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Jack of All Trades

By Ophelia Chong
January 28, 2009
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jobs

I was looking at Craigslist, specifically at their job listings. I went the art/media/design listings to see what was being offered in today's economic climate.

Much has changed since I graduated art college, back then you were pegged into one discipline - Graphic designer or illustrator, with very few shades of gray in between. Of course that was way back before the internet and Adobe Photoshop. What I noticed is the lines have blurred in the last few years, as a designer you have to be proficient in print and web, plus know a slew of software applications. Its not enough to know one application well, you have to know all of them. Each job listing I read had a long list of requirements for the candidate, and if you checked off 9 out of 10, you might not be considered for the job. It's not enough to cut the tree down, you have to be able to mill it, create a chair out it, paint it and then sell it.

California just reported a 9.3% unemployment rate last week, we are awash with candidates and very few jobs. What are you to do if you don't have all the qualifications for a job?
Learn fast.
Get together with other people and trade skills.
Combine your knowledge with others.
Take a class at the local community college.
Get online and read all you can about how to write a proper resume.

Make your extra free time your time to learn. Go to Craigslist and read what jobs are being offered and what they require. You are your own advocate, it is a buyer's market out there, and if you can sell yourself better than the person next to you, you will be ahead of the pack and be the Jack of all trades.

Sites to look into:
Craigslist
LinkedIn: you can post your resume here for free
Jobster.com: job board and free resume posting
For Hire:Rachel Olivier's job search and how she landed that job.

Image: Table for One/ Ophelia Chong

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