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Posts Tagged ‘advice’
Traits to Avoid as a Copy Editor
6/23/2011 9:17 AM By Jeff OrloffTo many people, copy editors are expected to be close to perfect when it comes to language. They are responsible for the grammar, spelling, style, formatting, consistency and presentation of content. Whether copy editors are working for print or web, as soon as a mistake is found, the credibility of the content falls into question and the blame often falls on their shoulders.
Consistent copy editor employment requires anyone in the position to avoid the following character traits:
Arrogance – The writer was hired to present the information. The copy editor’s job is to make subtle changes, not to change the way the author writes. Too often copy editors dig in their heels thinking they know better than the writer they are working with and change too much without adding to the quality of the content, which may overstep their boundary.
Indifference – If you don’t care about the little details, then you won’t find too many copy editing opportunities. This work requires to you put interest in whatever you are reading and make suggestions that can help improve the writer’s presentation and effectively deliver information. Don’t confuse this with arrogance, but the copy editor shouldn’t be overly reserved either.
Laziness – Copy editors can’t simply scan content to look for the most glaring errors. They need to scour what they are reading so that they can catch those little things that may be overlooked. Also, if a copy editor is unsure of something, they must take the time to look it up if there is any question or doubt. Relying simply on what you think is right can easily lead to embarrassing mistakes.
Carelessness – Publishing content without fact checking or posting images that are incorrectly captioned are examples of how an ignorant copy editor or writer can hurt the credibility of a website or publication. Eventually someone will notice and point out the mistakes they find.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Freelancer
3/28/2011 12:48 PM By ArtisanWith so many businesses relying on outsourced help these days, hiring a freelancer should be second nature. However, there are many businesses for whom the decision to hire a freelancer for web design, IT services, writing, SEO, etc., is foreign territory.
However, finding a freelancer to help your business is a fairly straightforward process. Freelancers can be found through any number of classified job sites like Craigslist, they can be found through the large job directories like Monster.com or you can go through a freelance agency.
The task of finding the best freelancer to fit your company can be made easy if you know what to ask your candidates.
- What is your availability? This question has a few variants. Availability can mean how much time will you dedicate to my project, how long will the project take or how quickly will you respond to my questions and/or feedback.
- What are your payment terms? This is usually listed in the contract, but it is always good to discuss them in person. Find out if there is a deposit or if there is a discount for paying invoices early. Also, make sure you understand any penalties for late payments as well.
- What is your experience in my industry? If you are looking for professional copywriters for your law firm but the person only has experience in retail, you need to know this up front. It may sway your decision one way or the other. Also ask for samples of work relevant to your project or industry.
- Who is doing the work? Freelancers outsource work all the time. You may be expecting to hire a PHP programmer locally only to find out that the work is actually being outsourced to a company overseas for a fraction of the cost you are paying. You have a right to know who is working for you so be diligent and find out.
The 2011 Job Outlook for Graphic Designers
2/25/2011 12:32 PM By Julia Shiplett
Graphic designers should enjoy a stronger market in 2011 with new job opportunities. Hiring managers and outsourcing professionals plan to increase job opportunities and project volume in the coming year. Experts project growth of 13 percent, as advertisers and computer design firms see fairly strong demand. Freelancers and graphic design for hire professionals should find quality work.
Freelance graphic artists with web designer qualifications and/or animation experience should enjoy even wider job opportunities. Experienced employment professionals, like Artisan, will be plugged into a wide variety of clients seeking creative freelance graphic designers in 2011.
Interactive media needs for smartphones, websites and touch screen hardware indicate increases in Internet advertising and other emerging technologies will create more new artisan jobs. There will, however, be strong competition for these freelance opportunities.
Graphic design for hire pros should accept this reality and prepare to polish up their resumes and portfolios. As always, nothing of real value is easily acquired or achieved. Some of this enhanced competition may come from reduced demand for full-time or freelance graphic artists in the print publishing industry.
The strong growth in Internet and other electronic needs, however, should still project growth in the graphic design job market. But without superior growth projections, talented professionals should enhance their professional network, consider experienced search firm experts in the artisan online jobs market and increase their own personal marketing efforts.
For example, you may have high level graphic design, desktop and electronic publishing skills, and an otherwise impressive portfolio in certain industries. Consider examining new industries or acquiring other complementary skills, like photography, animation, and business operations techniques. These value-added skills make you more attractive to those seeking to hire graphic designer candidates.
This should be a perfect time for graphic designers to grow professionally and personally. Compared to the last few years, the job opportunities should be stronger and more challenging. This expansion will offer more options for more graphic designers to select the jobs and projects they want. Remember, Artisan will be there as an important resource for you.
Projected Chicago Freelance Opportunities
2/22/2011 8:00 AM By Julia ShiplettThe Chicago-metro market is historically a lucrative source of creative freelance design jobs and other artisan jobs. The recession reduced the number of freelance opportunities, as it did in all other major markets. But, it appears that the market will rebound in the coming year. Finally, the number of graphic design jobs in Chicago, freelance editor jobs, opportunities for creative directors, and artisan online jobs in the metro area should increase—hopefully, dramatically—in 2011. Hiring managers are now stating that they forecast increased need for new staffing, including creative talent. Those looking to hire a graphic designer should be seeking both salaried employees and creative freelance candidates.
You should still prepare a creative job search as you will probably face increased candidate competition for these expanded freelance design jobs and other artist opportunities. Colleges and universities have created new talented graduates in the past few years of web design and freelance design jobs stagnation. Adding to the talent pool, the decreasing prosperity of the print publishing industry has downsized or laid off many experienced creative employees.
Look at this situation not as a negative but as a positive motivation. Prop up your self-confidence in your outstanding creative ability. If you need some additional skills, go and get them now. If you haven’t visited the websites of the best creative staffing agencies like Artisan recently, do it now. The top staffing agencies often obtain the best freelance opportunities and artisan jobs at the head of the “curve” and enjoy exclusivity, eliminating the possibility of finding these positions listed on other job boards or employment websites.
Don’t get comfortable with the news that Chicago artisan jobs are expanding. The increased competition should encourage you to polish up your resume and portfolio. There are no free lunches (were there ever, really?) in the market. Clients and employers will be expecting the best value for their compensation payments. Can you blame them? The recent recession was the deepest since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Chicago employers are no different than those offering New York freelance positions or any companies in all other markets, large and small. All have endured a dangerous and debilitating few years, searching revenue wherever it could be found. You should be prepared to show new clients and employers that you are the best of the best. Be prepared to offer more than an impressive resume and extensive portfolio. Even if you are a freelancer, facing telephone more than in-person interviews, work on your personal presentation.
Commit to being the best you can be to take advantage of the new employment and freelance opportunities in the Chicago area. This commitment to excellence will generate more assignments, more lucrative opportunities with higher long-term earnings and work consistency.
Become a More Valuable Web Designer
2/18/2011 9:00 AM By Julia ShiplettAs talented a web designer as you may be, you can always get better. Getting better will generate a more credible portfolio, an increase in your payment structure, and more high-paying assignments or salaried jobs.
You can find hundreds of freelance web design tips, most of which are useful, but not necessarily “valuable.” As you march inexorably toward web design greatness, you might forget some of the basics you learned eons ago. Fortunately, it is primarily these basics that generate real value to a website, whether informational or e-commerce based.
If you’ve built up lots of experience, you may have forgotten more basics than many aspiring creative freelance web designers even know. You may be at the point where the “don’ts” of web design are just as important as the “do’s.” Fear not. You can recapture the magic of the valuable basics quickly. Here are some suggestions to help you become a better web designer.
- Deliver something of value on every page of every website. Even if the goal is income from advertising, use a 75 percent information/25 percent advertising limit. If visitors want infomercials, they can simply wait until 1:00 AM and find all the advertising they want on their TV.
- Do not distract visitors with glitz. Resist the temptation to display your high-level talent by including reams of rolling text, auto sound, or heavy animation. Studies have shown that more visitors consider these techniques annoying and even sleazy than those who enjoy these features.
- Do not flood sites with popups. As annoying as rolling text can be, popups reach the pinnacle of annoyance. Have you ever met even one who liked popups? Not likely. Except when necessary to secure e-commerce transactions or other useful purposes, popups simply detract from the website and annoy visitors.
- Avoid using image backgrounds for many value and technical reasons. Once a display of creativity, image backgrounds now typically identify low quality—for both the website, the company, and, indirectly, the freelance graphic artists and web designers. Many believe that looking for the definition of “amateur,” a picture of a website with an image background appears.
- Cut down on your required “clicks.” Visitors quickly become frustrated when required to use multiple clicks to get the information they want. They want fast access to data and knowledge. Time is money. Most visitors are busy people. Help them get the information they need with as few clicks as possible.
- Make it easy to return to the homepage from every page on the site. You probably learned this valuable, common sense tip during your novice web design days. However, many have apparently forgotten this important basic. Include a tab or link on every page to help visitors get “home” whenever they desire.
- Do not use “frames” to create your design. Sure, designing websites with frames is easy, delivers page consistency, and navigation ease. The bad news: The address bar doesn’t change, eliminating the ability for visitors to bookmark specific pages on the site. Even Javascript “junkies,” who can get around frame flaws, must do more design work, which negates the purpose of frame use.
- Compress images and go easy on glamorous multimedia techniques. If your experience encompasses over 10 to 15 years, you’ll remember downloading uncompressed images over dial-up Internet connections. If you’re a male, your newly-shaved face may have developed stubble while waiting. Compress your images to achieve more valuable faster download access.
- Always make your text and pages easy to read. If you’re a “font freak,” tone it down to keep your text and all pages easy for all ages to read. Think newspaper. They use columns to help the reader flow through text easily and comprehensively. Keep your text to around 600 pixels wide (maximum, including advertising) and pages to around 2 screenfulls of data, when possible.
- Clearly display your links in color (blue) with underlines. Pay attention to your embedded links. This should be a requirement for all web designer qualifications. Display them in blue and underline them. Try not to underline other words or phrases that are NOT links, to eliminate reader confusion.
- Test your design, layout, links, and readability to be SURE they work properly. This tip should be unnecessary, but visitors still find websites that, when viewed in different browsers, test one’s ability to believe it is the same site.
When hiring a freelance web designer, clients want the best they can afford. Most do not want cutting-edge technology that delivers beauty at the expense of value. Take advantage of the recession recovery and increased freelance opportunities by delivering your clients or employers the value they deserve.
Creative Jobs Outlook for 2011
2/15/2011 11:00 PM By Julia ShiplettWhile creative jobs are always in demand, the recent recession posed the question, “Just how strong is this demand?” During the past few years, the “usual suspects” generated most of need for creative jobs. California, Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, and New York freelance positions dominated the list for creative opportunities.
This is not unusual, but the volume of artisan online jobs was less than uplifting. Even full-time and freelance marketing jobs declined. This is a bit odd as many companies needed all the qualified help they could find to replace missing revenue.
Fortunately, creative freelance opportunities should increase in 2011. For the first time since around 2007, hiring managers plan to increase both full-time and freelance professionals. Art Bistro projects that artist opportunities should grow faster than average in 2011. Yet the competition will be strong for both full-time and creative freelance jobs as the supply and demand equation remains heavy on the supply side. Freelance design jobs for multimedia artists and those employing excellent freelance web design tips will enjoy even more opportunities.
The continuing explosion in social media is fueling increased demand for freelance graphic artists, freelance copy editors, and other artisan jobs opportunities. According to FunctionFox Systems, “32 percent of small creative company owners surveyed named new and social media, the Internet and interactive technologies as their area of greatest opportunity, up from 24 percent last year at this time.” It seems that users and marketers keep inventing new uses and creativity for social media sites.
Smaller creative services companies and creative freelance professionals, for the first time in a few years, feel positive and optimistic about future opportunities. Quoting FunctionFox Systems, “96 percent of respondents are expecting to maintain or increase revenues in 2011.” Even larger creative companies are enthused, with 75 percent of this group planning on increased sales and revenue in the coming years.
These optimistic predictions come with industry understanding that the print publishing market is shrinking, including print magazines and newspapers. One can only assume that were the print industry not suffering these challenges, projections and optimism would be even higher.
The increased number of talented professionals means that individual freelancers and creative companies maintain their skill levels at peak performance. To take advantage of these new employment and freelance opportunities, you must diligently market yourself or your company, target the best clients, and perform on your promises of quality and timeliness.
The recession recovery is finally becoming a reality. Individuals should stay in contact with the best creative staffing agencies, as they often get the most lucrative opportunities. For example, if you’re looking for graphic design jobs in Chicago, you’ll find interesting possibilities on job boards, and other online artisan jobs websites. For example, if you’re looking for graphic design jobs in Chicago, you’ll find interesting possibilities on job boards and websites of prominent metro-Chicago creative staffing agencies like Artisan. Enjoy your search and the new profitable creative jobs you’ll find.
What Can I Learn In An Interview?
1/26/2011 10:00 AM By Sharon PotschDon’t forget that an interview is a two-way street. You are presenting information and selling yourself, but you’re also learning more about the job being offered, and whether or not it’s right for you. An employer would much rather have you turn down a job that isn’t a good fit than have you fail at it later. As you talk with the hiring manager, pay attention to the person’s tone and your own reactions. If it’s an on-site interview, pay attention also to the physical environment, the demeanor of other people you encounter, overheard snippets of conversation. All of these can provide clues as to the state of the company (after all, you want them to pay your bill!) and whether it’s oriented toward the kind of work you do best. Ask questions about the job duties and how they fit into the organization’s larger picture. If the job itself seems ill-defined, be sure you and the hiring manager are on the same page about what you would actually do. You’re just gathering information now, not making judgments about it. By the end of the interview, if you’re sure you want the job, ask for it, communicating your enthusiasm. If you’re not sure, just thank the person and go home to think it over.
How Do I Prepare for Interview Questions?
1/21/2011 10:23 AM By Sharon PotschOf course, there’s the dreaded “Tell me about yourself.” Your elevator speech provides an answer to this, particularly if you tailor it to the job being discussed. Here are some other questions that may trip you up if you aren’t prepared:
- “If you were to stay at your current organization, what would be your next move?”
- “Tell me your greatest accomplishment.”
- “What makes you stand out from the others?”
- “How many hours a week do you need to get your job done?”
- “Tell me about your professional experience before you went freelance.”
- “How many clients do you work with at a time?” (Your job is to convince the interviewer that you can be trusted and that the task at hand won’t conflict with anything else.)
- “How do you charge for your services?” The answer to this should always be, “It depends on the job.”
- “Here’s a sample of some work we did last year. I’d like you to look at it and critique it.” (Point out mistakes, but also find something good to say about it. Don’t be afraid to say how you would have approached the job differently.)
- “What are you reading?” (This one is often meant to discover if you’re a literate, informed person, but can also be targeted to ask things like “What books have you read about design?”)
What If the Client Wants Me to Give Away My Hard-Earned Knowledge?
1/14/2011 10:15 AM By Sharon PotschFreelancers often get hired because they have expertise the hiring organization doesn’t have in-house. If this is the case, you may find staff members at the work site asking you to teach them the program you’re using, or give them advice on how to approach their own projects. Here you have a dilemma. You want to be responsive, informed, and friendly. Yet if you share your expertise too freely, you may find yourself out of a job. A better approach may be to encourage the company to hire you as a trainer, to develop staff expertise that’s focused on organizational goals. If they can’t or won’t do that, approach local colleges and technical networking groups about doing an evening class which company employees could take.
How Should I Follow Up After an Interview?
12/3/2010 10:30 AM By Sharon PotschDue to the resonating presence of this age-old question, we at Artisan thought we would share what has had the most positive effect in our experience.
A thank-you note used to be a way to stand out from the pack in a job interview situation. Now it’s expected in many industries, and those who don’t send one stand out in a negative way. Send separate notes to everyone who talked with you during the interview. Besides thanking them, use the opportunity to re-emphasize your skills briefly and ask again to be hired for the job. When considering how to send your note, think about the style of the organization. A very traditional and formal institution might be best thanked in a handwritten note on good stationery. A more businesslike but still old-fashioned organization might welcome a letter of thanks that’s more like a business letter, printed on a laser printer. For companies that are more technical or forward-looking, e-mail has become the best way to convey a thank-you note.
Whatever your medium, proofread your note before you send it, both for basic writing skills (spelling and grammar) and for tone. If you promised to send any information, such as samples of your work, do so promptly. If you were referred for the interview by someone in your network, be sure to thank him or her as well.
