Where do you look for entry level jobs in the web design industry?
August 28, 2010 by
Filed under web design jobs
I don’t know where to look. I’ve tried monster.com type sites and the jobs listed always have specify that you need at least so many years of experience.
An internship would be fine too, but I don’t know how to get into one of those either.
Forget using web sites to find entry level jobs. You have to have something more than a brief resume without any professional experience to get a job — you need to network, in-person.
For instance, you can volunteer for nonprofits to help them with building or expanding their web sites. What nonprofits are there in your area? If you are in the USA, you can try http://www.volunteermatch.org, or you can call your local United Way agency and ask if there is a list of nonprofit organizations in your area. This helps you build up your portfolio and list of references who can attest to the quality of your work. This is real experience — just because you aren’t getting paid doesn’t make it any less so.
You can also ask family, friends and neighbors with small businesses if they need a web site, and tell them you will do it for free or for a nominal fee, just for the experience.
You also want to have certification of your web design skills, and if you have experience/full understanding of making web sites fully accessible, per accessibility standards for people with disabilities or using assistive technologies, this will give you a competitive edge. See http://www.knowbility.org for more information on this.
Also, what happens if a potential employer Googles your name? Will he or she find profiles on various online social networks (FaceBook, MySpace, LinkedIn) that showcase your skills/capabilities?
You need to look for professional associations to join in your area, so you can network with other web designers — are there any chapters of any of the national and international associations that come up if I google
web designers association
in your geographic area?