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Posts Tagged ‘portfolios’
Tips For Marketing Yourself as a Prime Freelancer
2/2/2012 3:39 PM By Artisan
So you’ve been searching for employment and you’ve just discovered your dream job. Maybe it’s a marketing position, a freelance writing project or a chance to draw snow cones — it doesn’t matter; this job speaks to you. The problem is, the project also speaks to 250 other freelancers, some of whom may be more qualified than you are. How do you make your voice heard? Here’s some self employment advice that will give you the upper hand.
First, we need to go back in time a bit. Before you started searching for employment, did you update your portfolio and resume? Let’s face it, for freelancers in particular, hiring is all about history. Every freelancer claims to have the most talent, be the best person for the job and be passionate about the work. However, it’s not about what a freelancer can say, but rather what he can show a potential employer in respect to his abilities. A good portfolio is a must. The best piece of self employment advice is to make sure that your best work, particularly your most recent best work, always finds its way into your portfolio.
Another trick to making yourself more attractive to potential employers is to stretch your limits and learn to do different things within your chosen field or related fields. Just because you’ve never written a press release before doesn’t mean you should assume you can’t write press releases. Give it a try — you might be good at it and even enjoy it. Then, when the employer advertises that a need for somebody to write a bio for the CEO for an event, you can say you are able to do that and a press release for the event, too.
Another word here about history and reputation — just as you can build a good reputation, you can build a nasty one even more easily. Any good marketing person knows that good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster so the mistakes you make and the bridges you burn can, and will, come back to haunt you. If you habitually miss deadlines, turn in low-quality work or generally don’t act like a professional, your reputation will precede you and you will find yourself being passed over for jobs.
There is one last simple piece of self employment advice you need when searching for employment as a freelancer. Be confident. If you don’t believe you’re the best person for the job, you will never convince anyone else. Besides, when you look at the portfolio you’ve prepared, you’ll see that you’ve accomplished a lot as a freelancer and you have every reason to believe that the job you apply for is yours for the taking. All that’s left to do is go get it!
Roger C is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
Hiring the Right Freelancer to Write Your Content
10/4/2011 3:56 PM By Patrick OgleContent developers seeking a freelance writer must hire carefully. Hiring a copywriter for a freelance job seems like a simple matter—look over the samples, check the resume, interview the applicant, hire them to write your copy. But it isn’t always so easy.
Freelance writing requires more than just the ability to adapt and have a neatly presented portfolio of samples. It requires a writer that understands your perspective. It requires a writer who can write on your deadline. It also requires a writer who writes clean copy the first time without the need for extensive editing.
This last part is crucial. Many writers need the guidance of an experienced editor while others may not be equipped to write for all audiences. What happens if you choose a writer who does not write clean copy or one who does not understand your specific business needs? You have to edit or you have to hire another writer. In other words, you waste time and money.
So what can you do to ensure you’re hiring the right person for the job? Consider asking them to write some off the cuff copy on a subject when you interview them. Give them the resources they need to do research on the subject too. Often someone’s ability and willingness to research a topic is as important as the writing itself. The ability to gather and synthesize information, even when that information is not going to be directly used in the copy, is a sign of a potentially good writer.
Sometimes even the best writers aren’t the most appropriate fit for the job at hand. Hemingway didn’t write poetry. Goethe didn’t write user manuals. The writer you hire has to be the one who can write for your unique needs.
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.
Putting Together a Portfolio to Get You Hired
9/21/2011 2:59 PM By Patrick Ogle
The first thing any job seeking freelance designer should worry about is his or her resume, which lists all of their design qualifications; shortly (very shortly) thereafter should be presenting an amazing portfolio. When a creative talent agency hires a freelancer, especially for any type of design job, they have to be sure the person has a portfolio that reflects the client’s business needs.
Graphic designer portfolios should contain your best work, both in print and digital form. With a physical portfolio you have to pare down what you bring with you. When putting together your online portfolio, you have more room to strut your stuff. Just remember, having only your best work up is better than posting all your work – quality over quantity. Just because a web portfolio can host more of your work doesn’t necessarily mean it should; put the focus on your most exemplary pieces.
You’ll find that all freelance job agencies are looking for different things within your portfolio, but one thing that will always turn them off is technical glitches in your online portfolio. If the functionality of your site is in question, why should a prospective employer assume you’ll do good for their site? This holds true even if the design job you are aiming for is not web. So if you’re constantly grappling with the functionality of the site on which your portfolio is published, consider switching to a simpler platform or eliminating the bells and whistles that are causing you headaches.
Once you have the site running smoothly, consider the importance of cohesive organization. The way your work is displayed should have some rhyme and reason to it. Don’t be afraid to use words to explain how you put together a particular piece and why you made critical design choices. If you don’t consider yourself a wordsmith, take a first stab at these explanations and have a friend with strong writing skills clean up your copy. This goes a long way towards showing what kind of designer you are.
Providing hiring managers and talent agencies with easy access to relevant samples of your work will yield you more jobs with shorter interview cycles. And always remember that, especially as a designer, attention to detail can get you hired just as quickly as inattention can get you fired.
What to Include in Your Graphic Design Portfolio
8/31/2011 1:41 PM By Patrick Ogle
When interviewing for a freelance design job with a creative talent agency, it’s usually best to have both a physical and an online portfolio available. But what specifically needs to be in graphic design portfolios? What will entice freelance job agencies or other companies to hire you as their freelancer? Specific items you choose to include will highlight your designer qualifications, but nothing speaks louder than samples of your work. Here are some examples of what you may want to include, if it’s in your repertoire, to show your versatility:
- Magazine ads
- Logo and identity design
- Any other printed material like posters or collateral
- Screenshots or pdfs of web-based work with hyperlinks to the active work if possible
Whenever you complete a project for a client, ask to keep some samples of your work for your physical portfolio. If you have worked on billboards or even large posters for events, always remember to take photographs of those items and save the original file. Take several photographs from multiple angles, even some close ups, to ensure you end up with a high quality image. The more options you have to choose from when creating your portfolio, the better.
Often when creating work for the web, designers assume their work will always be there. That isn’t necessarily the case. A company where you did your best work could go out of business and the website may no longer be readily accessible or the page with your work could be taken down. Make sure you get screenshots of your work so your experience is documented for future use.
And remember, always ask your client or employer before taking samples. Some might consider your work proprietary, and at the very least it is the respectful thing to do.
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.
The Easy-to-Use, Modular Portfolio
10/19/2009 10:37 AM By Catherine TYour portfolio should, above all, be easy to read. Prospective employers are unlikely to put a CD-ROM into their computer to peruse your work, or sit through a Flash presentation on your fabulous branding work so they can get to the advertising stuff they want to know.
Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) provides a way to easily compile a portfolio for publication to the Web or for printing or e-mailing. You may wish to have a standard portfolio ready to go and substitute a few pages here and there to tailor the portfolio to the job.
The best portfolio format for an in-person interview is good old-fashioned paper. Print your PDF on a nice stock in a standard size. Edit your "book" for each interview, bringing no more than 10 or 12 examples and targeting them directly to the job at hand.
Some Interface Designer Job Search Tips
9/10/2009 11:12 AM By Catherine TMost of the useful Interface Designer job search tips are those that apply to other effective and successful IT careers. There are some tips that specifically apply to user-centered design jobs, however.
• Create a winning, professional resume. Remember, a resume cannot get you design jobs. However, a superior resume will get you noticed by those hiring Interface Designers.
• Market yourself effectively. Even if you are the world’s top expert in User Interface Design, should clients and employers not know of your existence and availability, you’ll seldom be a candidate for better jobs for User Interface Designers.
• Construct a superior portfolio. Excellent interface design involves successfully integrating striking aesthetics with thoughtful information organization and easy retrieval. Display your portfolio of successful work in a way that exhibits your expertise with interaction design.
• Use the best staffing agencies for User Interface Designers, like Artisan, to build your portfolio and your income. They offer the best graphic design jobs and also valuable Interface Designer job search tips.
Until clients are bothering you on a daily basis to accept excellent jobs for User Interface Designers, market yourself relentlessly and use all credible sources to see the best online jobs.
Keep your resume updated
8/18/2009 9:01 AM By Sharon PotschIt is very difficult to write a resume. It's less difficult to keep adding information to a resume that's already written.
Keep your resume updated. It’s a good idea to document your current scope of responsibilities plus all of those new feathers you’re adding to your cap. You may just surprise yourself when you review your new resume and say, “Wow—I do all of this?” Plus when things get better financially for your current organization and the economy as a whole, your updated resume will arm you for a conversation for a raise. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Once you have your resume updated and samples compiled, you may feel a sense of calm knowing that if the unfortunate did happen you’ll be that much more prepared to start your job search.
The Importance Of Samples
8/17/2009 2:15 PM By Catherine TWhen you are looking to hire a freelance Web designer, you'll want to make sure that they are able to deliver the best work possible. After all, you don't want to have someone working on your project that doesn't have the right type of experience. To avoid this issue, be sure to ask for examples of their work and check the results against your own needs.
How can you do this, specifically? First of all, be sure to communicate your vision for the Website clearly to the designer. Then, ask them for representative samples of their work. Take a good look at what they send you and see if it does indeed "fit" your vision. For example, if you state that you need a forum section, see if they send you something in this area that you can review. If you are looking for a Website with superior navigation, see what they provide as a sample.
If you don't get what you were looking for, the designer may not have the right type of experience–or just may not have been listening. Either way, it should be enough to give you pause when it comes to hiring them. Good Web designers should be able to send proper samples, and you'll want to find the one that is the right match for your company. You may also want to consider going through a talent agency such as Artisan–that way someone else takes care of the screening.
