by Leo Wiles
15 March 2017
I’ve been a freelancer for a while but I’m conscious that the industry is changing fast. You guys seem to have insights on that; are there any things I can do to make myself more employable? J
Absolutely. If you’re planning a shift into the digital arena, a basic understanding of WordPress is a must. You can teach yourself (it’s not that hard if you’ve used a CMS before) or do a number of free online courses to get a grounding in it. Many digital editors now ask you to be proficient in it.
They also like creatives who have Mailchimp experience so you can hit the ground running on newsletters – writing, sending, setting up automations, monitoring the metrics. Again, Mailchimp is very intuitive and easy to use, so you could create an account and train yourself. Melbourne-based content creator Stevie Schafer also offers training and a lot of Mailchimp help at her website if you wanted to take that route.
Being able to source images that aren’t going to land your client in hot water down the track by infringing someone’s copyright is also key. You can do this by offering up those you took, buying from an online stock photo library or using photos that exist in the public domain with a Creative Commons licence.
Subs may consider updating their InDesign abilities to keep an edge on their rivals while writers may dabble in a free online course to understand coding basics or learn about harnessing social media analytics so you can add real value when working with marketing and PR clients.
Given my move into digital storytelling, I’m beginning a unit on recording Oral History next month that dovetails nicely with the growing demand for my documentary work. In this way I can illustrate to curators, heritage managers and local council and community groups that as well as being able to film and record interviews, and edit them into an engaging story, I also know how to properly document and archive that footage / audio.
Oh but most of all I would say that clients are looking for an upbeat problem solver with a happy demeanour to add to their busy life.
List members: what are you doing to make yourself more employable?
