💻 Get tech experience by freelancing: 5 tips

Want to break into tech? Freelancing experience can get you started.

These 5 tips were covered in our freelancing workshop, which kind of turned into a motivational speech at the end. Watch the recording here.

Tip #3 was a crowd favourite - it was an insight nobody had realized before.

Psst: there’s an exclusive surprise for you at the end of this article!

💰 First: the money

According to Upwork, Millennial Money, and Invoice2go, here are some of the highest-paying freelance jobs:

Tip 1: have relevant project work

Think:

Work samples
Portfolio projects (like the ones you create during an EntryLevel course - see example pictured below)

Eric’s UX Design portfolio project, which landed him a job

You don’t need previous “work” to get project experience

You can start your own projects with friends.

The workshop recording has a few examples so you can brainstorm how to get started.

If you need more guidance, check out EntryLevel’s courses - which provide portfolio project guidance with step-by-step instructions, examples, and templates.

Tip 2: be specific

Read the job posting clearly, so you can tailor your application to their needs.

If someone’s hiring a short-form video editor for TikTok, you wouldn’t submit an application as a long-form video YouTuber.

Tip 3: understand the “why behind the why”

Pretend you applied for the video editing role.

Your client asks “how many videos can you edit per hour?”

What do you say?

Some common responses:

I can edit 3 videos per hour
It depends on the video requirements
It depends on the videos you send me

Here’s a better way to respond:

"Let's do a trial run first. I'll edit 1 video for you at a fixed price, then we can discuss further if you like my work.

Does that sound good?"

This response is better because:

You de-risk hiring you
You make it easier for the client to say yes
You saw the client’s concern and why they asked the question

Tip 4: show results

A freelancer included:

Unlimited videos every month for 1 price
A video edited within 24 hours
How many videos he's edited in the previous month (a really cool metric to have)
Refund within 7 days if I'm not happy

But I didn't hire him. Can you guess why?

Tip 5: have good communication skills

The freelancer in the previous tip ghosted me.

I hired someone else who responded to my question within 1-2 business days.

Communication tip: even if you can’t respond right away, give your client an expected timeline - like “I’ll get this to you in X days.”

This way, they know you've seen their concerns and can expect you to address them.

Summary

Show relevant project work
Be specific to address the client's needs
Understand the "why behind the why" to making hiring you less risky
Show results and metrics
Have good communication

Your homework

Decide which freelance gigs you want to get

Get project experience for those gigs

Apply for some jobs using tips from this workshop

Important: always ask for feedback to improve

A surprise

Use coupon code FREELANCE20 before Aug 15, 2023 to get 20% off an EntryLevel course! Redeem it by signing in at https://app.entrylevel.net/.