How to Become a Freelancer With No Experience in 2024

Freelancing has never been this popular as it is now.

As the popularity of freelancing skyrockets, more and more people are opting for this career path. And it leads to only one conclusion; Fierce Competition.

And if you’re wondering how to become a freelancer with no experience then you’ve to be very calculative and cautious from the 1st day.

Rather than circling around the unknown you’ve to take on some expert advice and get yourself a distinct advantage over others.

Here I’ve listed some key steps that you need to follow to master your success in freelancing career as a beginner in 2024.

How to get hired as a freelancer online without experience?

Here is the curated list of steps that are most effective at this time for your success.

1. Identify your existing transferable skills

The very first thing you do is calmly find out where you’re good at. It has to be something that you can do better (eg. writing, coding, editing, social media, etc.).

Recap those topics/areas and select a niche that relates to your particular skill set. You can take some online courses, spend a few hours getting up to date with industry trends and demands.

Pro tip: Spend your most time here when starting off. Make sure to cross check if the corresponding job will give you enough cash that makes it worthwhile.

2. Prioritize experience over earnings

Although you may need to charge, monitor your earnings, and strive to achieve your financial goals, try to make expertise your number 1 priority.

Focus more on how to improve your skills and deliver better results to the clients. This will ease your way to getting more clients and building up a robust portfolio.

Pro tip: Create a learning roadmap, connect or follow a successful freelancer of your niche & list down his skills and expertise. And achieve those.

3. Create a portfolio website

By building a website, potential and existing clients can reach out to your site for more information about you (portfolio, contact, years in the industry, etc.).

Some clients believe that freelancers with websites are the real deal. So, if you get a website, your chances of being hired will increase.

Pro tip: Try creating a website by yourself with Wordpress (free), Wix, Squarespace, etc. You can find hundreds of tutorials online on how to create a portfolio website.

Just make sure it looks great & well organized.

4. Explore freelancing platforms

I know many people say many things about landing their 1st job but to me there is no better alternative to freelancing platforms. Why?

It gives you the unique experience to look into the real market and the top demanding skills.

You can try popular platforms like Upwork, Fiver, Freelancer, etc. popular freelancing platforms for beginners.

Look for available jobs there or good performing gigs, then filter out the most suitable ones and hit apply.

Pro tip: Be noted that your first target is to get 5 star reviews. Don’t be bothered with the payments. It’ll follow along.

Start small & build a reputation.

5. Develop a client-winning proposal

Once you get your hands on the work you’ll soon realize you’ve to write a compelling proposal that will land you the job. Otherwise there is no luck,

Carefully craft clear, concise proposals outlining your value and service in relation with the job details.

Pro tip: Try out different angles and make the proposal convincing. Judge your each and every proposal distinctively. Learn, iterate and progress.

6. Connect with the community

There are thousands of freelancers in the industry, ranging from beginners like you to professionals. Connect with freelancers in line with your niche/area of specification.

That way, you can learn more from them and do better with your clients.

Pro tip: Ask to help a fellow freelancer for very little price or no price. This is a very good way to start off and build a good portfolio.

7. Try cold emailing & calling

This is perhaps the harder pathway but is seemingly very beneficial to earn big money. In this process you find potential people who might require your service. List them down and find their contact person and contact details.

Then, reach them out through your cold email campaigns pointing out how you can help them to overcome their problems.

You can try Apolo for lead finding, instantly for cold email campaigns.  

Pro tip: This is a long hard process but this way you can find out people who don’t go to online market palaces. If you’re lucky you can win big clients with no competition.

But for that you’ve to have a decent level of expertise and knowledge to convince your client & get the job done.

5. Always be online/active

Opportunities never come knocking you beforehand.

When you bid or apply for a job online, try your best to stay online and active for at least 14 hours. Clients believe that active freelancers are diligent.

So, by staying active on the site, you can be hired. You can also use time-tracking apps by following this guide.

Pro tip: Try using different mobile apps to stay connected all the time and make their best usage.

6. Research, explore, learn and think out of the box

In your area of specification, keep exploring, researching, and making the most of your experience in the industry.

The more you learn, the more quality results you provide. By doing so, you can get rehired over and over again.

Pro tip: Always keep an eye on industry top freelancers and their work to get yourself those skills.

Best Freelance Jobs That Require No Skills

Fortunately, you can do some freelance jobs with or without experience.

1. Copywriter: As long as you attend essay and creative writing classes in school, choosing this service will be great. Although most novice writers don’t make much money, you can start charging higher once you become a pro. It's a great to do

2. Transcriptionist: Freelancing for beginners can easily take off without experience if you choose the transcriptionist niche. Working with clients by transcribing what you heard sensibly only requires a PC. This service might not pay high, but you can gain lots of experience from clients.

3. Social Media Manager: This is one of the best freelance jobs requiring little experience. If you are an active social media user, you can quickly use your hobby and earn cash! Your role is to create groups and maintain them. This service pays off well, especially when you get big companies as clients.

4. Online consultant: If you can communicate very well and you aren’t quick to anger, then this freelancing job is perfect for you. It is very easy, needs no special skills, and pays well.

5. Blogger: You must have heard about blogging as it's a well-known job. That's because you can become a blogger with no experience by learning how to start a blog and scaling it over time. It entails developing and promoting a blog and writing follow-up texts. An ex-writer, online marketer, or photographer can be hired as a blogger or freelancer. The more you do, the better you become and the more you earn.

6. Customer Service: Services like this are often needed on freelance sites, especially by companies selling various products. Even small businesses and bloggers search for customer service representatives to handle their emails. If you can access a laptop and are good at explaining things, this customer service representative is a great start.

7. Virtual Assistant: A virtual assistant must follow directions given by clients. This job doesn't require skill or experience and is perfect for beginners. It requires you to email clients, Schedule meetings, create social media posts, send invoices, etc. Most virtual assistants earn up to $50+ per hour.

8. Appointment Setting: An appointment setter's work is to schedule consultations between prospective clients and sales workers. Your work includes ensuring essential meetings are booked for the sales team. This is one of the best freelance jobs that often require workers. It is very easy to catch up even without experience. All you need is a tablet, phone or laptop, etc.

9. Web Research: Your responsibility is to research various topics related to the companies that employ you, including compiling data and information and offering clients clear and concise presentations. You don't need much experience for this job. Web researchers are very popular and profitable.

How to Choose Freelance Jobs On The Internet?

There are various freelance jobs online, but choosing a real-fun job that wouldn't let you experience issues is needed.

Here are the important criteria:

1. Pick jobs that relate to your niche: you should pick jobs that relate to your chosen niche. For instance, if your niche is writing, you would select writing jobs like content writing, news writing, article writing, product description jobs, etc. Imagine a graphic designer choosing web research or consultant jobs; it never works out. And to become a game developer you need to get trained. Well, find jobs that best suit your chosen niche. Find jobs that best suit your chosen niche.

2. Pick jobs that employ beginners: some jobs are mainly for skilled people, but various jobs offer opportunities to beginners. Since your skills are beginner-level, concentrate on jobs you can handle well. Most beginners choose online consultants, social media managers, and sales organizations online.

3. Consider the complexity of a niche: you can also choose jobs you know the basics and can learn. For instance, web programming, web design, or illustrator requires serious education. But not anyone can understand it due to its requirement for total mentality. So, ask yourself if you can exert yourself to learn your area of interest.

Don’t just pick a job simply to receive enough money when selecting freelance jobs. Choose what you love and will do well. You will start earning high at some point.

Where to Find Freelance Jobs as a Beginner?

There are countless websites to look for a job. These sites allow freelancers to search for jobs in a wider range to find jobs that suit their skills. You can download some apps to enjoy easy access from your dashboard.  

Here are sites where you can find jobs as a beginner:

Toptal

Toptal is one of the top freelance marketplaces that fills the gap between employers and employees. With Toptal, you can work with companies like e-commerce, banking, healthcare, etc. A beginner can find a job on Toptal once you pass the test and vetting process.

Upwork

Upwork is one of the best freelance portals to find a job quickly. There are many general jobs like networking, data science, IT, accounting, copywriting, admin work, translation, social network administrator, etc. Beginners can use this platform to send clients unlimited proposals. Just a 20% fee will be charged once you get a new client.

Freelancer

Jobs like product sourcing, data entry, content writing, sales and marketing, accounting translation, human resources, etc., are available in this portal. After registration, you get 8 free applications before membership fees emerge. It's a beginner-friendly website with devoted team advisors that make you're hiring faster.

Guru

With guru, you can create a unique profile. Jobs like finance, engineering administration, marketing, etc., are available on Guru. It is a beginner-friendly website, allowing you to reach potential clients.

Truelancer

In Truelancer, jobs like marketing trainer, virtual assistant, work-from-home jobs, etc., are available. It is easier for beginners to reach potential clients and make money with this site.

Fiverr

Finding freelance clients is a lot easier with Fiverr for newcomer freelancers. Once you log in, jobs that suit your qualification will be lined up for you. Jobs that relate to writing, audio editing, video editing, digital marketing, etc., are offered on Fiverr. Also, this portal offers a simple method of creating a remarkable portfolio.

You have to first setup your gig & set freelance rates that you will charge and get going. Then work on your skills and profile to attract quality leads.

As a starter its' better to acquire free resources and skills. You can take advantage of available free audio & video editing softwares or other free tools at first before you proceed further.

Conclusion

As a newcomer, finding the best freelance job you can do without experience is the foremost thing to do. Also, connecting with other freelancers in line with your niche, and being active on the site you’re working with, will push you forward.  

Also, focus more on quality delivery than a paycheck. You can't start earning millions when you are just beginning. You need to provide quality and expertise in your results and build a freelance portfolio before earning a lot of money.

Start your journey with these tips and ideas on how to become a freelancer with no experience.

Guest Author: Lori Wade is a content writer who has experience in small editions. She is currently engaged in news and conceptual articles in the freelance industry. You can find her on LinkedIn.