How to get work experience without a job?

It’s no secret that work experience is more than essential for any job seeker. We see it all

of the time, employers are looking for experience! I’m going to be 100% honest with

you, experience is arguable 10x more important that education these days. Employers

don’t care that you’ve sat in a classroom and learned how to regurgitate information.

They want to know that you’ve actually done what they need you to do.

After all, with the competition in the job market at an all time high, any job seekers out

there with little to no work experience will more than likely not be considered for a given

position.

While the demand for jobs has never been higher, the supply seems to be dwindling.

There simply aren’t enough jobs to go around. So, how does a someone who has very

little or no experience get hired by a company?

The answer to this Social Age career question: freelance work!

Yes, Freelance!

We are now in the technology era, in this era you no longer need permission! You don’t

need permission to go out and get work experience! You no longer need permission to

go out there and get clients! You no longer need permission to build a brand and gain

real life work experience. Let me ask you something, do you really want to impress

potential employers? Instead of simply relying on the traditional “work experience” and

“getting hired” by someone, go out there and start doing doing freelance work.

In essence, freelancers are not necessarily committed to a company for a specific period

of time and they typically work under hours they set for themselves, providing services

that have market acceptance.

I Don’t Know What Services to Sell

I know you’re probably thinking, “What do I have to offer as a freelancer?

Well, we can break this up into two categories, doing what you love to do and doing

things relevant to your major:

Option 1: Doing What You Love to Do

This is the ideal mindset you should have when considering freelance work. Ask

yourself, what is it that you love to do? What do you do in your spare time? If you could

get paid to do something for the rest of your life, what would that be? For example:

• You like to read? Great, you can be the eyes and ears for busy executives; you can read articles, blog posts, business plans, short stories, magazines etc. and then provide your feedback.

• You like to write?  You can also write articles and stories for bloggers andin flue ncers who may not have the time to write for them selves; or perhaps you can write press releases or business plans.

• You like to design? You can serve as a web designer, graphic, logo and art designer for a company in need of such services but not ready to hire a full-time employee.

Keep in mind, even if these aren’t directly related to what you plan to do, it is still a great

endeavor to pursue because of the soft skills that you will learn. This will allow you to

work on skills such as handling clients, communication skills, time management,

organization and more (any employer finds this useful)

For any professional, this is great experience!

Option 1: Relevant to Your Major

Now, most of you all out there without experience is recent graduates, I feel your pain.

With that, are you majoring in a field that you plan on working in after you graduate? Are

you looking for as much experience as possible? Then look for freelance work within

your major. Here are some examples:

• Business: If you’re in a business-related major, there are a ton of opportunities for freelance work. Maybe you can do excel spreadsheet work for clients, write and business plans, manage someone’s books as an accountant, create business-related presentations, etc.

• Mass Communications: Look for You can do things such as voice-overs, write scripts or provide feedback on oral presentations, speeches, and written content. You may even be able to help with speech delivery and nonverbal communication.

• Digital and Social Media: The possibilities are endless here, from designing content and social media strategy for a new start-up to being the online face of a company or non-profit.

I hope you got the idea here. My point is simple: no matter what your passions or course

of study, there are opportunities out there for you to freelance.

What if I Don’t Have the Credentials 

So let’s say you’re completely sold on the idea of freelancing, great! But deep down

you’re thinking, “I don’t have experience or credibility.”

Here’s the best part: to be a freelancer, you don’t have to be certified. There are no tests

you have to pass. No hurdles to jump.

You do not have to be a complete master at whatever it is you decide to freelance in.

If you find yourself in the position in which you don’t feel like you have enough

knowledge in a certain field but you would like to pursue it then here’s your solution:

learn it!

That’s right, go out and learn. Nowadays, Youtube can teach you just about everything

you need to know these days. I kid you not, go and search for yourself! You can also

learn just about whatever you want on sites like Lynda.com and Udemy.com. For the

price of a fast-food meal, you can take a course on just about anything you can think of.

Where Do I Start 

Now that you’re sold on the idea of freelancing and you know where to learn the

information necessary, now its time to find your first client! Here are a few websites that

will get you going:

Fiverr:

This is pretty much the ultimate freelance website. All services are done for a $5

minimum. If you are a total beginner, this is exactly where I would start promoting my

services. Once you hit a certain level, you can charge a premium for your services

through their bonuses and extras.

HireOwl: Think of HireOwl as a job board for freelancers. Almost all of their postings

are short-term projects, the perfect place to show off your skills and gain great

experience. The best part? HireOwl matches you with clients, takes care of payment…

everything.

Upwork:

Formerly known as Odesk and Elance. This site is also great for freelancing in

just about any field you can think of. Upwork allows you to charge clients per project or

on an hourly basis.

99designs:

If you’re a graphic, t-shirt or web designer, this is your place to be. Using this

website, you can build solid reputation, gain some great experience and make some

decent money.

Get Started

Remember, the point of freelancing is to gain as much experience as possible while also

acquiring the soft skills that employer’s desire. No longer do you have to hope for an

internship every summer. Start working on your craft now and put yourself ahead of the

pact.