You might not think so, but there are many writing jobs with no experience required. Yes, it is important as a writer to have a great resume packed prior experience, awards, samples of work, and certifications, and whatnot. However, there are positions that are specially designed for beginning writers or people who want to become writers. And yes, the pay may be less, but no, it does not necessarily mean you need to work like a slave to make a decent salary.
Positions such as editorial assistant, ghostwriter for ESL writers, proofreader, assistant writer, junior copywriter, and data entry worker are just some of the entry-level jobs for writers. In the following sections, we will explore these positions in depth.
Editorial Assistant
This is usually listed as a good job for recent graduates and those who want to begin a writing career. An editorial assistant can be thought of as a secretary for a head editor that uses his or her editing abilities once in a while. There’s a lot of sending invoices, scanning documents, scheduling, submission tracking, and other menial tasks. However, you will also be afforded the opportunity to research stories, pitch stories, write articles, compose promotional materials, proofread texts, and other writing and editing tasks. In a sense, you will be wearing many hats, and learn quite a bit along the way.
In terms of writing jobs with no experience, it is perhaps one of the best positions to start with to advance your career. Those who can withstand the stress and juggling act that is being an editorial assistant can usually progress onto much greater things. This position offers a solid foundation for positions like head editor, copyeditor, technical writer, and more.
Though it is an entry-level position, you need to have some skills in order to be hired. You obviously need to be able to write well, but besides this, you should be aware of formatting styles, have organizational skills, and having any experience in HTML or other simple coding is a plus. Knowing some things about SEO and the digital universe will also help you to get employed.
Ghostwriter for ESL Writers
On job boards, you might come across listings that are about finding ghostwriters for ESL writers. An ESL writer, or an English as a second language learner who is taking up writing, is often a person who needs help completing written assignments. For various reasons, an ESL writer might need a native writer to complete a certain task for him or her. It could be for professional use or for personal use—whatever the reason, ESL writers sometimes have enough money to hire someone out to complete a writing task due to having a rich family, or simply doing well in their host country. These tasks might also be formed from companies.
In many of these listings, all that is required is being a native writer. In connection to writing jobs with no experience, this is a real catch. In fact, ghostwriting can become a lucrative career, especially if you work for celebrities and such. Also, it can be a real blast to get in the voice of intriguing people, like you are an actor disguised as a writer!
If you peer over online job boards, you will see quite a bit of ghostwriting opportunities. However, starting out as an ESL ghostwriter can be a fantastic starting point. Give it a try and see where it takes you.
Proofreader
As a proofreader, your main task is to check the writing of others with a sharp eye for major and minor mistakes. You won’t be doing heavy editing, like reorganizing parts, or taking out sections of text, and so on. A proofreader is mostly the cleaner of language, making sure it all makes sense, is neat, and can be shown to others with confidence.
Though proofreaders do not have as much responsibility as editors, their task is still essential. Even if you search Google for “writing jobs no experience” and see proofreading as one of the selections, this does not mean you can know nothing about editing to get this job. You should have a solid grasp of technical subtleties within the language you are proofreading. You should also be aware of formatting rules, style, and tone. Though proofreaders focus primarily on grammar, punctuation, and word choice, it comes in handy to know more of the stylistic issues that can arise in a piece of writing as well.
If you do well as a proofreader, you can do well eventually as an editor and as a writer. A great place to start proofreading is in school for the school newspaper. This is a respectable position to start with, and can connect to many other positions.
Assistant Writer
An assistant writer does not assist a person, but a process. This position requires one to take notes, read over documents, type up documents, print materials, add revisions, and more. This job focuses on multitasking, and being able to wear many hats. You will be working directly with a head writer.
This position also requires you to attend tons of meetings. If you despise meetings like nothing else, this job might not be for you. During these meetings, you will be taking notes on the most important topics and ideas that were brought up, and refining these notes later at your desk.
In order to be an effective assistant writer, you must be good at communicating and know how to organize communication. You will be sending out many emails pertaining to notes, documents, and other technical information. In terms of writing jobs with no experience necessary, this is a demanding position that looks great on your resume.
Junior Copywriter
Working below a copywriter or senior copywriter, a junior copywriter usually sets his or her sights on the marketing and/or advertising realm. A junior copywriter writes stand-alone copy, and also copy to be paired with visual elements. They deal with many types of documents, such as brochures, websites, mobile applications, emails, blogs, social media posts, press releases, press and print advertising, sales letters, and articles.
In this role, people are expected to develop over time into a full-fledged copywriter. In order for this happen, there is commonly a strong partnership between colleagues, and a learning process through one-on-one interaction. The creative lead for projects will usually aid the junior copywriter and encourage him or her to think creatively.
To be a junior copywriter, it is required to have organizational skills, strong writing skills, a personality that is flexible and willing to learn, an eye for detail, solid research skills, and being able to meet deadlines. Recent graduates can easily gain employment as a junior copywriter—especially those who have attained a B.A. in English, literature, linguistics, and other related degrees. If you are looking for writing jobs with no experience required, this is a fine option.
Data Entry
Though this is deemed as one of the most boring jobs to undertake, it is a fine starting place for recent graduates and those who want to break into the sphere of writing. Basically, the job entails entering information into databases or spreadsheets. It is a way to organize, file, and store information.
But before you enter data, you usually have to ready the information for it to be entered. Also, you will review data, and verify certain information. You might have to check over accounts, and to secure information as well.
In terms of skills needed, you require skills in organization, fast typing, attention to detail, confidentiality, decision making, and analyzing information. This is not a hifalutin job, and does not promise great pay. However, if you are in desperate need of a job, or just want a start in a career after you have graduated, data entry can be a reasonable occupation.
Freelancer
There are countless freelance sites one can register at to be a freelance writer. If you are looking for writing jobs with no experience required, this can be fantastic option. On freelance sites such as Upwork, Freelancer, Craigslist, and others, you can find work that does not demand lofty expectations from writers.
On these freelance websites, there is a wide array of work. Everything from creative writing to business writing can be found on these platforms. However, you might want to only apply for certain tasks you are familiar with. You can only pretend to know something for so long. Understand your capacity, and apply for tasks that fit your capabilities.
In order to have a career as a freelance writer, you have to slowly grow your reputation. It is important, in the beginning, to not take on too many orders at a time. It is better to take on only one order on your first day on the job. Concentrate on that order with all your attention and knowledge. Make sure your client wants to hire you again, or at least supply you with a great rating. Ratings are paramount in establishing a reputation on freelance sites.
Summary
As you can see, there is plenty of work for those who are looking for writing jobs with no experience necessary. The best you can do when you have no experience in a certain discipline is to devote yourself to your new subject for an extended period of time to garner enough knowledge to successfully complete tasks.
