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!

Weekly Jobs Round-up

Thanks to everyone who made themselves available for the current roles I am working on.

Here is another update for you with all the latest creative and production based jobs added over the last week!

Simply comment below or DM me to let me know if any of my roles are of interest and I will send you all the juicy details!

Please note - to be considered you must be London based and free w/c 15th of Sep.

• Agency Keynotes Designer - on-going freelance work
• Agency Digital Designer - 3 month contract (corp brand)
• Agency Flash Designer / Animator on-going freelance work
• Agency 3D Studio Max specialist – on-going freelance work
• Agency Proof Readers – Italian and German languages
• In-house Marketing Designer - 2 months with presentation design exp
• In-house Digital Designer - 1 month with UI / UX transactional exp
• In-house MW Copywriter - rolling freelance with agency exp (superbrand)

We always need creatives of all levels, designers, artworkers and des / devs so feel free to send me your details on a speculative basis.

For more info on perm roles check out our website or my twitter page. Good luck!

Next weeks hot jobs!!!

The Creative Recruitment freelance department has been super busy and new clients, briefs and roles have been flying in every day.

Next week we will be busy working on many more exciting new roles. The companies are very desirable and easily some of my fav brands. Here is a snap shot of what we will need for next week:

•          Digital Design - All levels
•          Integrated Creative - Mid weight
•          E-commerce Retouching
•          Visualisation and hands on production
•          Flash Design and animation

If you are available for next week onwards or know a friend who is interested in my specialist sector please feel free to contact me via DM, Twitter or email.

Have a great weekend! D.

First unusual cv of the new year

Back in the office and its all systems go for 2014.

New roles flying on every day - designers offline, designers online, studio managers and email producers / front end devs all needed for some of the best clients in London.

Having said that I am receiving interesting applications - including this CV from a hopeful job hunter.

As you can see this cv is impossible to read - I did let the person know...

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!

Market rates (Digital Design)

Hi all, I recently had a very high profile client invite me to assist them with their recruitment of a high level digital designer.

The requirement was straight forward:  I need a freelance senior digital designer who can work independently on both external and internal internet and intranet based projects to start asap.

Obviously the ideal candidate needed a commercial folio that showcased their understanding of design principles, use of colour, imagery and typography coupled with seamless usability. Add to this strong CS skills, people skills and a can do attitude and the match is made right?

Brilliant client, brilliant job, brilliant freelancer only one set back – the rate… unfortunately well short of going market rates!

Hopefully the following market data will help you if you find yourself in the same situation:

Freelance bench marking:

Junior Digital Designer: £120-£160

Midweight Digital Designer: £225-£250

Senior Digital Designer: £250-£300

Digital Art Director: £250-£350

Digital Creative Director: £350-£600

5 must do freelancer tips for 2013

It is 2013 and the festive decorations should now be long gone. Get the recycling done and spark up the mac; it’s time to get back to work.
You might have been wondering where all your clients are and why the bookings have slowed down – usually NY hang over but these handy tips should help to get you back on track and start the year with a burst of productivity!

5 tips a freelancer should be doing for Jan.

Update your cv and folio – you have some down time so now is the time to allocate a few days updating your cv, folio, ipad presentation, blog or website.

Review your financial set up – work out your daily, monthly and yearly budgets / costings. Are you better off setting up your own LTD company as appose you another year of PAYE or Umbrella? Do the research and adjust accordingly.

Focus on an area you want to specialize in or develop – do you want to pick up more integrated projects, more pure play agency work or step up in seniority? Set your goals and work towards them 1 day at a time.

Update your clients – maybe a mail shot followed up by a call or a follow on email? Get pitching and networking.

Update your online profile / brand – Your career is for life so you must constantly be adding to your online professional networks. Have you added any new skills? For example HTML / CSS? Any new brands that you have worked on? Achievements or industry related activities you can now add to your LinktedIn, Twitter and G+ accounts?

I hope these tips help and feel free to add your comments below or contact me if you would like further professional career advise.

Dean.

Amazing clients

Sometimes I pick up a new client and it’s a dream come true. Over the last 3 years I have been lucky enough to partner with media owners, record labels, fashion brands, broadcasters, ad agencies, and football clubs. For me, this is right up my street¬–I love all forms of media, fashion and home entertainment! So, recruiting creative teams and managing studio support for my clients, is always a pleasure.

No matter what your industry is, or client base, always try to find out as much as you can about the key people and sectors your business serves. It helps if you are passionate and have a genuine interest in the brands you support and work with. Make life easier on yourself by keeping up to date with current market trends, pitch wins and ad spend.

In today’s competitive world, every company tries to attract clients by providing a low cost service and high quality delivery.

Here are my top ten tips to retain your fab client base:
1. Always under promise and over deliver
2. Inform, don’t harass
3. Be personal, yet professional
4. Be interactive and engaging
5. Deliver a quick service
6. Deliver with added value
7. Always follow up, not chase up
8. Be honest
9. Work with your clients, not for them
10. Find out as much as you can about their business

Finally, keep updating your services. Add new features to keep your clients interested and the hopefully they will never think of any other services again!