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>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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