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Date Posted: 04:03:49 09/30/09 Wed
Author: junaid khan
Subject: Free Domain & Web Hosting

How Not To Get web Design work

I get the occasional web design lead from my website. I wanted to find a company I could

pass these onto. So I put an ad on a freelance site. It specified the programming

qualifications needed, stated that the successful candidate should have good English, and

was for companies only.

The replies I got were enlightening. So much so, I made a list of things applicants did

wrong. Here it is.

I should point out I was initially prepared to give everyone a fair go. After the first

twenty-odd emails, my attitude changed. I was looking for reasons to delete applicants. I

only needed one successful one; with 100 replies it was getting to be a headache, so I

decided a brutal approach was needed.

1. Failed to read the spec.
Many applicants couldn't write properly in the English language. Many were individuals

only. Result: instant deletion.

2. Failed to address the spec's criteria.
Applicants bragged about how great they were. Many copy-and-pasted standard marketing guff

about 'solutions' and 'partnerships' into their emails.
To engage anyone's interest about a proposal you need to talk less about yourself and more

about the benefits to *them* of using you. One of the first things I learnt about applying

for jobs is you need to show how you meet the criteria in the job description; see if you

can find the employer's wavelength.
3. Lots of jargon.
You quickly tune this out. Anyone dealing with web companies probably gets a lot of this.

Applicants should talk to the client about *the client's* site and *their* needs, and avoid

techno-babble.
Write an application letter. Leave it for a while, then edit it. Brutally. Short punchy

sentences, no guff. Talking convincingly about how you can make the client money would be

an attention-getter.
4a. 'Coming soon' client-listing pages.
You say you've done work for lots of clients, then put up a 'coming soon' sign on the web

page where your client list is supposed to be. Hmmmm.
4b. 'Under construction' pages on your company web site.
This looks bad; something you'd see on an amateur's site. Another reason to bin your

application.
4c. Only put up pictures of sites you've done, rather than links to the actual sites.
I'd have liked to see some working example sites. Pictures can be faked, and they don't

show background programming.
4e. No mention of your main web site URL.
Let us guess where your own site is (if you have one). It's more fun! I tried guessing from

the email address. After a while I didn't bother.

Http://urswebhosting.com

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