Building your portfolio without selling yourself short

Completing a free 'test assignment,' that's 'testing' several other freelancers is giving too much power to someone who's making money off your expertise. However, at times a quid-pro-quo agreement is in order, such as working for experience or exposure.

Other ways to build up a portfolio includes starting with small, quick jobs on gig-finding sites instead of unpaid freelance work. In addition, building up testimonials and customer feedback gives evidence of your skills.