“Give me a project and I am ready to work for free. Then you can decide if you want to hire me or not”
I get multiple DMs like this from college students and even working professionals who want to get started with content writing.
I won’t blame them. As a society, we are taught that if something is free, it costs nothing.
Then I simply ask for a blog, social media handle or anything where they are publishing actively.
Need not be professional – just anything where they are showing up regularly!
Why?
If someone is passionate about something, they won’t wait for someone else to assign them a task.
Resources are available on the internet. They just get started on their own.
Everything else is an excuse.
Action > Desire
Most of the serious businesses won’t prefer free samples or projects by students and freshers.
Don’t frown at me.
I will tell you the real reasons which no employer will even care to tell you!
Time Costs
I still remember when I was a student, I used to spend hours to save a few Rupees.
As a student, free things appear free.
As a busy professional, free things come at a cost of time and inconvenience.
Now even if I decide to assign a small project for free, I need to spend more time supervising it.
I need to find a relevant project that ‘might’ suit your interests – takes time
I need to guide and provide directions so you can deliver your best – takes time
I need to review your work very carefully – takes time
Training someone new involves dedicating time, resources and mentorship. Even then it’s not guaranteed that it will work out.
See? It increases workload and takes time.
I can simply complete the project by myself in the same timeframe.
Quality Issues
I remember when I first started learning a new skill, I had the energy and enthusiasm to take on every project, but my results were terrible.
As a fresher, it’s natural to lack the expertise that comes with experience.
Even though you might be eager to take on a project for free, if the quality isn’t up to the mark, it can lead to loss of time and energy!
Your work may need revisions or you might even need to redo the whole task costing even more time and resources.
For any established business, it’s often easier and safer to assign a project to someone who has already proven their skills.
Even if it costs some extra money, it at least brings guaranteed results at the right time.
TAKEAWAY
Quality comes from experience.
Experience comes from projects.
Before approaching anyone, remove their doubts by working on real projects and presenting that in front of mentors, employers or clients.
Let your work speak.
Use the STAR framework to present it.