Artisan Blog

Freelancers: Use Online Marketing to Kickstart 2012

Artisan Creative - Thursday, December 29, 2011

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: Read more

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Social Networks Are Your Friend—But Not Your BFF

Artisan Creative - Tuesday, December 27, 2011

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? Read more

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Artisan Holidays: Past and Present

Artisan Creative - Thursday, December 22, 2011

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. Read more

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

Artisan Creative - Tuesday, December 20, 2011

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:
Read more

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Managing Your Brand

Artisan Creative - Thursday, December 15, 2011

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! Read more

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Artisan’s Resume DOs & DONTs List: Part 2

Artisan Creative - Tuesday, December 13, 2011

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! Read more

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Artisan’s Resume DOs & DONTs List: Part 1

Artisan Creative - Thursday, December 08, 2011

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: Read more

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Preparing for a Behavioral Interview

Artisan Creative - Tuesday, December 06, 2011

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. Read more