In your job, someone ELSE goes out and finds the clients. As a freelance designer, THAT job is YOURS. In other words, you will be a salesperson FIRST, and a designer second. You can't sit around at home, watching soaps and, just, HOPE someone calls and offers you an assignment.

I am on my third attempt at making a full time go as a freelancer, and, at the end of this month, it will be the first time I will have gone a full year without having to go out and find a regular job to get my bills paid.

I would NOT recommend someone start his own design business unless he knew how to run ANY business. You have an advatage over many others in that you, at least, have seen a design busines from the inside. I hope, for your sake, that you paid a LOT of attention to what went on AWAY from your design station, like how to obtain releases and licenses to use copyrighted material, how billing procedures work, how client contracts are written, how to contract with printing service bureaus, how to license distributing rights, how to dun for collecting invoices, HECK, do you know what an invoice is?

It's hard work doing this, and, in the first few years, you'll be spending more time doing BUSINESS stuff and very little time doing any artwork.

Be ready.

I suggest you make yourself a brag-file and include all of your best pieces irrespective of where or when you created them.

May be you could create one or two new ones which reflect the Company interviewing you – show them how you would take their image to the next stage.

There are many graphic design jobs posted constantly and they will always accept new graphic designer. Opening account is free. Write a good profile and include some examples of your previous work. Also bid for as many jobs as you can at the same time to increase your chance for winning projects.

You can find some great tips on how to win a bid here:
http://www.squidoo.com/online_jobs

Best regards,