First Freelance Writing Job: How to Start Working [Strategy]

According to the 2012 Freelance Industry Report, more than 25 percent of the United States population, as well as about 11 percent of the United Kingdom workforce, are occupied in freelancing. There are many freelance writing jobs for beginners, so if you have good writing skills and want to earn money with their help with no time or location limits, you should try this sphere. You might be wondering where and how you can find your first freelance writing job easily, and how to make sure you’ll be able to cope with it.

Let’s find out!

Focus on your skills and opportunities

It is possible to get a writing job with no experience, but it’s impossible to become a good writer without originality, decent grammar, and self-discipline. Today, there are many online jobs for high school students, collegians, and other people who are looking for vacancies. Still, not everyone can achieve success when they try freelance writing. So how can you predict your future in this sphere and be sure that you will find your first job easily?

Check out the following:

• Are you a good writer?

Even if it is your first try to find a job and you have never written any articles before, you can refer to your experiences at school or any higher educational establishment. For sure, you had to write some essays in class and as a part of your homework. Try to recollect this experience and indicate whether you liked it or not, what kind of marks you received, whether it was challenging. If your school years passed by a long time ago, take your time and try to write an essay you want just to evaluate yourself and your ability to become a good writer.

• Are you good at communicating?

Working at home, you do not need to interact with many people. However, even online job involves communication with your customers. To attract them, you need to have good negotiation skills. No one is willing to work with a rude person. Make sure you sound polite when writing emails, for example, and that you can adapt to the style of your opponent to sound formal or informal depending on the situation.

• Are you ready to work with minimal enthusiasm?

You are probably rather enthusiastic and inspired now because you’ve realized that you can easily apply for full-time or part-time writing jobs at home. Do you like writing, and are you good at it? Then nothing prevents you from turning it into your career. Writing may soon become a routine for you, so get ready to fight your bad mood and procrastination when it happens. How should you manage it? Learn to work under any circumstances. Just do what you have to do because you will not be able to earn your desired salary if you do not work regularly.

• Can you find a balance?

Working at home, you can start feeling lonely due to lack of face-to-face communication. Plan your day beforehand and make sure that you do not only enjoy working alone but also spend enough time interacting with other people. If a freelance work is your additional occupation, make sure that you have enough time to rest so that it does not affect your life and health adversely.

• Are you self-disciplined enough?

Being a freelancer, you will need to:
✓ Develop a good sense of responsibility
✓ Organize your working space
✓ Develop and keep to a deadline system
✓ Communicate with your clients regularly
✓ Prepare your financial system
✓ Avoid trying to do more than you can

Remember that these factors affect your income and reputation.

• Do you have a portfolio or CV?

To attract new clients, you need to ensure them that you are a good writer. Gather some significant information that can prove your ability to provide a high-quality paper and support it with several samples. It is possible to become a freelance writer without a degree, but if you have one, do not forget to mention it and make your image stronger.

 

Ensure stable income–start job hunting

As a rule, people believe a freelance work to be their dream occupation because they find a flexible schedule and possibility to work from anywhere with Internet access extremely advantageous and attractive. However, the absence of regularity and stability leads to the problems connected with both order overload and shortage. Many novice writers find this drawback extremely adverse because no orders means no income. For you to avoid such issues here is a list of the best online job sites that can keep you busy:

• EssayWriters

This site is targeted at people like you. It offers many working opportunities to those who want to earn for living, using their writing skills. You can find a regular job or a temporary one, depending on your wishes, abilities, and desires. Your income can vary depending on the complexity of orders, their length, and achieved bonuses.

• Freelancercareers.org

Register at this site if you have excellent writing skills and want to have a constant flow of orders. Here, you can write about the topics you are interested in and gain fast promotion.

• Writers.PH

Check this site if you are interested in adequately paid freelance writing jobs. It is in a constant search for writers who can cope with academic papers of different complexity levels.

• Freelancer

This site offers various freelance jobs, including writing. The majority of the beginners tend to look for a job at the sites focused exclusively on their narrow sphere so you’ll have additional opportunities to find an order here during a low season.

• Freelance Writing Jobs

Try this site if you are interested in both a list of vacancies and helpful resources. Here you can learn, ask for advice, and check writing jobs.

 

Effective strategy: take small steps

Being a freelance writer, you can earn more than $200 an hour but, as a beginner, you should focus on lower-paying opportunities. Of course, you are willing to earn as much as possible, and there is nothing wrong with this desire. Still, you have not many chances to get hired for such job with no experience and positive feedbacks. So what should you do?

How to get your first writing job as soon as possible? Take small steps and start with a low hourly rate. Remember that it is your first freelance writing job and it cannot be a dream from the very beginning. With the course of time, you will deepen into the sense of freelance writing and develop your skills so that it will be rather easy for you to write and the quality of your works will improve significantly. It can be a matter of months, but you will surely obtain a strong knowledge base.

Don’t forget that you will be able to apply for a new freelance position later, emphasizing all that large positive experience you’ve already obtained. Your improved portfolio can attract many customers so that you will definitely be able to increase your salary from about $20 to $100 and even $250 per hour, obtaining one of the best paying freelance writing jobs.

Remember that a start point plays a critical role in your future career. Even the most successful people who earn billions of dollars today used to have small first jobs.

Such approach can also be rather beneficial for you because:

• It gives you time and possibility to increase your network;
• It provides you with an opportunity to find out what you like and dislike in freelance writing so that you will be able to find a position based on your wishes and demands;
• It allows you to enhance your portfolio and make it more attractive;
• It is a great practice that develops your skills and makes you more professional.

So don’t be afraid to earn less when start working! It is a standard transitional measure experienced by the majority of business people who end up earning millions. As soon as you have proven yourself, take a step forward and start looking for a better position.

 

Final thoughts

Now you have a plan to follow when looking for your first freelance writing job:

• Remember that customers require a high-quality paper and want to feel comfortable when communicating with you, so it is critical for you to possess good writing and negotiation skills.
• Be sure to think about how you will plan your work to meet the deadlines and have enough time for face-to-face interaction with other people.
• Share some information about yourself and your experience to attract more customers.
• Keep yourself busy–apply to the freelance writing sites to avoid a shortage of orders that is leading to reduced income.

Freelance writer salary differs so don’t be afraid to start with small steps. You shouldn’t waste your time looking for the best paying freelance writing jobs from the very beginning. Get ready for gradual growth.

Good luck with your freelance writing career!