How can a rookie freelancer get jobs?

[Lubang Bawah]

As a freelancer that just got a digital skill like digital marketing, copywriting, project management, graphics design, content marketing etc with no real experience how do you get jobs. Nobody or if any, very few people entrust their work to a rookie with no experience whatsoever. The only way one can be a pro at a skill he just learnt is by doing the work consistently for a while.

So to people here who are successful freelancer today, how did you do it? How were you able to get gigs when you were new to the field? I know what worked for Mr A may not necessarily work for Mr B but I'd really appreciate your insight. 

I think the easiest thing to become a freelancer now is to become a YouTuber or blog writer, if it meets the requirements then you can submit it to an advertising program such as Google Adsense, it may require a process and not instant but as long as we are serious then we will succeed.

[bittraffic]

As a freelancer that just got a digital skill like digital marketing, copywriting, project management, graphics design, content marketing etc with no real experience how do you get jobs. Nobody or if any, very few people entrust their work to a rookie with no experience whatsoever. The only way one can be a pro at a skill he just learnt is by doing the work consistently for a while.

So to people here who are successful freelancer today, how did you do it? How were you able to get gigs when you were new to the field? I know what worked for Mr A may not necessarily work for Mr B but I'd really appreciate your insight. 

I think the easiest thing to become a freelancer now is to become a YouTuber or blog writer, if it meets the requirements then you can submit it to an advertising program such as Google Adsense, it may require a process and not instant but as long as we are serious then we will succeed.

It would take time to build youtube vlog and monetizing thru Adsense. I think they need the channel to have at least 1000 subscribers. I'm also trying my luck for youtube to which I have gotten about 400+ subscribers. I might just cheat and buy fake subscribers but they might notice there is no activity from those users.

OP wants to make money by providing services and I think it might interest him to just go to the job sites like what is suggested above. It's not easy to get into the game because of the competition. He just has to be bold at doing all job applications and keep trying.

[xSkylarx]

As a freelancer that just got a digital skill like digital marketing, copywriting, project management, graphics design, content marketing etc with no real experience how do you get jobs. Nobody or if any, very few people entrust their work to a rookie with no experience whatsoever. The only way one can be a pro at a skill he just learnt is by doing the work consistently for a while.

So to people here who are successful freelancer today, how did you do it? How were you able to get gigs when you were new to the field? I know what worked for Mr A may not necessarily work for Mr B but I'd really appreciate your insight. 

The first thing you will do is build a stunning portfolio, which is the key in today's competitions in this field. Your thoughts would be that the employers will hire those with experience but still, some employers prefer newbies and have no knowledge if they see something in your skills. I am not a freelancer, but I used to be, and the competition is very high right now. The skills of those freelancers keep increasing daily, so you need also to compete with them, improve your skills every day, always learn, and don't forget to pray that you can get that work or project.

[Hispo]

Something I made from the beginning was to offer some free samples and works for relatively cheap.
I would also recommend to build around you a circle of potential clients, if you are an artist you can join Discord servers full with people interested on commissioning works, Twiter is also very good to advertise yourself and your eventual portfolio, at the beginning is not about a lot of people following you but rather getting "mutuals" who would re-twitt your pieces.

Every time you complete a job ask for permission to your clients to include the piece in your public portfolio.

[cheezcarls]

As a freelancer that just got a digital skill like digital marketing, copywriting, project management, graphics design, content marketing etc with no real experience how do you get jobs. Nobody or if any, very few people entrust their work to a rookie with no experience whatsoever. The only way one can be a pro at a skill he just learnt is by doing the work consistently for a while.

So to people here who are successful freelancer today, how did you do it? How were you able to get gigs when you were new to the field? I know what worked for Mr A may not necessarily work for Mr B but I'd really appreciate your insight. 

Build up your portfolio first. If you do not have a website, there are free ones that you can make like Blogger, Wordpress, etc. But it’s likely more advantageous if you have your own domain and web hosting, that is if you are in a budget.

Like you’ve mentioned about graphic design. Try to post those samples into your online portfolio along with your bio stating your expertise. There are many Youtube tutorials there on how you get started as a rookie and/or inexperienced freelancer. Just learn from them step by step.

More than a decade ago, I didn’t have experience in doing online jobs. I started off by completing small data entry tasks, forum posting, etc. I started building up my portfolio in article writing and that’s where I get clients from time to time, but on a short to mid term contract basis.

As I have gained experienced and adding them up to my portfolio, I have gained even more by getting hired as a customer relations manager of a VA company but I resigned after a few months due to work overload and stress.

Hope this helps you a bit.

[Sterbens]

Something I made from the beginning was to offer some free samples and works for relatively cheap.
I would also recommend to build around you a circle of potential clients, if you are an artist you can join Discord servers full with people interested on commissioning works, Twiter is also very good to advertise yourself and your eventual portfolio, at the beginning is not about a lot of people following you but rather getting "mutuals" who would re-twitt your pieces.

Every time you complete a job ask for permission to your clients to include the piece in your public portfolio.

Yes, it can help, don't ever hesitate if we have to spend capital at the beginning to attract customers, because that's one that successful business people often do. Also now there are many social media that make it easier for us to promote our work. Social media is also very broad, making it easier to access places that might be out of reach.
Now there are many ways to promote skills, it's just that it won't be as easy as one might imagine. Also the marketing strategy will differ from the type offered.

[Hispo]

-snip-

Yes, it can help, don't ever hesitate if we have to spend capital at the beginning to attract customers, because that's one that successful business people often do. Also now there are many social media that make it easier for us to promote our work. Social media is also very broad, making it easier to access places that might be out of reach.
Now there are many ways to promote skills, it's just that it won't be as easy as one might imagine. Also the marketing strategy will differ from the type offered.

Because we are talking about freelancing, I agree about the initial investment but rather spending money on advertisement it is better to buy equipment and tools to be more efficient as freelancer. For example, a programmer could get a good computer, a graphic designer could get a drawing tablet, etc.

Since (as you mentioned) thanks to the new channels we all have on social media, it is easier to make oneself known among potential patrons. Still, one also needs to learn how to use social media in an efficient enough way.

[Leviathan.007]

Upwork.com would be the place but they are not paying BTC though. You would need Paypal for it.

There are many jobs out there but for a newbie, it's challenging to get one because most employers are going to look for the fast worker. What you would do is offer low pay for small jobs just to get a high rating. It requires patience just to get started and then gradually increase your rate.

It doubles your chance if you also provide on Fiverr.

I personally don't know Upwork.com and never used their platform. but, I have experience working with freelancer.com and I have some friends who used other similar platforms and they usually get the same result as I do. Considering choosing the platform it depending on what you expect from them because some of them will get high fees and some others will offer fewer payment methods.
Regarding the question OP asked, I think the best he can do is to create a strong portfolio and create some samples from his works and describe himself to the clients, which can be the first step.