The Lady Programmer

One of the difficulties of starting out as a freelancer is having a profile that catches the attention of clients without any work experience. I have previously written a post on how to do create a profile that may help anyone land on outsourced jobs. How about those who still need to prove themselves? How will they ever land a job without any previous work to show?

photo credit: tanya_b (SXC)

A portfolio is a repertoire of skills that the freelancer is willing to show. It always showcases how the freelancer is able to prove his or her skills in doing such jobs. A portfolio can go as simple as the one that I have in SocialSpark where I have two blogs to show and a short note of interests or it could go as a full blown one like the one that I have for oDesk. Simply showing off one’s resume without any portfolio in tow on outsourcing sites can really head into trouble.

Indeed building a portfolio is almost a must, here are some ideas:

1. Build samples of work. I am really strong on this one. One with the skills does not need enough work experience to build strong samples that will illustrate a freelancer’s capability.
2. Find related work opportunities offline. One of the details that really make my profile is my offline work experience around my place. Rather than finding opportunities online, consider finding freelance work around – once it is done then have it posted on your online profile.
3. Use networking. Tell friends that you need to do a job. Of course, not any job around, but relevant jobs that will really build your portfolio.
4. Develop new or relevant skills and get certified. Taking tests will definitely help measure your skills. Some freelance sites like oDesk allow members to measure one’s capability. Others go further into earning certifications from sites such as Brainbench – you can go to some of their free tests first.
5. Do relevant volunteer work. Sometimes there are volunteer work around that other may be happy to accept and more often they are willing to give out certifications for a job well done. That volunteer work still counts as a work experience gained – just make sure that it is still relevant.

It might be easier to think being on the client’s side: the client wants to hire the best worker who can really prove himself to do the job. The easiest thing for the client is to shop for the best freelancer that he can find – and a good profile will still surely stand from the rest.

No Responses so far | Have Your Say!