JDonnelly on Apr 18, 2010

There are many things an employer will look for when interviewing for a new employee, and most people know these, but what no-one talks about is the things you shouldn’t do. So here I have compiled a list of ways to not get yourself hired and why. Some of these also apply to what you add into your work.

Anyone who knows anything, knows that if you call yourself a “webmaster” then you probably aren’t a master of anything. The term “Webmaster” has become a translation of the word “amateur”. The web has diversified into so many different ‘realms’ that the word webmaster is no longer meaningful. (Was it ever though?)

Any developers / designers with a degree know that Microsoft FrontPage most definitely isn’t a professional tool. FrontPage will pass for Mom and Dad who want to create a website dedicated to their dogs, not someone who’s trying to do business. I’d argue that a solid Web Developer should work at code level, or at least use a program such as Dreamweaver or the likes.

Submitting your website to hundreds of search engines would be great… 10 years ago. Websites are indexed by relevant search engines by how rich their content and keywords are. Search engine optimization is big business and submitting sites to search engines simply isn’t the way to get to the top of… well, anything really.

These people pay you to create a marketing tool for them — not a billboard for you. A website is a launch pad for a business and Poindexter Mcdonald is simply the man behind the curtain – don’t hesitate to STAY THERE.

Your business needs someone who’s been there before. The most common answer to my “Who was he and what business did they work for?” question is “Oh, he did a website for the CEO’s daughter’s .” I honestly hear that friend-of-a-friend story all the time. Choose someone with a sizable portfolio that can provide references.

Translation: “I can spend dozens of hours wasting your money to create something that will take too long to load and will be skipped more times than dessert at a bad restaurant.” Consistency and website flow are important to web design — not meaningless animations that waste visitors’ time and your client’s money.

Who the hell isn’t? I would argue that dropping any language acronym on a customer (PHP, Ruby on Rails, ColdFusion, etc.) unless they ask is meaningless fluff. A mechanic could use a banana on my car if it would fix it. Keep your tools, especially HTML, to yourself — the customer doesn’t care.

You’ll add an ugly relic of the early internet on their site so that my competitors have an idea of my web stats? Sweet! Counters make a website look as unprofessional as possible — don’t use them.

Any real Web Developer knows that he doesn’t make the rules. Follow standards in the initial build and then fix it in Internet Explorer — that’s the flow. No responsible programmer would place a “best if view in…” message on the front-end of a website.

That’s my low-down on the don’ts for developers. This can also be used in reverse by employers. Watch out for any of the above as it will either prove you are amateur or make you look it, and remember, IF THEY DON’T ASK THEN THEY DON’T WANT TO KNOW!

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Tags: Failed, Freelancer, Interview

John Donnelly is a web/graphic designer, programmer and electronics expert operating in the United Kingdom for customers all over the world under the company EV-Healthcare. He has over 10 years experience in freelance jobs.

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thank you for the great tips. designfollow´s last blog ..50 Best Websites To Download High Quality Free WordPress Themes

Nice read, thanks for sharing. I’m sick of those friend-of-a-friend stories from my neighbour web designers, when these people are going to realize how ridiculous they’re sounding.. Sergei Tatarinov´s last blog ..SamMidnight: RT @designlovr How to Reward Commenters on Your Blog | DesignLovr http://bit.ly/a77p1g – SUCH A SWEET POST! Love your visitors/commenters

I love these sorts of posts which add a comic slant onto a serious topic, and all valid points too Damian Jakusz-Gostomski´s last blog ..Simple stats collection with CodeIgniter hooks

Thanks Damian!

That was a nice article Thanks for sharing

wow, great article. I agree with most of the points but the one about putting backlink to footer. I personally think that this is a good way of promoting yourself, although it’s of course a matter of agreement between a client and designer. Especially if I’m really proud of my work, I would definitely include a link to my website.

The problem I see with this, is people try to force a back link onto a corporate website, which I have seen on a number of computer sale sites. These companies usually pride themselves on the work they have achieved, and don’t need another designer taking credit for their website (even if (s)he HAS made it. It can look bad for them.

I personally wait until the employer asks about the footer, and if they say I can then I do, but I usually put myself on an affiliate page near the bottom or something along those lines. This way, you can be recommended by word of mouth instead of a huge “DESIGNED BY” label. I also find if people see that, they don’t want to hire you as they are unsure as to whether you will try and force it onto the bottom of their site.

These are mostly my opinions, but it’s what I’ve seen in the past.

I never put my name on a site, the design should speak for itself, and if people like it enough they will ask who designed it.

What’s in a name anyway.

As always, there are things you can’t do on a client’s website and these are just a few good examples. I think the list could continue. HD Guy´s last blog ..Yamaha YHT-893, YHT-693, YHT-593, YHT-493 and YHT-393 3D-Ready HTiB Systems

Great post. Do people still use frontpage anymore ??

I have no idea about this point hehehe

thx for the awesome article..

@coolijaz123… no man, people dont use frontpage anymore as it dont work well with css… so a designer can never satisfy from frontpage work.. dreamwaever rules

But why the hell dreamweaver when you have hell lot of lightweight editors like Notepad++ ???

Is dreamweaver too complex ?? and who the hell nowadays use design from dreamweaver ? Its psd to xhtml or to cms nowadays !!

Lightweight editors rules, not dream weaver !!!! cooljaz124´s last blog ..Skin Solutions

Oh, thanks for your site’s design. I got an idea from it! ^^

Thanks for the comments guys. This is my first article on here, but I’m going more into the web coding (HTML & CSS) standards side from now on. I may still do a few like this in the future though!

It’s better to design with Dreamweaver than Frontpage. This is not the year 2000. This is 2010. Well, nice list mate. Take note n bookmark it. Baloot´s last blog ..Pengumuman: Isi Borang Quotation Secara Online Untuk Tempahan Laman Web (Joomla) dan Blog (Wordpress)

Really useful tips for me..thanks ..

good stuff tweediness as a developer you should be able to hand code Ben´s last blog ..150 Eye Catching Business Cards

Nice list. Can I use a ‘best viewed’ if it is;

“This website has been tested for, and is best viewed in, 1996″

?

I like these tips and they are great things to remember in meetings with potential employers or new clients. Great post. Lucas Cobb Design´s last blog ..Best Photography Related Books on Amazon

Great post JDOnelly. You’ve touched some great and valid points here. I can recognize it myself because sometimes people look at my work and they say you’re an expert on that. I say I can help myself out. I’m still learning I’m no expert. And you don’t have to call yourself or be an expert to develop good working sites or such. Do the stuff correct and keep the bragging to yourself. Thanks for sharing. Shurandy Thode´s last blog ..Top 10 Best Selling Premium Wordpress Themes over at Themeforest

Hi, this was really a nice read, thanks for it. My query is…… Help me…

I work in an IT organization and my designation is WebMaster… Your first tip really hurt me, shall i ask and rename or change my designation, if yes what should be the new designations be like?

Thanks in advance, Ashish

That was a fantastic post, all points are bang on. Webmaster should now be Admin now I believe. FAQPAL´s last blog ..How to Create Video Sitemap and Drive more traffic part-1

I thought it Webmasters are now Web Developers (Frontend or Backend)

Interesting concept. Appreciate your efforts in putting this together.

I didn’t even know there are still people who use those arguments to get a job. Very nice article although I do not entirely agree with the footprint. As you replied to aShocka in the comments it’s a matter of communication between you and the client. I wonder how weird it would be to buy a brand new BMW and remove all the brand labels because I don’t want everybody to know they made it. I see that this may not be the best comparison but it was something that popped in my mind. I agree, if the client doesn’t want your name there, respect it.

I disagree with the HTML point. Just because everyone can do HTML, doesn’t mean they can do it well, or even right. All of my clients come to specifically because I specialize in writing hand-written semantic HTML & CSS. You’d be amazed at how many times I have to fix a “developer’s” crappy HTML and CSS. The same goes for CSS. Sure anyone can change a link color. but not everyone can figure out how to target that random element that’s the 10th child of a p tag with no classes. Just because it’s easy to get your foot in the door, doesn’t mean that makes you the master of something. Amber Weinberg´s last blog ..If You Buy Just 1 Book…Buy REWORK by 37Signals

Whenever someone has called me a Webmaster I thought it sounded like a Jedi thing and in turn I needed to wear a cape or something. Admin/Administrator or Web guy/dude is fine for me.

I’m going to have to agree with the person above me, not all HTML is equal.

Well you got me to read it so all the more power to you – but most of these are pretty obvious anyway… wish the post lived up to the title. Sucked in to me for falling for your glorious link bait

Great blog though – keep up the good work Doug Rathbone´s last blog ..10 tips to help avoid developer burn out

Thanks for the tips. I’ve just signed up for a membership in a freelancing site, never biding any jobs. This will be a guidance for me.

Once again, very thanks

awesome post .. loved reading … Harsha M V´s last blog ..Web Development Cycle – Tutorial

That was hilarious Also I’m glad to finally FINALLY see a site from San Antonio better then mine and Thanks for being cool on Twitter as you may or may not know that’s rare here. You have a new Fan Thanks John Sullivan´s last blog ..Let’s talk about success

had to laugh when reading this – thanks for reminding and the good examples.

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