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How do I get a job in the web industry?
by Mike Slocombe, Internet Magazine, Oct 2001

I'm afraid there's no hard and fast employment route into new media, with successful job hunting being very much a case of luck, persistence and self promotion.

Although some employers will insist on professional qualifications, in my experience they're usually far more interested in results, and a strong portfolio and work record is often enough to clinch a job - if you can get them to look at your work in the first place, of course!

To have any hope of being noticed, you're going to have to somehow drive traffic to your site.

Although a few pretty interactive baubles may catch the eye of the occasional surfer, to get noticed you're going to need to produce a well-presented site with interesting and original content - and make sure that it's regularly updated.

That can be a tough call when it's just about yourself, so it might be worth your while offering to knock out some cheapo/freebie sites for local charities/bands/businesses etc to raise your profile.



Be careful to choose sites that give you scope to show off your skills adequately: even the most hi-tech, dynamically-generated interactive site is unlikely to garner much attention if it's advertising your local church's fete!

Once you've got your fantastic site on-line, it's time to let the world know about it. Be sure to submit it to all the major search engines, ask to swap links with similar sites and don't forget conventional media either. If your site happens to be about the local cobbler, perhaps 'What Cobbler Weekly' might be interested in featuring it!



It may well also pay dividends to specialise: if you have particular skills and knowledge in one area it might be an idea to develop and target associated companies and industries rather than trying to be a Jack of All Trades.

After the 'dot.bomb' crash of the early 2000s, there's an increasing amount of designers and coders chasing after an ever decreasing amount of jobs, so it's vital that you get your work seen to its best advantage. The more time and effort you put into producing and promoting your work on-line and off-line the better.

Good luck!

See: Build a portfolio site and Promote your skills online

Links:
Registering with search engines: www.searchenginewatch.com/
Promoting your site: www.thesitewizard.com/
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