How to Get Started in Freelancing Without Any Work Samples

Posted: 10 Feb 2010 06:36 AM PST

I believe students and new graduates are now given more options to pursue other means of income online, even if they haven’t gained work experience. This may not apply to all students, but at least online freelance sites as well as blogging makes it easier for them to gain extra money.

I did not have that kind of option to earn extra money when I was still a student. The only option visible for me to earn more income is to follow the traditional way of earning money: be a working student. However, a working student is required to lessen the number of units taken up each semester until the entire course is finished.

Things are now different: some students figured out that they can earn online and even earn as much (or even much more) as what salaried employees get. As a result, I keep on finding more students who are interested in getting jobs from freelance sites.

One of the most common questions I get from them is: how do I get freelance jobs if I have no work experience and portfolio to show to clients?

Obviously, to gain an edge in the competitive world of freelancing, they have to build their portfolio.

image credit: Art Institute of Portland

Working Examples

This is probably easiest way to produce samples. The more samples to show, the better.

A single sample is NOT often enough. Have at least five examples for demonstration purposes. Make the demo samples as good as the real ones.

Volunteer Work

This is committing to do work for free. Usually, friends and family ask for professional help and the freelancer is often expected to work for free or with little compensation. Why not turn this situation into something that can be placed as a work experience as well as one of the strongest items in the portfolio?

Another way to work for free with non-profit organizations. This is usually favorable to web designers: do a website project for these organizations free of charge. In return, try to ask for a certificate or other written document for that work experience.

This way, new freelancers are motivated to do quality work than that simply offering a set of demo samples. Implemented projects speak strongly to a potential client than a bunch of demo samples.

School Projects

School projects may also be another strong proof of work. If you happen to compose a good school project (and better yet, if you had completed that project on your own), then it can be added as a strong item in your portfolio.

Successful freelancers started out with nothing on their portfolio. They had been probably to built their work experience probably through one or more of the items listed above.

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