How To Create a Winning Writer Profile Even if You Have No Work Experience
Creating a Freelance Profile That Would Get You Hired
You know that your passion is writing and you think that your writing skills are at par with professional writers you read online. You just have one problem: you have no experience you could put on your writer’s profile!
How do you create a winning profile that could get you hired even if you had no previous writing experience?
When I was applying for my first freelance writing job on Upwork, I couldn’t put a previous work as a content writer. What I’ve realized, however, was that I could include some qualifications that could show my potential clients that I’m also qualified for the job.
Here are some tips that could help you create your winning writer’s profile:
1. Include a professional photo.
2. Include a fitting title as well as a brief description of your qualifications.
3. Show your previous work experience (even your non-writing-related jobs).
If you’ve had years of experience in accounting like me, that would help you write content in the same field. If you’ve had other related experiences such as working in the medical field, that would help you land writing jobs that would use your qualifications in the area.
If you’ve managed to set up and maintain a blog, mention that also.
If you’ve published books, be sure to include those books as well as the genres you wrote.
Being a book reviewer or beta reader can also work to your advantage.
4. Show the extent of your education. If you have scholarships, awards or special honors received, mention them also. They may not pertain to writing, but they support your attitude and your other traits that could come in handy with your work.
5. Include your other certifications and training received. Formal education is not the only kind of training that counts. If you have enrolled in online courses such as those related to SEO, book publishing or social media management, mention them, too. On my part, I have included a scriptwriting workshop I attended by an award-winning scriptwriter.
6. Mention the contests you’ve joined and/or won. I particularly mentioned being the finalist of a national screenplay writing competition I joined years ago.
7. Indicate the languages you are skilled at as well as your level of proficiency in each.
8. Include a link to your writing portfolio.
9. Don’t forget to include your contact information.
10. If you think your social media accounts could help support your profile, you can include them, too.
11. If you’re not shy and you can provide an introductory video, you can do so. Make sure that your video helps provide the kind of impression you want to make for your clients.
Bonus tips:
Try to submit some of your work on Medium publications and mention them later.
Submit also to other websites accepting guest posts or paid articles. Include these later in your writer’s profile.
Open an account on Fiverr and accept some freelance writing jobs as a side hustle.
Final words
Aside from your writing portfolio, your freelance profile is one of the first things your prospective clients would see. You must make an excellent yet realistic impression that would reflect the kind of writer you would be if they hire you.
Don’t hold back on your accomplishments. You may come to realize that you have more work-related experience than you think! Just make sure that everything you write is relevant, especially for your niche. If they’re impressed by your profile, then you’re one step ahead of being hired.