On Guru, it is against the terms to ask for a free sample. This doesn't stop many people from doing it, but it should. A professional has samples. Period. If you can write and have been trained to write, you have written many things. Modified school assignments can work as samples. The longer you work, the more samples you should accumulate.
Some jobs require NDAs (non-disclosure agreements). No. Don't even think about using a sample from those unless you get explicit, written permission from the employer to do so. I cannot tell you how many freelancers believe it is okay to attach samples from work on NDA projects as long as they do not post them. It is not. An NDA means you might keep a copy stored on an external jump drive solely for your records, but you do not share it.
For employers: What does the NDA mean for employers? Well, if your work requires an NDA (and certain employers always ask for them), you should be a little more lenient about specific samples. I encourage every freelancer who specializes in certain areas of business and finance to create mock samples, but few freelancers want to do the work for free, and I don't know many who would have four or five different samples they simply made up for use as samples. If you want an NDA and a freelancer is sharing several projects with you they have done in the past, keep in mind that they may share your project, too.
The same goes if an employer works in a niche area. Do you make a special sample so that it matches? Well, if you think that will sell your work and the sample is around 100 words or less, I would say go for it. But if you have to come up with an in-depth sample that will take 2 -5 hours (or more) of your time, you have to ask if you are going to get paid enough to make the unpaid sample worth your time. If you are planning to work in that area long-term, a better sample might pay off.
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