Congratulations, college graduates! You worked hard for this achievement and are eager to get started building your career.
Now it’s time to launch your search for jobs. Freelancing can be a great way to start if you’re interested in pursuing a career in the creative, marketing, and digital sectors.
Whether you’re looking to freelance full-time or in addition to full-time or part-time work, freelancing allows you to gain meaningful experience in a variety of industries, helping you build up a portfolio and get a better feel for what kind of work and what industries best suit your passions and your lifestyle. Freelance work can be the perfect way to develop new skills and expand your professional network, which can lead to more opportunities in the future. Freelancing can also provide a sense of autonomy and independence. This can enable you to take ownership of your work and build your brand as you establish yourself in the industry.
Interested in freelance jobs for recent college graduates?
If you’re looking to pursue a career in creative, marketing, and digital industries, here are some of the best freelance jobs for college graduates:
WEB DEVELOPER
There is plenty of need for web developers today, making it a great freelance job for recent college graduates with computer science, design, or programming degrees.
As you get your start as a freelance web developer, you will likely be designing, building, and maintaining websites. You’ll work closely with clients to understand their unique goals and use your technical skills to help turn their vision into a website. As an entry-level freelancer, you might first work on smaller projects and collaborate with more experienced web developers as you develop your expertise.
In addition to the degrees listed above, you should understand UX/UI design and search engine optimization. You might also need some practical experience with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and web development frameworks.
SOFTWARE DEVELOPER
With strong demand for software development services, more and more companies are turning to freelance software developers. Freelancing as a software developer can allow you to work on various project types and learn new technologies. And this experience is ideal for helping you expand your portfolio, which will help you take on bigger jobs in the future.
To get started as a freelance software developer, you will likely need to have a degree in computer science or a related field, a strong understanding of programming languages, software development frameworks, and tools, and some experience or knowledge of version control systems, software design patterns, and database systems.
DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST
Digital marketing offers tremendous freelance opportunities for recent graduates. Digital marketing is a great freelance job for college graduates as it helps you gain experience creating and implementing digital marketing strategies across various platforms, including social media, email marketing, SEO/SEM, and content creation.
As an entry-level digital marketing specialist, having a degree in marketing or a related field could be helpful, in addition to having some practical experience with digital marketing tools such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, and social media platforms.
SEO/SEM SPECIALIST
If you studied digital marketing, working as a freelance SEO/SEM specialist can be an excellent way to polish your skills in this niche area, which can set you apart as you pursue other opportunities in the marketing industry.
A freelancer working in this job for recent college graduates would help develop, manage, and enhance SEO strategies, including PPC campaigns, keyword research and analysis, and optimizing existing campaigns.
Having a degree in marketing or a related field and having some background or understanding of SEO and SEM is beneficial when getting started as a freelancer in this field. In addition, you should have excellent critical thinking, data analysis, research, and communication skills.
MARKETING RESEARCH ASSISTANT
If you want to gain hands-on experience working with marketing experts, pursuing freelance work as a marketing research assistant could be the perfect opportunity. As a marketing research assistant, you’ll be responsible for helping businesses understand their customers and the current marketplace through qualitative and quantitative research.
A degree in marketing, statistics, or a related field will be helpful in pursuing this kind of work. Additionally, some companies may ask that you have some general experience working with research methods and data analysis.
EMAIL MARKETING SPECIALIST
Pursuing freelance work as an email marketer is another potential path if you’ve recently graduated with a degree in marketing. As a freelance email marketer, you will help create and execute email campaigns for clients. This field requires various skills, including copywriting, design, email automation, and analytics.
COPYWRITER
Compelling content remains a critical component of marketing initiatives today. Whether in blogs, articles, white papers, social media copy, ad copy, podcasts, or videos – companies rely on copywriters to give a voice to their brand.
While a formal degree may not be as critical in this career path, having a degree in marketing or communications can be quite helpful. And, of course, having standout writing skills is a must.
If this job for recent college graduates seems the right fit for you, consider further developing your skills by networking with other writers, attending writing conferences and trainings, and leveraging social media to showcase your work.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Freelance graphic designers are perennially in demand to help companies with everything from t-shirt design to logo creation and marketing materials. If you’re a creative looking to build your professional portfolio, freelancing as a graphic designer is a compelling option to consider.
Like freelance writing, a degree is not always necessary, but having a formal education in graphic design or a related field can equip you with the essential foundation in design principles and software tools you’ll need.
CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST
If you worked through college or had a summer job in high school, whether you worked in retail or a restaurant, chances are high that you already have some experience in customer service.
As the e-commerce industry continues to boom, the demand for customer service specialists is high. In this role, you might do anything from fielding customer questions on social media, replying to customer emails, and managing customer service phone lines and chat platforms.
This is a great freelance opportunity if you already have customer experience, strong communication and problem-solving skills, and multitasking ability.
WE CAN HELP YOU FIND FREELANCE JOBS FOR COLLEGE GRADUATES
If you’re ready to start as a freelancer in the marketing, creative, and digital sectors, consider teaming up with the specialized recruiters at 24 Seven. Our team is tapped into a vast network of organizations looking for freelance talent, and we often know of upcoming opportunities before they’re even listed.
When you are hired as a freelancer through 24 Seven, you’ll be eligible for a range of comprehensive benefits from health and wellness to holidays and paid time off.
Contact one of our freelance recruiters today and let us help you find a freelance opportunity to help you grow your career!
