Freelance Marketplace Critique of the Week: Andy Montgomery
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You’ve posted your mini-bios at the MB Freelance Marketplace in hopes of snagging a great freelance – or full-time – gig. But, are you completely satisfied with your listing? Do you think you’ve described your accomplishments, specialties and skills in the best possible light? Let’s check in with our expert, Jane Ashen Turkewitz, the premiere resume writer for Mediabistro, in our weekly segment where a real Marketplace profile, just like yours, is critiqued to give its owner insight on how to make it even more effective. As a former media recruiter, Jane has reviewed thousands of resumes and has successfully placed candidates at Time Inc., Hearst, Hachette, Primedia and other major media companies. Turkewitz has written hundreds of resumes for writers, editors, publishers, sales executives, marketers, graphic designers, business managers, technology executives, public relations professionals and others.
Today’s critique belongs to Andy Montgomery, whose profile begins:
I know magazine design inside and out. I have 10 years of art direction experience with B2B magazines. I’m looking for publishers seeking to outsource their design/production. Magazine redesign, illustration, image editing…
Jane says…Congratulations Andy! You are the first Art Director who has requested a profile critique. Just because you are not an editor or writer, you’re not off the hook in how well your profile should be written. You need to rewrite your overview so you differentiate yourself from other designers and art directors. Have you managed staff? Are you hands-on in terms of the production process and working with vendors? Do you have a rolodex of vendors you can tap into (i.e., photographers, printers)? Have you managed photo shoots? I recommend a more thoughtful approach to your overview so that you capture someone’s attention. Finally, although it’s great to list your Web site as a “go-to” for your portfolio, I still think you should have some attached samples to your profile. Don’t make the potential hiring manager work too hard to see what you can do for him.
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