Most of new freelancers are failing in the freelancing business because of inadequate skills. It is reality! If you want to be a successful freelancer then you must present yourself as expert in your niche. If you are a good graphic designer or are a good writer and you want to get projects according to your expertise you have to demonstrate your skills so they can attract potential clients.

When I get started my freelancing carrier, I didn’t have a portfolio. I relied only on words and that’s the main reason for my first failures. It was a real pain for me to know that I am not selected to take any projects, having in mind that I have placed over 10 bids on 10 different projects. I was disappointed and disgusted, but I decided to experiment and I took a different approach. I canceled the remaining bids, opened my favorite text editor and started to write my portfolio. It contained all of my recent works as well as an extensive list of all technologies, languages and programs which I am using on a daily basis. Then, I saved the file and uploaded it on my personal blog. Then I went to the freelancing site and placed a few more bids with the link to my portfolio inside.

Amazingly, after a few hours I won my first project. After a day, I have already completed the work and requested my money from the site and after a week, I was having my first $50 USD into my PayPal account. So my advice is to write a compelling and eye-catching portfolio and I guarantee you will receive many more projects by doing so. Not only you’ll look more professional and trustworthy, but the buyers will know what exactly you can do for them and what you have done before, so they will have realistic expectations when they choose you to work for them. Yes, many times you will not be selected because, for example, a provider with better feedback has placed his / her bid on the same project or because the buyer wish to work with a provider from a chosen country or territory, but your chance of success is doubled if you have a good and professional portfolio at your disposal.