Whether you are a new EFA member or a veteran looking to up your game, your EFA Member Directory listing is one of the most powerful promotional tools in your EFA membership toolkit.

Publishers, authors, and businesses search the directory by skills, content area, media type, tech experience, keyword, and more to find freelancers that match their projects’ needs. (And if they’re already familiar with your work, they can of course search for you by name.)

That’s why an appealing, informative, and up-to-date listing is crucial to getting the most out of your EFA membership.

Here’s how it works. When you join the EFA, a listing in the Member Directory is created for you using just your name. From there, you should customize it by following the steps below.

1. Log in to the-efa.org and click on My Account and then Profile Editor.
2. Scroll down to Public Fields and select the categories of information you would like displayed. Because the directory is on the EFA’s public-facing site, we put our members in control of what information is visible in their own listings. For more on this topic, check out our tips on keeping your business safe online.*

3. Scroll down to Member Bio and write a short introduction to you and your business. Provide an overview of your background, skills, experience, and special areas of expertise. Please note that because the directory’s keyword search function only scans member bios, you should make sure yours includes words that clients searching for freelancers with your skills are likely to use (e.g., fiction, memoir, copyediting, writing). The information in your bio need not be exhaustive, as you will have the opportunity to check off multiple options related to your skills and the genres and media types you work in.Your bio is your opportunity to share key information in narrative form. It should give potential clients a sense of who you are and let them know why they should hire you for their project.

4. Continue filling out the fields on the rest of the page. A word to the wise: To help you stand out, make sure to include a Member Preview, which is the “teaser text” that shows up in search results.

If your particular skills or specialties are not included among the search options, let us know at info@the-efa.org.

Last but not least, your status as an EFA member enhances your professional profile, so why not take full advantage of it? In addition to your Member Directory listing, another way to identify yourself as an EFA member is to include our logo on your website, your email signature or anywhere else you choose. Multiple versions of the logo are available for you to download. Just select the ones that best suit your needs.

*If you are concerned about spam and scams, you can choose to make your contact information available to potential clients but less accessible to spammers by including it in your PDF résumé/CV instead of in the body of your directory listing. For advice on how to recognize and respond to possible scams, see EFA member Tekla Szymanski’s 2018 article about her own experience with a “cashier’s check” scam.