5 Tips for Frustrated College Grads Looking to Get into Freelancing

Many young graduates are tired of knocking on corporate doors in their job search and being ignored for the positions they're trained for and want so dearly. Some recent graduates are even getting laid off. With the lack of job opportunities becoming few in this recession, the opportunities for self-employment and freelancing seem to be growing steadily. Here are five tips for the young graduate looking to dip their toe into the big pool of self-employment work out there:

1. Work For Free For A Little While (but make sure no one is looking)- how do you get experience without experience already? Student loan interest rates are going up, as are rents, utilities; heck, everything just costs money! Unless you're a trust fund baby or can live on next to nothing, you'll need to have a full time job to make ends meet and pay the bills. I suggest finding a job that leaves plenty of free time beyond the 40 or so standard hours and be prepared to hustle during your free time. I've never had much luck with responding to job classifieds and have had most of my meaningful connections come about through asking for informational interviews with people who work in a related field to what you'd like to freelance in. Be receptive to the idea that they're low on free-time, probably low on disposable income but could use some help. Offer to do a little work and get your name on some projects. You'll need a portfolio!

2. Quit Hitting Up Job Boards For A Little While and Re-Group- If you've got a portfolio but don't seem to be getting any bites in the job boards after some time, walk away from them. There are lots of opportunities on job boards every day, but if you're not positioned or branded as someone who is suitable for a majority of the jobs, you're wasting valuable time and resources sending resumes and emails into thin air. Take a look at your brand; do you have a website? Do you have a social media presence? Does anyone thing you know something about anything? Gaining credibility and building up your persona is going to help people want to give you work rather than blindly throwing yourself out there without success.

3. Rub Elbows, Press Palms and Make Eye-Contact... NETWORK!-Networking can be un-nerving for those new to it. Talking to someone you know is easy and relaxing, but meeting a bunch of new people in succession and having to convince them of your expertise and value in less than a minute is intimidating. However, the entire business world is not cut throat and many entrepreneurs want to see young, motivated and passionate entrepreneurs succeed, but nobody is going to give you a handout for free. Putting yourself out there, mumbling, stuttering, tripping and bumbling your words is embarrassing, but endearing. You'll get better over time and despite that to yourself, you sound incoherent and make no sense, people will come to understand what you're about after a while. The size and quality of your network are absolutely essential details to pay attention to.

Likely Page Break4. What's Good For Your Goose Friends Isn't Always Good For Your Gander Clients - Having a great personality is a bit part of what will make clients want to come back to you if you perform quality work. While you want to be personable, being professional is also key. Being the young person in the group has its benefits; you've got fresh perspectives, often times have more energy and you've got time to make a good impression. However, acting like the youngest kid in the group isn't always the best course of action. Keep your demeanor as professional as possible. Discipline your image as best you know how. Not to say that you need to wear expensive clothes or have a certain hair style, but you should look like you give some thought to how you look at present yourself. For example, you can wear jeans to a gathering, but make sure they're ironed and clean! Saved the ripped ones for yard work and tackle football at next weekend's barbecue.

5. Stay Busy, But Also Stay Passionate- Burning the candle at both ends is something that entrepreneurs and freelancers tend to do in the sake of getting "there" faster. It pays to look at your quest for career freedom as a marathon rather than a sprint because paybacks for all of your hard work will mostly come after a bit of time, rather than being instant gratification. Keeping your message, brand and image focused is important over the long haul, but what is most important is that the fire in your eye stays lit and that you still have that passion and excitement in your voice when you tell someone what you do for a living.