I was made redundant about a month ago...

mikem1986

I was made redundant from my position as a Web Developer / IT Consultant about a month ago and im finding it really difficult to find a new job in this sector, i also heard there had been more redundancies last week from the same company i worked from and makes me wonder about the IT industry as a whole.

On the plus side of things i got a decent redundancy package which will cover my rent for a couple more months and this has given me time to focus my attention on my freelancing work. Im finding graphic/web designers are benefiting from the recesssion as companies are now looking at cheaper alternatives to their advertising and marketing needs and i personally have seen a slight increase in the amount of enquiries im getting.

I still am looking for another job, ill check certain job websites everyday and applying for positions in my area but what im finding is that there less jobs and more people applying for the same roles as myself. Im 22 and have been designing for a few years now but if i was an employer and there was myself and a 40 y.o with 20 years more experience i know who id choose...ive had about 4 jobs in the past and im finding it harder than ever to find a job.

Ive signed up with several agencies which speacialise in creative jobs but one lady told me that its really bad at the moment and nobody is putting jobs out there...

Beginning to think im going to have to concentrate 75% on my freelancing and 25% searching for jobs etc. I feel its a catch 22 situation where if i look 100% for another job and dont get one how am i going to pay the bills because ive put my freelance work on hold but if i concentrate my efforts into getting more clients i wont find another job but will at least be able to pay the bills? I cant focus 50/50 on each because i obvioulsy have promised deadlines to clients and these need to be reached.

A freelancers work is livelihood!

mrs_deadline

And even more to the point, a freelancer's time is money!

You can see by now which way the wind is blowing. Nobody's hiring. Enquiries for freelance work are on the way up. It seems to me, if you want to stay in this line of work, you'll have to summon up the courage to make a full-time commitment to freelancing. Why waste precious time on anything else, if that's where the work is?

Are these the lines you're thinking along?

If so, instead of fruitless job searching, why not spend any down-time just marketing yourself to prospective clients. Does your website have a great portfolio/case studies of your consultancy work? Do you give your business card to everyone you meet? Could you put together a regular newsletter for all the clients you've ever freelanced for? If you're good, all you have to do is keep reminding people you're still around, and that you can now deliver faster! This is where not having the distraction of the day job could make all the difference.

One caveat: you have to be the kind who can motivate yourself each and every day, and stay professional at all times, no matter what unreasonable nonsense other people throw back at you...

Hope you keep this thread going with your progress, and good luck with pulling in more work!

PasturesNew

You can do both, just schedule your time strictly.

Say, search for a "proper job" from 9am to 3.30pm, then have a coffee and a bun and sit down to do your freelance work from 4pm onwards. As a developer once you're in the zone you know you will just keep going and it's better if it's the evening as there's no feeling that you should be looking for a job during those hours and you're less likely to be interrupted by an incoming call, or be distracted waiting for a callback.

paul101paul

I normally find when looking for a job, once my CV is upto date that there's only so much you can do per day looking for a job.

Have a look at the job boards on a daily basis, send off your CV and have a quick chat with the agency. That shouldn't take more than a couple of hours per day. You don't find that many new jobs appearing on a daily basis. Often it's the same job with 4 different agencies !.

Just remember people in work, look for other jobs.

mikem1986

i am thinking of taking on full time freelancing, at least until the economy picks up at least but its a big commitment and financially would be difficult in certain months when income would be low (xmas, beginning of summer) for example I have applied for several jobs online and have been talking to recruiters but at the moment theyre all saying the same thing, theyll call me when something comes up and i shouldnt worry and shouldnt have to call them as often.

Ive had a PM from a board guide asking me to remove the link to my site so have had to take it off.

mrs_deadline

True enough about the commitment. Then again, I find that working all hours is a good way to avoid spending any money

Cash flow is very scary until you have some money behind you. Are you putting aside your tax systematically? Having that wedge of cash in the bank is so important, and better than slipping into the overdraft if you run into a lean month or a bad payer (but has to be replenished when the money comes in, obviously). The only answer is to spend as little as possible which is no different than for most people at the moment. Hope something turns up for you soon.

poker_face

mikem1986 wrote: »

i am thinking of taking on full time freelancing, at least until the economy picks up at least but its a big commitment and financially would be difficult in certain months when income would be low (xmas, beginning of summer) for example I have applied for several jobs online and have been talking to recruiters but at the moment theyre all saying the same thing, theyll call me when something comes up and i shouldnt worry and shouldnt have to call them as often. My portfolio is located at www.onethoughtpgd.co.uk

Just keep at it, hopefully things will start to pick up a bit around easter for both jobs and freelancing. But doing both to start off is a good idea, but obviously easier said then done atm

GrammarGirl

Have you thought about getting the help of a recruitment agency to get you more freelance clients? Not sure where you live but one of the best for digital work in Yorkshire is Orchard. My partner is a web designer, currently freelancing but looking for full time work. He's found that more companies are using freelancers because they don't want to commit to the long term costs of a full time employee. Makes sense really, but it's no good to those wanting secure jobs!

Hope you get sorted soon.

mikem1986

Hi

I have spoken to the recruitment agency about getting some design agency work but they said the area is pretty quiet at the mo and they would let me know if anything comes up

CeeTee

mikem1986 wrote: »

Hi

I have spoken to the recruitment agency about getting some design agency work but they said the area is pretty quiet at the mo and they would let me know if anything comes up

Sorry to be a bit negative- but maybe you should take a bit of time to up-skill yourself and learn CSS and HTML properly. Dreamweaver generated table driven sites isn't what employers expect these days.

This book would be a great start http://www.amazon.co.uk/CSS-Mastery-Advanced-Standards-Solutions/dp/1590596145

mikem1986

thanks for that...