Cover note made me LOL

Someone sent me their cv with this..... "interesting" cover note.
Made me LOL.
What do you think of it?

Social Media Job Ad of the day

Spotted this tweet via  @yourtalent2  

3 minutes ago

Talentsquare is #hiring! #FrontEnd Badass wanted. :) Is that you? #Brussels #permanent #BeTech http://bit.ly/1x7O0Az 

Now that's what I call a social media job ad lol.

CV of the week award

I am lucky enough to represent some of the UKs leading brands and as a result the roles I work on are some of the most desirable in the market. This can lead to 500+ applicants for any one role.

Unfortunately 90% of the CVs I receive don't make the grade and some win the CV of the week for, humor,  shock value, poor quality, or delusion. 

What do you think of this one?

CV of the week

Here is todays CV of the week.

Yes, this is the actual CV that was sent to me for a job.

My day can only get better!

Top 5 tips for Freelance Designers time management

Hey folks!

Has this happened to you?

You’re busy beavering away. All of a sudden it gets to about 4 O’clock in the afternoon and you wonder where the day has gone.  You realise you still have a chunk more work to do, before you complete your projects. That awful *gulp* moment comes over you. I’m never going to finish on time!

Meeting deadlines can be tricky. It can also consume you, if you don’t develop a strategy for hitting them on time.

That’s why time management is so important.

Forget burning the midnight oil just to scrape the submissions in. Focus on completing tasks with time to spare, allowing you to make last minute changes and amends.

Here I’ve listed just some effective time management tips, worth considering:

If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail

Or, in the words of Yogi Berra “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else”. 

Planning may seem elementary to you, but it’s vital and so effective for making sure we stay on track. Any activity in life needs planning. Make sure your (or your client’s) goal is clear, and write it down. Make lists, flow charts, spider diagrams. Stick to them. Work through them and keep coming back to them. Be sure to only include key criteria, and deadline driven issues.

Prioritise

I sometimes feel like I’m spinning plates and trying to keep them all going at once isn’t easy. We’re constantly juggling our workload and tasks throughout the day. Decide what needs to be done first. Focus on what is most important, and necessary to move forward with the project. Start with the heavier tasks and get those out of the way early on. Come back to smaller, less import work later. Think about the amount of time you need to spend on something and factor that into your day. Give yourself goals and timeframes for completing stuff. Plot your key dates and milestones into your calendar, so you’re always thinking ahead. 

Don’t push it

Sometimes you need to be brave and turn down work, or say ‘no’ to a job. I know that’s really hard when you’re self employed or freelance, and you never really know where your next pay cheque is coming from. But, if you deliver substandard quality cos you’re overstretched, chances are they won’t re-book you anyway. Instead, give your best efforts and honour commitments you already have, rather than drowning yourself in multiple briefs.  

Don’t get obsessed

Analysis paralysis can be a massively debilitating and it’s happened to us all, at some point. You’re squandering considerable amounts of time over-thinking the project or the situation. Nothing gets done.  You overcomplicate it, there are too many detailed options, a choice is never made, and you can’t find the perfect solution. We’re in the crushing grip of this dreaded condition and we can’t see the end-zone… STOP! Listen to your gut. Ask for a second opinion. Do a mental dry run. And then take the leap. Remember, even if you commit now, it’s not 100% of the final outcome. You can always fine tune later.

Reward yourself

Make working fun and enjoyable, by rewarding yourself when you do a good job, or when you’ve completed something you didn’t like doing. Keep sweets in your drawer. Go and make a herbal brew after each task. Try to choose projects that you’re passionate about. This can help motivate you and help instill a sense of urgency, which helps to get you over the finish line and helps to make you feel that sense of achievement.

Being a freelance designer is a balancing act.  But through good time management it is possible to balance it all.

If you have tips of your own, feel free to add them to the comment section below.  Whilst you’re there, you might like to check out the following for new freelance roles!

Paul Smith still going strong

The Design Museum held a live twitter chat with Paul Smith where you could ask live questions.

Was rather cool but I didn't get my RT :(

Here is a link of the great man!

The market so far…

The market so far…

I can already tell you what I’m going to be doing this summer.  I’m frantically going to be tweeting “branding designers needed”!

With agencies like The Brand Union, Anthem and Bloom (to mention a few), being hailed as ‘destination’ agencies for many clients right now, I have seen a massive up swell in retail and FMCG branding.

We all know who the big players are, and yes they continue to do well. But with the government focus shifting to new businesses and the investment in start ups, I’ve noticed a number of smaller, leaner, boutique branding agencies who are really ramping up their freelance and perm design and production requirements.

If you have been on the all-things-digital band wagon (and we love that one), it might be a good time to dust off your branding, illustration and visualisation samples because the market is super busy in this area right now.

So, think of me this summer, when you’re in the beer garden having lunch – no doubt I will be tweeting ‘branding designers needed’ like a mad man.