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Posts Tagged ‘job skills’
How to Keep Your Head Above Water as a Marketing Account Manager
4/4/2012 3:02 PM By ArtisanNot all marketing professionals are responsible for coming up with killer campaigns. There are many different types of marketing careers, each one as important as the next to ensure ultimate client satisfaction. One of these jobs is the marketing account manager, the liaison between creative advertising professionals and clients. These individuals are often the face of the agency and as such, they bear the brunt of the workload and the stress that accompanies it. If you’re seeking work as an account manager, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to earn a living in the freelance world. Here are a few tips on keeping your head above water and exceeding the expectations of your employers and clients.
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Become a wealth of information. As a part of your job, you’ll be required to stay up to date on developing marketing trends, all the better to communicate evolving marketing concepts to your clients. This often involves doing extensive research in your off-time.
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Educate yourself on your clients. Not only is it prudent to stay abreast of developing trends in the marketing world, but it’s also critical that you become an expert on the client you’re representing. It’s not enough to know what they want in their current ad campaign – you have to be able to know what they’ve attempted in the past, how it worked, and what mistakes were made that could be improved on.
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Know how to ask questions. A big part of being an account manager or account executive is to be the conduit through which all communication passes from your client to the creative marketing professionals and vice versa. If you know how to ask pertinent, probing questions, you’ll be better equipped to understand precisely what it is the client is looking for when they’re unable to express those ideas in words, thus creating a better delivery in the end.
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Manage your time well. The key to being able to juggle more than one client account at a time is being able to make ensure time doesn’t get away from you and that tasks are accomplished on time and in strict accordance with deadline needs. If you’re not a good manager of your time, it’s “time” you became one.
Freelance marketing professionals frequently move from one job assignment to another, working for a variety of different companies. The benefit to this approach is in being able to amass experience working for different businesses that service a vast array of clientele.
Vince F is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
How to Pursue a Career in Freelance Web Development Without Floundering
3/14/2012 10:43 AM By Artisan
Nobody ever said that being a freelancer web developer or designer was going to be easy, but it doesn’t have to be impossible either. In fact, if you invest the time and effort into your career, you might be surprised at how simple you can make it.
For people who decide to pursue freelance web design careers, the first question is always “where do I find work?” If you are skilled and reliable, that is rarely the problem. Online work is abundant and a good freelance programmer will have clients beating down his or her door once people know they’re available and skilled.
So the real question becomes “how do I get noticed?” That’s called self-promtion and, for a web developer, the first step has to be creating a website for yourself. This is a chance to show your talent, market yourself and have a central location on the web to bring potential clients back to. Some other popular self-marketing techniques include blogging about your industry, posting on industry message boards regularly and networking with other professionals in your field. Of course, for people with web design careers, marketing may not be their favorite thing to do. In that case, joining a talent staffing agency can allow you to pass the marketing work on to them so that you can focus on what you do best.
Focusing on your job is something that needs to be ongoing. Interactive design and development is not one of those careers that you learn in college, do the same thing repeatedly for next 30 years then retire; it is an ever-changing field. You need to stay connected by reading industry news, stay up-to-date on the latest best practices, and yes, even taking an occasional class or getting a certification. More importantly, you need to make sure that your portfolio reflects your knowledge of current trends.
Another often overlooked aspect of maintaining web design careers as freelancers is that of reputation maintenance. The easiest way to damage your reputation as a freelancer programmer is to fail to deliver a project for a client, so to prevent this you need to be careful not to take on more projects than you can handle, projects with shorter deadlines than you are comfortable with or projects that are not in your area of expertise.
Being a freelancer programmer can be a very rewarding career if you make the investment in yourself to keep your name prominently visible in the industry, your skills sharp and your reputation top notch. Failure in any one of these areas could lead you to experience a major setback while proper attention to these areas virtually guarantees success.
Roger C is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
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.
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.
The Basic Qualifications of Any Web Designer
10/10/2011 2:14 PM By Jeff OrloffThere are many web design opportunities advertised online and through various freelance talent agencies. However in order to find work in this field, there are certain skills that are consistently sought after. If you are new to this area and unsure about the basic yet key qualifications, read on.
HTML
While most websites are being built on robust web application platforms, HTML is still the foundation of the web. Knowing this basic coding language will not only help you fix problems that WYSIWYG editors can’t, but it will give you a better holistic understanding of how websites function.
CSS
HTML is the language that determines how the browser displays a web page, CSS defines its appearance, style and layout. CSS is the language used by all of the major web application frameworks as well as static websites and other frameworks like Ruby on Rails.
Programming Languages
Web coders often have a favorite language they use to program with, but they usually know more than one. Being competent in Ajax (JavaScript), PHP, ASP, Ruby and/or Java can open up many doors for web designers.
Databases
MySQL and PostgreSQL are two of the most commonly used databases management systems. Understanding databases gives designers the ability to better work with the back end of dynamic websites where content, images and other media is stored and retrieved.
Eye for Design
Of course one of the most crucial web designer qualifications to have is a strong sense of design. Without the ability to understand what looks friendly and appealing to the end user, a career in design may be short lived.
Starting Out and Finding Success as a Freelance Writer
10/3/2011 2:43 PM By Patrick Ogle
A freelance writer faces obstacles in the job hunt arena that are unique, but certainly not insurmountable. Getting a copywriter freelance job is not only possible, but many make a living doing this and only this. The trick to getting work is catching the eye of the right people – content developers, marketers, advertisers - even while a myriad of other writers are doing the same thing.
There are many different kinds of writers but those interested in freelancing need to develop a diverse collection of writing samples and a solid resume. Building samples across a wide variety of topics and styles of writing is a good idea. But how do you do that in a time when it seems like printed material is becoming obsolete and there is more competition than ever on the web?
Many freelance writers started out writing for newspapers or magazines, but now it is very common to start your career with an online publication, agency or in the marketing department of a small or large business. Many have also simply started blogging on their own and maintaining a website full of their own work. If you plan to use your own blog or website as a portfolio when applying for freelance writing jobs, be sure to uphold the same standards of quality you would for any paid assignment.
No matter where you begin, always keep your eyes turned toward the type of writing you aspire to do and stay up to date on what sort of writers employers are hiring. Is there a growing need for web copywriters? Are you an aspiring novelist who sees a rise in the need for ghost writers? You’ll learn that writers with a medical background can often find work, or that technical writers are in high demand and typically receive generous compensation. But these things change over time, so staying up to date on the qualifications of different opportunities and continuing to write on a broad variety of subjects will likely help you gain employment.
Of course your passions and interests matter, as well, as people write best about what they care about. When you are putting together samples, writing on what you know and what you care about is a good place to start. Ultimately, the practice and mastery of language you gain from this will enable you to write about any topic placed before you.
Role of a Marketing Director Not For Everyone
9/20/2011 12:49 PM By Vince FontRemember the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it”? You’re no doubt familiar with the saying as well as its meaning. So why am I bringing it up? Because it’s something that all people pursuing high level marketing careers, especially those chasing after marketing director jobs, need to remind themselves.
Some of the things that you can come to expect from a career as a marketing director include:
• Long hours. Marketing director jobs aren’t 9-5 gigs that you can just unplug from when the whistle blows. Be prepared to have to work through the weekends and well past the time that others are at home having dinner with their families.
• Lots of travel. If you’re the kind of person who detests being away from home or has the jitters even thinking about getting onto a plane, you’re either going to have to change your ways or settle for a marketing career that’s not as intensive. This is a job that requires you to travel frequently, and while some people were born to travel, others simply weren’t.
• Big responsibilities. Not a lot of people enjoy the thought of occupying the desk where the buck stops. But being a marketing director means that you’re accountable for the successes and the failures of an entire marketing department. There are some types of people who thrive on this sort of responsibility and others who shrink away from it.
In the end, it’s critical that you examine yourself and take a long hard look at exactly what you want to accomplish in your marketing career before starting on a path that may take you in a direction you’re not comfortable going. One of your best bets is to work with a creative staffing agency that won’t just read your resume, but that will formulate a game plan to help you get where you want to be.
A huge part of that is finding a staffing agency that cares enough to ask important questions and that can offer you some sort of career counseling to help you determine if that marketing director job is for you, or if you’re just attracted to it because of the killer paycheck. Knowing that is critical to your success at finding the perfect job for you.
Are You Qualified to be a Marketing Communications Manager?
9/15/2011 1:13 PM By Vince Font
The job descriptions that accompany listings for marketing communications managers are often intentionally vague. This may be to appeal to the greatest number of interested parties in an attempt by the hiring management to look “outside the box” for the best possible candidate. But vague job listings can also backfire, as they lead people to erroneously think they’re qualified when they aren’t – or that they’re not qualified when they are.
Aside from specific work experience and education requirements, some of the basic qualities that you’ll need to possess in order to do well as a marketing professional or marketing communications manager are the same ones you’ll need to do well in most jobs. If you can say that you possess the qualities listed below and have the necessary experience to apply for the position, don’t let anything stop you.
• Good written and verbal skills. Being able to talk a mile a minute doesn’t qualify you as having excellent command of your verbal skills, just as being able to type 120 words per minute doesn’t mean you have xcellent written skills. To succeed at both, you should be able to express yourself eloquently and clearly, without ambiguity or insecurity. Essentially you need to be able to let people know exactly what you’re talking about at all times. Ironically, that’s far easier said than done.
• People skills. As you might imagine, having the affability to yuk it up with your coworkers over a few happy-hours drinks doesn’t necessarily qualify you as having people skills. The ability to get along well with both internal team members and outside stakeholders at all levels, while maintaining high work productivity is key, as is the ability to help mediate personal conflicts between others.
• A strong work ethic. Remember that having work ethic is very different from simply showing up and doing what’s expected of you. To have truly strong work ethic, you’ve got to be willing to exceed expectations by going the extra mile for your supervisors as well as those who report directly to you. This might mean staying late at work, triple checking details and basically doing whatever it takes for the best possible results.
• Be a problem solver. This means that you’re able to come up with creative solutions to address issues that impact productivity. If this is something you can do on a regular basis, you’re a problem solver. The great news about this is that hiring managers love problem solvers.
Getting a job as a marketing communications manager is all about having the right combination of experience, education and personality traits that make you stand out as an obvious candidate for the job. If you’ve got the near perfect balance, you’ll do well. On the other hand, if you feel that you need work in any of these areas, there’s no time like the present to reinvent yourself from the ground up. It can be done; it’s just a matter of knowing what needs improvement and taking action.
Why Web Developers May Want a Working Knowledge of Art
9/8/2011 2:46 PM By Patrick Ogle
Many people attracted to a web development career—specifically custom web design—have a background in computer science. This is obviously an appropriate beginning. But there is another skill set you might want to have when looking for freelance web designer jobs. You might actually want to be an artist or at least a creative visualizer.
A web designer job requires that you know how to program, but it is equally important that you understand key elements of design—and not just HTML color charts. Do you have a sense of what colors work together and how they may affect customer behavior? Do you know how the human eye travels across a picture and its relation to composition? When companies hire a web designer, they may not specifically think they need an artist, but if you have no background in the field and are not working with a creative partner, it will certainly show in your work.
Even if you are an experienced programmer with little or no background in art, remember that a little education never hurt anyone—even if it’s very basic. Simply exposing yourself to more art and design while furthering your knowledge of art history and theory is helpful. You may find yourself wanting to explore your own art, whether through sketches or photography.
You don’t need to know what kind of paint Matisse preferred for landscapes, which of his ears Van Gogh cut off, or that Andy Warhol grew up in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. But you can learn something about the elements of design that have persisted throughout history, and it may greatly benefit your work in web development.
