Building Your Writing Portfolio when You Have No Experience

It’s an age old dilemma. How do you get a freelance writing job if you have no experience? While it can be difficult to land your first professional writing assignment without a college degree or extensive internship experience, there are many techniques you can use to improve your portfolio.

Volunteer Your Time to a Worthy Cause

While I’m not a big fan of working for free, I do believe in giving back to the community. If you’re an aspiring freelance writer, why not use volunteer work to beef up your resume? There are many wonderful non-profit organizations that could use someone to write websites, prepare brochures, publish newsletters, secure grants, etc. Whether you’re interested in saving animals or helping children learn to read, you’ll be able to build your portfolio while making a difference.

If you’re having trouble finding a local group that interests you, you may want to consider becoming a virtual volunteer. Check out http://www.volunteermatch.org/virtual for details on hundreds of different ways you can use your computer to volunteer from the comfort of your own home.

One work of warning about using volunteer work to build a resume—you may want to stay away from groups that could be considered controversial. Some employers may look down upon projects done for organizations with definite religious or political undertones.

Enter Writing Contests

Another way to build your portfolio is to enter writing contests. While I’ve never been much of an athlete, I do have a serious competitive streak. When I was a teenager, I was addicted to entering writing contests. I amassed quite a collection of savings bonds, theater tickets, cash, trophies, and other miscellaneous prizes. Once I started applying to college, I used my contesting skills to win over $30,000 in various scholarships.
Now that I’m busy with my regular paying writing projects, I don’t spend nearly as much time on contests. However, I highly recommend contesting to novice writers looking to improve their confidence and develop their communications skills.