|
|
|
GETTING A FULL-TIME WEB JOB
You want a job, dammit. You want benefits, and the security that comes with a 9-5. Well, okay, there are a few things you should know The web is mostly project based, but there are permanent jobs out there. Dont even bother with the newspaper, though. First things first, you need a good portfolio! Theres too much competition for permanent web jobs for employers to really even consider you without seeing examples of your work. Many people get their first permanent job after contracting for a while. Remember that you dont need to quit your current job to build websites at home
What do Employers Want?Employers want people who are smart, independent, and can get the job done. Because the web is new, years of experience are not as important as what you have done. Your stuff has to look nice and employers have to believe that you can do the job. Employers also want friendly people that they can like. These people are going to have to spend their days around you. Ive had several personal managers tell me that theyll hire someone they like, even if theyre a little less qualified. The look of your portfolio often matters more than what technical skills you have mastered. You can know all about HTML and Flash, but if your sites are ugly, youre still not going to get hired. Spend lots of time on your portfolio.
How Much Money Can I Make?Well, that depends (of course) It depends on: �. How nice your stuff looks. Companies will often pay a premium for the best talent. Looks like the portfolio really matters, huh? Remember that even if youre not super graphically talented, you can lean on sites you like for ideas. �. Where you live. A new web designer in San Francisco or New York can make way more money than a designer living in Tallassee, but the cost of living is higher in SF and NY, too. �. How much you shop around. Some companies want something for nothing. Some companies will pay you what youre worth. �. What kind of design you do. Flash design, for example, is more expensive than HTML �. * What super awesome web design course you took.
The best way to find current salaries for your skill set is to call job recruiters (see below) and ask them. Call more than one. Most of these peoples fee is based on your total salary, so the more you make, the better!
Keep in mind that web design is a fast moving field, and if youre aggressive, you can move up the salary range very quickly.
How about Internships? Im not the biggest internship fan. Internships are good for making contacts, but not for gaining experience or job skills. "Internship" on your resume often means little or nothing to employers unless the internship is with a big name, impressive company. Interns usually dont get to do any good stuff, anyway. In my opinion, if you dont feel like youre ready, youre better taking a low level "learning" job somewhere else with a real title.
ExperienceDont let me catch you telling someone you have no experience. Thats totally not true. Youve built sites for your portfolio, right? Youve been an independent contractor, then. You may still have more to learn, but in the fast moving web world everybody has more to learn. Highlight your skills, and your prior work. If an employer points out that you havent been designing websites for very long, you can ask them if theyre primarily concerned with months and hours spent on a job, or on quality work from a hard working, talented and knowledgeable individual wholl go the extra distance to get the job done. Let them know that although you might not know everything, youre the kind of person that isnt afraid to independently research and implement solutions to any problem. Employers eat that stuff up.
The ResumeOf course your resume is important. Remember, youre a designer. Your resume needs to look good! Dont be afraid to plug yourself. No one wants to hire a list of qualifications; they want to hire a person who can do things. Example: I use PhotoShop to design high-quality stylish graphics, to correctly optimize web files for download, and to re-touch or edit scanned and digital photographs.
If youre not the best resume writer, check out: Its a cool site that will build you a resume for free!
Youll Need Different Versions of your Resume�. A , made with a program like MS Word or
Quark Express. �. A Plain Text Version of your resume. Companies sometimes ask for an unformatted plain text version to be scanned by a computer. You can save as .txt in most word processors. �. A HTML version on your website. (optional). Youll only want to post a version of your resume on your site if youre not planning on doing any contract work. Microsoft Word can create all three versions for you.
If an employer requests that you "dont send a cover letter", include a little personal philosophy in your resume. Dont over-do it, but employers should definitely know what a cool person you are!
Where To Look for JobsThere are a number of places you can look for a web job. You may want to try them all.
WebsitesThere are a number of sites that can help you find a job for free. Make sure that you look at more than one job site and that you list at more than one, too. Top job sites
This link lists job sites
specifically geared toward the San Francisco bay area: Recruiters and Placement CompaniesGetting a job through a recruiter can be an awesome experience. Someone else does all the work for you! The easiest way to find recruiters in your area is to look online. Youll find more recruiters than you can shake a stick at. Make sure that the recruiter specializes in the web industry and that their web site doesnt suck. When youre ready, dont send an e-mail. E-mail is too impersonal. You want this person to like you, to send you out on interviews before they send other people they are helping.
Try this search in Yahoo: Search for your metropolitan area (exp: "San Francisco") Then Click Employment Recruiting and Placement
Personally, I think that using a recruiter is the easiest way to get a job. Often, the company is totally relying on the recruiter to find them an applicant, and the recruiter will usually only send one person at a time. There are some special things you should keep in mind, though. Just as much as you want something from them, they want something from you.
�. Ask how the recruiter is paid. �. Ask them about their experience. �. Ask them how they find employers. Some recruiters plaster your resume all over the web or just scour the online job listings. You want people with contacts in the industry who are approached by employers looking for qualified personnel. Ask for and read the recruiters privacy statement. Itll help you determine what will be done with your information.
It is also important for the recruiter to like you and talk to you in person. Treat the meeting like an interview. The recruiter will be assessing your ability to interview well.
Working for Start-upsEverybody knows somebody who knows somebody who got super rich working for a start-up that made it big. It does happen. There are an even larger number of people that didnt get rich, but did make a couple of hundred thousand dollars in stock options. There are an even larger number of people who didnt make jack, because their company failed. Start-ups often ask for long work hours for lower than standard pay. In return, they offer a (usually) very friendly work environment and the promise of big riches. Start-ups are sometimes more willing to hire you just because they like you, even if you dont have lots of experience.
Stock OptionsIf you own stock, you own an actual part of the company. If the company is worth more, your stock goes up. Investors set the price for stock based on how much theyre willing to pay. If everyone thinks the stock will go up, lots of people want to buy the stock, driving up the price. If no one wants the stock, its price drops until enough people consider the stock a bargain and begin buying it again.
Internet companies often offer stock as a part of salary. Sometimes the company that is offering stock does not even have stock, yet. It is a private company. They are offering you stock, redeemable when, and if, they ever offer stock to the public. Some Companies offer stock options, which allow you to buy stock at a set price. If the actual price of the stock is higher than your option price, you can make a bundle by buying the stock and immediately selling it. This is called "exercising your options". You dont need money to buy the stock. A broker will loan you the money because theyre sure youll make money right away and pay their fee. But for your options to be worth anything, the stock has to be doing well. Other companies offer free stock. The stock is yours, for no cost to you, and you can sell it right away. If you are paid in stock, you are taxed on that stock as income, weather or not you sell it. That means that if youre paid mostly in stock, you could be out of pocket come tax time. If you are offered stock or stock options, you should know a few things: 1. How
long before you can sell? 2. How
is the company doing?
Either way, if the start-up doesnt seem well organized and the idea behind the company doesnt seem feasible, dont take the job. Lots of people worked for www.BBQ.com without asking enough questions. There is a wonderful article about working at startups at: http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/99/28/index3a.html?tw=jobs
|
 |