How To Find Freelance Work As A Web Developer

Job Hunt

Although it's easier to become freelance work than permanent positions, that doesn't mean it's footling. It tin still be challenging (and intimidating) to get started. Here are my three favorite sources to help y'all find that first contract.

Wait! Earlier Yous Try for Freelance Piece of work…

You need to take two things: a portfolio of work and a contract. I'll touch on on each of these briefly.

Your Portfolio

No one is going to hire y'all if you have cypher to show them. If you don't have a portfolio, you need to kickoff by beingness your ain client. Build some cool stuff for yourself and put it up. If you lot can capture your thinking and the procedure in addition to the final product, fifty-fifty meliorate.

Don't freak out nigh the word "portfolio." You don't need to custom-build a spider web-based portfolio to brandish your work. You lot just need a few pieces of finished work people tin look at. If code is your expertise, make sure yous take a Github account with your work. If it'southward design, Dribbble will work. Find a hosted solution or throw together a site on WordPress.com or SquareSpace. Just go some of your work upwardly so you can testify information technology off to prospective clients.

A Contract

Make sure you have a contract and you lot insist on having a contract in place for every job you do. Modest-fourth dimension clients volition be fine using yours. Bigger clients may have their own standard contracts. Whatever you lot do, make sure you accept a contract in-identify, and insist on changes if you lot don't like the terms. Refuse jobs if they can't make the contract work for y'all. Whatever exact promises they've made are worthless, and whatever work they're offer isn't worth the fight that will about certainly wait you.

Don't sweat this either. Download the Contract Killer open-source contract. Change it to suit yous. If you have a little cash, run it past a lawyer to make sure it'southward still enforceable. If you don't take the money, practice this after you lot go paid for your first job.

Where to Look

With your portfolio and contract in identify, you lot're ready to get-go looking for piece of work.

Freelance Boards

These are the well-nigh enticing because they seem similar they would be a very low-endeavour fashion to get work. Everyone else thinks this also which is why you'll be racing to the bottom to get any work. Skip the boards you lot've heard of similar Upwork and Freelancer.com.

Since freelance boards are such minefields of empty promises and cleaved dreams, I tend to avoid them, but I have had luck on Reddit'south forhire subreddit. Postal service titles on the subreddit are prefaced with either "[Hiring]" or "[For hire]." Feel free to post your own "[For rent]" postal service, just don't count on getting hired based on that. You're going to get work by replying to "[Hiring]" posts.

Many of the posters you message volition never reply. Nigh of those that are left will get back to you but will select someone else. Very few will rent you. And that'southward OK. That's merely the fashion this works. Just keep applying and you will detect something that works for you.

Small Business Networking Groups

In almost every city of whatever size, you'll observe groups of small-scale business concern owners who get together to help each other find concern and solve other problems. Check Meetup.com to see what'south available in your surface area. Most small businesses need spider web sites, just their needs are minor making these a skilful place to find work every bit a beginner. Look for group members who accept only Facebook pages. These will exist small, low-paying jobs, simply they'll help you brand some money while fleshing out your portfolio.

Web Development Conferences

By attending conferences, you'll attain two important goals. Y'all'll…

larn new things and become a better developer.
meet people and make connections that might pb to piece of work.

Also, going to a good conference has an issue of energizing you almost the possibilities of your field. I highly recommend you do this. In my experience, it has always been worth manner more than than the cost to attend.

The work you'll notice at a conference may require slightly more skill than what you'll observe at business networking meet-ups. You lot're going to be surrounded by other freelancers and people who piece of work for studios. They often need to broaden their ain staff to provide additional capacity or to fill up skill gaps.

That said, serendipity tin can atomic number 82 to other opportunities too. I attended a spider web developer conference once in Columbia, South Carolina. I stayed in an AirBNB. My host was in the process of starting a business and needed some advice on web application evolution. It turned out to exist a perfect fit. I was able to do some piece of work for him and help him out. We keep to exist friends to this day.

Get my 3 best tips for new freelancers

If you've never done freelancing before, it's hard to start considering it brings with it so much uncertainty. Share your name and email, and I'll send you my 3 all-time tips you need to hear to make your transition less scary. You lot'll also get other helpful resources to help you on your journey.

Roll Your Momentum Into the Side by side Job

Now that you've gotten your first job, use what you've learned to go on taking on more difficult jobs. Whether yous desire to keep freelancing or go get a permanent position, there's nothing like making some money while y'all continue to learn web development and build your experience.

Need to pull together a portfolio before y'all go hunting for gigs? You may think that, as a web developer, you need to build the whole thing from scratch. Spoilers: you don't. Read on to observe out why.