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GTFC · 03-05-2008, 02:57 PM

Hi Alex,

Sounds like you are in a great position, and your experience so far will definitely be useful.

I'm sure some people will say that professional bodies/courses etc. will help, but from my experience, there's no substitute for being able to demonstrate what you do. That means building up a portfolio of samples of work, either from your current role or from anything else you can write. Marketing materials for friends, other odd pieces of work you bring in while you're still in full time employment, and even things you just write off your own bat because they seem like interesting subjects. I started out by writing articles giving marketing advice and sent them speculatively to publications in my industry (telecoms) and they got printed. I did not get paid, but you can say you have published work, and you can usually add a web address at the bottom of the piece to use as a marketing tool.

On that note, if you are thinking of setting up as a freelancer in the background whilst still working, it's definitely a good idea to have a small website. It makes people see that you are serious about what you are offering. Have a look at my website (link below in my signature). This is quite large now, but I did it all myself using MrSite for £23!

Hope that helps, feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat more.

Cheers,

Gill

03-05-2008, 02:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
GTFC Regular Poster Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Milton Keynes Posts: 63	Hi Alex, Sounds like you are in a great position, and your experience so far will definitely be useful. I'm sure some people will say that professional bodies/courses etc. will help, but from my experience, there's no substitute for being able to demonstrate what you do. That means building up a portfolio of samples of work, either from your current role or from anything else you can write. Marketing materials for friends, other odd pieces of work you bring in while you're still in full time employment, and even things you just write off your own bat because they seem like interesting subjects. I started out by writing articles giving marketing advice and sent them speculatively to publications in my industry (telecoms) and they got printed. I did not get paid, but you can say you have published work, and you can usually add a web address at the bottom of the piece to use as a marketing tool. On that note, if you are thinking of setting up as a freelancer in the background whilst still working, it's definitely a good idea to have a small website. It makes people see that you are serious about what you are offering. Have a look at my website (link below in my signature). This is quite large now, but I did it all myself using MrSite for £23! Hope that helps, feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat more. Cheers, Gill Last edited by GTFC; 03-10-2008 at 11:41 PM.