...Job search advice?....please?....

[Gerrinson]

Direct quote from management: "There's never time to do it right. There's ALWAYS time to do it over."

That's a pretty moronic point of view. Whoever said that clearly has 'upper management' written all over them!

[Seraph]

Well, today, to try and help things out, I started an online course in coding. Well, coding for designers. Literally, that's the name of the course. I was leery, because honestly, I have a hard time with coding, but this was one of the very first statements I heard from the course, as I started it.

A web designer is not a developer. But, like print designers, you have an overlap you need to cover. Print designers have prepress. As a web designer, you need to cover HTML & CSS. This course will NOT make you a web developer. That's not what you are. What you are, is a web designer, and this course is meant to help you communicate your ideas better, and to make you a more viable option in today's job market.

Whoa. I mean, that's exactly it. I don't want to code, I want to design. But if learning some HTML & CSS is the only way I'll be able to do what I love, then that's okay with me.

[mjr]

I'm starting to get massively depressed over the absolute lack of replies to my applications, and the couple of massive rejections I just received as well.

Massive rejections, you ask? Lets just say I got a call, they gushed over my app, offered me more than I asked, and then dropped the bomb that they'd rather I didn't telecommute. Being that I didn't feel like moving to California for a $50k salary, I said no thank you.

Telecommuting is a MUST for me. I note that in my application whenever possible, and try to only app to jobs that have that allowed.

So anywho....does anyone have any advice, recommendations, etc. I have never, EVER had to look for a job before, so this is all completely new to me. I'm a complete idiot as well over it, apparently. Let's just say I had no idea about cover letters up until my 10th application, and kind of stopped, cocked my head, and did a "whut?"

I've remedied that now, hopefully it's a decent one. <_<

Anyways, any pointers? Advice? Directions to the Land of Telecommuting Jobs For Web Designers?

...please help, I am totally in over my head....

Do you have a good resume? Do you have one online as well? Do you have a portfolio of your work?

I was also recently looking for full telecommute work.

Depending on your skillset, there are jobs available.

Try going to www.dice.com

Then on the right hand side, you'll see "Advanced Job Search". Click that.

put in your skills, and then go all the way down to the bottom.

Select "No Travel" under Travel Preference, and then check the checkbox that says "Search Telecommuting Jobs Only".

Then under that, click on the "Show Additional Search Options" link. Select the type of employment you're looking for, then select the number of days you want the search to go back (on the right hand side).

That would give you a list of telecommute jobs, based on your skills.

Good luck to ya!

[mjr]

Whoa. I mean, that's exactly it. I don't want to code, I want to design. But if learning some HTML & CSS is the only way I'll be able to do what I love, then that's okay with me.

www.w3schools.com

That will probably give you way, way more than you want to know about HTML, CSS, etc...

That's actually done by the World Wide Web Consortium.

[Seraph]

Yep, I've been searching on Dice for about a week now. Nothing just yet, except one callback from someone who decided that they wanted me on-location instead of telecommuting. Um, no.

As for W3Schools....I've heard some scary things about it. I thought about that, but then a couple of my coder buddies sent me this. Was surprised, and decided against it. http://www.w3fools.com/

[mjr]

Yep, I've been searching on Dice for about a week now. Nothing just yet, except one callback from someone who decided that they wanted me on-location instead of telecommuting. Um, no.

As for W3Schools....I've heard some scary things about it. I thought about that, but then a couple of my coder buddies sent me this. Was surprised, and decided against it. http://www.w3fools.com/

Ah, I see what you mean...I'll have to check that out more in-depth later.

[aqutalion]

Are you specifically looking for web design, or would something like UI or HMI design be a possibility, too?

[Seraph]

Mostly I'm looking for web design, but UI and HMI is also a possibility. I've worked on mobile apps, created media player interfaces, etc. Heck, I've even worked on bump screens and DVD cases for a big paintball production. I can do a lot, but web design's where the majority of my portfolio is.

[Seraph]

FNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

GOT A JOB~

One of my old employers asked me today how things were, and if I'd be interested in a job with them again. I was honest, told him what happened with me, and he offered me fulltime, better pay than what I was getting beforehand. I won't get benefits, I'll be 1099, BUT I DON'T CARE. I'm thrilled to pieces over this. We'll see what happens now....I'm just happy that I won't be spending hours every day now on job hunting.

[Ophbalance]

See? Who you know usually returns the best results . Congrats!

[Crossbow]

Awesome news! Lack of benefits sucks, but it sucks less than not having a paycheck. I really hope everything goes well with this one!

[Seraph]

Same here. I'm happy first off because it's a job, it's better pay than I was going to get at the old we-didn't-pay-you people, and it'll be fulltime.

The only thing that worries me, is I quit the last time due to the amount of stress I was under. BUT, I'm more job-wise now, and this gives me a platform where I can rest, and still look on occasion. No more spastic OMGNEEDTOFINDAJOBNOW. And I know what to expect from these guys.

[mjr]

Same here. I'm happy first off because it's a job, it's better pay than I was going to get at the old we-didn't-pay-you people, and it'll be fulltime.

The only thing that worries me, is I quit the last time due to the amount of stress I was under. BUT, I'm more job-wise now, and this gives me a platform where I can rest, and still look on occasion. No more spastic OMGNEEDTOFINDAJOBNOW. And I know what to expect from these guys.

Congrats to you, Seraph! Best of luck!

[Sapphire Silk]

I'm not sure a two-page resume is a bad thing, assuming you have enough job experience to need that much space to describe it all.

It depends a lot on your field.

Short resumes in business are usually preferred; they want you to cut to the chase. They're weeding out the ones who lack qualifications quickly.

In my field (academia) I use a curriculum vitae, which has EVERYTHING on it: every nursing job I've ever worked (starting back to 1986), all my academic training, my certifications, all of my licensures even the ones that are expired, my publications, and more. It's about five or six pages I think.

Seraph needs to keep it short a sweet probably; she needs to emphasize her skills and strengths as a coder to make the employer go "oooh, I have to have her." The rest is fluff.