Artisan Blog

Facebook Password, Please

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:17:00 GMT

It has been reported that potential employers are asking candidates for their Facebook passwords as part of the interview process or, alternatively, looking over the shoulders of candidates while they log in to Facebook to see their profiles.

Now, I haven’t actually heard from anyone who has been asked directly to supply this informaiton, but an officer of the Maryland Department of Corrections says he was asked for his log-in credentials. Someone could be testing the waters to see how asking for passwords would go over with the general public, but this report is being widely discussed. Even two US Senators have requested the Department of Justice and the EEOC look into the practice.

Whether this is becoming common or not, it’s a good idea to have a plan in place in case you’re ever asked. Everyone certainly has an opinion on how to react:

One school of thought believes that we shouldn’t be posting anything on social media we wouldn’t want the world to see anyway, so who cares.

Another opinion is that Facebook is personal and not business and no employer has any right to any of that information at any time.

Unfortunately, private isn’t really private on the internet, as we have discussed before and it is always a good idea to think before you hit that button.
Another group (me included) thinks that some information can be posted publicly for employers to see and get a feel for your social media interactions, but not all personal information. Since I use social media for work at work, I like having some updates on my public profile as writing samples and background information.

I put a link to my Facebook Page as a “business person” right on my resume and do post some information publicly on my Facebook Profile as well, but only what I would want strangers to have access to.

I would, however, never give my Facebook password to a potential employer and don’t think you should, either. If you gave it, how would they know you would protect their proprietary information? And how could you avoid disclosing information that it is illegal for them to ask for?

And remember that when someone has access to your profile, they also have access to information about your friends who have not given consent for that access to anyone but you. It’s not just your own privacy at risk.

What should you do if you are asked for your Facebook password?

Don’t panic. Give them a link to your public profile or page, if it is relevant to the job. Tell them you don’t believe that disclosing passwords is a safe practice in business (remember it might be a test to see if you would disclose something inappropriately). You can also mention that it is in violation of Facebook’s Terms and Conditions to give out your password and you respect those rules, like you would respect theirs.

If they insist, unfortunately, I believe it is time to politely and firmly end the interview. Company culture is an important factor in job search and you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. If they make you uncomfortable in the interview, how would it feel to work there?

Update: Maryland is now poised on the brink of being the first state to ban employers from asking for Facebook passwords! 49 to go!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

LinkedIn Updated: Make it Work for You

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:20:00 GMT

When LinkedIn first made headlines, and indeed when I first started writing about it on the Artisan Blog, it was good for 3 major things:

• As a place to post your resume where it could be searched
• As a way to connect with people you know and the people they know
• As a place to boost your credibility in your field as a thought leader by participating in discussions

But LinkedIn is getting bigger and its usefulness is getting broader as well.

Telling a More Complete Story
With the addition of Volunteer Experience and Skills, you can show not only what you have done as an employee, but what you can do that you have learned outside of work, how you give back to the community and where your passions lie.

Searching
Job searches are great on LinkedIn. You can also find people who work at your target companies. LinkedIn searches are also excellent for finding people who work in the role you would like or who have other things in common with you (same school, same cities, same former companies, same volunteer organizations, etc). This gives you the opportunity to broaden your network beyond the people you know in real life.

Establishing Yourself in a New Role
If you are changing the focus of your career, LinkedIn can put you in touch with people in your new field and allow you to show your expertise and knowledge even before you land a job. Get yourself into groups and discussions in your new target area and let the people there know what you bring to the table.

The social media landscape changes almost every day, with new platforms, new profiles and new ways of engaging. It’s hard to keep up with the changes sometimes, but well worth the effort.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Tips for Interviewers

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:19:00 GMT

Helping candidates prepare for interviews is a big part of what recruiters do each day. However, in screening and qualifying candidates for a variety of positions, recruiters are usually also experts at how to interview too.

Some of the things we’ve previously discussed on our blog - like body language - apply to interviewers as well as interviewees. However, there are also posts, such as questions interviewers can’t ask in an interview, that are just for you.

We decided to give interviewers a few more tips for finding the perfect candidate:

Prepare - Make sure you know ahead of time what you plan to ask the candidates and how you will describe your company and the role. Don't hesitate to bring notes and be sure to keep the tone positive.

Listen - Active listening is essential to getting the information you need. Make eye contact with the candidate and listen to their tone - as well as their words.
Ask open-ended questions - Questions that start with "How", "Why" or "Can you explain" are great ways for candidates to tell a story about something they’ve done in the past. Stay away from "yes or no" questions that stop the flow of the interview.

Keep track of time - Always leave time in an interview to address any questions the candidate might have about your company and the role. This will give you some insight about what's important to them.

Arrange next steps - If an interview goes well and you think you could have the right person on the other side of the desk, don't be afraid to tell them. Enlighten them on your current interview process and set up a second interview with other hiring authorities or team members, if appropriate. If the interview did not go well - or it's too early in the process to determine a fit - let the candidate know when a decision will be made about next interview rounds or hire(s).

The right hire can make a huge difference to the success of your business; the wrong one can stop progress in its tracks. A good recruiter can help you find candidates with the right credentials and experience, but only you can decide who is the best person to add to your team.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

We’re Going Mobile!

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:42:00 GMT

Although mobile recruiting is still its infancy, it is here and it is growing. And so are we!

A study by Potentialpark of 30,000 job seekers and 350 top employers shows:

19% of job seekers are already using their mobile devices as a tool in their job search process
50% of job seekers say that they will use mobile devices in the future when looking for new roles
Only 7% of the surveyed employers have developed mobile versions of their career sites

So while 19% may not sound like a lot, 46% of us own smartphones and that number goes up every day. And - as smartphones get smarter - we'll continue to use them for more and more activities.

Any savvy recruiting company should be developing tools to reach these demographics. And it is even more important for creative recruiters. Our talent is made up of Designers, Developers, Graphic Artists, Writers and Digital Marketers, many of whom are early adopters of new technology.

And so, without further ado, we present the mobile version of the Artisan Creative website! Launched earlier this month, if you haven't seen it already - check it out with your Smart Phone or Tablet device.

Direct your mobile browser to our site and set a bookmark to get the latest job postings, apply directly for our open positions and keep up with our blog!

Your Mother Was Right - Thank You Notes are Necessary!

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:16:00 GMT

In today’s job market, getting an interview - making it past the initial resume culling process - is an achievement in itself. But where, in the past, making the cut would lead to a face-to-face interview, hiring managers often have too many qualified candidates for most positions. As a result, candidates are more and more likely to get a phone screen or Skype interview first.

Whatever the type of interview you have, follow-up is the most important thing if you want to keep your name at the top of the “maybe” list. It is the only way to be noticed when hiring managers are overrun, with so many people to consider.

Here are some tips on what to do AFTER you talk to that hiring manager:

An email thank you is appropriate for a phone interview or an in-person interview with a very quick turnaround time on a decision. An email thank you also gives you the opportunity to include a relevant link to a story or article that builds upon what you discussed in your interview--a great way to highlight your attention to detail and interest in both the company and the role.
A handwritten thank you is essential after an in-person interview. Snail mail may seem dated, but the time it takes to write a note is very much appreciated and remembered. The type of note you select can also demonstrate a bit of your personality as well.
Always have your References ready, but don’t provide them unless and until they are requested. A thank you note or email is usually NOT the best place for relaying this information.

I’m willing to bet Mom was right about a lot of things - but with regards to thank you notes - she couldn't be more on track! To stand out in the crowd of job seekers, write those thank you notes!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

8 Tips for Your Next Telephone Interview

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:29:00 GMT

Telephone interviews can be one of the most uncomfortable parts of the job-seeking process. Many employers use them regularly in their hiring process as a way to reduce costs and save time. Most often they are used to disqualify candidates early in the process, before further time has been invested by all parties.

There are usually 2 types of phone interviews:

The "screening call". Quite often the HR department needs to learn additional information about candidates before forwarding their application to the Hiring Authority. Although the initial contact can be quite unassuming, HR is most likely trying to "short-list" a stack of potentials for the position.

The "committee" telephone interview. Sometimes several hiring authorities or department staff will get together on the interviewing process, so that they can share their conclusions afterwards. This rarely happens when the company is still early in the process. Rather, it usually occurs when there are too many qualified candidates for the face-to-face interview.

Depending on the nature of the person conducting the telephone interview, these calls can be either quite plesant or extremely uncomfortable. In either case, there are certainly several ways to best prepare yourself for a successful call:

The person on the other end of the phone may be just as uncomfortable as you. Concentrate less on your feelings and more on how to make the other person feel at ease.

Smile over the phone. Believe it or not, smiling while you talk will help you sound more friendly and open.
You are not judged by the same criteria used at an in-person interview. For example, eye contact can be an excellent barometer when meeting face to face. However, on the telephone, you'll be judged by a more subtle set of factors such as the sound of your voice, your tone, your level of friendliness and enthusiasm.
Speak succinctly about your past experience and accomplishments. Many professionals launch into long, drawn-out answers to telephone interview questions. Remember, you do not have your interviewer's eye contact or other body language cues to monitor. Clear, short responses will keep the person on the other side of the line engaged (and not put them to sleep)!
Utilize "dead air" during a conversation; don't fear it. Have a list of prepared questions about the company or position when caught in one of those spots. Although good communication is theoretically up to both of you, dead air is typically your responsibility to fill.
Focus on your listening skills. You'll find that your nerves will sometimes make this very difficult. Simply close off all thoughts about whatever is going on around you and concentrate on the words and voice of the interviewer. Take notes while you listen, if it helps you focus.

Situate yourself properly before the call. Because so much of your success in this situation is determined by your comfort in the surroundings, plan the interview for a time when you can speak privately, comfortably and without distraction. Or, if the caller takes you by surprise, ask for five minutes to get organized, get their phone number and call them back.

Don't talk about issues related to compensation, company benefits or any negative issues with your current employer. This is solid advice for any first-interview situation. This initial touch point is to make enough of a connection to get to the in-person interview phase.

Do you have any tried and tested tips for phone interviews?

Need help preparing for your next Skype Interview? Check out our Skype Interview Tips.

Eliminate the Negative: Tips on What to Avoid in a Job Interview

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:23:00 GMT

Whenever I have an interview coming up, I go through my preparation process. By the time the interview arrives, I know exactly what I want to say, at least to the standard interview questions I've encountered before, and I've prepared questions to ask - if the topics don't come up naturally.

However, it’s also a good idea to make a clear list of the subjects you would rather not discuss, and how you will handle the situation if and/or when these topics do arise. Here are some ideas from the recruiters at Artisan Creative about things to avoid on your interview - and some positive alternatives:

Talent Manager, Laura Burns:

Avoid saying anything negative about your former employer. Rather, plan to talk about a good relationship you had with the company and how that helped you do a better job.
Don’t talk about your personal life, even if the interviewer does. It is very easy to get caught following their lead. Try to steer the conversation back to the workplace.
Don’t talk about salary or benefits right at the start. If you’re working with a recruiter, let them discuss those items for you. They can probably get you a better package and will most likely have more experience negotiating than you do.

Creative Recruiting Manager, Jamie Grossman:

Don’t take credit for a whole project - even if you think it sounds better. Instead, discuss your accomplishments and how you worked with all those involved in the project. Employers like to know that you are a good at collaborating, too.

Sr Account Manager & Recruiter, Carol Conforti:

Instead of "I hated my last boss,“ say "I did not share the management philosophy."
If you didn’t get along with someone try "my coworkers and I had different ideas about how things should be done."
Don’t look for a promotion before you get hired. However, you can say “I feel very capable of doing a great job; is there a career path for this role?"
Instead of "When can I get a raise?" try "What is the review process here?"
Avoid asking “Do people work hard or spend long hours here?" If you want to know, say, “What is a typical day like here?"
Always have a question ready. Even if you don’t really have any, try, “What are the next steps?"

And recent addition to the team, Account Manager & Recruiter, Melinda Geniza:

Always put a positive spin on your challenging experiences and talk about lessons learned.
Don't be too modest about your achievements or contributions on certain projects: Avoid statements like "this was just a little thing I did..."
Generalities when describing your work are not as effective as specifics. Use technical language and details when talking about your process.
Don't come across like you aren't interested in the job. Even if it’s not your dream job, you must be interested or you wouldn’t be at the interview. Interviewers can pick up on your lack of enthusiasm through body language and eye contact.

I hope you got the theme in these answers. As the song says, “Accentuate the positive!” Prepare yourself to talk about your previous employer, your experience and your hopes for working in the future in a positive light and your interview is sure to go well!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Pinterest for Creatives

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:34:00 GMT

I keep reading about Pinterest and so, of course, I started wondering…

Should I join?
What do I do with it?
Will it help me with anything or just be another social platform?

So I started my boards and took a look around, but found myself still a bit puzzled.

Pinterest is basically a photo sharing platform. A place to “pin” images of things you like and are interested in. You can put a button in your browser’s toolbar that will put almost any image you see online on one of your pinboards, with the opportunity to make a comment on it. These could be your own images or those of others that you see when you are browsing. You don’t have to download and upload as you do on other platforms.

Pinterest is definitely great for businesses that sell products. They can add a “Pin It” button to images of their offerings and customers can add those things to their pinboards, which will be seen by everyone who is following them. That’s a lot of free advertising!

Pinterest is also good for service businesses which use a portfolio of work to increase their client base. Web design companies can certainly benefit from having a pinboard of their work available here.

For the same reason, Pinterest may be a good platform for freelancers and entrepreneurs. You can pin your latest work from all different sources into one board and use that as your online portfolio site. Web and graphic designers, photographers, and artists especially will benefit from having pinboards of their work available on this platform. You can also find other people on Pinterest with similar interests that you might want to connect with. Some people are also pinning their resumes, especially the new infographic styles.

Why might Pinterest be better than other photo sharing sites? In my opinion, the advantage lies in the board concept itself. Rather than looking one at a time at photos on Flickr, or a giant page of uncategorized photos, pinboards are collections of related items. Someone who is checking out your design aesthetic can get a good overview of your logos, for example, with one click. And knowing who else likes the same thing you like might be an excellent bit of information.

I’m still a newbie at Pinterest and have been pinning mostly knitting patterns so far. I would love to hear what you think of Pinterest and if you’ve thought of any great uses for creatives, so please let me know in the comments! And if you need an invitation, email me!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

What's Your Resume Really For?

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:13:00 GMT

The purpose of your resume is to get you a job, right?

All those hours, all that tweaking, all that proofreading and when you’re finally DONE, it will get you the perfect role.

Truth is - you’re never done. Every job application needs its own resume. Every single one.

Why? The purpose of your resume is NOT to get you a job. The purpose of your resume is to get you an INTERVIEW. Only you can get the job.

So - how can your resume get you an interview?

Truth be told - it really varies from job to job. However, there is one best practice you should always follow to better your odds!

Identify and use keywords.

Read that job description again. Get out your highlighter and mark the essential responsibilities or skills. Those are your keywords. What verbs are they using? Use those verbs. What qualities do they want? Put them in your Summary or sprinkle them in your listed achievements or responsibilities. The more keywords the hiring manager (or his computer) sees in your resume - the more likely they are to identify you as a potential candidate for the position.

Everybody hates working on their resume. It's definitely tempting to just send out the same resume for every job that looks like it could be the right fit. But as more employers and recruiting firms use applicant tracking software to cull resumes, keywords will continue to play a huge role. Make sure you're not left out!

With a little extra time and a bit more focus - your customized resume will help you get you the interviews you deserve. Before long - you should notice those candidate response rates going up as well.

Happy tweaking!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Why Aren't You Blogging Yet?

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:59:00 GMT

Pretty early in the life of this blog, I wrote a post on why you should be blogging.

Did you pay attention?

Did you start a blog? Did you ever write a second post?

Or a first?

Excuses, Excuses! Why not?

I don’t have anything to say
Actually, the bar here is pretty low. Do you talk? To anybody? About what’s going on? Anywhere? Excellent. Post.

Now, of course, we’re talking about a blog that has some value - to you and to your readers. Random thoughts won’t work forever, but I’m willing to bet that if you try this 2 or 3 or 4 times, you will start coming up with relevant ideas. And guess what? You can go back and get rid of the early stuff later!

Remember - you don’t have to write an essay. Think of your first few posts as updates, just like Facebook or even Twitter. A sentence or two, a paragraph. Put your toe in the water.

I’m not a writer
Believe me, most bloggers aren’t “writers” either. They’re not perfect and they’re not any better than you. They just post anyway. (Shh, they often don’t even proofread!)

A good way to get started is by doing some curated content. Find some articles that you think are interesting or relevant or well written and pick out your favorite quote. Explain why it’s your favorite and what drew you to the article. You look smart without doing much of your own writing!

Remember that you MUST (was that loud enough?) hyperlink to the original article in your post.

I don’t have time
Do you have time to update your Facebook status? You have time to blog.

Do you have time to Tweet? More than once a day? You have time to blog.

Guess what? You can use the content from your Facebook status or your Tweets to get your blog started. What are you writing about today? Make it a little longer and post it. See, you are a writer! That information was already out there in public, this is just another venue for it.

I don't know how
Technology can be intimidating, but blogging has been around long enough to have some great resources for you to get started. Here are three of my favorites:

Blogger.com is a free site which walks you through the blog creation process step-by-step—my 10 year old has a blogger blog. Blogger is part of the Google family of products so if you have a Google account, it’s even easier to start a blog there.

Tumblr.com is another free site for creating a blog. Tumblr blogs are usually shorter-form and might be less intimidating. Tumblr has lots of fun themes and also walks you through the process of creating your special place to post.

Livejournal.com is another free blogging platform that is easy to use. Commenters on Livejournal have to register, but if that doesn’t bother you take a look at this platform.

If you’re still nervous about blogging, write a few draft posts on whatever you want. Don’t publish them until you feel good about them.

A company blog, an industry blog or even a personal blog is an important part of your brand, whether you are an executive or a freelancer. Stop making excuses! Blog!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant (and blogger) for Artisan Creative

How to Choose a Recruitment Company

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:41:00 GMT

With so many firms out there vying for your attention, it’s often hard to tell which recruiting company is right for you. Here are a few criteria to consider when selecting the right recruiter for you or your business:

Types of Roles They Place
Some recruiters are generalists and some are specialists. At Artisan, we focus on Creative and Marketing roles, but not strict IT positions. If you are a back-end programmer, we are not the right agency for you. If, however, you are a User Experience Designer, Marketing Specialist, Copywriter, Production Artist or Front-End Developer, submit your resume on our website. By specializing in only select areas - we have become experts in these fields and networks of talent.

Their Mission
Not every recruiting company will have a clearly defined mission statement, but if they do, it's a good indication of what their company culture and focus is all about. Choose a company whos ideals and approach to business are similar to your own.

Artisan is committed to offering meaningful opportunities to our talent and to helping our clients achieve their creative goals using cutting-edge technology. Our Mission is:

To provide job opportunities for creative talent that has positive impact in their careers.
To provide clients with top creative resources to achieve their creative initiatives.
To be innovative, forward thinking, early adopters of industry trends as required by the market.

Their Vision
It is important to bring proper vision into one's recruitment approach. It’s so easy to lose the big picture in the day-to-day if you are not clear on your overarching objective.

What is Artisan's vision? To bring creative thinking into staffing that results in innovation and a positive impact on our community. Being committed to having that positive impact on the individuals with whom we work and our community, helps us make decisions about how we do, what we do every single day.

Their Values
Often it is difficult to know the values of a company without knowing the people who work there. When working with a recruiter - keep these values in mind as you interact and work with them each day. Do they put profit ahead of every other consideration? Do they make you feel like an individual or a number? Do they do what they say they are going to do - when they say they are going to do it? Are they family-oriented? Do you feel like you've been treated fairly?

At Artisan our values are simple: Truth, Fairness, Accountability, Integrity, Engagement & Desire to Learn and Grow. There have been times when we have had to decline projects because they were not in line with our values. At the end of the day, our integrity is more important to us than sales. We will always be honest, scrupulously fair and perform with professionalism. We feel success will come from these values.

Whichever recruitment agency you ultimately choose, you deserve to be treated both fairly and professionally. The lines of communication should always be open. Only that can lead to meaningful work, creative fulfillment and tangible rewards.

If we seem a good fit for you or your company, we hope you will get in touch with us soon.

Brainstorming: Important Factor in Company Culture?

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:06:00 GMT

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about brainstorming:

How to brainstorm better
Brainstorming isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
It’s okay if you’re not good at brainstorming
Our kids are being trained to brainstorm instead of think up their own ideas

Brainstorming, like every idea-generation technique, has its place, certainly. I have a friend who sets up great brainstorms for a very large multinational corporation, and they definitely get some wonderful ideas out of that process. They also get some lousy ones. But everyone agrees that making time for that process - coming together to "be creative" is what makes all of those ideas - good and bad - possible.

However, if brainstorming sessions are not run properly, it is remarkably easy for brainstorming to turn into groupthink without anyone realizing it. Groupthink has the negative connotations that brainstorming escapes: people getting together and forming a mob, not really a consensus. If everyone is thinking the same thing so it must be a good idea, right?

Utilizing brainstorming best practices to properly structure a brainstorming session - going for as many ideas as possible, allowing one speaker at a time, deferring all judgement during the session, allowing "builds" and visuals and ensuring all ideas are documents - groups can avoid the pitfalls of a groupthink session.

While there’s a lot to be said for working in small groups to throw ideas back and forth, many also argue the more solitary ways of coming up with ideas as well.

Recent research studies are showing that although we need criticism to improve our ideas, we need solitude to come up with them in the first place. Socializing during the creative process can help to refine ideas, but at the same time, true originality comes from one person trying to solve a problem.

When it comes to problem solving, all companies have their own culture and ideas about brainstorming. Understanding this process - especially as it relates to creative idea generation - is certainly an interesting question to ask at an interview. Knowing how you would be involved with presenting your ideas and/or editing those of others could be a big factor in whether a company's creative or marketing department is right for you?

What are you thoughts on brainstorming? Do you prefer solitary or group settings? Hours or short bursts?

Whatever the answers, knowing how you like to tackle problem solving - and the way potential companies choose to handle it - could be more telling about a long-term culture fit within an organization than we realize.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

The Creative Interview

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:14:00 GMT

Most of us have interviewed for many different roles in our working lives, from our first summer job in high school (where they needed to know if we could mop floors) to interviews hours of testing to prove our skillsets were as solid as our resumes claimed.

We’ve talked a lot on our blog about how to prepare for a typical interview - and even for a more atypical one - but we’ve never talked about how a creative interview differs from a more general one. Nor have we really talked about what creative recruiters are looking for versus their counterparts in another field.

I asked the recruiters at Artisan: "How do you think 'creative' interviews differ from 'regular' job interviews?"

The answers were pretty consistent.

The portfolio is the number one factor during a creative interview. Whether the interviewer has already seen work samples via a website or a PDF, the design aesthetic and body of work are always the most important consideration. However, further explanation of that work is always required. Talent must be prepared to explain their portfolio fully.

"Creatives must be able to walk us through their work, their involvement in producing that work, their challenges, their inspiration and the effectiveness the work had," said Account Manager, Jess Bedford. "The finished work is only part of the whole creative process. Understanding how creatives work through that process, helps us better qualify talent for culture and team fit."
Creative rapport is essential. As is often the case, initial interviews may not always be held with like-minded or department-based interviewers. HR, for instance, may not understand the full creative processes as well as a Creative Director. Therefore, establishing an interviewer's level of understanding for one's creative specialty is essential. Do it up front, too. Therefore, when one gets to the portfolio review, you know which work will illustrate something relevant to their needs / interest, and how in depth your review should be.

Past resume experience is not always the key factor. What's more important than the clients you've worked for is being able to demonstrate, through both paid and/or spec work, a keen eye for design and the ability to push the creative envelope.

"For so many of our clients - the resume is second to the creative work," said Carol Conforti, Sr Account Manager and Recruiter. "Many creatives make the mistake of only including work that's been paid for and/or approved. Some of the best portfolios I've seen include both finished work and the other concepts that the clients didn't use. Many even have concepts designers have 'played with' in their free time."

What I take most from these answers (thanks, recruiters!) is how essential a portfolio is to the creative interview. And being able to review that portfolio effectively is just as important!

But that's only part of it. Research, once again, turns out to be really helpful as well. Whatever you can find out before the interview about the company, about the job responsibilities, even about the background of the interviewer or their client, will help you present your portfolio in the very best light possible.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

7 Ways to Improve your Memory

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:53:00 GMT

I am a list-maker. I also set alarms and, when they go off, I have to try to remember why I set them. I lose my keys, my phone, my iPod—I’m lucky I don’t lose the kids some days!

Who hasn't struggled to remember the name of a business associate at a networking event, a key point during a presentation or the date that big project is due?

Whatever the reason we experience a lapse in memory – chances are we could all use a few ways to help us improve it?

Here are just a few of the best exercises I’ve found to strengthen our ability to remember people, places, ideas - and everything in between:

Use pictures - If you tend to forget names, tie a person’s name to a mental picture. If their name is a word or like a word, this is easy, but using rhymes or words that sound like the name also helps. The trick is the picture, not how you got there.

Change fonts - If you’re trying to learn something from text on your computer screen, reading it in an unfamiliar font makes you concentrate on it more.

Say it out loud - If you’re going to a business meeting where you know some of the people who will be there, say their names out loud to yourself before you go to put them in your short-term memory bank.

Learn a new language - People who speak more than one language are more likely to have a good memory. If you already speak another language, translate what you’re trying to remember into it. It puts double connections down in your brain, while making you focus on the information.

Interact, in-person or even online - Using language to communicate keeps your brain engaged, no matter the medium.

Get some exercise - Exercise builds synapses and synapses are the connections your brain makes to create memories.

Get more sleep - Getting enough sleep is essential for high functioning in many areas, but memory is certainly one of them.

Where was I? Oh, yes.

We all have good days and bad days for remembering things. If you want to have more good days, try some of these techniques and let us know if you see any difference!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

3 Ways to Avoid Looking Like a Job Hopper

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:05:00 GMT

In today’s tough economic times, many candidates have been employed by companies that eventually closed their doors, were bought out or underwent massive layoffs. Instead of the average two to five year-spans of employment recruiters are used to seeing, resumes of today often list recent work histories as periods of less than a year at multiple companies. You want to list that great experience on your resume, but a long list of roles with a short duration may leave potential employers questioning your loyalty.

How can you demonstrate your commitment to a company, without having to explain your streak of bad luck? Here are some ways to tweak your resume format to accommodate short-term full time jobs or a series of freelance positions as you search for a long-term position:

Change your resume format—Instead of listing all of your work experience chronologically, use themes to bring your information together in a way that shows you at your best. Relevant Experience lets you leave out jobs that don’t apply to the current role. Contract Experience lets you list all of your freelance projects in one section, even if they are not long-term roles individually. Reverse Chronological Order is not the only way to construct a resume. Here are some others.
Leave it out—You don’t have to list every job you’ve had for every company. Instead just include your general responsibilities, companies and brands in separate lists. Then, be prepared to discuss specific accomplishments or projects from your time with each company.
Volunteer—If you’ve been out of work for a while, offer your skills to a non-profit as a volunteer. Those experiences can go on your resume and LinkedIn profile, just as any paid work would. If you have long gaps in your work history these volunteer opportunities can provide recent stories to tell in an interview – where showing passion for a cause or a project can be a great way to sell yourself.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

I Don’t Think So: Illegal Job Interview Questions

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:32:00 GMT

I’m sure you join me in wishing that “Tell me about yourself” was against the rules, but while that question may be perfectly acceptable in any interview - there are some questions hiring managers are not allowed to ask you in an interview.

Most human resources professionals know better and will not make these mistakes. However, interviews are often conducted by an inexperienced interviewer, perhaps a department head, small business owner or other hiring authority, who doesn’t know that some topics are actually taboo. These questions generally fall into common areas of discrimination - like race, sexual orientation, age and health status.

Employers are not allowed to ask questions that could determine your national origin:

Where were you born?
What is your native language?

Interviewers cannot ask questions that will reveal your marital or parental status:

Are you married?
Do you have children?
Do you plan to start a family?

Age discrimination can be a problem, too:

How old are you?
When did you graduate?

Religion can also be an issue for some employers:

Do you celebrate Yom Kippur?
What church do you go to?

Your health is your own business, not your employer’s:

Do you have a disability?
Do you have a chronic illness?

It is illegal to discriminate against you for being in the armed services or reserves:

Are you in the National Guard?

And what you do on your own time is private (as long as it’s legal):

Do you smoke?
Do you use alcohol?

You won’t encounter these questions often - again, most human resources pros are trained not to ask these questions. But you never know...

How to respond to an illegal interview question?

Well, that depends. I’ve been known to volunteer my age (if I think it’s an asset) or mention my kids (but I probably shouldn’t). I like to think of an interview as a conversation with someone I don’t know yet.

If you think the interviewer is trolling for inappropriate information on purpose, tell them they’re not allowed to ask that and politely move on to your next opportunity.

If you think they sincerely don’t know, are just being friendly without realizing they are doing something wrong, it’s a tougher call. I would probably smile, laugh a little and give them a quizzical, “Wow. I've never been asked that in an interview. Are you sure we're supposed to talk about that?” and hope for the best! Try moving the interview along if you can.

Not everyone has the best intentions and not everyone is fully trained. My recommendation - Keep your wits about you, know the rules and listen to your gut! If something feels off - you probably don't want to work there anyway!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

How to Say “Yes” Without Driving Yourself Crazy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:03:00 GMT

Creatives, your skills are in high demand by many organizations, businesses and individuals. Sometimes even by friends—if they need a website, advertising copy, graphics or other creative work produced.

Last Sunday a dear friend asked me if I could design a website for his new business. He doesn’t have a lot of money to spend and thinks of me as someone who could provide a good product. I’m very glad he has confidence in my abilities, and as much as I would like to help him, I don’t have time to do his project unless I take time away from something else that pays better.

When I do have time to add a project, however, sometimes I go ahead and say “Yes!” - even if there’s little or no monetary reward. What are the factors that help me decide?

Passion—If the project is for a cause in which I believe strongly, I will carve out the time. Volunteering our skills (or offering them for much less than market rate) for worthy causes is personally fulfilling and adds value to any project.
Career Development—I will probably say "yes" if I think that I will learn something new from the project, meet or work with someone in my field who could be a good contact, gain a skill or client that could improve my resume or add to the strength of my portfolio. This type of work experience is also a great way to fill in gaps in your work history or get great references!
Respect—It is always surprising to me how often volunteers are treated disrespectfully, as if they are only worth what they are being paid. Having worked as a professional with volunteers and as a volunteer with professionals, volunteers deserve more respect, not less. If you treat me respectfully, I am likely to help you out over and over again. Amazing how something that simple can create such loyalty.

Yes. It is hard to say “no” to a friend without feeling guilty, I know. But if you have the time, don’t need the money and can think of some way that investment of time capital pays off for you, everyone can benefit from your talent!

Wendy Stackhouse, Artisan Creative

The Proust Questionnaire for Creatives

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:40:00 GMT

You’ve heard of the Proust Questionnaire, I’m sure. Made famous in the back pages of Vanity Fair Magazine, it was named not for questions, but for the answers given by Marcel Proust to a set of questions asked by his friend Antoinette Faure.

I remember them best from a television show called “Inside the Actors Studio” where, at the end of every episode, host James Lipton would ask these questions of the famous actors he interviewed. His questions included: What is your favorite sound? What is your favorite curse word? If you weren’t an actor, what would you be instead?

Barbara Walters used a variation of the Proust Questionnaire in her interview with the Obamas a couple of weeks ago - which, in turn, inspired us at Artisan.

I asked our Recruiters what Proust-like questions they would like to ask (or do ask) when they interview talent, and I love the responses! Definitely a lot more interesting than the adage “Tell me about yourself”, the answers to these questions reveal aspects of a candidate’s personality that help hiring managers determine if someone is the right cultural fit for their position.

And so I bring you…(drum roll, please)...The Proust Questionnaire for Creatives

Some that aren’t too outside the box:

What is your definition of creative?
What is your ideal job and where?
What inspires you?
Who is your favorite designer?
Who is your favorite architect?
What is your favorite source of design inspiration (website, magazine, blog, etc)?
What projects have you worked on that you are most proud of and why?

Some that would be fun to answer, take some real consideration but still be job related:

Name 3 things you could not live without?
What is your favorite part of the day or favorite part of your job?
We used to have the drop shadow, now we have the reflective surface, what do think is next?
What keeps you motivated?

Some that might make me wonder what they’re looking for exactly:

Where is your ideal travel destination and why?
What 3 things that you use in everyday life should be designed differently?
What was the last book you read?
What is your favorite TV show or Movie?
What is playing on your iPod right now?

And a few that I’ve honestly never thought about before an interview (but maybe I should)!

In your time away from work, what do you do?
Are you doing what you love or doing what pays the bills?
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
If you could invite three people (dead or alive) to dinner who would they be and why? (P.S. Katty Douraghy and Melinda Geniza both came up with this one and tie for "Most Proustian Question"!)
Do you believe in aliens?
What's the most despicable act a creative supervisor has done/can do to you?

I’m definitely going to add some of these to my interview preparation list!

Granted - these are just some of the unusual questions potential hiring authorities could ask during an interview. The best advice is to be prepared to answer these kinds of questions as honestly and calmly as possible. Guess that's just one more reason to do some practice interviews with imaginative friends!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

How to Decrease Turnover & Keep Employees Happy

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:09:00 GMT

You might think that with today’s high unemployment rate, as a business owner you don’t have to worry about turnover - nobody’s leaving, right? Wrong!

The fact is, for every person who is putting off looking for a new job, there are those who are already working and planning to move on. As soon as they can.

Why? They are unhappy where they are.

Employers have downsized and added to the remaining staff’s responsibilities. Employees are stretched thinner and thinner. Benefit packages have shrunk and, with fewer retirements, there is less opportunity for promotion and career advancement. Companies are not doing enough to recognize their talent and do what they need to do to keep them happy.

Fewer rewards, more work, less potential for advancement = looking for a new role.

But can companies really afford this kind of turnover?

In reviewing an article on the cost of turnover, although there are several formulas that try to determine an actual number, no one knows the actual answer - because every situation is unique. However, one thing everyone seems to agree on is that the cost is always too high!

As the economy improves, however incrementally, unhappy employees are going to be causing more and more turnover all over the country.

The good news is that companies can combat potential talent turnover right from the start by improving their actual hiring process.

Utilizing recruiting resources - whether internally or through an expert staffing agency - is instrumental in hiring successful long-term employees. As specialists in talent search, Recruiters have access to large networks of potential talent whom they identify and qualify specifically for your company, culture and role. This multi-step approach ensures they are selecting the right talent for your position - talent who are interested in, motivated by and excited about your opportunity.
Recruiters are also vital to helping address unexpected turnover as well. With access to thousands of talent, Staffing Agencies can quickly find stopgap solutions, providing freelance or contract talent until the empty full time position is filled. With HR resources often stretched across many positions, utilizing external staffing resources for specific full time hires will usually speed the search as well. Recruiters direct access to talent networks, existing relationships in the field and use of multiple job boards all aid in a more efficient and effective candidate search.

In addition to improving internal hiring processes, employers must also be willing to make changes internally as well. Money and productivity losses due to employee turnover can be minimized by thinking about keeping your employees happy and fulfilled:

Find new ways to publicly reward good work and show talent they are valued
Offer more vacation days to counterbalance the longer hours now being required
Offer optional telecommuting opportunities to create better employee work/life balance

Unlimited Vacation?!

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:52:00 GMT

Good and Bad by vees via Flickr Creative Commons

Have you heard about the new trend in vacation policies? Unlimited vacation has taken off quickly, being put into practice at some major companies: Netflix, IBM, Morningstar and Blue Wolf, according to this article at The Grindstone.

Sounds great!

Also known as a “results-only work environment,” for a self-motivated employee who gets their work done and finds themselves with time on their hands at the office, this could be a great part of a benefits package.

But is it for everyone?

US workers get fewer paid vacation days, on average, than workers in any other First World country, with only 13 days. Here is a helpful chart I found on infoplease.com:

Italy	42 days
France	37 days
Germany	35 days
Brazil	34 days
United Kingdom	28 days
Canada	26 days
Korea	25 days
Japan	25 days
U.S.	13 days

Clearly the US has a way to go to become competitive with these countries and there is no doubt that US workers could use more time off to spend unwinding and recharging, not to mention developing their creativity.

Of course, unlimited vacation sounds wonderful and for many workers it is a great benefit—increasing productivity and efficiency, while boosting morale and reducing turnover. But there are some potential downsides:

If you are a natural workaholic, you might not ever feel like you are truly “off” if you can work whenever you want.
If you function better with more structure—and many of us do—you might find it difficult to get your work done without daily the daily accountability that comes with being in the office.
Employers save money on recordkeeping, but they don’t pay for any accrued vacation if you leave your job—use it or lose it for real!
Dynamics with co-workers can suffer if you get to leave when you’re done, but they can’t because they still have work to do. If you are very efficient, you could go home early every day while the methodical person in the office next door has to stay.

Unlimited vacation sounds to me like getting some of the benefits of freelancing without the disadvantages: work on your own schedule but still have health insurance and paid days off. Then again, I’m fast and disciplined about getting my work done.

How do you think you would do with unlimited vacation?

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Jumpstarting your Creative Process

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:05:00 GMT

Photo by yajamesu via Flickr Creative Commons

I read an interesting article in The Atlantic last week, and it got me thinking about my creative process and the creative process in general.

Then one of our Facebook friends was talking about how he didn’t understand how anyone could work before 8am and that was why IT people weren’t creative. I had to disagree.

Every job, no matter the industry, takes some level of creativity.

The roles we place at Artisan Creative, of course, all involve a great deal of creative thought, but even people who work in creative fields have trouble getting started—and finishing—at times.

Once your problem has been clearly defined, the following are the stages of the creative process that can apply to literally any role:

Step One: Saturation

For me, this step is research. If I’m going to write about the creative process, I need to determine what has already been written about the topic? I have to immerse myself as much as possible in what is already out there, partly to avoid being obvious and derivative, but mostly to make sure I know what I’m talking about and that the conclusions I will draw are my own.

For a Web Designer, this could mean looking at a lot of websites in the same industry as the client for whom they are planning.

For an Application Developer working on a new app, it could be making sure they are familiar with the apps that already exist to accomplish similar tasks.

Step Two: Incubation

Sometimes this seems like procrastination - and it is hard to do this step properly because of that. You want to be working on the project, but it’s hard to get down to it. Maybe you haven’t let it grow in your mind—even in your subconscious—long enough yet.

A lot of people do some physical activity to help their incubation process. I like to knit or read fiction. Sometimes even clean the house or do laundry! Walk away from the project and let it grow on its own.

When I’m writing a blog (like now!), by the time I reach this stage I have an outline, sometimes even only a title and the background information, and I go do something else for a while. It is incredibly easier to write after the time away. I’m always surprised, but it always works.

Step Three: Illumination

The solution often comes to you while you’re thinking about something else or doing some other activity. Most creative people would think of this as the moment when creative thought is really going on—when they get that brilliant idea. But creativity is going on all the time or you would never get here.

Many people think they are not creative because they never have this experience in their day-to-day lives, but it is more likely that they are not allowing the process to take place!

Step Four: Verification

After those moments of illumination, creative people rush back to their workspace and get to it. It is always very exciting at this stage. An artist gets focused on a work until it is as perfect as possible. A musician will practice until they can interpret a piece exactly the way it sounds in his or her mind. A Web Designer will tweak a site for hours until it is clean and user-friendly. They “make it work,” as Tim Gunn would say.

This is the satisfying part of the creative process: when you are making something unique, putting your own spin on something you understand thoroughly, expressing yourself as only you can do.

Every time we have a problem to solve, whether it is a personnel issue for an HR professional, a difficult passage of Mozart, a perfect seasonal design for a website, or even a blog post to write, we are engaging in creativity.

Isn’t it nice to know a way to get there every time?

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Work Harder and Get Less Done?!

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:30:00 GMT

Did you ever have one of those days when you worked and worked hard for hours on end and still felt like you didn’t get anything done?
Yesterday?

Well, you may be working harder than you need to.

Wait! That doesn’t make any sense!

But maybe it does?

I read an article last month on the Harvard Business Review blog called “How to Accomplish More by Doing Less” and it really struck a chord with me. Combined with my New Year’s resolution to manage my time better (and have more free time for the things I enjoy outside of work), I wanted to think this concept through for myself and for you.

You might be like me and be juggling what seems like a multitude of freelance projects, each of which need attention every workday. What is the most productive way to get everything done?

Tony Schwartz’s idea is if we work intensely for shorter periods of time and then take breaks, we will get more done and be more creative. But if we multitask for long periods, we get less and less productive as the day wears on and those good ideas will never come to us.

You want the maximum time per day to be spent at your maximum creativity, right?

Schwartz says if you start your day at 80% of your capacity and take no breaks, your productivity will get lower and lower as the day progresses. By the end of the day you are dragging and not doing any good work

But if you start at 90% and take a break every hour and a half or so, you can stay above 70% productivity, even in the late afternoon slump time, and get a tremendous amount of work done.

I’ve tried days both ways—one day when I work as hard and as long as I can, but don’t plan out blocks of time for particular projects, and another when I plan my time, including breaks.

I like that second day a lot better:

• When I can focus on one task, I’m more likely to finish it and check it off my list
• Creative ideas come during my breaks and make it easier to get started on new projects
• I don’t get as frustrated by interruptions
• Since I finish tasks, I have a greater sense of satisfaction at the end of the day

The title of this post should really be Take Breaks and Get More Done. We can all make ourselves crazy trying to get everything done at once. But often that means we don’t get anything done at all. Try 90 minutes and then taking a break and let me know how it went in the comments!

[My son has interrupted me about 800 times since I started writing this post. Perhaps the real trick is making sure there’s no one else home while I’m working!]

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Creatives and Business Meetings: 5 Tips on How to Stay Engaged

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:19:00 GMT

Photo by Chloe Dietz, Flickr Creative Commons

Creatives are not known for being comfortable in a formal business setting. Suits and ties and long strategy sessions are not their normal M.O.

But freelancers do end up going to business meetings or formal pitches and it is important to stay involved in the material and remember what was discussed, since they will probably be sent home to work on the project at hand.

Some meetings, sad to say, are not as interesting and exciting as they could be and creatives may very well have trouble staying engaged. Here are some tips to keep you looking and feeling like you are fully present at your next formal business meeting:

1. Active listening—When someone is talking, we all receive much more information non-verbally than verbally. Put your attention on the body language, facial expression and tone of the speaker. Concentrate on how that information adds to (or detracts from) what is being said.

2. Look at the speaker—Making eye contact will make a good impression on your meeting leaders and keep you on track. Your mind is bound to wander if you stare at the table or out the window.

3. Don’t chat with your neighbor—Although it is a good idea to sit near someone of like mind at a business meeting, don’t start side conversations while the main speaker is presenting. Not only is it bad manners, but you will miss the main points of the presentation.

4. Take notes - During any meeting there are bound to be hundreds of topics (big and small) discussed. No one could remember them all. By continuing your active listening, noting key facts or action items on paper, you can stay more focused on the topics being discussed. Because you've written them, you will also be more likely to remember them later as well.

5. Ask questions—If you have trouble keeping your mind on the topic at hand, while listening, think of a question to ask. When there is an opportunity, ask them. A good question can help a presenter further engage with his or her audience and enable all to remember the material better if a discussion occurs as a result.

We’ve all been to meetings that seem like a waste of time, led by unskilled presenters, or the coverage of information we already know. They can be very frustrating. Best advice for dealing with these types of meetings: find a way to get something out of the meeting, whether it be a lesson in reading body language, making a positive impression on a manager or adding value to a presentation by asking questions or offering your own expertise as a resource. Any meeting can be useful, even if you have to set your own agenda.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Artisan Places Talent in All 5 of the "Hardest Jobs to Fill in 2012"

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:22:00 GMT

Photo by rob.knight via Flickr Creative Commons

I saw an article in Inc. Magazine this week about the 5 Hardest Jobs to Fill in 2012 so I clicked to see what they could possibly be, and I was in for quite a surprise!

In today’s rough economy, everyone with a good idea is starting their own business and they all need great websites with fantastic graphic design, user-friendly interfaces and talented staff to design, manufacture and sell their products and services. This tremendous growth in entrepreneurship is leading to a great deal of demand in these 5 creative fields:

Web Developers—Web Developers are in high demand, especially in major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Every business needs a website or they cannot function in today’s business climate.

Creative Design and User Experience—Companies are having trouble finding talent with a demonstrated track record in these areas. If you have an extensive portfolio with top work and are looking for new opportunities, you are in good shape. There are more opportunities than can be filled.

Product Management—Especially in the area of ecommerce, companies need people with experience in customer interaction and working in the cloud.

Online Marketing—Tech savvy communicators with great language and interpersonal skills don’t grow on trees. Companies need Marketers who can generate viral traffic through the web, social media, and engaging content. Talented writers and bloggers who really know the interactive space are in high demand.

Analytics—Thanks to the variety of measurement tools available, CEO’s are starting to understand the value of search and social media, but now they demand the best ROI. Analysts who can show C-level executives how their marketing strategies are working to build their business will do very well next year.

It looks like 2012 will be a good year for creatives—let us know if Artisan can help you find talent or find a perfect role in the New Year!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Artisan's Setting Goals for Success

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:01:00 GMT

New Year. New Resolutions.

While some would say resolutions are just an unattainable goal we set in January and forget about by February – at Artisan we believe having goals (and helping to hold each other accountable for reaching them) is critical for success.

Each month – we set and focus on achieving goals that are vital to our business. We report back regularly and help to motivate each other to achieve them.

So the idea of a personal goal for the year makes perfect sense. When we asked about everyone’s New Year’s Resolution, not only did the team all have a goal in mind, but most had a plan to help them achieve it. Now they have all of us to hold them accountable, too.

We’ll check in at the end of the year to see how everyone did!

______________________

Kevin, Talent Manager – Learn how to play the piano - possibly starting with Travie McCoy’s Billionaire.
Katty, Managing Director – Learn Spanish. I even signed up for classes. They start next week – every Thursday night!
Stephanie, Accounting – Establish a daily and weekly routine. And stick to it.
Laura, Talent Manager – Lose 30 pounds and get my glucose and cholesterol levels back to normal.
Wendy, Consultant – I want to knit something for my cousin’s twins every time I knit something for someone else (or myself ) all year. First up – blankets!
Carol, Sr Account Manager & Recruiter – I want to plan out my weekend activities ahead of time and start lifting weights.
Maggie, Account Manager – I don’t want to forget a single birthday for my friends and family and want to send a card or gift to each person to let them know I am thinking of them.
Jamie G, Creative Recruiting Manager – Put together a few photo/memory books with our thousands of digital photos.
Jess, Marketing & Project Manager – Expand my culinary expertise by trying at least one new recipe each week.

What’s your resolution?

Freelancers: Use Online Marketing to Kickstart 2012

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:46:00 GMT

We are about to go into a quiet time of year, whether you choose to work less or there is just less work, and so it is a good time to think about what you can do to get a jumpstart on your freelancing in 2012.

With today’s technology, it is easy and cost-effective to do some online marketing for your career as a freelance entrepreneur. Let’s look at some ways to make online marketing work for you:

Social Media Profiles - Now is a great time to take a look at all of your social media profiles to make sure they:
- Reflect most recent work experience
- Are Consistent
- Tell your story
- Use keywords to help search engines find your skills
- Have been carefully edited for professional purposes
Facebook Timelines - You’ve probably heard that Facebook profiles are changing into timelines, but you might not know that you need to go to your timeline and make sure there is nothing posted there from the past that you don’t want potential clients to see. You might not have been as careful in 2006 or ’07 about the photographs you posted and Timelines make it much easier for people to see your posts of long ago.
New Platforms - While you have a couple of free hours, set up your Google+ Circles and start getting comfortable there. Still new-kid-on-the-block, Google+ may very well be a big player in 2012.
Build or Tweak Your Website - If you are a Designer, you have a website, but maybe you haven’t had time to update it for a while. If you are in other creative fields, it is great to have a website of your own and there are free and inexpensive places to host. A domain name only costs $10 a year and Google Sites is one place where you can build a site easily without any knowledge of coding.
Start a Blog - Since you are an entrepreneur, you own a business—you! Your business needs a blog where you can talk about recent projects, things that inspire you, link to articles that are interesting and give the world your take on current creative trends. Give blogging a try, it’s fun!
Comment - If you’re like me, even on your downtime you’re surfing the web for interesting information. Now is the time to take a moment to comment on relevant articles in your field or in LinkedIn Group discussions and build your credibility. If you add a link to your website or blog, you might increase your own traffic as well.

See, you thought you had nothing to do over the holiday break! Get to work!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Social Networks Are Your Friend—But Not Your BFF

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:52:00 GMT

Photo by mags3737, Flickr Creative Commons

I’m the first person to evangelize for social media. I’m on Facebook and Twitter all day for work and personal reasons, my daughter uses it to get information about and help with her homework, we all find links to interesting stuff every day, right? I don’t want to miss a single photo of my cousin’s twins!

We’ve talked on our blog about how important it is to be careful on LinkedIn, but it’s easy to remember there, since it is a social network for professional development and networking. With careful thought, the other social media platforms can be just as useful to a potential employer when they are deciding whom to interview.

When I have an interview, I search for the person I will meet everywhere—be sure they are doing the same. What are they finding about you?

Photos

Although you think you have tweaked your privacy settings so that you are safe, it is still never a good idea to post photographs of yourself in questionable situations which employers might be uncomfortable with. Facebook owns the rights to any photo you post and they change their privacy rules all the time, often without notice. You don’t want the wrong person searching for you at the wrong moment, so don’t post anything you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see.

Language
Free speech is great and blogs and social media platforms are places for us to express ourselves. However, using coarse language makes more of a statement than you might mean. There are also some taboo subjects you might want to avoid except with your personal friends: politics, race, and religion are only a few. These subjects are best kept to a very small circle.

Venting
As unappreciated as you felt at your previous employer, keep it to yourself online. A typical interview question like “How was your relationship with your last manager?” is a good guideline. Anything past generally positive, unless it was better than that, is something you should take a pass on.

Dishonesty
Make sure everything that refers to your employment history anywhere is strictly true. If a potential employer finds different information on different sites, they will wonder if you are being truthful anywhere.

Confidentiality
It is best to limit how you talk about previous employers to elements which specifically apply to your role there and your relationship with the company. Anything about the company itself, its plans or projects, is theirs to discuss, not yours.

It would be nice to think we could say whatever we like with no consequences on social media, but of course, it is no different from real life.

Think before you post!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Artisan Holidays: Past and Present

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:18:00 GMT

As work finally winds down for most of our clients (and for us!), we thought it would be fun to ask our team for their favorite Winter Holiday memories as well as where they’d be celebrating this year.

Their responses were a lot of fun…

“The Best Holiday Gift I ever received…”

My parents made me go with them on a ride. I threw a fit. Didn't want to go. As I cried my way to the car, they said that I'd like where we were going, and if I don't like where we were going, I’d NEVER have to go with them anywhere again! About a half hour later, I was standing face-to-face with our first and only great dane, Babar. Needless to say, my parents and I have traveled together since.
Kevin Kahn, Talent Manager

Seriously, I loved them all. I am easy person to get things for, so keep them coming!
Katty Douraghy, Managing Director

The gift that still stands out the most was my first "big kid" bike. It was blue and had a blue and white floral banana seat. It didn't have training wheels and my dad spent the next few days teaching me how to ride it. This was essentially him running alongside me while I pedaled and after a bit he'd let go. I think I was about 6 or 7 years old. Honestly the bike was cool, but I think fondly back at my dad running along side me quite a few times before I was able to balance alone and what a gift that was. As a parent now it's always a good reminder that the gift of time, teaching and interacting with your kids or any child for that matter, is worth more than any material item.
Jamie Grossman, Creative Recruiting Manager

The best holiday gift I've ever received was the year my in-laws got together and bought me a spinning wheel. Yes, I really have a spinning wheel and I use it all the time! They were skeptical, of course, but they know me and my passion for all things fibery. Every time I sit down at my wheel, especially to make gifts for others, I thank them again!
Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant

Going back to my childhood, I will never forget when I got Barbies Dream house...it had an elevator and all. I am a real girly girl...so I never had enough Barbies.
Laura Burns, Talent Manager

My Grandma bought me EMU boots for Christmas one year. These are sheep-skin, similar to UGGS. I was vegan at the time. This created a huge conflict for me or rather was a huge eye opener. As I thought about what to do with these boots and how distraught I was about the whole thing and how excited my Grandma was to have bought them for me and how very cold my feet were, I realized that I almost all of my tennis shoes, loafers & heals were leather or suede and that I was in fact not as "vegan" as I thought. It caused me to stop and look at all the aspects of my life that fall into "being vegan" and "not being vegan" and one by one I made individual choices for myself, based on what I wanted to do, not decisions based on the technical definitions of "vegan". It was a surprisingly life changing gift.
Stephanie Jacobs, Accounting

The best gift for me has always been the gift of sharing time with family.
Jamie Douraghy, President

It’s funny. Thinking back I know I was always blessed with a number of wonderful gifts at Christmas. My brother and I always seemed to get everything we wanted and more. But when I try to remember the “best gift”, all I can recall are all the fun (and crazy!) family traditions that made the holiday so special. Now that I have passed many of them onto my own family – they mean even more.
Jess Bedford, Marketing & Project Manager

I have not exchanged gifts with friends or family in many years. It is now our family tradition to make a donation to any deserving group or individual, rather than spend $$ on each other when we truly are blessed and NEED nothing more.
Ana Rubio, Accounting

Staycation or Getting away?

• Kevin – Celebrating the holidays at home

• Katty – In Vegas with family for Christmas Eve and then up to SF on Christmas Day to see her inlaws and brother.

• Jamie G – Spending the holidays at home, seeing some family and friends and relaxing

• Wendy – Spending their family’s second Christmas at home, instead of heading back East to see extended family.

• Laura – Will be doing a lot of travelling - New York City, Long Island, New Orleans and Baton Rouge!

• Stephanie – Early Christmas in CA with family and then going to West Virginia with her boyfriend to celebrate with his family.

• Jamie D – Will be with his parents and brother’s family in San Francisco

• Jess – Off to Arizona to see family and enjoy some R&R

• Ana – Spending the holidays with her mom and siblings in Escondido

Whatever you plan to do this holiday - we wish you and your loved ones a very joyous season and a peaceful and prosperous new year!

To Work or Not to Work, That is the Question: Freelancing over the Holidays

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:23:00 GMT

Photo by hartlandmartin via Flickr Creative Commons

If you are like me, you are busy with holiday preparations while still maintaining a busy freelance work routine. There are a lot of extra things to do this time of year: shopping, baking, social events, writing cards.

Even volunteer opportunities abound at this time of year, with everyone holding holiday fundraisers and toy drives.

It’s easy to look forward to some quiet time when everything closes down for a few days of family celebration, but for a freelancer, there’s no such thing as a paid holiday. It can be hard to relax when you know your income will be affected by your time off.

Here are some ways to handle taking time off without worry:

Plan Ahead

It might be too late for this year, but next year you can be mindful about putting some money aside so that you can take a couple of weeks off for the holidays.

Reach Out

If you want to take on some extra work or try to keep busy, get in touch with your clients and make sure they know you’re available to do last minute projects or pick up projects that have stalled because their regular staff is on vacation.

For creatives, now is a great time to come up with a new graphic design or image to put on a holiday ecard and send it out to your network!

Schedule Your Free Time

Everyone deserves a break this time of year, so carve out some specific time for yourself and quality time with your family and friends. If you look at your calendar and it says “Christmas Party, 7-11pm” you won’t feel guilty when you walk out the door!

Post-Date Some Blog Posts

If a holiday falls on a day when you would normally publish a blog post for yourself or a client, write a holiday-themed post in the days leading up to your day off and schedule it to post on the day you plan to be roasting chestnuts.

Here’s the most difficult task, though.

Don’t feel guilty!

If work slows down, try to think of it as a gift. Appreciate the precious time you have with your loved ones. Use it to play board games, cook together, spend time at home doing that you don’t normally have time for, but that don’t cost a lot. Walk around and see the holiday lights in your neighborhood. Think up projects for the new year. Watch old movies and drink lots of tea.

Everyone at Artisan Creative wishes you and yours a wonderful, relaxing and guilt-free holiday season!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Managing Your Brand

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:15:00 GMT

Not only are you an entrepreneur, you are a brand. If you are participating in social media, your brand has a logo, a mission statement, and work product that other people might want to buy or invest in. Or it should!

It is important to make sure that your brand is consistent and sending the messages that you want it to send across your entire internet presence so that no matter where a potential client might look, he or she will find the information needed to decide whether they want to start a business relationship with you.

Here are some things to think about when managing your brand online:

On Facebook
Especially important if you are a freelancer, have a Facebook Page for yourself as a Business Person as well as a Profile for your personal friends. This gives people you don’t know a window into your work if Facebook is their favorite social media platform.

This Page is a place you can put links to your blog, your work from your online portfolio or interesting news about you and your business life.

Don’t forget to keep it updated!

Your Logo
The image you use in your profile on any platform is your logo. For some with an actual company or brand name – this should be your designed logo. For others – your photo is the perfect representation of your brand.

If using a photo, it should be close-up enough for someone who’s meeting you at a coffee shop to recognize you when they get there. It shouldn’t be your cat or your baby - cute as they are. Save that for your friends. Use the same photo across all social media platforms. If you want to be creative with it, you can make your photo seasonal, but, again, be consistent and change it everywhere.

Mission Statement
Your Facebook Page Info tab, your LinkedIn profile and your Twitter profile all provide a place for you to put your mission statement.

Don’t think you have a mission statement? What are you passionate about? Why do you do what you do? Why are you so committed to your work? Your mission statement can be found in there. Once established, it’s important to keep your mission statement consistent across platforms.

Links
Be sure to provide links to your pages, profiles, feeds and portfolio wherever you can: email signature, business cards, ecards for holidays, resume, everywhere. Make it easy to find you, find out about you and contact you for work!

I’ve had quite a few potential clients find me through blog posts, Facebook updates and LinkedIn group updates for my current clients. They are comfortable with me even before we meet because they have seen my work, are familiar with my “voice” and can assess my communication skills. Consistent branding has led to a good “Return on Investment” of my time capital and it will for you, too!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Artisan’s Resume DOs & DONTs List: Part 2

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:34:00 GMT

If you’ve ever sent out your resume through an online application – you’ll probably find yourself wondering, at some point, if you’ll ever hear back from that potential employer. Did your resume stand out? Did it contain everything it should? Did you include something you shouldn’t have?

While every employer is looking for something different – most hiring authorities would agree that there are certainly things to avoid on resumes – and other things they love to see. While we can’t guarantee you’ll get a call-back – we’d love to help improve your odds with a few tips!

Last week we discussed some of our suggested resume must haves. Today, we take a look at some key things to avoid on your resume:

TOP 7 RESUME DONTs

1. Don’t make it longer than 2 pages. Remember you need only include a concise description of your positions and major achievements/successes for those positions in the last 10 years. Your resume should simply whet the appetite of future employers. Leave something to discuss during your interview!

2. Don’t use your LinkedIn profile as your resume. While your LinkedIn Profile can certainly be a great point of reference – and should include much of what you include in your resume – it is not a substitute for your resume. Resumes should be customized for the positions/companies to which you apply.

3. Don't be vague with dates. Potential employers want to know the duration of time you spent at a company. 2009 to 2010 isn't clear. Was that 2 years or 2 months? NOTE: If you are a freelancer who has returned to a client many times during a multi-year period, more general annual dates are acceptable.

4. Don’t include a salary history. Salary is just one of the elements in negotiating an offer. But it’s a powerful one. Don’t show your hand before you’ve even interviewed. Wait until it’s requested – if it’s ever requested.

5. Don't list your references; employers or recruiters will ask for them. No need to tell us “Reference Provided Upon Request” either. This is given. You should have updated contact details ready to provide potential employers at any time during an active job search. Make sure references are aware they might be contacted about your professional relationship.

6. Don't talk about yourself in third person. This practice is not usually received well by most hiring managers. No matter your intention, this normally comes off as awkward, unfriendly and disconnected - none of which are good if you’re being considered for a position with a new company who doesn’t yet know you. Save the third person for your bio on the company website after you get the job!

7. Do not include a picture of yourself or busy design elements on your resume. They are simply distracting from what’s important – your experience and accomplishments. If you simply MUST have a prospective employer know what you look like – include a link to your LinkedIn Profile and make sure your picture is professional. Chances are – they will be checking you out there anyway. On the flip side – especially for Designers – feel free to include design elements as part of your resume – just make sure they are clean, simple, tasteful and emphasize your written content, not detract form it.

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

Artisan’s Resume DOs & DONTs List: Part 1

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:34:00 GMT

In our line of work, we review hundreds of resumes each week. While no two resumes look the same – there are definitely things that work. And things that don’t.

Does your resume get a passing grade? Here’s a quick checklist before you apply for another job:

TOP 7 RESUME DOs
1. Proofread! There is no quicker way to end up in the “No” pile than a misspelled name, word or obvious grammatical error in your resume (portfolio or cover letter). Review your resume for grammatical errors both on the computer and in a printed copy. Have at least 1 – 2 other people review it as well.

2. List both your email and phone number. Even if you prefer one method over the other (and note this on your resume) – it is best to offer alternate ways for employers to get ahold of you. Feel free to add your LinkedIn Profile and/or Twitter Handle as well – so long as you check each of these regularly. Nothing annoys employers more than for interview requests to go unanswered for days (without good reason)!

3. List your physical address. Even if you do not list your street address – let employers know in which city you are located. Without this information (and especially if your contact number is not local), you could be easily discounted for positions that require “Local candidates only”

4. Include a Portfolio / Website link of your work. If you are in the creative field, your portfolio is just as powerful as (and in some cases even more powerful than) your resume. Make sure your resume includes a link to your work. And that your link is working! If you’re work is a PDF instead of a site, attach it to the end of the resume so prospective employers are sure to see it!

5. Provide a brief “Overview”. This should be a 3 – 5 line paragraph or 5 – 7 bullet points customized for each job you apply for and summarizing your key skills and specific experience for that position. It should also mention what kinds of opportunities you are currently considering (full time, freelance, on site, telecommute, etc)

6. Describe your positions in detail. Because job titles vary so much from company to company, it’s important to include a concise description of your role – as well as list your major achievements/successes. As a general rule, this applies to positions in the last 10 years. Any relevant work prior to that can be summarized with just a 1 – 2 line description of your major responsibility and the team/company of which you were a part. *NOTE: If you are a freelancer, you need only describe your position & capabilities once. Then just list your clients.

7. Differentiate Contracts or Freelance work from Full Time work. This helps employers distinguish between a “job-hopper” and genuine freelancer.

For more Resume Tips, check out part two next week with our Resume Donts.

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

Preparing for a Behavioral Interview

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:08:00 GMT

In doing research for this article, I went back to basics.

What is a Behavioral Interview?

A Behavioral Interview is one in which the interviewer asks questions about past behavior in the hope of being able to predict how you would handle a situation at their company in the future.

An example of a behavioral interview question would be: Tell me about a time when you set a goal & achieved it.

This and other behavioral interview questions are the perfect opportunity to tell a great story. We have talked before on our blog about telling stories and here is where those stories come in handy.

During your general interview preparation, write out a few stories about specific events or projects which were very successful or fulfilling for you. Even something that didn’t work out perfectly can make a good story, if you can talk about what you learned from it.

If you have been preparing for interviews very thoroughly, you will have compiled a list of stories from which to choose and can focus on a few for each interview. Read the job description again and see if any of your stories involve any aspects of that job and practice telling them.

Many people use a technique known as STARR to prepare for these kinds of questions. STARR provides an outline for your answer which ensures that you will hit all the important points and stay on track while telling your story. STARR stands for:

Situation - be specific about where you were and what you were doing.
Task - what you were trying to accomplish.
Action - what you did to accomplish the goal you were working toward.
Result - the outcome of your efforts.
Reflection - what you learned from your experience.

Practice moving from one of these elements seamlessly into the next. Be sure to point out positive results and reflections.

If you are prepared with a few relevant stories, you will never again be thrown by behavioral interview questions!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Body Language Tips for Creatives

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:43:00 GMT

Have you ever come out of a meeting with no clue how it went? You feel like your presentation was clear and effective. You know you were prepared and your materials were informative.

Maybe you were paying more attention to what you were doing than how your audience was reacting, but if you play it back in your head, you might have more of an idea of how your presentation was received.

You also might be able to make it work better!

If you can put some of your attention on watching your listeners, you can learn a lot about how your pitch is going and maybe even change it up midstream and close the deal.

Is your listener…

Leaning his head on his hand? He is bored. Change the pace of your presentation or ask a question to re-engage his attention.
Leaning forward in her chair? She is interested. Keep up what you’re doing.
Touching his ears? You are connecting. Give him more information.
Making a suggestion with her palms down? This is no suggestion, this is what she wants. Tell her how you can give her what she has suggested in a definitive way.
Making a suggestion with his palms up? He is looking for a discussion of the issue and is open to your input as well as his own.
Putting her hand over her mouth? She doesn’t believe what you’re saying. This is a good time to offer some quantitative evidence or examples.

How about you? What are you revealing with your body language and how can you make sure your messaging is what you want it to be?

Are you…

Slouching? Sit with your back touching the chair, but leaning forward a bit. This projects confidence and engagement without seeming stiff or nervous.
Crossing your arms? This makes you seem defensive or closed off. Stop as soon as you realize it.
Restless? If you know you are a “wiggler,” it is a good idea to practice your interview or meeting with a trusted friend who can help you become more aware of your habits. Restless behavior like twirling your hair or bouncing your knee can be distracting to your listener when you want them to hear what you have to say.
Making eye contact? Great! Active listening is an important skill and keeps your mind on the question at hand.

Both you and your interviewer are getting more information from each other nonverbally than verbally. If you are paying attention, you can control the information they are getting from you and understand the information they are giving you back.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Reflections: Is it Time to Quit Your Job?

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:19:00 GMT

The other day I was looking back at my writing of a year ago and realized it has been exactly a year since I quit my job.

Yes, I quit. In a terrible economy, with high unemployment, I willingly chose to leave.

I have never regretted quitting, but even now it’s interesting to look back on why it was the right decision for me at the time.

As a new year approaches, there are probably many people out there working in jobs they don’t love and wondering if there isn’t something better somewhere else. Before quitting, however, it’s important to properly evaluate whether it’s really time.

Is your job making you sick? Some jobs, for various reasons, are so stressful that they cause you to have medical problems like headaches, back pain, reduced immunity and sleeplessness. If the health issues are inhibiting your creativity or stopping you from enjoying your life outside of work, it might be time to look elsewhere.

Has your employer downsized your job too much? Many employers have reduced hours, and pay, in recent years, especially in creative fields. They are not investing in as many new projects and don’t feel that they need as many staff hours. A downsizing can be good for your work/life balance or it could mean you have to add another part-time job to your schedule. Remember--you’re investing your “time capital” in your employer. If it becomes a money-losing proposition, put your capital into a better investment.

How is your relationship with your Manager? If this relationship has somehow been damaged beyond repair, there is very little likelihood that your situation will improve or they will recommend you for a promotion or transfer to another department. If your ambitions rise above your current role, you need to find somewhere you can grow.

Dread. If you start every workday with a shudder and a sense of impending doom, leave.

Have you learned everything you’re going to learn? This is the one I realized was true after I had already decided to quit. I would have spent my remaining time in my role doing the same projects over and over. Easy, yes. Also boring and a waste of time and talent. That “time capital” is not endless—don’t waste it!

With the holiday season already upon us, it is a great time to evaluate your situation at work. If you find yourself thankful for the relationships you have built, for the rewards your job offers, for the opportunities for growth and learning that it brings, stay where you are. But if you are suffering, you can take your talents to freelancing, to entrepreneurship or to another role that offers you what you need to flourish.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:11:00 GMT

Hard to believe another Autumn is upon us and the beginning of the holiday season already here.

This Thanksgiving our team is especially grateful for so very much:

Jamie D: This year I am most thankful that I have been able to collaborate with people who are focused on making a difference in the success of others.

Jess: I am most thankful for the love, support and health of those family members and friends who mean so much to me.

Ana: I am grateful for the realization that I can begin again in every moment - drop the past and BE present!

Margaret: I am most grateful for having such a loving husband who is so good to me! I am also thankful for my mom who is 82 and for the most part healthy and happy.

Stephanie: I am grateful to be working with Artisan!

Laura: I am grateful for my family and health...might seem cliche, but it's so true!

Kevin: I am thankful for massive snowfall at Heavenly (and Mammoth), getting to work with reasonable & ethical partners, my dogs, being able to so easily describe myself as "short and bald with glasses", my always-accommodating and welcoming immediate family and extended family all over the USA and Black Label.

Katty: I am thankful for the Love and Support of Family and Friends. Definitely came in handy this year!

Wendy: This year I am most thankful for the support of my friends and family. I made a lot of decisions that were very risky and they have all worked out beautifully, but I never could have arrived where I am without the inspiration, encouragement and acceptance of the people in my life.

From all of us at Artisan - we wish you and yours a very Happy (and tasty!) Thanksgiving Holiday!

Time Management Tips for Freelance Entrepreneurs

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:56:00 GMT

“Freelance Entrepreneur” might sound like an oxymoron, but freelancing is entrepreneurship at its most basic. Entrepreneurship means taking risks with your income, your career, your security in the service of innovation.

As a freelancer your capital isn’t money, it’s time.

As a Freelance Entrepreneur you offer your capital to others to help complete their projects. How you spend that capital is up to you. You choose what projects you want to work on, you choose with whom you work, and you choose when you want to do the work.

If you think of your time as capital, you can also think if it as an investment. Then it becomes very clear that your time needs to be managed well in order to make it grow. We would all like the time we have with our families or the time we spend pursuing our passions to be greater. The more successful our investments, the more rewards we will reap.

Here are some tips for managing your capital:

Start with a plan. Whether you plan a week in advance, the night before for the next day or in the morning before you jump into the day’s work - plan your time. Although you need to be flexible—you never know when a client will call with an emergency—try to stick to the plan.
Set goals for the day. You will never feel like you accomplished anything if you don’t know what it was you set out to accomplish.
Set an ending time for work. You will be more productive if you know when you’re going to step away from the computer. Without an end time, there is a greater temptation to continue working on things you don’t need to and, therefore, never accomplish what you set out to do.
Take scheduled breaks. Walk away. Stretch. Look at something other than the screen. Go outside. When you plan out the day, plan your breaks too.
Track your time. This is easy to overlook. If you set a specific amount of time to work on something – make sure you keep to that schedule. If you need more time – and have to push something else back – make up for it tomorrow. By knowing how much time you work on projects – you can also better manage your time on future projects that are similar in nature.

I’m not always good at following my own guidelines, but I’m resolved to try. When I plan my day and know that I spent enough time on each project, I don’t feel guilty when break time comes and I get to spend a relaxing evening with my family. And isn’t that the real reason we’re freelancers?

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Are You an Entrepreneur? Yes, You Are!

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:47:00 GMT

No matter what industry or field you work in, whether you work for a multinational corporation, a mom-and-pop storefront or in your home office, you are an entrepreneur. Congratulations!

Today’s workforce will have a completely different career experience from their parents and grandparents. Gone are the days of getting an entry-level job out of college, moving up, and retiring, all in the same company. Also gone are the days of having one career your entire working life, even if you change employers.

Today’s workforce is will change jobs every 3-5 years. Today’s workforce will have between three and seven entirely different careers. Whether you work for yourself or for others, if you think of yourself as an entrepreneur, you will succeed at life as well as work.

Entrepreneurs start new ventures despite the risks. Are you an Entrepreneur?

I work in an office. How am I an Entrepreneur?

You are a person with skills, providing a product. You take risks by spending your time on someone else’s projects in the hope that they will give you more business and eventually give you the opportunity to start something new. You are an entrepreneur.

I work in retail. How am I an Entrepreneur?

Working in a retail business doesn’t feel like entrepreneurship, but you can think of it as an internship by immersion. If retail is where you want to be, you can use this experience to learn the business from the bottom up and pick up lessons you could never learn any other way. You take the risk that the time you spend training will be valuable when you start your own new venture. You are an entrepreneur.

I am an artist. How am I an Entrepreneur?

If an artist does not think like an entrepreneur, no one will ever see their work. Artists are not traditionally comfortable with the business aspects of their careers, but without sales, all you have is living room full of paintings. Without auditions and demo tapes, you’re just singing in the shower.

Artists are familiar with risk and being accountable only to themselves. All they need is to put some of their drive into making art a business. If you are not thinking about marketing, you are missing out on a big part of your career. You are an entrepreneur!

I am a freelancer. How am I an Entrepreneur?

This one is easy! Your business is yourself. You develop a brand, a list of customers and a marketing strategy. You are out there scratching for more business and making connections to broaden your customer base. You are taking a risk every day that you might not have a steady income stream. You are clearly an entrepreneur.

I read an article on the Entrepreneurs’ Organization website called “What’s Your Personal Culture?” It really spoke to me about how to achieve an entrepreneurial mindset. If you have a clear mission, make smart business decisions about where to spend your time, and develop and implement a marketing strategy for yourself, you are indeed an Entrepreneur.

Wendy Stackhouse, Entrepreneur and Consultant for Artisan Creative

Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:22:00 GMT

This week entrepreneurship is being celebrated in 123 countries engaging more than 10 million current and aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011. Entities such as The Kaufman Foundation and EO are helping the world learn how entrepreneurs are driving the change we need to overcome these challenging times. By coming together to share their collective experience, participating entrepreneurs will inspire and support the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Kiva is just one prime example of how a small group of entrepreneurs can positively impact a much broader base of global ones, by giving them the opportunity to build something that will return on their investment. Who knows the impact a week like this will have on the entrepreneurs of tomorrow!

Whether by necessity or choice, the entrepreneurial spirit comes from within, and in many ways the freelancers our company works with are entrepreneurs. By running their own business every day - selling, marketing, creating, invoicing and collecting - freelancers face the same business challenges that entrepreneurs do.

I encourage each of our freelancers to spend some time this week learning about what it takes to change your community and the world as an entrepreneur!

Jamie Douraghy, President

7 Tips for Better Negotiating: How to Close the Deal

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:36:00 GMT

As a freelancer, I found myself presented with a rather unattractive job offer this past week and ended up thinking a lot about negotiating and how I wanted to handle the situation. I would like to close the deal and have some additional work – but was I willing to compromise significantly to make it happen? I decided to do some research about successful negotiating and found some pretty useful tips for anyone who might be searching for a job or freelance work:

Be prepared. Once an offer has been made, you should have an answer ready for any scenario. The salary might be lower than expected, but you get to work from home. The drive might be further, but you would be working with one of your dream companies. Know your deal-breakers and on what you are willing to compromise.
Plan your next move. When the offer is not ideal, make sure you are clear on what is most important to you. It might be vacation days, overtime, salary or telecommuting opportunities. There might be a way to get a concession on whatever your sticking point might be. Don’t be afraid to get creative with a counter-offer.
Know what the other side needs. Their agenda is not your agenda, but they do need something from you. When presenting a counter offer - lay out exactly what value you bring to the table and make sure they understand that what they are getting from you is unique.
Be sincere, polite and business-like. By being yourself you remind them how much they would like to work with you day in and day out. Even if these negotiations don’t work out for either party, don’t burn any bridges. If they really need you, they might come back to you at a later time - but not if your relationship has been damaged by the negotiation process.
Practice. Try out your presentation on someone else first. It will help clarify your thoughts and the language you will use in the negotiation. The more constructive feedback – the more focused your presentation. The more you practice, the better you will deliver.
Know when to walk away. This is the hardest one, especially in a down market for employment. Remember that the way they treat you before you are hired is a good indicator of their company culture. A deal that negatively affects either party in some way is not a good deal. If it doesn’t offer you something you can be happy with, try again somewhere else.

As for me, I have decided to walk away from my unattractive offer for a few reasons and am preparing for that conversation later today. I have run my arguments by a few trusted friends and am determined to be polite and sincere, but express very clearly that this is no longer a good deal for me. We shall see if there is a counter-offer in the cards!

UPDATE: My negotiation meeting went very well and I received a better offer a few days later, which I accepted!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

LinkedIn for Creatives

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:20:00 GMT

We’ve written quite a few articles on how to use LinkedIn for your creative job search and thought it would be helpful to put them all in one place.

LinkedIn is a necessary social media platform for anyone in today's workforce, whether working, looking for work or freelancing. It is where businesspeople are looking to get details about our lives and interests before they interview (or decide whom to interview) and where we can find commonalities with those who might be looking to hire us.

It also provides opportunities for us to help one another by introducing people we trust to other trusted professionals who would never have had the chance to meet without our assistance. We have all heard of a friend who is looking for work and would like to be able to help them but don’t know what to do. LinkedIn is a place to do something tangible for the people we care about.

Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile: Getting Started

This post discusses why to join LinkedIn if you are in a creative field and gave tips for the initial sign-up process as well as pitfalls to avoid. We also talk about the importance of telling your story and how to adapt the information on your resume to make it work for you on this platform.

Maximizing LinkedIn: Connections

In this article, we help you decide with whom you want to connect. There are some simple questions you want to ask about each person you are considering and those who invite you to be in their network. I also tell a personal story about how LinkedIn provided me with amazing opportunity!

Maximizing LinkedIn: Groups

Here we talk about why you should join LinkedIn Groups, how to find Groups that are valuable to you and what to do once you are a member. The interaction that happens in groups is very important to using LinkedIn to promote your brand and your expertise.

Maximizing LinkedIn: Job Search

Finally, we brought it all together to highlight how LinkedIn can help creatives in particular in their job search process. We offer many ways LinkedIn can give you an advantage, help you do better in your interviews and feel empowered.

Being a member of LinkedIn has definitely been an advantage in my job search journey. I am grateful to my coaches and colleagues for pushing me to use it often and well. I hope our articles can help make LinkedIn a valuable part of your job search process!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

7 Twitter Tips for Creative Job Search

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:06:00 GMT

If you’re on a job search, you’re already probably spending a lot of time on the internet.

We’ve already talked about how LinkedIn can help your search. But there is a less formal social media platform that can have just as significant an impact—Twitter.

I read an interesting article the other day on Social Media Examiner: 17 Twitter Marketing Tips from the Pros. A lot of the tips in that article are terrific, but I thought they missed a very important marketing angle – marketing oneself on a job search. So here’s my take on their tips…and a few of my own.

“Share Valuable Content in Your Own Voice.” I couldn’t agree more! I would add that creatives who are copywriters should craft those 140 characters even more carefully than the general user. Artists and designers should also make sure to include links to their visual work as often as possible.

“Share Links to Useful Content.” Their advice is to share more links than you do @replies. This is a good reminder to be helpful. If you have something insightful to say about something you read, link back. If you offer valuable links often enough, your followers will be happy they followed you. You never know who might be reading your feed and looking to fill a creative role!

“Use Search Features.” The article talks about using search to find out what your customers want. When you are looking for work, you can use search to your advantage as well. Search ‘“creative” “los angeles”’ or “looking for a designer” and other keywords to get a quick list of potential openings and feeds to follow.

“Improve Your Networking.” In our posts about LinkedIn, we discussed that joining groups to interact with influencers with whom we are not personally connected is a great tip. Twitter is even better for this, since you can follow anyone on the platform. When you find the thought leaders in your industry, follow them, retweet them, reply to them, engage with them. Eventually you will be connected to them, too!

Twitter and Blogs. If you are following interesting people who also write on longer-form blogs, follow their links, read their blogs and comment on them. This deepens the rather shallow relationships of Twitter into real interactions and might get you another Follower yourself. If you are blogging, make sure you Tweet links to your blog as well. Do it often.

Tweet more often. People with large Follow lists will miss you completely if you only Tweet in the morning or once or twice a day. Or they could be in a different time zone and not reading during your workday. Although it is a good idea not to Tweet 10 times in 2 minutes, every half hour or so is a nice pace. You can use a scheduler like HootSuite to set up a whole day of posts in 30 minutes!

Use the limitations of Twitter to hone your message. 140 characters isn’t much but they can be extremely powerful. Eliminate the extraneous. Be clear. Be concise. Twitter is a little bit (only a little) like writing poetry. It doesn’t work until there is nothing left to cut out.

Twitter may be a fun platform for more playful and informal conversation, but it does have some of the social media “etiquette” - write carefully, provide valuable original content and engage with others. If you put some thought into Twitter, it can work for you in any business context.

For more tips, news and links, Follow us at @artisanupdates!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Communication 101 for Freelancers

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:44:00 GMT

It’s World Communication Week (November 1-7) and a good time to think about the challenges of communications in today’s working environment. Many more people are working as freelancers and working offsite, presenting communication issues that don’t arise when everyone is working in the same office together.

Some things to consider about communication as a freelancer:

Time Zone

If you are working offsite, you might be in a different time zone or even a different country from your client. Either one of you might have expectations of prompt responses to emails or calls which seem unreasonable to the other. I have one client in Central Time, which means he takes lunch right when I’m working. If I send him an urgent email, he won’t respond until it’s too late for me to make my deadline. I know I have to text him to get a quick answer. Talk to your client about your working hours and the best ways to communicate with each other.

Get it in Writing

Phone calls are great for saving time when exchanging small pieces of information or asking a question or two. However, having detailed instructions or answers in writing proves invaluable when you sit down to actually work on your project. An email can serve as your checklist, ensuring haven’t missed any important elements. Even when I have a meeting by phone with a client, I take notes and write them up clearly when it’s over. This might seem like a bit of extra work, but the wasted time over mistakes or having to clarify is much more significant.

Updates

Clients can get nervous if they haven’t heard from you in a while during your project. Even if you haven’t finished anything, regular updates, about what you have accomplished so far and what your next steps will be, are essential. For some clients – this means a morning and evening update. For other clients it might be every few days. Confirm with your client ahead of time how often you should be in touch. Services such as Basecamp can be a great tool for managing your project, timelines and updates.

Ask Questions

We all want our clients to feel like we “get it” right away and are off and running. But we’ve all delivered a project we thought was complete only to find that it needs significant reworking. Sometimes this is because the client doesn’t really know what he or she wants until they see it. But often, it is because we failed to ask key questions throughout the process. If in doubt, check it out!

Use Collaboration Technology

With the amount of technology out there to improve communication – there is really no excuse not to be better communicators. Skype and Chat services (AIM, iChat, etc) allow for instant, free communication. You can even share send and share small files. Services like Dropbox, box.net or Google Docs make it easy for you to share files with your clients and get their feedback, no matter what time or place you are working. Google Docs even allows you both to edit and track changes to your documents in real time. These tools are just another way to allow clients to monitor your pace of work and deliverables.

As we talked about last week, freelancing has a lot of good points: flexibility, choice, environment, independence. Successful freelancing, like any other work situations, thrives on good communication.

If you put some thought into the best ways to keep the lines of communication open, your freelancing relationships will not only bring you monetary rewards, but also more clients in the future.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Wendy has worked as a freelance singer, transcriptionist, legal assistant, writer, web designer, choral conductor and web content development instructor. Right now, she is freelancing full time for clients in recruiting, environmental services, public relations, web content and music, and will be teaching a workshop in Website Content Development next month.

Giving Back Gives Back to You, Too

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:43:00 GMT

We’ve all heard politicians on both sides of the aisle talk about the importance of Volunteerism in America. Part of America’s “exceptionalism” is Americans’ willingness to help one another, in times of crisis and on ordinary days. The personal fulfillment that comes from investing time in a cause that you are passionate about or helping an underserved population cannot be overestimated. The same goes for the tangible benefits brought to the organizations and people one serves. But volunteering can bring you benefits that you may not have considered, especially if you are in the midst of a job search process.

Volunteerism and the Job Hunt

When you are looking for work, volunteerism can sound a lot like working for free. Not ideal when you need some income. But try to think about what your volunteer experience might bring you even if it is not monetary rewards.

Keep your skills up-to-date—when you haven’t worked in a while, it’s easy to let your skills lax or creative energy die. Use those skills to help a nonprofit and stay on top of the latest trends and technology. Organizations like the Taproot Foundation tap into the Creative industries, specifically, for Design and Marketing talent. Projects there can make a great addition to any portfolio.

Network—you will probably have a chance to meet some of the movers and shakers at your volunteer organization and start a relationship that could lead to a job when an opening occurs. You immediately rise to the top of the resume pile without even having an interview!

Get recommendations—if you do a good job, you can ask your manager to write you a letter of recommendation or an endorsement on LinkedIn.

Transition into a new role—your transferable skills can be very useful to a non-profit, even if it is not in a field you have worked in before. Get your foot in the door in a new industry – who knows where it could lead you.

Eliminate gaps in your resume’s timeline—a potential employer likes to see that you have been working steadily before you interview. A volunteer position can be listed as Work Experience. LinkedIn also has a new category for Volunteer Experience which is another way to get that information out to hiring managers.

I am a member of a group of experienced professionals called the LA Fellows, a career development program which brings together highly-skilled workers with meaningful volunteer opportunities which will help them in their job search process. I asked my colleagues, “What has your volunteer experience done for you?” Here are some of their answers:

Robert Kanter: “It helped me reassess my value to an organization as a leader, teacher and communicator.”

Caroline McElroy: “My volunteer experience filled in a gap in my resume, gave me something exciting to talk about in interviews and inspired me to go back to publishing a newsletter and blogging.”

Joy Pacifici: “Volunteering makes me happy by letting me give back to causes I believe in. And when I am happy, I am a more effective person at work and in life.”

I am also a committed volunteer - at my children’s schools, in the classroom and for booster clubs, with my church and as a Girl Scout Leader. Volunteering is an important part of my life and has become an important element in my career development as well. Perhaps you, too, can discover just how rewarding it can be.

“Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, they send forth a tiny ripple of hope… These ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Robert F. Kennedy

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

The Pros and Cons of Being a Creative Freelancer

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:04:00 GMT

According to MSN Money this week, freelancing is “the future of work.”

New employer businesses have declined 27 percent since 2006, but if you count newly self-employed people in the sample of startups, the numbers have stayed the same and, in some cases, even increased. Many of these self-employed talent have been freelancers all along, but there are large numbers of unemployed creatives taking their skills and starting their own businesses.

Technology and globalization have made it possible for “solopreneurs” to launch their own businesses with greater ease. And in today’s job market, especially for recent grads and older workers, “solopreneurship” might be the best option for making a living.

But freelancing is not for everyone. Whether freelancing is the right option for you depends on a lot of factors, some of which are very personal.

Here are some of the pros and cons to help you figure out whether the freelancing life is right for you:

Pros:

• Flexibility – Want to work mornings and evenings, but not afternoons? Need to take care of your children or want to volunteer twice a week? You can make your own schedule if you work for yourself. If you want time to work on your personal projects, you can fit those in, too. Flexibility usually means a better work-life balance.

• Environment – Working from home allows you to work where you’re most comfortable and with all of your favorite equipment, software and set-up. No commute means you also lower your carbon footprint.

• Fill in the gaps on your resume – If you’re looking for a full time job, freelancing is a good way to keep your skills up-to-date and keep your resume from developing a lot of white space. Partnering with a freelance recruiting firm that specializes in your area can help add potential clients and projects to your resume as well.

• Save money – Gas, wardrobe, lunches – all things you don’t have to purchase often when you’re working for yourself. There are also many great tax benefits available, depending on how you set up your business (we advise that you see a Tax Specialist who has worked with Independent Contractors or Sole Proprieters for more information).

• No micromanagement – With no boss looking over your shoulder, you can have less stress and be more focused on the project at hand.

• Choice – As the sole creative in charge of your craft, you have the freedom to work on only the projects that inspire you. Never again do you have to accept projects that you find tedious or unpleasant.

That all sounds great, doesn’t it? However, there can be a downside to freelancing:

Cons:

• No benefits – When you’re not working – you’re not getting paid. No more discounted or free health insurance or 401K contributions. These items are all out of pockets expenses for which you are now directly responsible.

• No steady income – If you are providing a valuable service and marketing yourself well, you should be making money. But it can take time to build a stable of clients. And even then, your clients’ needs can change during certain times of the month or seasonally. If that makes you nervous, you might want to keep your cubicle for a while longer.

• No accountability – While to freedom to self-manage is great, if you have trouble staying on-task or delivering to deadline when not managed, you will have trouble being a freelancer. Excellent discipline and time-management skills are key to keeping your clients happy!

• Interruptions – Anyone who has worked from home and has a family or roommate can tell you stories about how they are always interrupted. Setting boundaries with those you live with is essential to successful freelancing.

• The buck stops here – If your clients need something right away or there is a problem with something you have produced, it’s your job to take care of it. Sometimes that means late nights or early mornings to ensure everything is done on time.

Bottom Line:

If you enjoy working independently, can handle a little uncertainty and are comfortable marketing yourself for new work, freelancing could be a great choice for you.

If you like a lot of guidance or interaction, need steady income and/or want to close your laptop every day at 5, keep looking for that traditional role.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

The Power of Proofreading

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:52:00 GMT

I feel sure you’ve heard this before.

Proofread your work. And your resume. And your cover letter. And your email. And your blog. And your online portfolio.

Since high school, or even before, people have been telling you and you have been…spell checking.

Sometimes. Spell check is not enough.

The power of proofreading is a negative power. Typographical errors, misspellings and grammatical mistakes suck the potential right out of an otherwise promising candidate. Instead they leave your resume a crushed ball in someone’s trash can.

Picture this: You’re a marketing pro looking for work and see a posting for the perfect role in the perfect place for the perfect salary. You have all the experience and education the job requires, and you excitedly attach your resume to an email with a little note of introduction. You click “Send” without another thought. A couple of days later you decide to use that introduction as the start of another email cover letter, only to discover that you spelled the hiring manager’s name wrong. Spell check won’t catch that one!

How about this? A hiring manager has decided to take a look at a web designer’s online portfolio to see if she thinks his aesthetic will work for her company. She clicks on the link he has provided and finds herself on his beautifully designed homepage. It boasts evocative photographs and a clear user interface.

But one of his menu items reads: “Web Content Mangement.”

What does that make her think?

Did his resume and work say “attention to detail?” Not so much.

76% of recruiters in a survey about typos said that mistakes would cause them to take a candidate out of the running for an interview.

Do you really want 76% of hiring managers throwing out your resume because of a typo? I don’t like those odds!

What is the secret?

Proofread. Proofread again. Have your mother proofread. Your spouse. Heck, your kid (I’ve been proofreading my father’s academic papers since I was 8). Put as many eyeballs on your materials as you have friends you trust. And a couple after that.

In this uncertain job market, you don’t have any wiggle room. This one is easy to fix. Fix it!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Maximizing LinkedIn: Job Search

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:20:00 GMT

I didn’t sign up with LinkedIn until I was looking for a job. I hadn’t even really heard of it when I was working in the non-profit sector and busy with the many hats I wore there.

I should have signed up earlier.

I’ve written before about one of my career development coaches, Larry Braman of Global Career Consulting and Placement and beloved instructor at the LA Fellows (not to mention reconnected old friend from singing days in New York—that is a story!). Larry not only taught me most of the things I know about LinkedIn, he gave me homework: 100% Profile in about 5 days. From nothing.

When we came back to class with (some of) our profiles (mostly) finished, we broke up into small groups to make lists of how to use various social media platforms for Job Search. Since I was familiar with Twitter and Facebook already, I went to the LinkedIn group, not so much to offer input as to ask, “What is this good for, anyway?”

Luckily, my friend and colleague Jay Bernard was there to give me the scoop.

There are many aspects of being on a job search which make us feel relatively powerless. I mean, hey, bottom line, you’re waiting for someone else to say “Yes!” and you can’t do anything until they do. That mystery hiring manager seems to hold all the cards.

LinkedIn is a place to feel like you are seizing back the power for yourself. And that empowerment will feed your energy in interviews, your decisions about how you spend your job search time and how much effort you really put into finding that perfect role.

Branding

That 100% profile? That’s your brand! It shows what you have done, what you can do, what you want to do and what you love to do, if you’ve gone ahead and told your story.

Research

Make sure you know the name of the hiring manager you are interviewing with before you go and check them out on LinkedIn. You can find out what you have in common and also come up with interesting things to ask based on facts like how long they have been with the company and what roles the have had in the past.

Build Your Credibility

Interacting in Groups can help you show off your expertise. Your Profile will show which Groups you belong to and let a hiring manager see how involved you are in their industry. Take the opportunity to comment and start discussions and show off your expertise.

Fill in Gaps

If you are between roles but volunteering or interning using any of your transferable skills (I hope you are!), LinkedIn now offers a Volunteer category in your Profile to list those activities. This is a great way to cover any possible gap in your employment history. I will be talking about Volunteerism in an upcoming post, so please come back for that.

Introductions

As your list of connections grows, monitor it for connections to your target companies. Get your 1st level connections to introduce you to theirs. If you followed my advice about whom to connect with, they should say yes!

One of the hardest things about the job search process is never knowing which iron in the fire is going to be the one that pays off. The iron in the LinkedIn fire has a lot of potential, if you stir the coals and feed the flames!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

3 Reasons You May Have a Hard Time Working with Recruiters

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:49:00 GMT

Many job seekers bemoan the fact that they send out countless resumes hoping to land the perfect role and hardly any of them are even acknowledged. It takes a lot of time, research and effort to mount a successful job search. However, there are a few things that will almost always result in your resume landing in the “circular file”:

Local candidates only - When a job posting includes this phrase – or something similar - it’s because the hiring company requires immediate assistance and/or will not pay for an employee to relocate. If you’re in Texas and the job is in Los Angeles - even if you are PERFECT for that job and willing to relocate at your own expense – chances are your resume won’t even be reviewed. Spend your time applying to local jobs – or wait until you have relocated before applying. Your likelihood of landing this job is highly unlikely.
Need a Visa? If you require a Visa to work in the US, your job search will definitely be more difficult than those without visa restrictions. Start your search with companies that have international offices or deal with international clients and markets. Though many of these clients will consider hiring someone who needs a Visa, it is usually only done for high-level or hard-to-fill positions only. As a rule, most freelance staffing agencies are not able to work with talent who do not have a visa or require sponsorship.
Introduce yourself – If you are in the practice of sending resumes without even a hello, consider yourself deleted. You are much better off attaching a formal cover letter or writing a short email introduction explaining who you are and why you are interested in the position advertised. Don’t forget to include a link to your website or creative portfolio if you’re in the creative sector. This is often the first thing hiring managers will click on.

Recruiters are invested in the success of your job search, too! Help them help you!

Kevin Kahn, Talent Manager

Maximizing LinkedIn: Groups

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:23:00 GMT

You’re all set up, your profile is perfect, you’ve found everyone you know in real life that’s on LinkedIn and connected with them. The next thing you want to do is find some groups to join.

There are different kinds of groups on LinkedIn:

Members-only
Open

You can join a Members-only group if you are qualified. A Group Administrator just has to approve your request to join. Or you can be invited. One of my groups is just for members of a class that I took last year. Click on the “Join this Group” button and a Group Administrator will let you know if you can be a member. Sometimes this takes a little while as the “Admins” are working people just like you who only check LinkedIn once a day or so. Be patient!

You can join an Open group just by clicking on the “Join this Group” button. You’re in!

What are Groups good for?

Asking questions. Start a Discussion with an issue or concern you have or ask for advice.
Finding out what people in your industry are talking about in real time.
Commenting on Discussions and offering your own expertise.
Becoming an influencer in your industry by providing insight and advice to others.
Connecting with people you DON’T know personally, but are influencers you would like to interact with.

How do I find a Group to join?

LinkedIn will suggest groups in your Right Sidebar based on the keywords in your Profile. Check those groups out—some of them will be a good fit, others probably not.

In the Search box at the top right of your page, you can click on different categories: People, Companies, etc. Click on Groups and search for a keyword you’re interested in. For purposes of this article, I put in “Creative.” I got over 50 pages of Groups. Most of those won’t apply to me, so I might refine my search and try “Creative Los Angeles” or “Creative Design” but I still get plenty of Groups to check out.

You can also use the Groups Directory.

You can search for your hobbies, places you volunteer, companies you’re following or interested in, industries you would like to work in but don’t yet, the list goes on and on. LinkedIn does limit you to 50 groups, so if you get close to your limit and some groups have become more important to your networking you might want to cull. I’m a member of 25 groups so far.

What happens when I am a member of a Group?

You will need to make some decisions about how you want to be contacted. You can do all of your communicating on LinkedIn, have every message in the Group sent to your email Inbox or anything in between. I usually like to have a “Daily Digest” sent to my email in groups I want to follow closely. That way I get to see the discussions, but I don’t get inundated with emails. If I were looking for a job, I might want to be notified more often so I could jump on any good opportunities right away.

Because, yes, Groups have job postings.

Your Digest email will have New Discussions, Continuing Discussions, and New Job Listings. If you’re interested, take a look.

The real benefit of joining Groups is being able to participate and interact with people who are talking about what you want to talk about, whether you know them or not. Be an influencer, be engaged, be interactive. That’s what Social Media is for!

Next time: Maximizing LinkedIn: Job Seekers

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Maximizing LinkedIn: Connections

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:25:00 GMT

Last week we talked about what to do first when you sign up with LinkedIn. I hope your profile is 100% complete, even if you are still making changes and reworking your story.

Now it’s time to connect!

LinkedIn is a place to network with people you know from your work life and your personal life. In other words, people from your real life. Only.

They don’t have to be in your industry or have any professional connection to you. The just need to be people you really know and whom you would be happy to introduce to someone else you know.

You will hear from people who are looking for high numbers of connections, not high quality connections. High numbers are useless if they do not represent real relationships.

So for each person you consider adding to your connections, ask yourself:

Do I know them in real life?
Would I introduce them to other people I know?

That’s it!

Don’t worry about if they’re in your industry, if you’ve worked with them, if you know what they do or even if they are working at all. You never know what connections will end up being important.

I will finish with a story. Once upon a time I wanted an informational interview with someone who worked in one of my target companies. I asked my coach, “How do I find someone at X company to talk to?” My coach’s response was, “Check LinkedIn.”

Two minutes later, a lovely woman sitting two rows behind me had a copy of my resume to hand to her friend that night at a basketball game because her friend worked for my target company and my friend knew I was a safe person to introduce to her. Two minutes.

Two days later, I was having coffee with her.

Next time: Joining Groups

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

7 Reasons to Use a Recruiter to Find Talent

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:27:00 GMT

If you’ve ever been in a position that required you to hire staff, then you’ll know exactly why the recruitment industry exists – to help clients make their way through the costly and often confusing hiring maze!

Recruiters are experts at developing key search criteria for a given position and then sourcing, qualifying and negotiating with talent to secure a successful full time or freelance placement. Though much recruitment is conducted through a specialist recruitment agency or a contract recruiter hired for a short time to assist with key hires, some recruiters can also be found working full time directly for the company doing the hiring. It really depends on the size and type of business you are running.

Is hiring a recruiter right for your company?

Before you decide to use a recruiter to find talent, consider the following:

A recruiter can save you time by going through the dozens, or even hundreds, of applicants interested in your position to find only the best of the best.
A good recruiter will have high quality candidates already in their network – an amazing, creative and experienced pool of talent already qualified and ready to present to you.
The best recruiters will always pre-screen candidates, making sure that you only interview those who are truly a good fit.
Recruiters offer substantial cost savings. They post your jobs to numerous paid job boards on your behalf, take care of taxes and insurance for freelancers and only get paid for their services if they are successful.
A specialist recruiter knows the industry and the skills required for certain positions. Therefore, they understand your specific needs intimately and, with a little education about your company and culture, can become an extension of your company to potential candidates.
By involving a third party not associated with your company, recruiters allow you to search for talent confidentially, without posting the details of your talent search publicly. This is key if you’re looking to replace a current employee or vendor.
Recruiters have access to candidates who are not on the open market and may not hear about your opportunity otherwise.

Have you used a recruiter to find your staff? We would love to hear your story!

Looking for a job yourself? Consider using a recruiter for your job search as well!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative, with help from everyone on Our Team

Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile: Getting Started

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:28:00 GMT

Everybody’s talking about LinkedIn these days. And a lot of them are asking questions.

How many people does it take in your Network to start paying off?
What’s it really good for?
Did anyone ever get anything out of it?
Who do you connect with?
Who do you avoid?
Most of all, how can I make LinkedIn work for me?

I will get to all of these questions, but first let’s avoid a few pitfalls. Larry Braman from Global Career Consulting gave me a lot of great advice about getting started with LinkedIn that I would love to pass along!

Get your LinkedIn Profile up to 100% completeness. Your Profile will take a lot of tweaking, you’re not finished yet, but don’t let it sit there looking unfinished. The very first people who find you should be able to get an idea of who you are.
Turn off your Activity Broadcasts (temporarily). While you are doing that tweaking we talked about, you don’t want your connections to see every time you put in a comma. When you think you’re finished, turn Activity Broadcasts back on, since then it will show when you land a new job, volunteer at a new organization or get a new endorsement!
Enter your Experience manually. If you let LinkedIn enter the information for you, it will not look the way you want. Take the time to do this yourself.
When LinkedIn asks if you would like to send invitations to all of your Contacts, say NO. First of all, you don’t want to send the same generic invitation to everyone. Second of all, you don’t even want to connect with everyone in your email Contacts (we will get to this later, too). Third of all, and most important, you can’t ask everyone again later, when you figure out how to do this, without looking like an idiot.

LinkedIn is great for finding people you already know, but you don’t know what they do: other parents from school might work at one of your target companies; people who attend church with you might be looking to hire, you never know.

Most of all, though, LinkedIn, like your resume, is telling your story. What you do, your job responsibilities, your achievements, your education, what is important to you. It is a place for people to find things they have in common and ways to help each other.

Next time: What do I do now?

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

One-Up the Competition: 3 Ways to Get a Recruiter’s Attention

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:47:00 GMT

As creative recruiters, talent are always asking us about the best way to stand out from the countless applications we receive. While a well-written cover letter or introduction email is a good start, job seekers need to do more to make sure their background and skills are being properly considered.

Here are a few tips to get our attention:

1. Be concise. What’s your elevator pitch? Present us with one short and sweet paragraph about why you are perfect for the job to which you are applying. Not too much, not too little. Tell us how your experience specifically applies to the job requirements. This not only makes your history more appealing, but also makes it easier for us to place you.

2. Do NOT bury the lead. If you have a degree from a well-known school, have won credible industry awards or worked with top brands - hit us with that right up front. Don’t make us wait until the bottom of page 2 on your resume!

3. Follow up. Email us every couple of weeks or so to say, “Hey, just wanted to remind you that I am available for work. I’m an art director looking for $45/hr and available to drive anywhere in Los Angeles County. Here’s my website.” This helps keep you top of mind with our company and helps us better serve our clients when we know what talent are available.

Next time: 3 Reasons You’ll Have A Hard Time working with Recruiters.

Kevin Kahn
Talent Manager

Revive Your Creativity

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:35:00 GMT

If you follow Artisan Creative on Twitter or like us on Facebook (and if you don’t yet, click on the links!), you probably noticed that this week’s theme is Creativity.

I spent some time getting inspired by finding quotations about creativity and ended up thinking about the ways I get inspired--get my creative juices flowing.

Whether it’s the 4:00 Wednesday afternoon slump or you just feel stuck looking at that blank screen, there are lots of ways to inspire and enhance your creativity:

Learn something new. Picking up a new skill makes you think differently about the skillsets you already have and especially ways to make them work together.
Get out and get moving. Changing your environment can definitely inspire new ways of thinking about old problems, especially if you’re feeling stuck.
Start by fixing something small that’s broken. You may not know how you want your entire design concept to look, but you can fix that header and maybe that will tell you what you want to do with the next element. And the next.
Keep a notepad and pencil in every room. Don’t let those fleeting moments of brilliance get away!

Me? I’m a fiber artist in my free time and I love to surround myself with color, riotous, crazy, vibrant color. Color makes me happy, wakes me up and inspires me to make something new—create.

Recently CEO’s were asked what is the most important leadership quality they need but have trouble finding and the winner: creativity.

"The creative person is both more primitive and more cultivated, more destructive, a lot madder and a lot saner, than the average person." Frank Barron

What inspires and enhances your creativity? We would love to hear about it in the comments!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

7 Reasons to Use a Recruiter in Your Job Search

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:33:00 GMT

Last week I asked the recruiters at Artisan to give me their number one reason for using a recruiter to find a new role. I ended up with a pretty comprehensive list. If you are considering adding a recruiter to your job search team, here are some great reasons why:

A recruiter is a consultant acting on your behalf. They are as committed to finding you a perfect new role as you are. They are pro-actively advocating for you and thinking of new opportunities.
A recruiter can get you a lead into the company culture and processes that you could not find out on your own. Your own research can only get you so far. Recruiters can often provide details not listed on job descriptions.
A recruiter can negotiate salary and benefits for you. By knowing the clients’ actual salary range and benefits offering, recruiters may actually be able to get you a better package than advertised.
Resumes from recruiters go to the top of the pile (assuming your recruiter has a good relationship with the client).
An extra set of professional eyes on your resume is incredibly important (especially but not exclusively to eliminate typos).
A recruiter has access to opportunities not listed on job boards.
A recruiter with a great reputation for representing outstanding talent adds value to your brand.

Having a recruiter on your team can be the difference between landing the perfect role and sitting home by yourself wishing for that great job. Consider signing up with a recruiter who places people in your area of expertise. You’ll be glad you did!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative, with help from everyone on Our Team

6 Ways to Beat Burnout & Improve your Work Life Balance

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:53:00 GMT

In recent years, with a number of cutbacks and layoffs, many employees have felt overworked, struggling to balance the demands of their careers and personal lives. Afraid they, too, could be out of a job, they are putting in more hours at work and leaving their health, families and personal enjoyment to suffer.

If you find yourself sharing this frustration - you are not alone!

The good news is that with just a few small changes, you’ll could find yourself not only more effective at work, but also happier when you’re not working.

Here's what we recommend to better juggle all that work and life have to throw your way:

Schedule it. Whether it’s work or play – plan your time and protect it. If you won’t be available certain nights and/or weekends due to family commitments or you need an hour each evening to complete work engagements, communicate these times to both managers and loved ones so they know when they can reach you and when you will respond. With little ones at home, Jess & Jamie G. couldn’t agree more.

Can you Telecommute? In many industries, working from home is both realistic and possible. With no commute, limited office chit-chat and less meetings, you can get more done at work and use the extra time to meet household or personal responsibilities.

Get out and get moving! Everyone on our team agrees that getting out of the office and doing something active is the best way to help them unwind. Jamie D’s article in Business Week discusses how he uses fencing to reduce stress. Maggie is a certified Pilates instructor and loves how Pilates exercises both her body and mind. Carol creates balance, literally, with Yoga. For Laura it’s spinning and walks on the beach! Ana, our Controller, agrees that walking on the beach is great exercise with the bonus of calming waters and relaxing ocean waves!

Be creative! Even if you work in the creative industry – by pursuing a creative outlet that you don’t utilize every day at work, you create a separation from your work life and allow yourself to do something you're truly passionate about. Stephanie in Accounting loves to draw and play music after work. It’s the perfect distraction from all the numbers she deals with during the day.

Switch off. Without technology, we could never keep our work or personal life running smoothly. But it shouldn’t rule your life either. It’s important to make technology-free time to spend with those who are important to you. Set aside rules – and stick to them.

Treat yourself! Doing something special for yourself on occasion isn’t a luxury, but a must. We all work very hard and deserve to be rewarded. Margaret plans a number of short weekend trips to literally get away from her work and personal commitments. It allows her to return to her routine rested and more focused. Kevin prefers an evening of cigars and fine liquor with friends. The perfect escape from a normal evening at home.

Still not sure how to keep everything in check? Try CNN’s Work Life Balance Calculator to help you strike a balance in your work and personal life.

What do you do to beat burnout?

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

Should you be blogging?

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:40:00 GMT

Why Blog for your Business?

Your website is a great place for people to go to find out information about your company. What you do, what you sell, where you are, what jobs are available, who partners with you.

All of that is important.

Your business blog, however, is important, too, and worth spending time on. Your blog gives people a sense of who you are and what is important to you as a company. It lets them know what’s going on at your company that is exciting. It gives you a place to show your appreciation for your employees’ hard work and commitment. It’s also a place to show off your expertise in your field and be helpful.

Is your company culture like a family? Here’s where you can show that. Is it more like a think tank? Here’s where you can show off your analytical skills. Is it a place where creative people collaborate? Here’s where you can showcase all that creativity.

The real benefit of business blogging is in the relationships you can build. If you are out there talking about what you do and asking questions, you will start relationships with your readers. Relationships are everything in today’s business world and are vital to take your business to a whole new level.

Why Blog for your Job Search?

Funny thing is, Job Seekers should be blogging for the same reasons Businesses should. Whether you are a freelancer or employed full time, your business expertise is what makes you relevant in your field.

Blogs offer a way for you to illustrate not only your knowledge of a particular industry or skill, but also show your appreciation for your network. You can also talk longer and more specifically than you ever would in an interview about your mission. You can talk about what is important to you, what inspires you and what gets you excited. You can even showcase your creativity. You can give a potential employer a sense of who you are and how you might fit into their culture.

And again, the real benefit is relationships. Starting conversations, finding people with things in common, getting and giving support all help in your job search.

Check out Wordpress.com or Blogger .com to get started. They are free!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Top 8 Traits Employers are Looking For: Creative and Marketing

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:42:00 GMT

I was reading an article on 8 traits employers are looking for on BioSpace.com the other day and although some of them were right on target, others missed the mark in terms of Creative and Marketing roles. And of course the hard part is making sure you show them all off in your interview.

So here you go, à la David Letterman, my Top 8 Traits Creative Employers are Looking For (and how to work them into your interview):

[DRUM ROLL, PLEASE]

8. Engagement. Direct eye contact and listening skills are just as important as being articulate. Show how well you collaborate right from the start.

7. Confidence. A classic, but still so important. You are creative and skilled and talented. You ARE!

6. Dress. Whatever your style, be clean and put together. Hiring managers expect you to be professional, but still want to see a bit of that personality shine through. Check out our blog for more tips on what to wear to your creative interview.

5. Do your research. Know as much as you can about the company culture and the person you are meeting. Prepare a couple of interesting questions to ask your interviewer. LinkedIn is a great place for finding inspiration!

4. Adaptability. I agree on this one. If there is any chance to express that you’re ready for anything, do so.

3. Curiosity. Creative people are interested in learning new skills and coming up with new angles on old problems.

2. Stories. A great story is gold. Have a few stories prepared to illustrate how you accomplished something challenging, delivered a project with unexpected results or learned a valuable lesson. Come on, you must have some stories to share!

And 1. Energy. Be a bright shiny penny. There are a lot of people out there who are tired, overworked and underpaid. You might be interviewing with one of them. Remember - you may be between roles and stressed, but you are NOT tired!

Did you notice anything that was missed from the lists? What traits do you think are important? We’d love to hear your favorites!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

7 Tips for your Skype Interview

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:53:00 GMT

With a growing number of employers open to telecommuting positions and more hiring being done from corporate locations based elsewhere in the country or world, many jobseekers are finding themselves preparing for interviews via Skype.

As we’ve helped prepare several of our candidates for these types of interviews – we’ve found the following list helpful in preparing:

Monitor your surroundings. Your computer should be set up in a room that is quite, well lit and clean. Ensure your background does not have distracting posters, pictures or wall paper.
Test your equipment. The night before your interview, ensure your software, microphone, camera and internet connection are working correctly. Test your internet connection again 15 minutes before your interview to ensure you’re call can begin on time.
Dress for success. This is an interview – dress as you would for a face to face interview – professional and polished, with a hint of personality.
Be prepared. Like with any interview, make sure you’ve done your research, prepared anecdotes to demonstrate your skills / success and developed a list of questions and/or talking points to refer to when conversation lulls.
Look at the camera, not at the screen. When the interview starts, just as in a face to face interview, you want to establish proper eye contact and maintain it throughout the interview. This helps you better connect with your interviewer.
Prepare your desktop. If screen-sharing will be part of your interview (perhaps to showcase your portfolio of work or review websites), make sure all other windows, programs and files are closed. You should have a professional desktop picture and limited folders on the desktop.
Be Yourself. Remember, this is your only chance to make a first impression. Don’t let the technology scare you! This is about people making a connection. Let your interviewer(s) see the real you. Be genuine about your skills / experience and enthusiastic about the opportunity for which you are being considered!

We wish you the best of luck!

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

What type of creative talent does Artisan actually recruit?

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:54:00 GMT

We’re often asked by both prospective clients and jobseekers – what exactly the “Creative” in our company name really means. After all, the creative industry can encompass so many areas of expertise. So where does Artisan focus our core recruiting, networking and talent development efforts?

While we could just point you to a link on our site with a comprehensive list of the types of roles we recruit. We think it’s always better to show you creatively…

Still have questions? We’re happy to help. Contact us directly for more information.

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

Dressing for Success: How to dress for an interview with Creatives

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:55:00 GMT

A colleague of mine in Accounting recalls how she arrived at an interview for a large financial corporation wearing black suit pants, a dressy black sweater, silver flats and a matching silver purse. After a great interview, she was told by HR that her “casual attire” was evidence that she didn’t understand their corporate culture and they would not be hiring her.

A few weeks later she wore the same outfit when she interviewed with our company – a Creative and Marketing Recruiting agency. Her outfit (which hinted at her creative personality) paired with her great accounting skills, helped us realize she was the perfect fit for us. We made the hire and she’s been here for years now!

Moral of the story: What you wear to an interview can be a big factor in the impression you leave behind; make sure you leave the right one.

Whether we like it or not, research suggests that more than half of another person’s perception of you is based on how you look. Therefore, if you don’t fit that “look” a company subconsciously expects of its employees, you will have to work much harder to prove that you are still the best person for the job.

This is why researching the company culture is vital before an interview. If after conducting your research you are still not sure of the best attire, check with the Hiring Manager, Human Resources Representative or Recruiter who scheduled your interview.

In the Marketing & Creative world, client environments can run the gamut. In some organizations suits are still the rule, in others it’s business casual. And while in most agencies jeans and graphic tees are the uniform of choice, there are still a few shops where board shorts and flips flops prevail.

With every creative company being so different – is there any way to appease the masses?

As a general rule, it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. A safe bet when interviewing with a creative company is to don a slightly more conservative version of the typical “every day attire” in your target company’s office.

A few tips:

Solid colors are usually better than busy patterns; Same goes with darker colors over lighter ones.
Jewelry should be limited to one or two key pieces
Make-up, hair and nails should be neat and well-maintained
Go easy on the perfume, cologne and aftershave

We also recommend that you find a way to show a bit of your personality – be it with a fabulous fashion accessory (shoes, glasses, purse or jewelry) or stylish haircut.

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

Artisan Gives Back

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:56:00 GMT

Following the generous spirit embodied by Artisan’s President, Jamie Douraghy, many of the Artisan staff find great ways to make a difference in the lives of others.

Here is just a sampling of what we do as individuals to support local, national and international organizations.

Several of our staff participate in annual Susan G Komen Race for the Cure events and make regular contributions in honor of family members who have lost their lives to Breast Cancer and those who are still fighting!

One of our recruiters volunteers his time at Chrysalis to help homeless and low-income individuals get the support and resources they need to find and retain employment

One of our account managers will be having her wedding at the Keep Memory Alive Event Center where a large part of the rental fee for the hall will go towards Alzheimer and Autism Research.

In addition to our staff's volunteer work and event participation, our team members also make regular cash donations to the following organizations:

Project Angel Food - Provide daily meals for people in Los Angeles homebound or disabled by HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses.

AIDS Project Los Angeles - In support of friends and friends of friends affected by AIDS

Red Cross - Helps communities around the world prepare for emergencies and keep people safe in the wake of disaster

St Jude Children’s Research Hospital - Pioneers in finding cures and saving children with pediatric cancer and other life-threatening diseases

March of Dimes - Helps protect against and lower the risk of birth defects by with education and research

Habitat for Humanity - Non-profit housing organization building simple, decent, affordable housing in partnership with people in need throughout the world. One of our staff has plans to help build a house in a third world country sometime in the new few years! We wish her the best with her goal!

Our staff members also make regular non-cash donations (clothes, appliances, books, household items, etc) to several other non-profit organizations:

Salvation Army
Goodwill
San Ferenando Valley Rescue Mission

We are always looking for new non-profit organizations to which we can dedicate our time, experience and resources.

Tell us about your favorite ways to give back!

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

What really happens during a Reference Check?

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:56:00 GMT

If you’ve never had to conduct a reference check for a perspective employee yourself – you may wonder what, specifically, employers ask your former managers, colleagues and friends about your work experience?

Or, if you’re a small buisness looking to expand, you might wonder what types of questions are best for checking the references of future employers.

In either case, we offer the following as a pretty standard reference check questionnaire:

Reference name, company & title:
Please describe your working relationship with (potential candidate). How long did you work together?
How would you describe his/her working style?
What are his/her strengths? What set him/her apart from others in this role?
How does he/she face and overcome challenges?
How would you rate the candidate in the following areas using a 1-10 rating system (1 being Poor and 10 being Excellent)? Additional comments regarding any of these areas is always welcome:
- Attendance/Reliability
- Adherence to Deadlines
- Conceptual Comprehension
- Executional Capabilities
- Knowledge of Programs/Systems
- Leadership Qualities
- Overall Quality of Work
- Communication skills
Is he/she someone you would like to work with again?

The best way to conduct reference checks is over the phone. However, when time does not permit, emailing these questions is acceptable.

If you are a talent submitting references to a potential employer, confirm that the contact information you provide is accurate and up-to-date. Also, make sure you notify your references that potential employers may be contacting them.

If you doubt a reference can speak favorably about these specific areas – it might be better to address that up front or find another reference.

Other reference check questions? Let us know!

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

How to Use Research Effectively in your Job Search

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:58:00 GMT

Research. The word probably conjures up bad memories from your school years where you spent hours in the library, leafing through books and periodicals to complete that paper you’d waited until the last minute to start.

Fortunately, with improvements in technology, more information is right at our fingertips via the world wide web then ever before. We can access information about almost everything from our computers, tablets and phones.

So with all this information so easy to find – why are most jobseekers waiting until their interview to start researching?

Certainly, once an offer has been extended, it’s an excellent time to research a company’s history, annual reports, industry and events. However, knowing this information really doesn’t make you stand out above your competition.

Here are a few recommendations for using research throughout your job search to help you gain a competitive edge:

Find a problem you are qualified to solve, and use research to craft a custom resume to demonstrate it. Show how you have previously:

Solved the problems a target company is facing
Capitalized on opportunities a target company is currently exploring
Overcome problems or roadblocks to achieve goals similar to that of your target company

Ask questions during your interview. The most effective questions are those that lead an interviewer to discuss challenges that you have already solved.

Figure out how you can turn company roadblocks into questions that address the problem.
Consider how to monetize the issue (“how much will you lose if the opportunity is missed?”) to further demonstrate how your experience is a relatively inexpensive solution to their problem

Research the company culture to discover clues about the best communication style for your resume and in person interaction.

Review pictures on the company’s website and annual reports, read employee quotes, review LinkedIn Profiles, visit their company YouTube Channel, anything that can help you figure out the best dress style, office setting, level of formality, etc.

Now that you’ve seen how research can help your job search, here are a few places to help you find information on your target companies:

Organization Website
LinkedIn (Both individual & company profiles)
Organization YouTube Channel and/or Facebook Page
Technorati Searches
Pres Releases
Organization Blogs / Industry Blogs / Competitor Blogs
Yahoo Finance
Hoover’s
Google
Quarterly / Annual Reports (for Public companies, regulated industries and some Non-profits, Hospitals and Educational institutions)

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

Source: http://recareered.blogspot.com

25 Questions to Ask During A Job Interview

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:59:00 GMT

You’ve found the perfect job, sent your resume to the company and actually received a response – the hiring manager wants to interview you! Now what?

In addition to fully researching the company, industry and job, we ecommend that you prepare a few questions to ask during the interview to help you learn more about the company you are considering and the role for which you are interviewing.

Sometimes the answers to these questions, and the way in which they are answered, can provide you with vital insight into whether an opportunity is really the perfect fit.

We suggest that, when appropriate, you select one or two questions per category:

Questions about the Role / Position / Department

How would you describe the work environment?
Can you describe a typical day?
Can you share more about the department and the team I would be working with?
How do you envision this department in 6 months / 1 year / long-term?
How large is the department (how many designers, marketers, etc.)?
What is the hierarchy/org chart when it comes to decision-making in my dept?
What have been some of the most exciting projects we’ve worked on?
What was your personal favorite project here?
What are your expectations for this position?
What is the growth potential of this role?

Questions about the Company Culture / History

What is your history with this company?
Can you share more about the company culture?
Can you share more about the company history and/or clients?
What is the hierarchy/org chart when it comes to decision-making in the company?
How would you define the management philosophy of this company?
How do you envision the company in 6 months / 1 year / long-term?

Questions about your Skills / Qualification

What is most important for you in this position in terms of skills and personality?
What qualities do you feel someone needs to be successful in this role?
What metrics for success do you implement?
What makes someone a top producer in your eyes?
What in particular in my background made you feel I was a good fit for this position?
Do you have any concerns about my experience?
What do you foresee any challenges for me in this role?
Is there anything you feel is missing from my background/resume that I may be able to expand on?
How can I grow my skills in this position?

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

The Benefits of Giving (both personally and professionally)

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:00:00 GMT

"Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give. " Eleanor Roosevelt

Giving back isn’t just something we do at Artisan. It’s a core value for both our company and our staff.Over the next few months, we’ll take a look at the way our team members are working to make their local, national and global communities a better place.

This week we start with our President, Jamie Douraghy…

“Over the past few years, I've been asked to join several boards to help guide a variety of non-profits to achieve greater success in everything they do.

They range from the industry-related creative organizations (AIGA LA), to alumni groups, to remotely-located entrepreneurs, to helping grant wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses (Make-A-Wish LA).

What I found was that in order for me to give my best, I had to uncover the relevancy for what I was about to undertake. I did not want to enter into a commitment half-heartedly and not deliver to their expectations.

Through my involvement with these organizations and my leadership at Artisan, I was able to facilitate the growth of these groups, help promote their events and assist with their fundraising initiatives.

What surprised me about my work on these boards, however, was that my involvement didn’t stop there. By working with these non-profits myself, I was inspired to motivate others - my friends, employees and extended network – to find their passion and to give back.

Additionally, I wanted Artisan Creative to do more. As a result, we selected Kiva as our charity of choice to make regular contributions. We liked the fact that they are helping build local communities on a global level, supporting entrepreneurs as far as Tanzania and as close as Detroit.

So far, Artisan has already made six loans to aid Agricultural efforts in Ecuador and Rwanda as well as craftsmen & dressmakers in Peru.

You can help Artisan raise more Kiva funds here.

What I learned through giving back:

Make sure the cause resonates with you personally. If you’re not passionate about the initiatives you support, it becomes more difficult to remain motivated and involved.
Find a purpose within the volunteering you do. Remember that giving is a commitment not a convenience.
Be open to change (both within and without) as a result of your engagement. You never know how helping others will help you, too."

Jess Bedford, Marketing Manager

Is there a UX Supply & Demand Imbalance?

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:49:00 GMT

Since late 2009, nearly every Web Design job posting we've seen has mentioned "usability" or "user experience." Over time, the requests have become even more specific. Companies no longer request a Digital Design; rather, now it's specifically a User Experience Designer, UX researcher, IA/UI or Visual Designer.

Now, more than ever, the importance of User Experience is everywhere, as companies try to connect and engage with their customers in the best ways possible.

On jobs boards everywhere (ours included) we have seen a significant increase for User Experience experts. Some of those requests take weeks to fill; others can’t be filled at all.

Are we experiencing a UX supply and demand imbalance?

Yes! The demand for top usability talent is becoming greater than the supply of qualified and immediately available talent. And, with the demand now shifting from web UX to mobile and Apps, the pool of talent is shrinking even more!

It’s not the first time we’ve seen this happen. In fact, we’re often reminded of the market for Flash Developers a few years back. Jobs took weeks to fill. Salaries were at a peak and good talent was definitely hard to come by.

As recruiters, we had to quickly adapt new avenues for meeting qualified talent to introduce them to new available opportunities.

What does this mean for employers? There are some options:

Be specific about your needs. Do you need a generalist? Or a specialist? The UX world can have multi pronged discipline. Know what you actually need - UX / UI / IA / UT ?

Be competitive with your overall compensation package. Both in dollars as well as benefits, flex-time or telecommuting

Be open to Relo. Look at national and international talent. Additional fees and quite a bit of paperwork could result – but it might be worth the additional effort.

Hire a UX consultant. Utilize the expertise of a specialist for the short term. Ensure he/she has a team of your internal staff with which to work and knowledge share.

Invest in more training. Chances are your current team of designers would love to learn more about the growing HCI field. Invest in their education. Pay for courses. Hire an expert to train them. You get more knowledge and your employees might just ignite a new passion.

But it’s not up to employers alone to fix the problem. Talent and Recruiters have responsibilities too.

Interactive Design Talent – Perfect your art. Especially freelancers! Invest in classes, seminars and software needed to grow.

Recruiters – We, too, must continue doing our part to seek out new talent. We must work closely with Universities and other Education Programs to connect with recent grads in the space, attend MeetUp groups and networking events to meet new talent and continue to educate our talent and clients about the market to manage expectations correctly.

Let’s see where the world of user experience takes us in Q3 and Q4!

Jessica Bedford, Marketing Manager & Katty Douraghy, Managing Director

Cover letters: Worth the time or Waste of Time?

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:07:00 GMT

Recruiters, hiring managers and jobseekers have long been in debate about whether the cover letter is actually vital to the hiring process.

Unfortunately for job seekers, opinions are still divided. Fail to provide a cover letter and find yourself immediately rejected for some roles. Submit one with your resume to another company and learn it was never read.

Our suggestion – a hybrid alternative. Make your introductory email your “cover letter”. Highlight your key skills and overall experience, while instructing readers what to look for in your resume. Your cover letter is a sale pitch. Your goal should be to make readers buy-in to you!

More work? Definitely. But ask yourself this - if you are not genuinely interested enough in an opportunity to write a brief introduction, why are you even applying?

Having seen a fair number of cover letters and introductory emails over the years, we suggest the following best practices for your cover letter or introductory email:

Keep it short & sweet. This is the place to list a few highlights from your experience gained across several positions. Don’t rewrite your resume! Focus on the responsibilities and requirements of the job description that are the best match for your skillset.

Use formatting to emphasize key items. Bullet points, bold, underline, or italics can help readers very quickly see what makes your experience literally “stand out”. Just don’t go crazy!

Be specific about your experience. Avoid overused phrases like “team player” or “excellent communication skills" and, instead, explain that you’ve “managed a team”, “collaborated with other departments/vendors” and “lead client presentations”.

Go beyond the resume. Let’s face it – you can’t put everything on a resume! An introductory email provides a platform for mentioning relevant projects you might have worked on, describing relevant passions/hobbies or explaining issues with your resume (gap in experience, moving jobs frequently, etc)

Customization is key. Address your email to the actual hiring manager for the position. Avoid “To whom it May Concern”. Even if don’t know names of those hiring, ensure you customize the letter with company name, locations and industry references to show you’ve done your homework.

Check your spelling and grammar. Nothing puts your resume in the “NO” pile faster than innocent spelling or grammar mistakes. Use your Spellcheck – but have a set of human eyes review as well.

Now put those skills to the test. See one of our jobs that might be right? Apply today! Or visit the sites on our resource page for more job opportunities.

Happy Hunting!

Jess Bedford, Marketing & Project Manager

Portfolio DOs and DONTs

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:02:00 GMT

Over the years we've seen our fair share of creative portfolios. Some AMAZING portfolios. Others...well, not so much.

So what makes a portfolio really stand out? Here are just a few tips to consider when sending your work out to potential employers!

Creative Portfolio DOs
DO Showcase your best/most impressive piece first. Remember that your portfolio is how potential employers first judge your creativity, skills and potential. Therefore, be sure to put your best work forward… start off with your proudest piece.

DO Go digital. Online Portfolios are the quickest and easiest way to market yourself. Even if you have no online work to present, the online portfolio can help creatives reach a whole new audience. There are a number of great portfolio sites out there that enable you to upload your work for a nominal fee, and sometimes at no cost. We see talent work from Creative Hot List, Behance, Krop and Coroflot almost as much as we see unique urls.

DO Stay Organized. Make sure to establish some order by organizing your book or website into sections (advertising, logos/identity, brochures, etc.) or group by company or campaign depending on what’s appropriate.

DO Check the quality. Photo quality, that is. Make sure images are optimized and printed at the best resolution possible.
Explain your work. Including a brief synopsis of project details- outlining the client, project objective, your role and programs used is always appreciated.

DO Test those links. For online portfolios, make sure that your url links are working and the work is still yours and hasn’t changed.

DO Assume everyone heading to your site is technically challenged and impatient. Create a site that is easy to navigate and quick to load. A simple CSS style is a great way to go.

Creative Portfolio DONTs
DON'T Overload your book/site with every bit of work you’ve done over the years. Keep your portfolio concise . A well-organized portfolio with 10-15 pieces of your best samples will always shine.

DON'T Be outdated. Keep your book or website up to date with fresh and relevant work. If the work is more than 5 years old, it’s probably a good idea to leave it out.

DON'T Be Sloppy. Make sure that your book is clean, complete and free of torn, frayed or yellowing pages.

DON'T Be generic. Let some of your personal style peek through. Brand yourself by creating a logo, color palette and look and feel that represents you and carry it throughout.

DON'T Forget your credentials. Make sure to include a copy of your up to date resume.

DON'T Forget your contact details. What good is an amazing portfolio if potential employers have no way of contacting you. For online portfolios especially, make sure there is an active email and/or phone number to ensure interested parties can connect with you.

Need more help putting together a killer portfolio? We're always happy to review talent portfolios and provide feedback. Who knows - we might even have an opportunity that could be a good fit. Get in touch with us!

Jamie Grossman
Creative Recruiting Manager

The relevance of getting involved personally vs. digitally

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:47:00 GMT

Over the years, with a quick hit of the "Accept" button, I've seen my digital network expand rapidly. Beyond "Recommendations" and "People you Might Know", I wanted to dig a little deeper as to "the why".

What I found was interesting: my network actually grew once I put myself out there physically and joined more groups such as the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO).

The more I participated physically in that group - joining the local board and eventually becoming chapter president - the more I discovered my digital network was rapidly growing as well. For me, the correlation between the two was clear - as my human connections increased, so too did my virtual network. Simply put, the more I gave, the more I got in return.

My tip this month: If you want to grow your digital network - start by participating in more actual events and activities!

Jamie Douraghy, President

Designer? I thought you said you were a Developer? | Becoming an Expert in your chosen field

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:47:00 GMT

Q. What do you do for a living?
A. I'm a Web content copywriter. A writer/producer, really. I do some screenwriting. But I'm sort of a writer/print designer hybrid. I have an art gallery opening this weekend. And I know CS5 really well. Also, I'm an artist/electrician. A plumber/horse-wrangler. I can pretty much do whatever you need! Find me a job!

In the creative services industry, a talent manager views and reviews hundreds of resumes each week. Some resumes are clean and coupled with bold portfolios. Other resumes are all over the place.

So, let's get right to the point: If you're looking for work, pick your top two areas of expertise and stick with them. Wear them on your sleeve. In your cover letter/email, state exactly what you do best. In your resume, do the same. On a phone call, tell me exactly what you do best and NOT what you're CAPABLE of doing well.

In delivering your message succinctly and repetitively, I will be able to know what you do, and consider you (possibly hire you!) again and again - as long as your work history is solvent. If the position I'm looking at is not for you this time, we'll know it right away...But, if our conversation is good, we'll remember you in the future.

Not good:
Do you remember that guy, Greg?
No.
He's the one with the marketing background, but he's trying to get into AfterEffects and Maya.
Well, what is it that he's actually doing now?
I'm not sure. I don't think he really knows either.
Who else do we like?

Good:
Do you remember Scott?
The HTML/CSS coder?
Yes.
Call him. He'd be a perfect fit!

We remember the talent who specialize in something and do it well. And we would remember Greg, too, if he'd just figure out what he's good at and focus on it.

Here are some example skillsets that work well together:

Maya/After Effects
Web Content Writer/Blogger
Broadcast Producer/Agency Producer
Corporate Communications Manager/Internal PR Manager
Print Designer/Graphic Artist
Traffic Manager/Print Production Manager

And so on . . .

So, when you looking for work - remember: I don't need to know everything you've ever done. I need to know precisely what you're best at doing.

Thanks,
Kevin Kahn
Talent Manager

Carol's Best Practices: Preparing for your interview

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:48:00 GMT

I once read that if you do something 10,000 times - you are an expert. So with 15+ years successfully helping make matches between companies and candidates, I am well on my way to becoming an expert!

I have to admit that the favorite part of my job is preparing people for their interviews. Since not everyone has had the opportunity to work with a recruitment professional, I thought it would be valuable to share some keys pointers I've learned over the years.

CONGRATULATIONS! You got the interview....now what?

Do some research!

I am often surprised to hear stories of how candidates have shown up unprepared....Regardless of the position, everyone must do the research!

Here is what I suggest:

Read the company's website! You need insight into their culture and values, this is the best place to get it. Pay attention to the ABOUT US section. Do they have a Twitter or Facebook fan page? Make sure you know how they do what they do and where they are in the marketplace.

Research the people that you are meeting with. You are not stalking them - just simply finding out more about them! Maybe there is a common background or interest that you share and can feel comfortable about bringing up. Use common sense though - don't bring up anything that could be sensitive or too personal! The most effective tools I use include LinkedIn, Facebook, Google and Bing.

Check out the company's location. I like to use Google Maps. See what companies, businesses and other venues are nearby. Get a sense of their surroundings - as it could help you figure out what life working with the company might be like.

Write down talking points to bring up during the meeting. This compliments all the research you do. Just the fact that you did some research could make a big difference in you getting the job.

I hope that this helps to prepare you for your next interview!

I'd love to know how you like to prepare for your interviews. Share your best interview prep tips with me here!

Carol Conforti, Sr Account Manager & Recruiter

9 Tips to a More Organized Work space

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:04:00 GMT

I sit back for a moment and look around my desk. It’s covered in paperwork, files, pens, business cards, industry trades and several remnants of my lunch - consumed (once again) at my desk. I know where everything is. But why does it look so unorganized? Is this what they call creative clutter or am I just plain messy?

In speaking with friends and colleagues, I realize there really are common elements that make for a more productive, organized work space:

Think green. Before you hit “Print” on that email or document, ask yourself, “Do I really need to print this? Or will it just lie in a pile on my desk and collect dust?” If you do have to print it – use recycled paper.
Stay organized. For the paperwork you do need to action/review frequently – create a filing system on your desk. In our office we prefer stackable letter trays for certain action items and desk sorters for others. Keep blank file folders nearby so you never have an excuse not to file something properly. Remember, if you use something daily – it should be closer to you than the items you use less frequently.
Avoid Post-its. Prevent those sticky notes from getting buried on your monitor, desk and wall. Try using your email calendar or mobile phone to store important notes. If you’re like me and can’t quite give up the paper and pen – try using a spiral notebook instead. This keeps all of your important notes in one place.
Throw out all those extra pens. Keep only 3 or 4. General rule – if it’s leaking, chewed or missing a cap – it’s time to go!
Keep personal items to a minimum. Pictures of or personal tokens from family and friends help keep us motivated and remind us of what’s important. However, any more than 3 items becomes a distraction.
Eat away from your desk. This one is tough for me. I can’t remember the last time I ate lunch at an actual table! When we eat at our desk it encourages trash to collect. An empty cup. A take out bag. Extra utensils. Salt & pepper packets. More napkins than you could use in a lifetime. Prevent the trash (and crumbs) by eating away from your desk (and preferably out of the office). We all need a daily break from work to keep us at our best!
Keep phone and computer cords to a minimum - Go Wireless. Move freely by investing in a stylish wireless mouse and bluetooth headset. You can even upgrade to a wireless pen tablet.
Keep electronics off your desk. Even if you have the room, items like printers, routers, batteries, etc take up space and just add to the clutter. Move them to another piece of furniture or the floor (if appropriate)
Cleaning supplies. By keeping cleaning supplies nearby, you’ll be encouraged to wipe down your surface more often.

Well, I know my marching orders tomorrow: take an actual lunch break, spending 30 minutes outside (away from my desk eating lunch) and the other 30 minutes inside (at my desk) getting organized! Cheers to a more productive week ahead!

Jess Bedford, Marketing & Project Manager

Seize the Summer!

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:50:00 GMT

With summer in full swing, it might be tempting to kick up your feet with a cold one and enjoy the weekly BBQs with family and friends. But summer is actually the perfect time to hone your career-advancing skills. Many people have New Year's Resolutions but Half-Year Check-Ins can be just as useful.

While everyone else is whiling away the longer days, you can seize the season to make sure you are reaching your full career potential. In order to be the star student who’s ready from the get-go on the first day of class, one needs to plan ahead and not let your mind turn to mush in the warm summer months. Read through these tips to get ahead.

Review both short-term and long-term career goals. The summer is the perfect time to take stock of where you are versus where you’d like to be. Don’t wait until December to check in and determine your next course of action.
Update your resume, portfolio, and online profiles. You’ve been busy meeting impossible deadlines and countless client revisions. Now things are slowing down for the summer and you can catch your breath. Don’t forget to update your “sales kit” of resume / portfolio / online profile (LinkedIn, CreativeHotList, etc.) to reflect these valuable projects.
Look into potential skill-enhancing classes to take in the fall. Whether it’s a Marketing class via UCLA Extension or an Animation/Visual Effects class at Gnomon, course catalogs come out months in advance of the first day of class so now’s the time to plan ahead.
If you haven’t already, include industry blogs and self-improvement tips in your summer reading plans. We know everyone wants to read about that girl and her tattoo, but throw in a good measure of fun and insight, too. (Just don’t watch cat videos until 2am. At least not *every* night.)

Of course, all of the above can be done outdoors, under a beach umbrella, or on your backyard lawn in the afternoon. We’re not humorless headmistresses. We know you want to get out there and enjoy the sun. But remember summer should be both restorative *and* productive. The key is in the balance of play and work.

Good luck!
Jo Szeto - Artisan Recruitment Consultant

Welcome to the Artisan Blog!

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:51:00 GMT

Welcome to the newest version of our Artisan blog.

With so much information flying around these days, we decided to only bring you information and ideas that will focus in the four areas we feel most relevant to the work we do together:

creativity
staffing / job seekers
entrepreneurship
giving back

Our goal is to keep it simple and provide something of value each time you log in, read and reach the final sentence.

Thank you!
Jamie Douraghy, President