How to start
You can’t work as a freelancer without any experience and skills. Initial positions or internships in the office are suitable for starting a career. Colleagues will help you gain live experience, answer all your questions and you will have the “right to make a mistake”.
Freelancing is a constant struggle for orders. To be competitive, complete the test task better and faster than others, offer additional services. The more work you can do on your own, the more customers and payment for each project.
— You are engaged in texts — try to master Tilda to create landing pages from scratch yourself.
— You are into designs — learn UX/UI to create interfaces for websites.
How to get your first order
It’s hard to find your first orders. It will take more time than doing the work, but that’s fine. The more portfolios and reviews you have, the more orders you will have.
Market
There are several formats:
— freelance sites (ITHire, Upwork);
— freelance storefronts (TemplateMonster).
It will be harder for newbies, because there is an internal rating on the sites that you need to earn for the work done.
Social network
Beginners can pay attention to professional groups on Facebook. Here you have to prove your value to the employer on your own, accept the terms, and find a guaranty, but it will be easier to get started.
Your website
Create a one-page website in the constructor with your portfolio, reviews and conditions. In the future, you can set up targeted advertising for it through search engines.
How to build a portfolio
A portfolio is the most important asset of a freelancer. Based on this information, most employers make a choice about who exactly to take on the project.
How to increase the value of your portfolio:
— Quality is more important than quantity — use 5 great cases than 10 average ones.
— Write a comment on each project. Answer the questions: what was your task, what did you do, what did it lead to.
— Do not use documents, presentations, or archives that have to be downloaded.
ADVICE
Think about the convenience of the employer. Make it so that he can view your portfolio without additional effort.
If you have had employment experience, then you need to ask the employer if it is possible to use your projects for a portfolio. If you do not have any work experience and portfolio at all, fulfill your first orders by barter or for a price below the market.
How to work with your first customer
The most important thing when working with a client is mutual respectt. It’s better not to start work if you don’t like the employer, the conditions or the project.
Agree on the terms of reference before starting work. There’s a chance the consumer won’t formulate it right, and you could misinterpret the goals. If the employer has not provided the terms of reference independently, it is better to do it yourself and send it for approval.
Remember that you are fully responsible for the work. You turned off the Internet, your laptop broke down, misunderstood the task — these are your problems. To maintain a working relationship, fix the problem for free.
ADVICE
Work on prepayment — full or partial. This is a normal practice.
What to do to make them come back to you:
— Do more, faster and better than agreed.
— Think about the task, not about the customer’s money.
— Stay in touch every day. Give it at least 15 minutes a day.
