You cannot get a project without having a sample and work experience. On the other hand, you cannot present a work sample until you have a client. This is the story of the chicken and the egg! All of us have faced this problem at the beginning of our work because we do not have a work sample to present in order to attract customers or even hire a company because we are new and have no work experience. As a result, the process of hiring or earning money through website design projects may become very difficult. “Experience” is usually one of the most important factors for employment in companies, and the job of web design is no exception. If you are also facing this problem or you are participating in a website design training course and the path to earning money in the future is unclear to you, you are not alone. In this article we will solve this problem once and for all.
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How to earn money without having work experience?
Learning a skill, while enjoyable, usually comes with some concerns. Are you worried about how you can get hired immediately after the end of the training course without having any work experience or doing a project and earning money in this way?
Not having a work history is something that happens to all of us and it is inevitable. However, everyone has to start somewhere.
But what is more valuable than work experience is experience. The good news is that you can gain a lot of experience in website design without having any work experience, so that employers or companies will be so fascinated by your work that not having any work experience will not matter to them in the slightest! How? By designing a professional and complete portfolio.
What is a website design portfolio?
A web design portfolio is a showcase of projects and portfolios that a designer chooses to present the best examples of their work to potential clients or employers. This does not mean that only high-profile people should have a portfolio. Also, newbies can fill the void of work experience by designing and making an attractive portfolio.
Why do website designers need a beautiful portfolio?
Although having a text resume is also helpful, it is not enough, because in website design, “beauty” comes first. For this reason, maybe only a text resume cannot show your capabilities in website design. By having a portfolio, you are showing off your abilities and skills rather than telling your audience. In other words, your design will speak for itself. In addition, the portfolio can be considered as an archive of your designs. Providing a rich archive shows your high mastery of website design. But if you have just entered the world of web design and do not have real project experience, you can still show your abilities by creating a portfolio and you can attract your first project even without having web design experience.
Which portfolios are suitable for a portfolio?
If you have decided to design and implement your own portfolio, I suggest you use the same portfolio that you made while learning website design. A lot of people never publish their prototype designs because they think they might have flaws, or they might not be attractive enough. If you have this way of thinking, it is better to correct it. The important thing is that you should not have any fear of publishing your designs.
Your portfolio will be updated over time. Even the most experienced web designers are constantly updating their portfolios. So, there is nothing wrong if you include the examples of website design that you have done while learning in your portfolio. You can always make your portfolio better and better. Don’t forget that there is no end point to getting better.
Another way to build a professional portfolio is to implement projects for yourself. You can design different projects for yourself in the field of your interest or the fields in which you want to work and put it in your portfolio. Although you won’t get paid to do these projects, that’s no reason to neglect designing a professional portfolio. In fact, portfolio design is a long-term investment. The more time and taste you put into designing your portfolio, the more you’ll see that it’s worth it.
The main parts of the portfolio
If you have decided to work seriously in the field of web design, you must have a website for yourself. In this case, even if you don’t have experience working in website design, this website can be considered as a strong work example. In fact, the time and energy you put into designing your own website will eventually turn into an attractive portfolio. Of course, this website is not just a portfolio. Rather, like any other website, it should contain a series of pages. Like the:
Main Page:
The home page is the most important page of your portfolio. The main focus of the home page is to draw the attention of the audience to your portfolio.
Your introduction page:
On this page, you should introduce yourself and everything related to you. As a result, you should try to make good use of this golden opportunity. On this page, you should display information about yourself, educational qualifications, courses you have attended, the level of different skills required for website design, and your work experience in the field of website design or related fields. Make sure that everything you write on this page should ultimately have a positive effect on the reader.
Portfolio page and portfolio:
On this page, put the best portfolio or projects that you have already done. Try to use a portfolio that can highlight your skills in website design in the best possible way.
Services:
In this section, you can clearly introduce the services and packages that you can offer to your customers.
Contact page:
After introducing yourself, your skill level, and presenting sample designs, it’s time to determine the ways to communicate with the audience. In addition, do not forget to put the link of your social networks such as LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. Try to be active in these social networks regularly. In this case, people will get to know you more by visiting your social networks, and this can increase the chances of hiring and receiving the project.
Where and how to make a portfolio?
To build a website design portfolio, you can use different platforms from free to pay. These platforms help you to easily expose your design. The most famous of these platforms are Wix, Dribble, Behance and many others. You can also design and implement a complete and comprehensive portfolio website.