When does a website designer charge $9 per hour?
What do you look for in a designer? What’s involved in creating a logo, flyer, business card or website?
With the exception of creating a logo, most “design” work actually involves much more than just design. It involves writing and structuring the words you use to convey your message and sell readers on your product or service.
If you want someone to draw a picture or design a logo then anyone in the world can do that without requiring a solid understanding of English. That’s why crowd-sourced design competitions draw designers from all over the world. It’s the same if you know exactly what you want on your brochure but just don’t have the software skills to create it yourself. If you know exactly what you want and you just want to tell a designer exactly what you want then you will find that person for a very low rate in developing countries.
It’s a little different if you have a concept but want someone with design skills to give you their interpretation. It’s when you want a result but don’t want to micro-manage that you realise the value of a higher priced designer.
I’ve used remote contractors from all over the world and realise that Australian virtual assistants are worth the money for certain tasks. Confidence in writing skills and the ability to communicate over the phone are critical if you want to earn the Australian dollars. If you choose the right remote contractor you don’t need to micro-manage and can leave the task to your team member. That’s really what people are paying the higher rates for these days.
Do you want to give someone a brief and get back some magic or tell them exactly what you want them to do?
With all the new software and internet technology it’s surprising that English writing and speaking skills usually make all the difference. If you want to earn the good dollars then become the person who is dependable and can complete the task without micro managing.
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Read MoreWhat you do defines you
I recently wrote about the experiences we are having regarding the resume writing service of EzyLearn called ezyRESUME and how the combined skills of writing and using programs like Microsoft Word and WordPress CMS (Content Management System) for websites enables smart people to effectively and efficiently sell their services as employees as well as the services of companies. The next step in that process is about demonstrating your skills.
In our search for a new team member at EzyLearn we recently had two virtual assistants perform a task to demonstrate their advanced skills using Microsoft Excel and the outcomes were VERY different and demonstrate some simple steps that people can take to build long term relationships that benefit both parties.
Our first candidate wrote a long list of the skills they have in their resume and subsequent interview and ticked a big YES next to the desired skills we were looking for. The second candidate showed confidence in using the software and the willingness and desire to do additional learning if required to complete advanced tasks. The outcome of this exercise showed how important your intuition is in picking the right people. It also demonstrated that those people in direct contact with the potential team members also had far greater insight into the candidates personal qualities.
Candidate One was a young lady that responded quickly but provided results that any one could perform after reading a “Dumbies” book on Excel, she demanded payment immediately and when changes were requested showed a disdain to work together. Candidate Two had more experience working with people, created a much more sophisticated result with excellent productivity tools (with Macros and buttons) and most importantly demonstrated that she wanted to understand exactly what was required so that she could provide the most ideal results.
Not only did candidate two demonstrate excellent skills and willingness to personalise her results, but she showed an open and positive willingness to co-operate and provide a positive outcome. It imperative to be positive and willing at all times and no matter how well you write your resume or how well you know how to format it professionally in Word, your actions during and after the interview will largely determine your ongoing success.
Read MoreWill good resume writing skills help you sell a business?
Whether or not a professional looking resume defines an employee, it is the first impression that any business owner has of the pool of available talent applying for work. It is the document that most employers use to see if job seekers have the rudimentary skills and personality traits to fulfill the job and fit into their current working environment.
Through my involvement with EzyLearn, I have had the opportunity to witness statistics about resumes of EzyLearn students and I’ve noticed that the most confident students already have a resume and usually have the skills to modify it as needed for each role they apply for over time. It led us to the important discovery that the ability to create and modify their own CV revealed which students have the skills to both write about their skills, experience and achievements as well as use Microsoft Word.
Another interesting fact that we are discovering every month is that writing a resume to display your skills and “sell” yourself into a job uses very similar skills to creating a website that sells a businesses services to it’s customers and increasingly more of this is happening online.
EzyLearn provides training courses in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook), MYOB Accounting and WordPress and has a close relationship with recruitment companies, employment agencies and other organisations which provide employment services to those seeking work and as part of this relationship, they have created a resume writing service which not only provides students with a resume, but an online training course in Microsoft Word, which gives students the ability to make changes as and when they need to their resume.
In a similar way, the Online WordPress training course is giving virtual assistants and small business owners the ability to create their own websites, make modifications as and when they are needed and most importantly create blogs and participate in the new online world of social media.
Good resume writing skills will definitely help you find and get the job you are looking for, but it is also the fundamental skills employed to talk about and promote the features of every small business in Australia and around the world.
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