eating dinner in the car. I can proudly say that we did not eat out once during that time, I made all the meals and we ate them in the car, while en route from one activity to another. Sometimes that meant taking 2 coolers – one for hot and one for cold, but my girlies were fed hot or cold meals fresh from my kitchen. We are still gone 2 nights a week and get home right at dinner time 1 more night. We cook extravagant meals on the weekends, but during the week we are in the car or getting home at dinner – so fresh and homemade are a must, but convenience is also a must. Please let me know so I don’t waste any ones time. Thank you!
Heather Clarke says
Kiersten – While this would be a fun series – food on the go, I would want more diversity in the types of recipes – to include those made at home, too. I’m looking for variety. Just like I’d love to consider gluten-free or vegetarian recipes – I’d also want to have someone who would bake a nice loaf of bread and/or make a delicious roast. With variety, the biggest percentage of my readers will benefit. Does this answer your question?
Kiersten Slevin says
Yes, it certainly does. I did not mean to imply that would be the only thing I am interested in. I make our own bread and cook fun things on the weeknights and weekends when time is not a factor. I will definitely be applying. Thank you for the quick response.
Tilla Ham says
food on the go would be a great one for me because we are also a family that is gone 6 nights a week, however things so complicated they require two coolers is way above my ordering off the dollar menu skill level:)
Savanna N says
I am so excited about this! I will certainly be applying. One question: when you are looking for recipes, do they need to be our own or can it be something we have used from another source but maybe tweaked a little bit? I love cooking, but most often get inspiration from other recipes!
Heather Clarke says
Good question Savanna! I think all recipes are an inspiration from somewhere – so they don’t need to be 100% unique. But I do believe in fair attribution and crediting – so I’m looking for someone who will honestly credit recipe sources and provide credit where it’s due. And I’m not interested in blatantly copying recipes – I’d prefer if they were adapted and tweaked to protect the hard work of others. Make sense?