The freelance economy is booming. In fact, it is predicted that by 2027, freelancers will make the majority of the US workforce. But how do you create a profitable freelance career with zero experience?
While breaking into freelancing is not an easy task, it can be done, even with no experience. The hardest part about becoming freelance is landing that the first client. But once you cross that hurdle, you are good to go.
In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about becoming a freelancer with zero experience.
If you are interested in starting a freelancing career, you are probably wondering how to find freelance work even though you may have no work experience as a freelancer.
Whether you are interested in getting into freelance graphic design, you are looking for freelance writing jobs for beginners, or something else, finding your first client can feel difficult.
Mostly everyone has dealt with this problem before – the entry level job you are wanting to apply for asks that you have experience.
The truth is, you need experience in order to gain experience and this applies to freelancers as well.
So, how do you gain experience for a job when you don’t have any?
How much can you make from freelancing?#
The amount of money you make as a freelancer majorly depends on your field and level of skills. However, on average, you can make anywhere between $25 to $75 per hour.
Which freelancing site is best for beginners?#
There are many different platforms for beginners to get freelancing jobs, whether you are a graphic designer, article writer or even a web designer. These sights include:
Fiverr: This is one of the best freelancing sites for beginners with no experience. Here, you can create gigs based on your skill or service and offer it to the market for willing buyers to see and place orders for the service you are offering.
Upwork: This is one of the biggest freelancing sites globally where businesses and independent professionals come together for online work services. This site offers more than 3 million jobs each year, making it ideal for freelancers to earn some money.
Other beginner friendly freelance sites include:
- Guru
- Freelancer
- Total
- PeoplePerHour
To get your first job on these sites, you need to give clients some reasons why they should hire you. This is best done through creating a stellar proposal and sending it to clients looking for the services you are offering.
Remember that there are hundreds of other people looking for the same jobs on these sites. Therefore, your proposal needs to stand out from the crowd and prove that you can do the task to the client\’s satisfaction.
OK, but what are the easiest jobs to get with no experience? – after a small research, I found out that Writing is one of the easiest freelancing jobs. With time, and once you figure out what the client needs, you will get really good at it. Other easy jobs with no experience include:
- Survey jobs
- Transcription
- Customer service
- Ride sharing among others
But if you don\’t want to write and earn more money, take a look at some of the best freelance paying jobs:
- Web developer
- Programmer
- Digital Marketer
- Translation
- Writing
- Security specialist
Manage freelance work, time and multiple clients#
Ask any freelancer, be it a writer, designer or web developer, and they will tell you that it is difficult to effectively manage your freelancing without proper time management.
The most effective way to managing your time as a freelancer is by creating a work schedule to follow and the estimated time needed for each task. This ensures you know how much work you need to accomplish each day to be able to meet your financial needs.
Another important factor to consider is managing multiple clients. As a freelancer, you have the freedom to work with as many clients as you can handle. However, it can be difficult to handle multiple clients, especially if they have different goals, visions, and standards.
For best results, assign each client to specific times and days. This ensures you set aside dedicated time to complete work for each of your clients. Clear communication with each client is crucial to smoothly juggle multiple clients. Also, make sure not to take on more clients than you can efficiently handle.
1. Start a blog if you are interested in learning how to find freelance work.
If you are looking for tips on how to find freelance work (mainly if you are interested in providing services related to blogging such as finding freelance writing jobs for beginners, website management, etc.), I highly recommend starting a blog of your own.
This way you can learn about all of the different things that go into running a website, writing, and more. This can be a great way to gain valuable skills when you have no work experience. Your website can be used as a portfolio or resume for potential clients to look at.
Starting a blog of your own is also a good idea to see if you even like the idea of freelancing. You can see what areas you enjoy and what services you wouldn’t enjoy.
Having a blog of my own is how I got into freelancing. Without it, I don’t think I would have tried any of my online side hustles as I probably would have never thought about them. Also, most of my clients found me through my blog, so I personally know that managing a blog of your own can help attract freelance clients.
Creating a blog of your own can be done affordably and easily. I have a WordPress tutorial that will help you start your blog affordably (I’ve included discounts and a freebie in this tutorial as well), and you can check that out here.
2. Submit samples if you have no work experience.
If you don’t have a portfolio of past work that you have done, you may have to create sample work to show to possible clients.
This is something that many people skip, but it is very important if you are interested in learning how to find freelance work. Extra work may be needed, but it will pay off in the end.
For example, if you are interested in finding freelance writing jobs for beginners but have no work experience, I would recommend that you create a few sample articles to send off to possible clients. This way they can still see your writing style and see if you would be a good fit.
3. Look for low-paying or even free work if you have no work experience.
In the beginning, I would not get your heart set on extremely high-paying freelance jobs. Those are usually reserved for those with experience.
In the beginning, you should be more focused on getting your name out there, gaining valuable experience, and building your portfolio. You may have to take low paying or even free jobs in the beginning in order to do this.
Don’t be scared though, sometimes these jobs can be great and many quality news publications don’t pay. Writers who accept these type of jobs realize that getting your name out there and gaining experience is sometimes more important than payment.
The key to providing low-pay or even free work is to find clients that will help you build your portfolio the correct way. Just because you have no work experience doesn’t mean that you should be taking any job, as you might actually end up hurting yourself if you take low-quality and certain low-pay work. Instead, see how your free or low-paying work can can actually be advantageous to you.
4. Put your name out there.
Once you have sample work or a portfolio that you can be proud of, you should start networking with others and reaching out to possible clients.
This can feel scary at first, but I promise it’s not. You should search freelance job boards such as on ProBlogger, find clients on oDesk or Elance, become active on forums where clients that you want to work for often are, reach out to others and see if they know of any openings, cold email possible leads, and more.
The worst thing that can happen is someone will say no.
Once you get over that fear, I am sure you will be able to successfully launch a freelance career of your own.
Whether you are a freelancer or not, how did you get past the beginning hurdle? What tips would you give to someone who is interested in learning how to find freelance work but has no work experience?
