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Archive for the ‘Career Resources’ Category
Embracing the Unconventional: How to Be a Unique Presentation Specialist
1/3/2012 11:00 AM By Vince Font
In order to become a truly successful Interactive Presentation Specialist, you not only have to think outside of the box, but you also have to be willing to live your entire professional life outside of it. What exactly does this mean? It means that you have to look at innovation as a daily goal and not just something to strive for once in a while. You have to be willing to adopt the kind of daring that’ll get you noticed by creative staffing recruiters eager to scoop up unique thinkers, as well as by the high profile companies they represent.
So what’s the first step to escaping the confines of the box? The answer’s simple in concept, if not tough in practice: embrace the unconventional. If there’s anything about your past experiences as an Interactive Presentation Specialist that screams predictable, you might have to take drastic measures to break away from boring conventions.
• Deliver a lean, mean presentation. If you’re given an hour, shave your time down to 45 minutes. People love brevity, especially when they’re a captive audience. Your ability to deliver a trim presentation that hits on all points and still leaves your audience an opportunity to let it all sink in before having to race off to the next important meeting of the day is critical to your aim.
• Infuse your presentations with wit. Just because your audience is dressed in business attire doesn’t mean they don’t laugh or appreciate well-timed humor. Why so serious, anyway? Your audience will appreciate the occasional joke more than you can imagine. The trick is to keep it in context and good taste.
• Take risks. This isn’t an invitation to go insane, but it can be seen as encouragement to take-off-the-wall approaches that people don’t expect. Like launching your presentation by telling a story that captures your audience’s attention and primes them for the nitty-gritty details of your presentation. Or incorporating physical props, as long as your audience is in-person. Just remember both the story and the prop have to be contextually tied to your presentation, otherwise they’ll come off as distracting.
Above all else, you have to be willing to stretch yourself constantly by exploring new methods and seeking out inspiration that could possibly lead to your next great idea. If you’re not at least trying to incorporate state of the art software and methodologies into your interactive presentations, you’re stagnating. And there’s no worse fate that could befall the professional Presentation Specialist than that.
The Importance of Knowing Your Market
12/30/2011 2:56 PM By Vince Font
You can find all sorts of full-time and freelance marketing jobs by working with a creative staffing agency like Artisan. But when it comes down to being the chosen one for all of the sweet gigs on offer, there are a couple of things you have to do to make yourself a truly appealing candidate. One of those things, and quite possibly the most critical of all, is to know your market. Knowing your market means:
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Having a concrete idea of who your client is and who their customers are. This involves recognizing both parties’ needs and wants, from both a business standpoint and as a consumer. What makes this product and service unique and how is it different than it’s competitors?
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Understanding your limitations as well as your capabilities. If you don’t have enough experience or conversely are overqualified, you may be wasting time and resources applying to certain jobs. A resource like Artisan can help match you with opportunities at your skill and experience level.
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Being able to assign a dollar amount to your services. When finding full-time or freelance marketing jobs, there’s no room for feeling a client out to see how much they’re willing to pay you. Have a precise price list for your services that’s based on knowing exactly what you’re worth to potential employers.
All of the A-list, cream-of-the -crop Talent represented by freelance marketer firms and staffing agencies must know their market or learn it quickly. If you want to join their ranks, make it your New Year’s resolution to start following these suggestions.
Self-Employment Advice: The Importance of Mapping Out Your Work Schedule
12/22/2011 3:20 PM By Vince Font
If you’re working with a creative staffing firm to find freelance job assignments, you’re still self-employed. Even if you work through a recruiment agency like Artisan, where you may be granted access to actual paid time off and benefits, you’re still essentially a free agent, which to is music to many freelancers’ ears.
But beware, there are some pitfalls that you might fall into, and the need to manage your time properly is one of the most critical bits of self-employment advice you’ll ever get. It’s also the one that can make the biggest difference in determining whether you succeed beyond your wildest expectations or end up taking a job you don’t want at hours that conflict with your life.
Your first step to tackling the issue of time management is to assign yourself specific office hours. Don’t work around the clock or you’ll burn out. Likewise, by working around the clock you run the risk of slacking off and not getting things done by misusing flexible hours. Failing to keep a regular work schedule is one of the biggest mistakes that self-employed people make, and it can lead to a pile of messes including backed up work, missed deadlines and killer stress.
To help you accomplish this, get a day planner specifically dedicated to your freelance life. Every few hours of your work day, from lunch breaks to max productivity time, should be mapped out in advance so that you don’t fall behind on a project or deliver a substandard end result. It’s also important to plan days off for yourself even if you’d rather work. Taking a break from the stress of a job you love is another vital piece of self-employment advice that’ll help ensure your longevity and continued passion.
Cover Letter Tips for Freelancers: Explaining Employment Gaps
12/21/2011 3:20 PM By Vince FontSearching for employment is a lot like hunting for food. If you don’t arm yourself with the right equipment before heading out, you’re going to come home hungry, empty handed and maybe feeling a bit defeated.
One of the most critical pieces of equipment for a freelancer on the job hunt is a cover letter. Writing a cover letter for freelancers is no different than if you’re searching for a permanent position— all the same rules apply. One of the most critical parts to focus on a cover letter is explaining employment gaps if you’ve been between jobs for a long time.
Why is this such a big deal? Simply put, because most employers who see gaps in employment on your resume will automatically assume the worst—that you’ve been out of work for a long time because you can’t hold a steady position or you’re not passionate about working. Of course, this isn’t necessarily accurate. But it is a sign to potential employers that you may not be the most reliable individual for the job. Not unless there’s a good reason for your spell of inactivity.
How should you best address it? By being honest and forthright. If you stopped working to take care of a sick family member or to go back to school or because you wanted to spend more time with your kids, say so. Keep in mind that a cover letter for freelancers may include inactivity spells due to a slowdown in work, and that you don’t necessarily have to address every single gap in employment.
Focus only on periods that extend for a few months or longer. And if you have the chance to meet with a hiring manager or creative recruiter in person, elaborate on the contents of your cover letter to paint a more holistic picture of yourself.
Freelance Design Job Opportunities in Indianapolis Buck Unemployment Trends
12/16/2011 11:30 AM By Vince FontWith Indiana’s unemployment rate hovering just under nine percent, hardworking Indy residents could use some good news. Fortunately, there’s a silver lining in every cloud and what sometimes looks like rain is often the precursor to a brilliant rainbow. Flowery language aside, the great news is that there’s plenty of work to be found, especially if you broaden your search to include Indianapolis freelancer positions being offered by major companies in the Hoosier state capital.
If you’ve got experience in web or graphic design but have had a tough time finding employment, or if you’re gainfully employed but simply checking out your future options, there are opportunities in the freelance market that might point the way to significantly greater earnings—even in a down economy.
The fact is, there are many high paying Indianapolis web design jobs waiting to be discovered. The trick is knowing just where to find them and utilizing all of the right search methods to gain access to them. One method of doing that is by going through Artisan, a creative staffing agency located in Indianapolis that can put professional web
designers and graphic designers on the fast track to landing lucrative projects with high profile corporations seeking local talent. Visit Artisan today to learn how you can discover Indianapolis graphic design job opportunities right under your nose.
3 Important Things to Know Before Pursuing a Freelance Marketing Career
12/15/2011 3:11 PM By Vince Font
Marketing Director jobs aren’t exactly what you’d call a dime a dozen, but there are ways that you can improve your chances of finding work if you’re willing to explore the opportunities that exist in the freelance world. Being successful at finding freelance work, however, depends on knowing three very important things.
- You won’t always be your own boss. In fact, you’ll have many different bosses as you move from one project with one company to a different project with another company. If you don’t thrive on constant change, perhaps freelancing isn’t your bag.
- Just because you no longer work for “the man” doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly have a lot of free time on your hands. Quite the contrary—because your success rate at lining
up future assignments is dependent on your work quality, you may find that you’re putting in more hours than you would in a permanent office environment. - Finding work will become a full-time job in addition to your marketing director duties. You can make this a lot simpler, however, by working with a third party creative staffing agency like Artisan, which will help you line up assignments that you’re uniquely qualified for.
Working in the freelance world can be just the thing the doctor ordered for many fledgling marketing careers. Not only will it open the doors to a whole slew of employment opportunities you otherwise wouldn’t have had access to, but it’ll also help you rack up the kind of experience that it takes many people years to accumulate. If you want to try your hand at starting a freelance marketing career, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Four Trends in Mobile App Design Today
12/12/2011 4:46 PM By Vince Font
To continually come through with highly functioning mobile app designs, you’ve got to stay on top of evolving trends. After all, what good are User Interface Designers who constantly have their heads turned the other way focusing on what’s long since passed? For those of you seeking high profile jobs as User Interface Designers worried about falling behind the curve, here’s a rundown of some of the most popular trends in mobile application design.
• Use of bold colors to help make apps stand out. User Interface Designers know that in order for a mobile app to make an impression on a user, it’s got to pop—visually speaking, that is. And no better way exists to make something really stand out than to imbue it with bright, bold, primary colors. Considering the fact that your intended audience is probably only spending a few minutes trying out the application of your design before moving on to the next to determine which will meet their needs, first impressions are as critical here as they are anywhere else. If you don’t grab their attention quickly, you’ve lost them.
• The less gloss the better. People’s tastes change with the wind and what was once appealing to the eye—glossy finishes—has now been replaced by an increased popularity of the matte finish look. However, unless the change is an easy one and if you haven’t already made lots of headway in your mobile application design, you may not want to waste your energy changing this. After all, once the pendulum swings back to glossy, your mobile app style could be all the rage again.
• Text based interfaces are eternally user friendly. Never think that simply because your particular app design isn’t as flashy as the next developer’s, you’ll be left behind. People still have a fondness and desire for the kind of simplicity that can only be rendered on their mobile device screen through text. Finding the right font, however, is always critical—just as choosing the right combination of colors that won’t make it impossible for users to read what it is they’re supposed to be reading in the first place.
• Voice recognition commands. Although you’d think that the advent of such a thing as Swype text would make communicating via mobile device far simpler, recent trends have seen an increase in the popularity of mobile apps that can be controlled by speech recognition. With more and more developers incorporating this into their mobile design, failing to consider its inclusion is equal to overlooking the obvious.
Staying on top of mobile app design trends is critical to making yourself an attractive candidate for user interface design jobs—but if you don’t know where to look for those jobs, you might as well be spinning your wheels. User Interface Designers looking for work can expand their reach by also taking on freelance assignments through an agency like Artisan that connects you with companies interested in hiring Designers and Developers on a full-time or freelance basis. Register with us online and let your career unfold.
Freelance Creative Directors Must be More than Creative
12/8/2011 3:03 PM By Vince Font
There are two kinds of creative people in the world: those who play well with others and those who don’t. The latter may have talent coming out of their ears and the ability to create jaw-dropping deliverables– but without the kind of cooperation that translates well to a professional environment, it’s a talent that no one wants to work with. On the other hand, a Designer who has command of his or her people skills can make one heck of a living as a freelance Creative Director.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that just anyone with a penchant for creating beautiful campaigns and the ability to communicate well can strut their way to a Fortune 500 company or top digital agency and pull off the kinds of killer marketing campaigns that freelance Creative Directors are hired to orchestrate. A buildup of specific skills is also required. By far, the most important are brand development skills.
Being a Creative Director isn’t just about being, well, creative. There’s more to it than being able to communicate your visions to multiple teams of people. It’s also about understanding brands and markets, and what makes consumers view a company in a certain light. In other words, a Creative Director is an artist who understands their audience and knows what they will respond to. The successful ones are also those who can listen to their peers, consider new ideas and effectively collaborate.
There are numerous freelance and long-term Creative Director opportunities available out there in both digital and print – it’s just a matter of knowing where to find them. By working with a creative staffing service like Artisan, you’ll be put in touch with companies seeking out only the most qualified and capable talent in the country.
Promising Outlook for Freelance Programmers
12/7/2011 9:59 AM By Vince Font
One of the biggest myths about being a professional freelance Programmer is that work is hard to find. Statements like that, apart from being downright negative, suggest that programming jobs are in great abundance on the in-house market. But the unemployment rate will tell you otherwise. Yes, web design careers are secure and job opportunities are going to continue to grow—but the majority of that growth will be experienced in the freelance arena.
As if you needed any more reason to strike out in search of work as a freelance programmer, it’s not just the dire unemployment scene that should prompt you to do so. People with freelance web design careers can make more money than those who work in-house as salaried employees. Even when you consider the fact that freelancers aren’t guaranteed certain perks like medical benefits, paid time off, and emergency family leave, they’re still able to command far higher pay for their work for their dependability and flexibility.
What’s even more encouraging is the fact that at Artisan, freelance Developers are actually eligible to take part in group medical insurance and can even get paid time off. If this sounds like a marriage of the best of both worlds—better pay with benefits—that’s because it is. Get registered as a freelancer with Artisan today to take advantage of this truly unique opportunity and jump start your career.
Carve Your Own Career Path as a D.C. Freelancer
12/1/2011 4:08 PM By Vince Font
News headlines these days seem to be saturated with dire predictions about the economy and the fate of anyone seeking gainful employment. The fact remains that even though unemployment is far higher than it was a few years ago, there are still plenty of job opportunities for talented people who know how and where to look. One such place to find those opportunities is Artisan Talent, a staffing agency in the nation’s capital that’s been connecting job hunters with freelance and fulltime jobs for decades.
Are you looking for work? Forget pounding the pavement for eight hours a day in search of the one D.C. graphic design company looking to hire a graphic designer with your skills. It’s great exercise, but the odds are that you’ll end up wasting your time making cold calls to companies that are probably already considering cutting back on their fulltime staff. Instead, experts strongly recommend that you find a Washington D.C. freelancing firm where you can pick up assignments as they become available. This will keep you working and will also help pad your resume.
Both Washington D.C. designers and employers interested in learning more are urged to contact Artisan. The only Washington D.C. freelancing firm of its kind, Artisan works with job hunters to improve their resumes and has long established connections with numerous employers seeking talent in the fields of print, web and multimedia marketing.
