A couple of weeks ago, I sat down with Dyana Valentine to talk about how freelancers – especially those with multiple job titles – can pitch themselves. We chatted about selling your multiple skills to employers and clients, bringing passion to your pitch, and mobilizing your network to talk about you (in a good way!).
Listen to our conversation here:
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When I was hiring designers for an interactive agency, my first step after reading a good résumé was to head online and check out the designer’s portfolio. About half the time, I couldn’t find one. You can guess where that résumé would end up.
I’m also going to raise my hand right now and say that I didn’t have my own portfolio online until very recently. Ooooops!
That doesn’t have to be the case for you. If you’re struggling to get your work online – whether it’s photography, design, art, music, or video – don’t put it off any longer. Check out this tutorial I put together that explains how to use Tumblr, a free service, to build a clean, professional creative portfolio in minutes.
So, seriously… Why don’t you have an online portfolio?
Now that the holidays are over, hiring should pick up again. Send a quick “Happy New Year” note to your network and mention that you’re available for work.
Check out RentFoodBroke’s site for “resources for the unemployed and under-employed.” If you’re in the LA area, be sure to click on their Calendar (on the left-hand side of the page) for free and cheap happenings.
Has it been a while since you’ve updated your online portfolio? Add some recent projects, remove the ones that are getting old, then let your network know about the refresh!
Do you have itty-bitty thumbnails of your work in your online portfolio? Ditch ‘em in favor of a gallery of larger images. Prospective employers may only have a minute or so to check out your work, so they may not bother to click around and see more.
