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In this article I’ll go over a few
thoughts on increasing your
marketability as a Photoshop user whether you’re looking for a
job or for freelancing.
This is important if you are learning Photoshop for the ultimate
purpose of getting paid for your Photoshop skill. You don’t
want to be the ‘starving’ artist (do you?)
You have the right to get paid for your skills but you will have to
learn some business skills as well.
Most likely people aren’t going to break down the doors to rush
to you and hire you right off the bat...it’s going to take some
effort on your part to push everything in your favor towards
getting work.
It is imperative that you check out my ‘Guide to Freelancing’
because it goes into more detail on freelancing information.
When you’re working or trying to get work at any place of employment
you can have a little Photoshop experience but usually that isn’t
enough. You can’t fake what you don’t know because eventually it
will surface.
You really want to be equipped and to have the knowledge of a
professional grade education. It’s an investment in yourself and by
having that skillset you can offer that on your resume and in
practical
application with your (prospective) employer/s.
A fast paced work environment will often have high demands on you
and your Photoshop knowledge and ability to work with it had better
be at a very good level of application.
So how do they know how good you are? Well, as a graphic designer
or desktop publisher specializing in Photoshop, they’ll want to see
your portfolio.
Your portfolio is one of the most important things you can work on
because it displays your skill level that went into that project.
I highly recommend building ultimately a diverse portfolio. This
will
showcase to prospective employers or clients that you can get a
variety of tasks done and that one extra task that you can do might
be the hook that they are looking for.
Try to focus at first on a few areas that are your favorite to get
things
going. Get really good at, say web template design or brochure
design,
etc.
Once you get good at a number of areas you’ll be working towards
a strong versatility. Build your portfolio in focus areas and build
it up
to include other areas as well.
Being able to produce a wide range of graphic design will help you
depending on the type of employment or opportunities you are
seeking. Your versatility will show that you are flexible and that
is
something that potential employers or contractors are looking for.
This can help you acquire more projects because you can handle
them.
However, because of the competitiveness in the freelance design
market you may want to specialize on certain areas if you’re
starting
out like I mentioned.
It’s going to take time to build your portfolio but once you have
completed another piece of work, add it to your portfolio. In your
portfolio (which can easily be online) you’ll want to showcase
your best works and a good representation of what you can do.
Take the time to develop your graphics portfolio.
I have several suggestions here..
-take a look at what
works & replicate the techniques until
you
understand the basic principles in that genre and can
create
original works that magically appear ‘professional’
-specifically look at
professional work of the kind you want to do
and view it
from a break it down and put it together point of view...
think about
what elements are involved and ‘see’ how they built it
in Photoshop
-train yourself to
replicate popular designs as close as possible
with your own
source material (that is as similar as possible)
-design and work in
different genres to show your flexibility and
strengthen
your skillset
-focus on getting good at
one area and then moving to another area
and
cross-applying the advanced techniques that you’ve learned
In the
TutorialKey video tutorials training for Photoshop CS/CS2 I
already
set you off on the right foot by giving you real world application
tutorials.
This type of training you just won’t find in other ‘complete’ PS
training
programs.
One great idea that I highly recommend doing is creating your
own website. Within Photoshop CS & CS2 there are photo
gallery templates that you can use to display your work.
If you have a little bit of knowledge about Macromedia Dreamweaver
or Microsoft Frontpage (or another program) you can start your
own personal website and upload it to your host’s web server to
view viewed by anyone who visits).
You can buy hosting for a very low cost these days. I know that
http://www.powweb.com is a really great deal if you don’t
require a
ton of bandwidth or space.
I know because I’ve done the research many times (though went
with more robust solutions because I need it). Actually I just
checked again now and they have even more space available at the
lower price.
If you just need to get yourself online I recommend getting your
own website up. PowWeb is only $7.77/month for hosting. Ask
a techie friend how to upload your work to the server if you have
questions.
Try getting a domain with your own name on it! For example...
www.orionwilliams.com This is what I’ve done (though I haven’t
done much with that site yet as I have my portfolio somewhere
else).
I use
http://www.namebargain.com for buying my web domains.
It’s about the best deal on the internet @ $8.88/domain for a year.
For advice on getting traffic to your own website from other
sources,
that is a whole different topic which I won’t get into, but at least
make sure that you put proper keywords and descriptions in the META
tags in the headers..also make sure to include your physical
location
in the meta tags.
You can make business cards and when you get your portfolio
online, you can hand out business cards with your email
(ie. orion@orionwilliams.com) if you go to networking events.
You can even send your business card along with your invoice
to your past clients and tell them to pass them out to other
people they know.
People can then get online and view your portfolio once you have
it uploaded. You’ll also want to post a resume and other information
that you would want prospective employers or contractors to know
about you.
Build a portfolio that you can be proud of! One that really
represents
your work.
You can view mine at
http://www.photoshopdesigner.com/ipsdirectory.htm
which hasn’t been updated in a long time!
This could include, rate per hour, or project/rate information,
specialties, areas of interest, work experience, past clients,
references, testimonials from clients, ...basically anything that
would further help someone decide and get an idea about you
and your work before they would hire you.
If you’re not doing this yet and especially if you’re going to
be freelancing then I highly recommend getting this going. I
also recommend paying for an actual domain instead of getting
hosted on free web services, just because it’s a lot more
professional and impressive; it shows your serious.
Get a website that is yours and keep it. It will always be online
so prospective clients can view your work and potential. Even
if you work at a job where you think you might stay there...it’s
still a good idea as it starts to develop a back up plan; even
just showcasing your work.
Maybe get something like “willyabachillidesigns.com” if your
name is willyabachilli. Do some brainstorming but make it
apparent what your site is about and if it can say it in the name,
that’s great. Be sure to include a sentence of what you do on
your business card. ie..
“Professional design services for the curious
corporation.”..something!
Also make sure that your portfolio is displayed professionally,
like using one of Photoshop CS2’s photo gallery templates or
others that you can find.
That is a great way to increase your marketability. I know that
India and even Malaysia is in the marketplace competing for
work. With the advantage of the internet, you can now telecommute
from anywhere in the world.
But remember to be aware of your ‘business’ side of things as
well...
if you can promote yourself and you’re only mediocre, you may get
more paying jobs than someone who is excellent but doesn’t do
anything to try and expose their services.
Make sure you read my ‘Quick Guide to Freelancing’ article for
more information.
Websites like
www.elance.com and
www.guru.com help provide
payment protection for both parties that are looking for each other
(contractor and designer) so I recommend getting going with one or
both of those websites or the other advice I have in my article so
that you boost your chances greatly of getting work.
People write me all the time if I know of work for them, so my
advice is to read my articles and get out there and just start doing
things that will (beyond just getting better at your work in
Photoshop)
that will help you get noticed and secure work.
You can also sign up with
http://www.aquent.com
With these resources you can bid for jobs (how much you would
work for either per hour or for the project itself) that contractors
would want done. Then they can look at your portfolio, experience,
etc. and decide who they want to do their project from the potential
list of bidders.
If you’re just starting out, develop a portfolio fast and focus on
that;
but you’ll want to maybe put in lower bids (but not too low) just so
you can start getting work and build a work history.
Until you really become ‘in demand’ on your own, you will probably
be working on projects part time. Although it’s still a good idea to
have your own thing going on (your own website where you can
display your talents) even if you use resources like that to find
work.
If and when you go to industry events or conferences, network
yourself with other people and even vendors...get yourself out
there.
Make sure you ready my ‘Guide to Freelancing’ for a lot more
techniques on how to increase your marketability.
Make sure that you have an email signature on your emails which
go out. It’s not hard to set up depending your email program it
shouldn’t be that hard to figure out.
Just create a signature that lightly ‘advertises’ yourself as who
you are. This will appear at the bottom of all emails you send out
from that address.
Here is an example that will explain it all.
“Professional web design,
graphic design services specializing in
movie posters, flyers,
and gui web templates for the cost-conscious
yet progressive corporate
clients.
Orion Williams
Uber Guru
123.456.5678
http://www.tutorialstraining.com/portfolio.htm”
Remember to use http:// in your web address URL so that way
in regular ASCII text emails people can log on to your site with
one simple click.
Doing this is just one additional way you can use to promote your
services.
You’ll also want to be actively improving your skills of course with
Photoshop and applying it to complete professional projects.
Another way to really promote yourself is to become an expert...
really focus on one or two areas of design or publishing (ie.
product
label design, club flyers, corporate brochures, etc.).
Then write articles or even make tutorials on this information and
post it to several high traffic, industry websites. This will
instantly
give you more credibility as well as drive important links to your
website.
The more focused your topic is, the better it should rank in the
search engines when people search for it.
Write something about the topic and get it out there! In order to
receive you may have to give a little...it will help in this way.
You
can also reference that you have your work on ‘so and so’ website
in your profile on your site.
Do things that other competing freelancers aren’t doing.
You might also want to get out a press release. You can research
how to make a press release from many places but you could
just start with:
http://advertising.about.com/od/pressreleases/index.htm
The point of a press release is that you can announce your
services and get it out there to points of interest. Remember that
people want to read something that’s interesting though.
Make sure that you come up with a ‘hook’...something that is
unique about you and your services. Maybe you only work on
graphic design projects or companies that deal with animals...
who knows?!
There are certain standards that you really must meet in order
for your press release to be considered professional, so study up
on it and then get it out there.
It doesn’t just have to be in a local newspaper. You can get your
press releases out online now to interested parties...just follow
the
resources.
Press release can really help to start (or boost) your current level
of promotion for offering your unique, awesome web/graphic design
or desktop publishing services. Of course if you’re reading this
and want to freelance in other areas as well, this applies too.
Through time you’ll always learn more about Photoshop, even
during work and more advanced or focused training but you must
be prepared to have the skills of a good (at least intermediate)
Photoshop proficiency to start if you’re going to seriously compete
in the marketplace; it’s just a given.
If you haven’t started you have a ways to go but I’m here to help
you
with that as well.
To be able to create graphics in the visual realm to be seen by an
unlimited number of people is really a great feeling. The more work
that you do and ‘give’ to the world, the better things will feel for
you...
more personal fulfillment and job requirements = income.
If you have a job it will be easier to get work as long as you’re
there
because it’s required...it just might be more of a challenge finding
the
right job and keeping it in the competitive marketplace.
If you’re freelancing you’ll have to be a lot more proactive all the
time.
So be sure you are always increasing your Photoshop application
skills
with things like continuous education, portfolio development and
networking or marketing of your site/self/services/portfolio.
Before you have a job (if that’s what you want) you will have to
increase
your marketability so that you can provide value to prospective
employers...during your job, don’t give up on improving your skills
because that job might end some day...keep doing things that work
to your advantage for securing work beyond that situation.
But you must be equipped to provide value and professional quality
results and service to whoever would hire you..think of it from
their
perspective for a while.
This is why those who are really SERIOUS about learning understand
there is going to be an investment in their technical proficiency
level
and these people will go through institutional training because they
EXPECT to earn a livable income using Photoshop for any number
of purposes.
The main reason they do it is to really increase their marketability
(favored towards acquiring a job).
What do YOU expect?
In the age of the internet fortunately, there is an option to those
who
can’t afford the ‘hands on’ traditional classroom style education.
There is actually a legitimate option to FULLY learning Photoshop
and acquiring a complete proficiency WITHOUT having to go into
student loan debt.
You see, as long as YOU have the motivation you can get there...
you just have to research alternative means of educating yourself.
Remember that having your Photoshop and other software skills at
the maximum level you can and pushing that envelope is important
in the competitive job market, so get yourself a foundational
education
in Photoshop CS/CS2 and then continue educating yourself beyond
that with many of the market-wide resources I cover in my ‘Photoshop
training options’ article.
The
TutorialKey training for Photoshop CS/C2 allows you to take a
DIFFERENT route towards that full
proficiency training as compared to
the more expensive classroom style
training and actually has many
advantages to it.
Classroom style education is the #1 preferred choice but it really
is quite expensive. You can find out all about your education
options
in my upcoming article on that subject.
With dedication on your part and the choice of the proper channel
of education/training you can soon meet the minimum requirements
for what certain employers expect.
When you get the right training and apply it, you will also have
increased marketability and then can focus more on the business
and marketing side of getting yourself out there and known.
Testimonials from previous clients are always powerful as well and
asking them for referrals is a great way to increase your ability to
get hired again as well.
Prepare yourself for the worldwide marketplace by gaining Photoshop
proficiency and THEN always continuing your education, pushing
yourself into more advanced and creative directions, and working on
ways to enhance your impression and visibility on those who would
want to potentially hire you.
Once you reach a good proficiency level, through time you may
want to consider becoming an ACE because it is good for you and
your resume.
For information on how to become an Adobe Certified Expert for
Photoshop CS2 yourself (something I recommend if you want to be
in it for the long haul) you can go to:
http://www.adobe.com/support/certification/ace.html
Becoming an ACE says a lot to prospective employers about your
level of skill in Adobe Photoshop CS/CS2. I warn you...you must
prepare for the test good because it is not easy.
If you fail, they will let you retake it shortly after though when
you are
ready. I believe you have to get 69% of the multiple choice answers
correct.
You will have to find a testing place like
ProMetric
which has offices
throughout the U.S. and I believe internationally. You can find this
information on the Adobe link above.
But that might be a ways off into your future because you must
have a VERY good level of proficiency before you should even
consider
trying for it.
If you already have a position...how do you know it’s safe and
secure?
You should know that you have to keep improving your skills to be
able
to meet the fast pace of today’s marketplace. Continuous education
and training is important.
Even if you already have some experience with Photoshop it’s
important
that you REALLY have a solid grounding in it without having to spend
the
time to figure it all out yourself.
In my TutorialKey training...the good news is that I start showing
you
real world application techniques from scratch that the
professionals
use that aren’t even taught in most classroom settings. If you go to
a college to learn Photoshop...don’t expect cutting edge techniques.
And if you’re someone that’s REALLY going to make it happen and
freelance or get a high paying position you’re going to want to go
beyond the norm or accepted standard.
Also try to seek out unique training solutions that will give you an
edge above your competition as well and that will make prospective
employers get their mouths watering to hire YOU. A perfect example
is my
Advertising Design Secrets tutorials for Photoshop CS.
In the advanced training advertising design training, I show you how
to
create industry standard designs that sell (because once you
understand some of the principles and elements that are used, you
can
replicate them and command control over them in different ways with
YOUR work but enough of that for now).
First, get your basic proficiency handled, THEN always be seeking
other
resources to help you learn and give you that extra skill. Heck,
that’s
why so many people (such as me) joined the NAPP. These people
are always learning and growing.
Once you have your basic Photoshop CS/2 proficiency and have
achieved
some digital imaging results and started a portfolio, then you can
start
marketing yourself to either get a job or get freelance projects and
continue your education into more specific and advanced areas.
The rewards are worth it because of the upward spiral of actually
being
effective in achieving digital graphics results which are both
personal
and professional in nature as long as you learn how to market
yourself
with some of the techniques I teach in this ‘Power Guide’.
If you don’t have your Photoshop CS/CS2 basic proficiency yet (where
you can operate at least at an intermediate level throughout all of
Photoshop), then that is a necessity to
get that area handled before you
can really move on! (What if you
market yourself first but can’t perform
what’s requested of you...do you want to
talk the talk or walk the walk?!).
So if you don’t have the Photoshop CS/CS2 ground proficiency handled
yet
then take a look at my complete
TutorialKey video tutorials training for
Photoshop CS/CS2.
It single-handedly covers the proficiency angle as long as you apply
what
you learn AND you will save much much
money as compared to some of
your other options, PLUS you can keep
referring back to it at anytime and
learn at your own pace.
No one cares about your success as much as you do, so make sure
you take care of yourself and set yourself up for success and not
failure.
I hope you got something out of this article on how to increase your
marketability! Don’t keep ‘keeping on’...’keep on learnin’ and
growin’
instead! The rewards are worth it .
Next we’ll talk about when you can achieve your creative or
professional
aspirations through Photoshop.
Orion Williams
Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop CS
orion@photoshopdesigner.com
www.TutorialsTraining.com
p.s. be sure to check out the brand new
Photoshop Blogs
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