Re: Certification

Hello Dmitri

I've been doing a lot of interviewing lately for my clients, and I can tell
you what I look for and also can tell you what to do and not to do when
researching jobs. Just IMO, of course.

I look for people who have at least one year experience in development of
sites, but this does NOT mean that you have been hired to develop a "live"
site (although - to be quite realistic - it will have a lot to do with your
pay scale for projects). What this means is that you have - online - several
sites that I can preview for code, design and navigation. I don't care if
you don't have "vital" content, unless I'm looking for a writer. Take a look
at other sites and get a feel for what most sites have for content - they
usually have a page on "about" which tells me who the person is (if this is
a personal site, it gives me a resume). It has a page that is an intro,
another that gives me a portfolio or other content that gives me a good idea
of what this person is capable of doing. If you have just one personal URL
and no other clients to show off, give me an idea of several different
styles or areas that show your versatility within that site.

When you're just starting out, it might help to team up with someone...in
this case, find a writer or content developer who is just starting out and
give each other trade on services. This helps in boosting you both, and
gives you an added edge of proving that you are capable of both teamwork and
innovation. If you have skills in Flash, NetObjects or other programs, I
expect to see pages with these skills utilized. You wouldn't believe how
many people tell me they don't know a specific program, but can learn it
quickly. I don't need that - I need someone who is already versed in that
program. Give me examples of how you can prove your skill sets.
Certification is not a priority in our book. Talent and devotion to their
work and the skill of listening and hearing what is being asked is priority.

I was very surprised when I posted a jobs position through HWG that so many
people simply ignored my ad specifications...the percentage was higher here
than anywhere else I posted. I don't care how talented you are...if you
can't follow simple instructions, then you won't get our attention. 1) Don't
criticize my site or those of my clients when you're applying for a
position. You're only proving your insanity when you do this. 2) When you
see an ad that says, "don't send attachments," please take this seriously.
Almost 30% of responses I receive ignore this specification and send
attachments. They are immediately trashed, unless you are SO skilled that I
force myself to reply and ask for another email with resume inline. Even
still, you've lost big points with me, and I may not pass you on to my
clients at all (after all, your skills represent my ability to find
talented/skilled people who can follow directions). 3) When someone asks for
specific skill sets, please don't apply if you don't have those skill sets
in your portfolio. You only waste time when you do this. Not a positive
move.

Dmitri - there are a lot of people out there who want to do what you desire
to do yourself. Just to give you encouragement and a heads up, only 1 out of
50 people who apply to any of our ads actually have the talent, skill sets
and appropriate responses to give us what we need. All you have to do is be
a little bit better, a tiny bit different, read the ad and follow directions
and your odds of getting a position will increase dramatically.

Good luck,
Linda Goin
www.goinhome.com

----- Original Message -----
From: dlmartin <dlmartin(at)execpc.com>
To: <hwg-techniques(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2000 10:07 AM
Subject: Certification


> I am making a career move from an executive position with the Boy Scouts
to
> doing web development.  I have been studying the specifications put out by
> the W3C and Netscape and would like to test my knowledge.  Does anyone
know
> if there are "industry standard" certifications for HTML 4.0, CSS2, and/or
> JavaScript?
>
> While, I have built several web sites for business that I planned on
> starting, I didn't finish them.  I can develop business strategy, and
design
> web architectures, navigational interfaces, and graphics but my mind goes
> blank when I try to create content.  As you can imagine, I am having a
hard
> time landing a good web developer job without direct work experience
and/or
> evidence of my abilities.  Do you have any advice?
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Dmitri
>
>

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