It’s a bizarre experience when someone asks you Hey! can you work for free? and you might be wondering should i work for free for experience or decline it straight away. This is a valid question that everybody will ask when they are asked to do so, but when you will dig in deep into the situation, you will know that why it is such a necessity.
Should I Work for Free for Experience?
If you want to reach somewhere, then it is important that you begin from somewhere in order to get started.
Through one or two rounds of interviews it is hard to judge the candidate’s real skill; therefore, if you want to show your real talent, then you have to offer them your free service.
You can ask them to give you work and when they find you worth paying, they can put you under their payroll.
This way you will get an opportunity to work with the best names and if you are really talented, then within no time you will witness money flowing in.
Now, think of it as a learning phase for you because here you will be able to learn from your mistakes and enhance your skills.
In case you realize that you are being taken advantage of, then also stick to the job for free until unless you are confident about the work you are doing.
When you are experienced enough and still not getting paid, then it is time to move on and find someone who will truly value your talent.
Though you were not getting paid for the job, but still you have earned a lot and that is in terms of experience.
Now, you can en-cash that and have a career which will not only help you earn more, but will provide you a good position as well.
Here, we will be discussing some of the factors that will help you in deciding why offering to work for free will actually be beneficial for you sometimes.
1. Learning from mistakes:
When you are working for free in the neighborhood, then you are not only gaining experience, but also collating references for future placements.
When you are just starting you fist job, don’t look at what kind of money you are getting, instead work hard to gain experience and expertise in the field which will prove to be a great help for your future.
Also making mistakes should not stop you, rather you should learn from them and improvise.
The work that you are doing for free will earn you big money few years down the line.
2. Look into the problems of the company:
No matter whether the company is big or small, there bound to be some problem everywhere.
Go through their annual report minutely to figure out the major issue that the company is trying to handle and then do your research to come out with some helpful ideas that might solve the issue.
Ask them to offer you the job for free and if you can solve the issue, then they can hire you full time and pay the compensation that you deserve.
3. Second your thought with prior experiences:
When any situation is provided to you, then come with live examples which will show how you managed the same kind of a situation in previous companies.
It will show them that you have enough experience in handling situations like this. In case they are not convinced, then offer them your free service and see whether they spare you a chance or not.
If you are able to bag an opportunity, then don’t let it go, make the most of it and you will surely secure your place in the company with your sheer dedication and sincerity.
4. Grab the prospect:
Some company might ask you to work for free for some time in order to make them understand that you have the talent to work in the position offered to you.
When you are asked to do so, you must grab it with both your hands because the good news is that these kinds of offers are restricted to candidates who they think will be suitable for the job.
They just want to see your interest level in the job they are offering and how far you can go to prove that you are the best suited candidate for this job.
5. Setting a time limit:
If you are confident about your skill set, then you can set a time limit for which you will be working for free.
In case the company doesn’t see any potential, then you bid adieu to the job or else they hire you with the right kind of compensation.
It will also help you in working because you will know that you only have this much time frame to please your potential employer and you will try to make the most of it.
Within this period, work really hard and do every possible thing that will make sure that you are the right choice for the position.
6. Looking for other openings:
While you are working for free in some organization, you must look for other openings as well, because in case you are not hired in here you will have something in your hand.
Don’t get disheartened by the rejection, instead take it in your stride and learn from your experience, so that it helps you in taking a step forward in getting yourself hired.
7. Selling yourself:
When you are out there in the market looking for a perfect job position for yourself, then you will have to project yourself in the proper light.
If you have any idea about marketing, then you will know that free samples work wonders.
If you are launching something new in the market, then it is important that you let your target customers use the free sample first and if they like it, then they will definitely purchase it.
You have to treat yourself the same way, you have to provide free service just to let your potential employer know what you are worth and then when they really like your work and dedication, they will definitely hire you with proper perks and benefits.
8. Better than garnering negative views:
When you are sitting at home looking for jobs and not finding the perfect match, you will start getting negative thoughts in your mind.
It is very harmful because they are draining your energy in the wrong way and you are not gaining anything.
It is better that you go out there and work for free, so that you can gain some experience rather than just sitting there doing nothing and wasting time.
It is not possible for you to look for jobs 40 hours a week, so why not work your way through it even if it means working for free because at the end of it you at least have the chance of getting hired.
Even if you are not hired, then also you have gained months of experience which is definitely valuable in getting a job somewhere else.
9. Work both ways:
If you are getting a job for a position which you don’t like, but you know that they also have the department where you want to see yourself, then accept the offer they are giving.
Once you start working, you can ask your boss to give you some responsibility of your desired department, so that you can do something which you really like.
Just let them know that you are going to do that extra work after your office hours and that too without charging anything extra.
But doing extra time in office is it right ? (In General) Well it is a debatable topic.
It is just your love for that work which is making you do that, start working for free and it will be a matter of time when your hard work will be noticed and you will be able to do what you really like along with a good payment at the end of every month.
10. Don’t let negative feeling creep in:
Working hard without charging a penny might lead you to some negativity. You might feel exploited, but don’t let that thought ruin the entire thing for you, instead you must try and make the most of this situation.
Gain as much experience you can and in case, if you are feeling that everything is getting stretched too much, then speak out to determine whether they are interested in hiring you at all or you have been taken for granted.
11. Look into whether others are getting paid for the job:
If you are offered a job for free when they are paying the others for doing it, then you have to think about it seriously before taking up the offer.
Whenever you are thinking about doing a job for free, think how much value it is going to add in your career. After taking into consideration the pros and cons of the matter you must accept the job offer.
12. Make sure you get the name:
When you start doing good for yourself, then make sure that the company gives due credit to you for the job done successfully, else it would be of no use to you.
Working for free to gain exposure is a great thought, but if you are not getting any exposure from the work you are doing, then it will turn out to be a complete waste of your time.
13. Getting the right kind of attention:
Most of us do the job efficiently, so that the right kind of people take notice of our effort and it helps spreading the word around about the talent you possess.
When you are working for free, it is important to get noticed by the right kind of people, so that they can hire you ultimately for the position professionally at the end of it.
14. Getting a position:
You have been dreaming of a position, but for that you need to gather experience in that particular industry.
How do you get there?
Simple. Work for free so that you can fill out all the blanks next time you are applying for that particular job.
15. Serve the who’s who:
Working for free can bring you the company of who’s who of the industry.
If you can land yourself up in a job where you will be walking shoulder to shoulder with the big names, then would you think about money at that point of time?
Even big bucks haven’t given you a scope to be in the company of such big names, so enjoy the phase.
16. Work for free to get hired with proper compensation:
If you are looking for a position, then you can get into an agreement with the organization which will clearly state that when you achieve the objective that has been set for you, the company will offer you the job with the desired amount of salary.
17. Just for the sake of it:
It is not always that people do a free job with some objectives in mind, instead there might be people who just love to serve the community without any end result in mind.
If you are one of those who loves to be part of the community service, then kudos to you and carry on the great work that you are doing.
18. To gauge whether you love the job:
It is often said that you must do a job which you really love, then you won’t feel the pressure of working at all.
You will agree that you would not mind working for free if that is the thing you really love.
So, in order to decide whether this is the job you really love, you can do it for free and in case you detest, then move on to other jobs available.
19. Working for free can be tricky:
Before you decide whether you want to work for free or not, you must look into the fact that whether the job you are doing is earning the company money or not.
If the company earns money through your free services, then you must get paid for that, but now that you are trying to prove your talent, you can provide that advantage to the organization.
20. Make sure the position is available:
It is a good way to market yourself by providing free services, but you have to ensure that the company is hiring for that position, else your services won’t be of any use at all.
