Freelance work means working for yourself as someone who is self-employed, usually on an online basis. Freelancers can be people working in several fields, from writers to photographers to web designers and more. Freelancing is a great way to make a bit of extra cash or even start a full-time business and leave your 9-5 and it’s perfect for beginners. You may find you don’t have an abundance of experience or qualifications; therefore, a beginner freelance role could be perfect for you.
Freelance work is easier than ever to obtain, the remote nature of freelance work means you can take work from clients around the world and work anywhere you like. This makes freelance work perfect for those with busy schedules or other commitments. It also means more opportunities will be available than just the roles in your area.
As a freelancer, you have the opportunity to make as much or as little money as you’d like. If you’re serious about leaving your full-time job and starting a business, you can focus on a specific area and become an expert to charge a premium. For those looking for a side hustle, you can easily apply to roles on Jooble or other online job boards. There is an abundance of online job boards that can easily help you to find your perfect role.
We’ve teamed up with the people at Jooble to help find you find the perfect beginner freelance career for you. You can use Jooble’s search feature to find freelance roles try phrases such as freelance fashion designer careers to find your perfect job.
Freelance Writing
There are many freelance careers for beginners, one role is freelance writing. Freelance writers can complete a myriad of writing disciplines.
This can include writing.
- Website copy
- Social media copywriting
- Fiction writing
- Article writing.
- Proofreading
If you are creative and have a good grasp of spelling and grammar this can be a perfect role for you. For beginners, this may start as a low-paid role and as a freelancer, it may take time to take on clients and raise your rates. If you have a degree or writing qualifications this may help you to get paid a higher fee.
If you specialise your offer and become an accomplished writer, you will be able to become a full-time freelance writer. This can include understanding specific styles of writing such as academic writing or adding additional tasks and skills such as SEO.SEO or search engine optimisation means writing in a way to optimise a page to be easily found online. This is a highly profitable skill, and many large corporations are looking for specialists in SEO.
There are many ways to find freelance writing work from online platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr to Jooble’s job board. Ready to take your skills to the next level? Learn how to start freelancing on Upwork: Account setup made easy.
You could also reach out directly to companies or online blogs that may need writers for their online content. If you’re wondering how to join Fiverr’s freelance community, our step-by-step guide to setting up a Fiverr Freelance Account has got you covered.
Virtual Assistant
There is no shortage of virtual assistant roles for freelancers online. A virtual assistant or VA is someone who assists a company or person with administrative tasks. Virtual assistants can work full-time for one company or person or may take on several clients on a part-time or contract basis. The role of a virtual assistant is perfect for those just starting as a freelancer.
Tasks required by a virtual assistant can include but are not limited to.
- Organising meetings
- Writing documents
- Planning travel
- Administrative tasks
There are many more tasks that a virtual assistant may be required to do but this highlights a few. These tasks are not complicated but may require high levels of organisation and planning skills. You may already have the skills you need for this role from previous jobs such as office or secretary work. If you don’t believe you have the skills, try online courses or take on smaller projects to learn more about the requirements for the role. Use Jooble’s online search function to find out what companies are hiring, the salaries, and the job expectations.
Discover the essential steps for setting up your profile on Peopleperhour and maximizing your freelance opportunities.
Social media management
Social media managers help businesses and clients to grow and manage their businesses on social media. This may be physically working with the brand to implement a strategy or taking on single tasks for them to implement.
The tasks a social media manager may take on include.
- Hashtag research
- Copywriting
- Content creation
- Videography
- Photography
- Web design
- Email marketing
- Audience engagement
Social media managers can work remotely online full-time for one company or as a contractor for several clients on retainer. If you regularly use social media and enjoy using it this could be a great role for you.
Many social media managers focus on one specific platform, including Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Learning the algorithm of one platform and specialising in it is a great way to grow your business and charge higher fees. Once you have worked with a few clients and have results to add to your portfolio you can begin to charge more.
Once you become more experienced you could also learn to run ads for clients. Freelancers run ads on multiple different platforms- but many specialise in one, this could include.
Running ads for clients can be potentially very lucrative with some social media marketers charging six clients to their clients.
That is three of the top freelance careers for beginners. If you have writing skills, are prolific on social media, or are highly organised, one of these three freelance roles could be perfect for you. However, these aren’t the only freelance roles available, take a look at your CV and compare it with the roles you find online, you may realise you have the skills or experience needed to become an online freelancer. Follow our comprehensive guide on the step-by-step Toptal account creation.
If you don’t have the prior knowledge or education for these roles, take a look at online courses or videos in order to gain more skills, there are many free courses and videos available on sites such as the Open University, Udemy, or even YouTube.