Posted On03 Aug 2020
Updated On16 Dec 2024
Due to the COVID-19 situation, a vast portion of the workforce shifted from the office to the work-from-home setup. Whether this is a positive or negative development, in general, remains to be seen, but this is far from the only paradigm shift caused by the global pandemic. It has also caused massive job losses in industries across the board.
If you count yourself among the unfortunate souls who lost their source of income to the pandemic, perhaps you’ll be glad to know that there has been a significant surge of online jobs requiring little to no experience. As long as you have a computer and reliable Internet connection, perhaps a headset, and a tremendous amount of self-discipline, you may just find that one of the following no-experience online jobs is best suited to your interests and capabilities.
Writer
If you have a passion for words, perhaps a career in writing might interest you. You can work directly for a company in need of regular content or work freelance for multiple individuals or businesses doing project-based work.
Writing is one of the most available work-from-home jobs you can do, and most commercial entities requiring the service are often more interested in the quality of your writing and less about any training or work experience you may have. To find writing job opportunities, you can apply for writing positions on sites like Textbroker.
What a Writer’s Job Involves
As a writer who works from home, these are the common tasks you’ll face:
Writing articles, blog posts, or newsletters for websites
Writing product descriptions and sale copies for e-commerce platforms
Creating social media posts and captions that resonate with followers
Collaborating with clients to revise the content according to their feedback
Why You Can Be a Freelance Writer with No Experience
This career is accessible because you don’t need formal qualifications for it. Your resume doesn’t have to include tons of previous jobs that show your abilities. Clients will only request samples of your work. They may also give you a test gig to see how you perform under pressure.
If you have no experience, we recommend looking for these types of jobs:
Blogging for niche audiences, such as travel, technology, or lifestyle
Writing reviews or listicles for products and entertainment websites
Writing content for Twitter, Instagram, and other social media
Skills You Need to Become a Freelance Writer
Everyone can try becoming a freelance writer. However, not everyone will become successful in this profession. These are the main skills you need:
A strong grasp of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Nobody will pay for content that needs excessive editing.
Research skills. Your content has to be relevant and accurate. You will need to research up-to-date information and use it to support your claims.
An ability to adapt your tone and style. Yes; originality is an appreciated trait. However, your clients will also have clear instructions for different projects.
Excellent time management skills. Without them, you’ll be just another person who tried becoming a freelance writer and failed. You’ll be facing close deadlines. You might be tempted to accept more projects because that’s how you earn more money. But remember: you must never compromise on quality.
How to Become a Freelance Writer
These actionable steps will help you start a career in writing:
Build your portfolio
Maybe you don’t need experience, but your clients will have to see some of your work. You can start a free blog and write on topics you’re passionate about. You can also write free samples that will demonstrate your potential.
Write a resume
In this case, you’ll want to follow the functional format. Your resume should mainly present your skills and interests. You can send your resume when applying for jobs through LinkedIn. If you’re applying directly through platforms like Upwork, you can use the same resume to create your profile.
Join writing platforms
Websites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Textbroker are beginner-friendly.
Once you’re on a freelancing platform, you’ll have to start applying for jobs. Only apply for those you’re sure you can complete!
Network online!
You can join Reddit’s r/freelance community or LinkedIn groups for writers. There, you’ll get valuable tips from fellow writers. But you can also find opportunities.
Keep learning
Commit to bite-size learning every day, and your clients will definitely notice the improvement. You can also take online courses, which will help you advance your skills even further.
Potential for Growth
The growth opportunities for freelance writers are decent. As you gain experience, you can make some progress:
Specialize in a high-paying niche. Technical writing and medical writing pay more than lifestyle topics. SEO copywriting is also valued, so you can take an online course to master SEO. Ghostwriting can bring you more money, too.
Build your personal brand. You can use LinkedIn and social media to promote your content. Eventually, you’ll attract clients to contact you. If you keep working on your blog, you can start making money with it.
With time, you can transition into related roles. After gaining experience, many writers move into content strategy, editing, or even publishing their own books.
Copyeditor
For those with a more advanced grasp of the English language, copyediting may be more to your liking. Many copyeditors enjoy a stable online job with no experience, and you can easily become one of them. Though little to no experience is needed for this job, it requires you to have a keen eye for spelling and grammatical errors, as well as clashing or unexplained information in a writer’s work. Some of the companies that are regularly looking for copy editors include Scribbr and Wordvice.
What the Copyediting Job Involves
As a copyeditor, you’ll get written material to polish out. You’ll make sure it’s consistent and clear. This is what the tasks include:
Correcting grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors
Improving the consistency in tone, style, and formatting
Fact-checking to make sure the content is convincing
Ensuring APA, MLA, or other style guides are maintained
Collaborating with writers to improve the quality of their work
Copyeditors are an important link in the process of producing high-quality content. They are valuable in industries like publishing, marketing, and academia.
Why Copyediting Needs Zero Experience
This is a serious role, so it may seem like it requires formal training. Still, beginners can start without any experience as long as they have a talent for spotting and correcting errors.
Basic editing skills are enough for entry-level jobs in this sector. As a beginner, you’ll target freelance projects.
Newbies can learn on their own by following style guides and tutorials online.
Many companies offer on-the-job training for specific projects.
Skills You Need to Become a Copyeditor
If you’re interested in this career, you’ll need these skills to succeed:
Attention to detail. A copyeditor is expected to spot even the smallest errors.
Excellent grammar and a strong vocabulary in your chosen language. Most opportunities are for copyediting in English.
Time management is essential. You’ll be dealing with tight deadlines, and high quality will always be expected.
Critical thinking is also needed. Copyeditors improve a writer’s work without altering their original voice and the intended message.
How to Become a Copyeditor
Entering the field of copyediting is simple. All you need is the right approach:
Offer your services
This will be hard, but you’ll need to start offering your services at a low cost. For free, even. You can contact nonprofits and small businesses with your offer. To refine your edits at first, you can rely on tools like Grammarly and Hemingway.
Take online courses
Coursera, Udemy, and Skillshare have editing courses that are affordable but great. Follow them to improve your editing skills.
Join freelance platforms
Upwork and Fiverr are the right places to start looking for copyediting gigs. You’ll easily find gigs for beginners.
Search for an agency to have you as a copyeditor
Entry-level copyeditors are often hired by agencies that offer proofreading and editing services.
Potential for Growth as a Copyeditor
If you’re good, you’ll do great! Copyediting gives you different ways for career development:
You can progress to specialized niches, such as academic editing, technical editing, or legal editing. They pay much higher rates.
As you gain experience, you can hunt for content management opportunities. With such a position, you will oversee teams of writers and editors.
There’s nothing wrong with freelancing as a long-term career. You can build collaborations with clients who come back, and you’ll land projects that pay better as you gain a reputation.
Advanced positions like editorial director or publishing consultant won’t be out of reach if you’re really great.
Web developer
Nowadays, practically anyone can build their own website thanks to the many tools available online. However, the creativity and innovative spirit necessary to create a truly exceptional website are thankfully still in short supply. So, if you consider yourself a gifted developer, the many available online job hiring without experience for web developers could be an excellent source of projects to build your work-from-home career.
Search engine optimization (SEO) companies are always on the lookout for people with great talent for web development, and you’ll discover these companies posting their vacant positions on job search engines like SimplyHired.com.
What a Web Developer Does
Web developers are the ones who design, build, and maintain websites. But we’re not talking about mainstream websites. The work of a great web developer results in a functional, visually appealing, and user-friendly website. Their tasks include:
Writing and editing code in programming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
Designing website layouts, interfaces, and navigation systems
Testing websites to see if they work across different browsers and devices
Updating and maintaining websites to improve their performance and fix bugs
Working with clients and teams on projects
Optimizing websites for speed, responsiveness, and accessibility
Why You Don’t Need Experience to Become a Web Developer
Although this is a technical field, it doesn’t require a degree or formal training. Here’s why that’s the case:
You’ll find free online resources to learn the basics of coding and design. Once you master the basics, you can keep learning online.
Aspiring developers can use beginner-friendly website builders to create projects without advanced coding knowledge.
Most entry-level freelance projects require small website fixes or design adjustments, which don’t require much experience.
Skills You Need to Become a Web Developer
Your clients won’t be focused on your experience, but skills will definitely make a difference. Here’s what you need to enter this field:
Basic skills in coding. You’ll need to get familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Those programming languages are usually enough for entry-level gigs.
Problem-solving skills are essential for web developers. They often need to find solutions for technical issues.
You have to be creative enough to design unique websites.
Web developers need to be attentive to details. Their work must result in a polished website with 100% functionality.
How to Become a Web Developer
You’ll have a lot to learn and practice, so there’s no time to waste. These are the steps to take:
Learn the basics
You can use YouTube, Codecademy, and other free online resources to learn programming languages and web design principles.
Build your portfolio
Create sample websites so you can showcase your skills. You can also volunteer to develop sites for nonprofits and small businesses on a local level.
Compete for freelancing gigs
Upwork, Fiverr, and Toptal are great places to start. You’ll find plenty of listings for web development projects.
Apply for remote jobs
You can check job boards like SimplyHired for junior developer roles.
Your Potential for Growth as a Web Developer
You’ll have great career growth opportunities if you focus on improvement:
Become an expert in front-end development, back-end development, or full-stack development. You’ll earn much more with a specialty like that.
E-commerce development is on the rise. You can master platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce for more career opportunities.
Many web developers decide to transition into app development.
As a freelancer, you can establish yourself as a respected developer and attract high-paying clients.
You can also progress to roles like lead developer or project manager.
Virtual assistant
Just like an office assistant, a virtual assistant is responsible for various office duties, including data encoding, document filing, record keeping, manning the phones, appointment scheduling, and the like. That said, the tasks can vary depending on the company. Though a virtual assistant is one of those no-experience online jobs, applicants are required to be able to self-manage effectively, with tremendous organization and dependability skills. Servcorp.com and OkayRelax.com are just a few examples of companies offering virtual assistant services.
What a Virtual Assistant Does
A virtual assistant provides administrative support to businesses. They may also work for entrepreneurs or influencers. Instead of working in an office, they do their job online. Their responsibilities include:
Managing email correspondence
Scheduling appointments, meetings, and travel arrangements
Data entry, bookkeeping, and research tasks
Dealing with customer inquiries and complaints
Managing social media accounts and creating content calendars
Preparing reports and presentations
The main role of a virtual assistant is to make sure their client stays organized.
Why You Don’t Need Experience to Become a Virtual Assistant
Not all clients ask for proof of experience. They are mostly interested in the candidate’s skills when hiring virtual assistants. Here’s why you can start this career with zero experience:
Many entry-level positions only require basic administrative tasks. You can quickly learn how to perform them.
Virtual assistants don’t go through formal training. They need organizational skills, reliability, and the ability to follow instructions.
You can check out some free or affordable courses that teach the basic skills you need. Focus on mastering the use of Google Workspace, Trello, and Slack.
The Skills You Need to Become a Virtual Assistant
You’ll need to highlight these skills in your resume:
Organization. It’s the main skill needed for managing schedules, tasks, and documents.
Verbal and written communication. You’ll be interacting with clients and customers all the time.
Familiarity with common office tools and platforms. This entire job is based on tech-savviness.
Time management is necessary for making priorities and meeting deadlines.
Problem-solving skills are essential for tackling challenges in a proactive way.
How to Start a Career as a Virtual Assistant
It won’t take a long preparation. These are the steps to take:
Develop basic skills
You need to know how to use Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Zoom, and similar tools.
Create a LinkedIn profile
It will serve as an online resume that shows your organizational and tech skills.
Join freelance platforms
You’ll find gigs for virtual assistants on Fiverr, Upwork, and PeoplePerHour.
Apply to agencies
If you prefer an agency to find jobs for you, explore OkayRelax and similar services. They often hire beginners for simple assistant roles.
Potential for Growth as a Virtual Assistant
Even a beginner with no experience has the potential for growth in this profession. You can aim for the following roles:
Specialized virtual assistant roles. You can work as an executive assistant, social media manager, or e-commerce virtual assistant. An executive resume writing service can make your application suitable for high-profile roles.
You can become an entrepreneur if you start your own VA agency.
Long-term relationships with the same clients will bring higher rates as your expertise grows.
Tutor
Online academic tutoring jobs often call for no requirements except for patience to ensure that the student fully understands the lesson. That said, some lessons have a high level of academic difficulty, and you may need to obtain a four-year college degree before you can qualify to teach them. You may find an online tutoring job with no experience that appeals to you at Studypool.com or Tutor.com.
What You’ll Do as an Online Tutor
Online tutors provide one-on-one instructions to students of all ages. They may also work with small groups. These are the tasks they cover:
Explaining academic concepts and solving problems in math, science, English, or other subjects
Helping students get ready for exams and complete homework
Creating lesson plans that work for the student’s learning style and goals
Tracking progress and giving feedback
Why You Don't Need Experience to Become an Online Tutor
An online tutor is not a formal teacher. So they don’t need any formal training or experience. Here’s why:
Many students need basic academic support, so they are only interested in your skills
This job requires proficiency in a subject and strong communication skills, which entry-level candidates already have
You can master teaching methods through online courses
Skills You Need for Online Tutoring
To become successful in this online job, work on these skills:
Subject expertise. You need advanced knowledge of the topics you’ll teach.
Patience, and tons of it! You’ll be working with students who have difficulties grasping academic concepts.
Communication is essential for success!
You need to adapt your teaching methods to suit the needs of different students.
You’ll also need time management skills to organize tutoring sessions.
How to Become an Online Tutor
All you need is some courage to break into the online tutoring scene. These are the steps to take:
Identify your strengths
What subjects will you teach? You need to be highly proficient in them so you’ll be confident in teaching.
Sign up on tutoring platforms
Tutor.com is a great option for you to start off. It’s beginner-friendly, and many students use it to find tutors on different subjects.
Work on your profile!
Your professional profile should show your expertise, teaching style, and availability. At the start, you can offer affordable tutoring sessions just to get the rating going up. Then, you can increase your rates.
Growth Potential for Online Tutors
If you become a tutor, you’ll unlock decent opportunities for growth once you gain experience:
You can focus on high-demand fields like STEM, SAT preparation, or foreign languages. That way, you’ll attract more students who need your help.
As you gain positive reviews on your profile, you can increase your hourly rates.
In addition to one-on-one tutoring, you can also offer study plans and academic consulting.
With time, you can pursue formal teaching certifications.
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