50 Best Places to Land a Remote Job

Who actually sits in an office these days? Everyone knows that being a remote worker is where it’s at. New data shows that 6.1a million individuals in the US can be categorized as remote workers, whether self-employed or employed for organizations on a full-time or part-time basis. Working from home, a coffee shop or a communal workspace in pretty much anywhere you desire is becoming the norm.
And if people want to say only lazy people work at home (in their pajamas), I would tell them to think again. These remote workers are actually saving companies billions! Gallup estimates that active disengagement costs the U.S. $450 billion to $550 billion per year. In their study on remote work arrangements, they found that ALL degrees of remote work options showed higher levels of employee engagement than without remote work options. Plus, remote workers are cheaper for companies and not limiting yourself to people who live within an hour of your office puts the company at an advantage.
Not every company has realized this awesome secret but many have. Here are some of the best ones across various industries. Many of these are from data compiled by FlexJobs.

1. Dell

The work culture at Dell is based on the company’s “Connected Workplace” initiative, which offers flexible work options including remote work, flextime, job sharing, part-time work, and compressed work weeks.

2. Aetna

Headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, Aetna has membership of over 50 million in health, pharmacy and dental combined and a healthcare network that consists of more than one million health care professionals and 5,400 hospitals.

3. American Express

The work culture at American Express is based on a belief that “a career should be the pursuit of what you love, a way of making things better in the world around you, and the foundation for a successful future.”

4. Xerox

The values that guide Xerox include customer satisfaction, quality, excellence, leadership, and corporate responsibility.

5. Apple

The company offers telecommuting and in-office positions available in areas like marketing, operations, human resources, finance, engineering, sales, and retail.

6. Humana

Humana has won a number of awards, including the Computerworld 100 Best Places to Work in IT mention and the Best Employer for Healthy Lifestyles award from the National Business Group.

7. ADP

ADP has offered full-time, flexible scheduling, and remote job opportunities in the past as well as on-site part-time work arrangements.

8. CyberCoders

CyberCoders helps IT professionals find work through their extensive job search database and a resume writing service.

9. U.S. Department of Transportation

The US DOT is headed by Ray LaHood, the Secretary of Transportation. He works closely with the presidential officers to develop programs that will create more jobs.

10. IBM

IBM has several full-time employment opportunities available with the ability to telecommute internationally or from the United States

11. Salesforce.com

From 2009 through 2011, Salesforce.com has been recognized as one of the “Best 100 places to work” by FORTUNE.

12. About.com

The writers who work for About.com have the ability to work a flexible schedule from their home offices anywhere in the United States.

13. Microsoft

Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.

14. Thomson Reuters

With 403 operations around the world, Thomson Reuters is headquartered in New York, New York and practices corporate social responsibility in the areas of community, the environment, the marketplace, and the workplace.

15. Red Hat

Red Hat has telecommuting opportunities for software developers and remote sales representatives to work with high level clients.

16. Kaplan

Kaplan was started in 1937 and over the decades has grown into a global educator with over 300 locations in more than 30 countries.

17. Mozilla

Mozilla has offered flexible work options in the past, including freelance and full-time remote job opportunities.

18. Novartis

Novartis is an international health care products research and pharmaceutical development firm.

19. Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin offers full-time and part-time opportunities, with telecommuting options, at its U.S. locations in 14 states.

20. Nielsen

Nielsen employs 34,000 people in over 100 countries in full-time, part-time, and telecommuting jobs.

21. American Heart Association

It is one of America’s largest and most successful non-profit organizations.

22. Bausch & Lomb

Founded in 1853 with headquarters in Rochester, NY, Bausch & Lomb has since grown into a multi-billion dollar company whose products are sold in over 100 countries.

23. SAP

SAP is a German company with U.S. headquarters in Pennsylvania, and it specializes in enterprise software and related services. Remote jobs are key to this company’s strategy, with jobs in the United States, Europe, China, India, Australia and Africa.

24. Forest Laboratories

Forest Laboratories was named one of the 50 most Fertility-Friendly and Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in America by Conceive Magazine and it is one of the Top 15 U.S.-Based Pharma Companies according to Pharmaceutical Executive magazine.

25. Patch

Patch jobs have offered job seekers a range of flexible employment options including part-time schedules, flexible schedules, and remote work-at-home arrangements.

26. Adobe

In 2010, Adobe was named by FORTUNE as “100 Best Companies To Work For”.

27. Appen

Appen Butler Hill is headquartered in Australia and has offices in the U.S. and the Philippines, with remote employees all over the world.

28. Kenexa

The services offered by Kenexa include employment branding, assessments, surveys, recruitment technology, onboarding, performance monitoring, compensation guidance, and leadership development.

29. General Electric

GE Gvalues innovation, leadership, training, integrity, and diversity.

30. Teradata

Teradata has more than 10,000 employees in 42 countries.

31. Automattic

This company is best known for WordPress.com. “It allows you to get the best and brightest people in the world,” CEO Matt Mullenweg says. Automattic gives its employees a monthly stipend of $250 to get a co-working space if their home office situation isn’t great.

32. Cisco Systems

Cisco’s telecommuting policy — as of 2011, almost 85 percent of Cisco employees worked remotely on a regular basis — has resulted in an estimated productivity savings for the company of about $277 million.

33. Rackspace

Rackspace offers many remote positions, from Lead Web Developers to Senior Software Developer, according to its job listings site.

34. Intuit

The company has a whole jobs page devoted to remote positions.

35. Qualcomm

Of QualComm’s approximately 18,000 employees, 18 percent telecommute regularly.

36. Ultimate Software

About 50 percent of its employees worked remotely more than 20 percent of the time. There’s some math for you.

37. Google

I mean would you expect anything less from this awesome company? Though would you want to work remotely if you worked at Google?

38. NetApp

Thirty percent of employees work remotely at least part-time.

39. Accenture

Accenture has 36 offices with videoconferencing facilities and is among the top 10 companies with the highest percentage of regular telecommuters, according to Fortune.

40. Weyerhauser

Weyerhauser, which develops sustainable industrial products from trees, writes in its company FAQs that flexible work arrangements depend on the specific case, but it does include several flexible work arrangements including telecommuting.

41.Gannett

Publishing companies like Gannett are known for offering some of the best remote jobs.

42. 3Com

Another great tech company.

43. Compaq

This company offers a number of remote jobs.

44. JetBlue

This airline is known for embracing remote workers. It allows all of its flight agents to work from home.

45. United Airlines

UA is similar to JetBlue.

46. Baxter Healthcare

Remote workers help support the initiative to move healthcare records into electronic formats.

47. Citibank

A Gartner Group study lists the banking and finance industry as the second top sector for telecommuting.

48. New York Life Insurance

This company embraces remote workers.

49. Sears

It’s true! Who thought a company so old would be so forward-thinking when it comes to remote hiring?

50. Wendy’s

Wendy’s offers a number of remote jobs, and they don’t involve griddles.

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How to Stop Being Lazy

Being lazy can be a very unhealthy way to live life. Perhaps worst of all, it's very easy to fall into a pattern of being consistently lazy and unmotivated. How you manage your time and what you do with it now will affect you later on in life, so read some of the tips below on how to stop being lazy and start being more productive.
EditPart 1 of 4: Body, Mind and Spirit

If you're feeling lazy, it may have to do with how you're taking (or not taking) care of yourself. Look at these tips to naturally give yourself more energy.

1. Sleep. You should ideally be getting eight hours of sleep and trying to get on a regular sleep cycle. Irregular sleep patterns or sleepless nights can lead to low energy and lazy tendencies.
2. 
   Wash your face. As soon as you wake up in the morning, just wash your face and freshen up. It's a very easy way to wake yourself up a bit more and start the day off right. 
3. 
   Exercise regularly. Even something as simple as a brisk walk gives you natural energy and also releases endorphins that improve your overall mood, making you feel more inclined to go out and accomplish something that day.
4. 
   Watch your diet. If you're not getting enough vegetables or healthy foods into your body, it can also affect your overall energy. Try to cut out excess junk food and eat regular meals per day.
5. 
   Get help. If none of the above methods help, your feelings of laziness could possibly be linked to depression, or more rarely a more serious mental health issue such as attention deficit disorder. It may be worth seeking professional help.

EditPart 2 of 4: Get In The Right Frame Of Mind
Feelings of laziness or lethargy are often directly related to how we're feeling about ourselves or life. Here are a few ways to improve your mood.

1. 
   Clean your home and office area. Having an environment free of clutter can often remove some of the clutter from your mind, and make you feel more motivated and productive.
2. 
   Start your day with positive self talk. For example, "Today, I will go for a run." 
3. 
   Listen to energetic music. Workout songs or exercise jams that get you "pumped up" and feeling active will help set up a positive tone to your day.
4. 
   Change your environment. Different environments have different impacts on our productivity. For example, if you're trying to work on something in your bedroom, does it make you want to work or just snuggle and sleep? You may want to consider a different space if you're trying to accomplish a certain task.
5. 
   Surround yourself with productive people. Who you surround yourself with inspires your behavior. Hang out with people who are successful and motivated, and their energy will likely rub off on you.
6. 
   Tell others about your goals. Have you always wanted a new job or to run a marathon? Tell people about it! Whenever people see you, they will now ask you about how things are going with those goals. It's a great way to hold yourself accountable for your actions.
7. 
   Stop over-complicating things. Are you waiting for a perfect time to accomplish something? There usually isn't one. Unfortunately, perfectionism can be one of the biggest reasons for procrastination.

EditPart 3 of 4: Prioritize Your Time

If you have a lot to do, it can be so overwhelming that you end up doing nothing. Here are some ways to maximize the time that you have.

1. 
   Make a list. If you have several things to do in a given day, prioritize them into "have-to's," "need-to's" and "get-to's". Do the have-to's first. Having things written out on paper often makes it easier to see what is most important.
2. 
   Do not do the worst items first. While you haven't expanded any energy yet, do the most unpleasant tasks of the day later. If you focus on the easier tasks first, you will have more time to work on the worst things later. Things that you don't like to do will obviously take more time than the usual. This creates an extra barrier in your mind as you have other works that you like to do or can easily get done with and yet, not doing them, as you are stuck with something that you don't like.
3. 
   Pick your projects carefully. Again, you don't want to overwhelm yourself into lethargy. Pick one or two things to focus on and fully devote yourself to those tasks. You don't want to spread yourself too thin.
4. 
   Break your work into small steps. Another way to avoid having work seem too overwhelming is to break a task down into individual parts, then focus on each part.
5. 
   Create a detailed timeline. If you have a project and all you've given yourself is the due date, it's very easy to put things off until the last second. Make a timeline that lists all the steps you will need to take leading up to that due date and give yourself a reasonable time frame to accomplish them.

EditPart 4 of 4: Value Your Time

Your time is precious. Here are some ways to avoid laziness and make the most out of your day.

1. 
   Learn to do something with your free time. Take up a new interest or hobby. Life is more fulfilling when you're productive.
2. 
   Do all your projects right away. If you get a homework assignment, don't put it off until the weekend. Start working on it now while everything is fresh in your mind.
3. 
   Eliminate your procrastination stops. Know what you spend time procrastinating with and take action to remove it. If you waste time surfing the web, work in a place that doesn't have internet access. If texting friends is your vice, move your phone into a different room or have a friend hold on to it for the afternoon.
4. 
   Enforce punctuality. If you say you're going to start working on something at noon, start at noon. Don't make it acceptable to start 30 or 40 minutes later than what you committed to.
5. 
     Set a schedule of working and breaks. It's natural that you will need to take a break from working, but make sure that time is limited. For example, you could commit to working for the first 50 minutes of every hour and then take a break for 10 minutes.
6. 
   Just do it! There isn't any cure for being lazy. The only way to overcome this is by setting your mind to the task and completing it. Have self-discipline.

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Succeed in Your Graphic Design Job Interview!

 

 

We can see work of graphic designers everywhere. On the screen of your mobile phone, on the wall of nearby buildings, on the body of your car, or clothes you just wear… People are visual beings and decide rather emotionally than rationally. Therefor, to have an excellent graphic designer in a team is a must for practically every single company.

It is a good job, but not everyone can get it in an interview. An applicant needs to demonstrate different abilities and “sell” his skills and knowledge to the recruiters. Creativity, good understanding of the needs and desires of various people, ability to interpret the business needs and develop a campaign from scratch are just few to mention. On the top of that, every designer should have practical knowledge of Photoshop (or similar software), CAD, and other tools needed for the job. So, how do they test all of this in a job interview?

Practical interview

Like in every other job interview, employer will ask you several personal, behavioral and technical questions. However in this case, a practical part belongs to an interview too.

They may let you to do some work directly in an interview, e.g. to improve a simple design, or give your ideas on certain concepts and layouts. In some cases, recruiters let the applicants to prepare some work before an interview. The same task is given to all the interviewed applicants. Later they can compare the work of all the applicants and decide.

Knowing it, you should for sure prepare your working portfolio prior to the interview. It does not matter if you have worked for clients for ten years, or if you are just a starter and design things only for yourself. In both cases, you should pick your best works and prepare a presentation, either in a form of .PPT, or simply on the paper. Doing so, you may avoid doing practical tasks in an interview. But even if not, such a portfolio shows that you really care for getting the job, that the interview is important for you. Every employer will see it as something positive. So, do not hesitate to do it!

Then, your ability to answer all tough questions and sell your skills in an interview will decide. To learn how to do it, as well as to see multiple brilliant answers to the toughest interview questions, see our Graphic Design Interview Package.  Thank you.

 

What questions do they ask in graphic design interview?

You can expect a mix of behavioral, technical and personal questions. Each part has its meaning. They try to assess your motivation and communication skills with personal questions. Your answers to behavioral questions should uncover your behavior in various work related situations. And technical questions test your ability to do the job, or at least your ability to talk about doing the job . Practical exercises, often the final stage of an interview, will test your ability to really do the job… Let’s have a look at some questions they typically ask:

• Why did you decide for a career of graphic designer?
• What caught your eye on the job description?
• Why do you want to work for us and not for other company? There are many offers for graphic designers…
• What characterize a good designer from your point of view?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What do you want to accomplish on this position?
• Where do you see yourself in five years time?
• Describe a situation when you needed to meet a tight deadline with a project.
• Describe a situation when you worked under pressure. How did you handle that?
• Describe a conflict you had with your boss, or with your colleague. What was the situation and how did you solve it?
• What kind of design projects are you most interested in?
• Name all software products you can work with. How long have you been working with it. What do you like about this and that program? Why do you prefer it to other, competing programs?
• What do you consider to be the current trends in the area of graphic design?
• How important do you think communication in graphic design is?
• What is a primary goal of a graphic designer? Is it important that the design is good looking, or what else should a designer consider his first priority?
• Tell me something about your latest design projects. What challenges did you face and how did you handle it?
• What do you consider your most successful design project and why?
• What are the differences between associative hatching and non-associative hatching in CAD?
• If you wanted to select a line and there were other lines on top of it how would you select it in CAD?
• What is the difference between a crossing polygon and a window polygon?
• What is Linking Layer in Photoshop?
• How to modify one image from one layer to another layer?
• Explain about Lasso tools in Photoshop.
• What is the shortcut to zoom back to 100%?
• When are you able to start?
• Do you have any questions?

Practice before your interview

CAD and Photoshop have pretty intuitive user interface. If you have good computer intelligence, you should be able to find what you need in an interview. But I suggest you to work with it for couple of hours prior to the start of your interview. It is much better than studying some theory, because there are way too many possible theoretical questions about it. However, do not forget that an ability to learn and a creative thinking is more important than your actual knowledge of CAD or Photoshop.

If the very best expert on Photoshop does not understand the main goal of his design work, or can not transfer the business needs into final results, his knowledge is worthless. Oppositely, a creative person who knows what to design and why, thinking about the needs of both business and customers, simply a guy who can design things that actually sell themselves, can always learn to work with a software, and after all it’s not the main thing. I believe it is clear to you which one do recruiters prefer to hire… Please, do not forget on it, when preparing for your job interview and check some online interview trainings for graphic designers.

What to say at the end?

Well, even if you are the best designer in your city, still, they may not hire you. Why? Simply because employment relationship isn’t about your design skills only. You must convince the employer about an added value you can bring, you must show him you fit well into company environment. And, you must answer all their questions… It’s not easy. But with our Graphic Design Interview Package, you will be ready for all the interview challenges. Thank you for checking it out here!

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Graphic Design Interview Questions That Will Help You Prepare

Graphic Designers are in high demand. There’s always a need for someone who understands the ins and outs of what makes great design. A graphic designer who has an eye for aesthetics, a firm grasp on cutting-edge software and style trends, and who can destroy a deadline is worth their weight in gold. With that said, graphic design is a popular career for creative people who want to make their mark on the world, so it isn’t hard to see why graphic design is such a competitive field.
Whether you are thinking of studying graphic design to land your dream job in the future, or you’ve just graduated and can’t wait to get started, having interview skills that will make you the most appealing candidate are absolutely mandatory. Preparing for your day in the hotseat requires lead-in preparation time that starts with writing a fabulous resume and is supplemented by practicing your answers to common graphic design interview questions. But we know that won’t put you off–you’ve got the skills and the ambition, you won’t have any problem nailing the interview, too!

Before the Interview:

Before you even go in for your graphic design interview, it’s worth it to put the prep time in when it comes to crafting a resume and cover letter that will garner interest from potential employers. So what does the perfect resume look like?

Well, it should go without saying that the very first impression that an employer gets of your skills as a graphic designer begins with the work that you put in to your resume. It should be no longer than one page, and be clean, neat, and aesthetically pleasing. Spend some time crafting the typography elements of your resume; instead of thinking of it as a purely utilitarian way to convey information about your skills and experience, consider it the first piece of your graphic design portfolio.

It is also very worth the time to practice speaking. There are a number of basic interview questions that you are doubtless already very familiar with, like:

• Tell me about yourself.
  • The interviewer isn’t looking for your zodiac sign or life story. Answer this question with four or five aspects about your experience or personality that can be framed in a way that still describes how you are a unique candidate.

• What do you consider to be your greatest weakness?
  • Hint: it’s not kryptonite. This isn’t an invitation to denigrate yourself or be humble. Instead, describe a strength of yours disguised as a “weakness”.
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
  • The key to this question isn’t to sign your life away to your desired place of employment. Most employers just want to know how the position you are interviewing for fits into your career goals.

These all seem like very simple questions, but can actually be stumpers. Assume that questions like these will be asked of you and practice your answers to them before you even move on to the graphic design interview questions below.

Casting Your Net:

Graphic Design can be a competitive field to break into, but it isn’t impossible by any stretch of the imagination. There are a number of things to take into consideration before you even begin to look for a graphic design job, so you need to do a little research. Consider each of the following aspects before you start sending resumes out:

• Location: Metropolitan centers have many, many opportunities for the aspiring graphic designer, but some have more than others. You need to also consider the cost of living and the rate of unemployment as you look. For instance, New York City will always have a need for talented designers. But even with a lot of opportunity, there’s always a wealth of candidates, and the cost of living is sky-high.
• Level: It’s tempting to go straight for flashy, sexy jobs in advertising houses with big-name clients and near-unlimited resources, but consider your experience level before biting. Starting at an indie firm or doing something more vanilla when you are first starting out doesn’t have to be a compromise. You can learn a lot from jobs with solid-entry level positions to cut your teeth on.
• Reputation: There are a lot of resources and websites out there for job hunters wanting to understand a little bit more about the companies they want to work for. Interviews and checks aren’t just for candidates anymore! Spend some time looking at salary information, employee morale, and internal hiring practices at the company you’d like to pursue. Are there opportunities to advance? Are the employees happy? What are the perks like?

Taking these kinds of things into consideration when you cast your net will result in more call backs for you so that all you need to worry about is acing the interview when it’s time. Speaking of which…

Sample Graphic Design Interview Questions:

Finally, the good stuff. Let’s dive right in and take a look at some common (and not so common) graphic design interview questions. We’ll include a few answers as well, but remember that it isn’t a script! Let the sample answers give you a foothold, and then be sure to practice an answer of your own that lets your individuality shine through.

Q: In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good graphic designer? 

A: Here’s your first chance to sell yourself a little, but don’t overdo it. Think about the qualities that make a graphic designer great, and then expound on them a little. For example, you could say something like:

“There’s no substitute for design intuition, of course, but understanding design technology as it changes is absolutely vital. For that reason, I make it a priority to stay up to date with software like Adobe CS and keep my eye out for changing market trends.”

Q: What kind of design projects are you interested in? 

A: A question like this is why it’s so important to do your research. You don’t want to apply for a job doing layout design for educational materials and moon over how much you love motion graphics for social marketing campaigns. A sample answer might sound a little like:

“I’m always trying to develop better practices for streamlined User Interface layout graphics. I’m really excited at the work this company has done for XYZ website, and I hope I’ll get a chance to contribute to a similar project.”

Q: Tell me about a time that you had to work under pressure? 

A: Your interviewer isn’t asking this question because she wants to know about that time in college that you had a paper due but your cat got a stomach virus and your car broke down. What she’s really asking is “Tell me a time that you succeeded under pressure”. You’ll want to answer it without framing it as a “woe is me” story. For instance:

“In my last position, we were working on a very strict budget and close deadline. Because we were skilled communicators, everyone was able to pull together and exceed client expectations when the presentation was rescheduled to a week ahead of time.”

Q: Which software do you prefer to work with and why? 

A: Again, this is where research comes in handy. If you’re applying to a design job as a 3D modeler with a company that uses 3DStudio Max you want to be able to say that you use that same program, not that you only use Maya because you think 3DS is inferior. You can frame it like this:

“I think it’s important to know multiple modeling systems, because each has it’s benefits and drawbacks. I understand that your studio uses 3DStudio Max; I’m very familiar with 3DS, so I should be able to hit the ground running here.”

Q: What is your design process? 

A: This is an intuitive question, but because it can involve multiple steps, it’s best to practice it before hand so that you aren’t stumbling over your words as you attempt to get them out. This is also a question that gauges how efficient you are, as well as your attention to detail. You want to fall somewhere in the middle–talking about how it takes at least 15 drafts before you reach your final design will make it seem like you won’t meet deadlines. On the other hand, claiming that you always design perfectly at square one will make it seem like you don’t value craftsmanship or worse, that you’re arrogant. You might say something like,

“Before I get started on a project, I like to develop a number of milestones to refer to so that I can stay on track. After that, I begin with a preliminary concept sketches and choose the ones that best meet client expectations. I will typically do three of four mock-ups to tweak the final design before I present it to the client. Of course, I always take any constructive criticism directed towards my work to improve as I go.”

Q: Can I see your portfolio? 

A: There’s only one right way to answer this, and that is in the affirmative. You should include a link to your online portfolio of work with your contact information on your resume. Before you get to the interview, make sure that you also have a burned copy of your demo reel that you can leave with the interviewer. To review, this is what the answer to this question should sound like:

“Yes, gladly.”

There are many more potential graphic design interview questions, far too many to name here. They can include everything from logic puzzles that test your creative and critical thinking abilities to software-specific skills that will vary depending on what type of position you are applying for. If you do your research and polish your answers before you go in, you’ll ace the interview for sure.

After the Interview:

After your interview, the first thing that you should do is heave a great big sigh of relief, because you did it! The very next thing that you should do is follow up immediately with a thank you email, and drop a thank you card into the mailbox the very next day.

Handwritten thank you cards stand out because they are becoming a rare and elusive breed. Your best bet is to again use your awesome graphic design skills to create something that is unique and showcases your talent.

With these sample graphic design interview questions, you are well on your way to landing your dream job by breaking into the field of graphic design. From here, you can consider other options as well, like supplementing your income as a freelance designer, or looking towards freelancing full time, if it suits you. It never hurts to brush up on additional resume and cover letter writing fundamentals, either. And of course, we wish the best of luck to you on your job hunt!

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How to Interview: Graphic Designers

By: Dona Dezube
Every time a new type of communication emerges, the graphic designer job description expands.
Interview Questions to Ask: Experience
Whether your organization communicates via print, web, hand-held devices, online, billboards, or all of the above, knowing how to interview graphic designers starts with knowing what you need the designer to design.
A good designer can design about anything. When you’re looking to recruit a great designer, though, it’s best to look for a candidate who’s done similar products for similar organizations, says Cynthia Escalante, an account manager with staffing firm Aquent, LLC, Boston.
While your resume review will tell you where a candidate has worked, these questions will delve deeper into their fit with your company culture:

• Have you done annual reports (or whatever products the designer will do for your organization)?
• What size company were your prior clients?
• Have you worked for non-profits, trade associations or other companies in this industry?
• What is your experience with designing for websites?
• What type of signage have you designed?

Interview Questions to Ask: The Portfolio
Interview questions about the candidate’s experience naturally lead to a discussion of their portfolio.
When possible, look at the work in the medium for which it was designed, going online to look at websites, or viewing a printed copy of an annual report.
Asking, Show me your best piece is a good first question, says Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group, a Menlo Park, California, executive search firm.
A designer skilled at presentation will have their best piece placed first in their portfolio, and their second-best piece will be the last piece with five to eight pieces in between, she says.
Use the portfolio as a launching pad to dig into the job candidate’s previous experience by asking:

• What was the objective of this piece?
• What was your role in developing this piece?
• What was the business result of that piece?
• How much time did it take to execute this project?
• Did you come up with this concept? Or was it a collaborative process? 
• Why did you choose this image (or binding, or color palette?)
• What was your thought process, and how does your creative process work?
• What was the design challenge? 
• How did you resolve that challenge?
• What results did this piece achieve?
• What was the client’s feedback, and can you supply contact information for this client so they can give you a reference?
• What people, processes, and/or budgets did you manage when you did this project?

As the job seeker answers your interview questions, listen to hear if they’re a strategic thinker and what their level of responsibility has been in the past, says Escalante.
Today’s graphic designer has to engage, attract, convert, and sell an audience, so listen for answers that demonstrate the applicant has core business skills, as well.
Do they mention costs, perhaps talking about the cost versus benefits of interactive versus printed annual reports?
Interview Questions to Ask: Hard-Skills Questions
Graphic designers need hard skills, especially when working in mobile and online platforms.
While the resume will tell you what software a graphic designer uses, these questions will tease out how well they know those programs:

• Do you consider yourself first a designer or a programmer?
• How have you used Software Program X in your daily work? 
• How often have you used Software Program X?
• What version of Software Program X are you most familiar with?
• If I asked you to design something, what software would you use?
• If I were willing to train you on any software, what would you choose to learn?

Interview Questions to Ask: Soft Skills
Unless your new hire will only work remotely, they’ll need soft skills too.
Find out how well the job applicant works with others by asking: What did the team at your prior position look like? What was your official role on that team? What was your unofficial role on that team?
Close the interview with an open-ended question that gives you a glimpse of what inspires the candidate: What’s been your most interesting project?
As you listen to their reply, consider whether your organization’s job aligns well with what inspires the candidate. If it does, you’re ready to make an offer to your next great hire.

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Top 10 Best Ways You can Make Easy Money in 2014

After a very tiresome study period at college, many students want to relax and watch television or enjoy a long trip to hill station; but for the fresh graduates, the better option is to look for a job. Inexperienced graduates find it tough to get hired by the best companies; the reasons are obviously lack of experience and immense competition. In fact, various students frown upon jobs of customer service sectors, but they facilitate with financial independence, and provide an initial back-support to your career.

Knowing what employers look for in fresh graduates can be the great way of evaluating how marketable are your skills. If you feel that you’ve the potential to do a technical job, doors of endless opportunities are open for you. If you feel that your credentials are in line with a technical position, then here are the top 10 best ways you can make easy money in 2014:

10. Pharmaceutical Representatives

As a pharmaceutical representative, lot of travel will be needed from you. These individuals work the whole day, introducing different drugs and medicines to the doctors and paramedical staff. The pharmaceutical representatives are in high demand, so you’ve bright chance to get hired by a pharmaceutical company if your communication skills match their needs. The science graduates with customer-friendly abilities can apply for this job. Usually as a representative, you’ll receive monthly salary + commission for every successful sale, still the estimated annual earning is around $46,510.

9. Network System Administrators

Both large and small firms, nowadays, hire in-house network system administrators to maintain and troubleshoot their complex computer networks. To keep the computer networks running is your major job responsibility. You can apply for the position at multiple companies if you hold a graduate degree in computer science or computer programming. Although experience isn’t needed, but you’re better to gain basic experience of what to do to keep the networks running smoothly. The job pays well to the hard-working individuals, so apply only if you’re a well-qualified applicant. The estimated annual salary is around $56,530.

8. Software Developers

Software developer is undeniably a smart career option in today’s job market. Salaries of experienced software developers keep on increasing every year, and the demand of such skilled persons is very high. You’ll be hired by software houses, multinational companies, or telecommunication brands. Flexible working hours are available for full-time and part-time job seekers. To increase your chances to get such a fantastic job, make sure you hold a degree in computer studies. You can expect to earn around $65,230 annually from this job.

7. Investment Bankers

Recent financial crisis in the international markets has taken much of the shine of investment banking. Jobs in this sector are not plentiful, but they pay well. As an investment banker, you will be responsible to handle out the accounts of the bank, and assists individuals, corporations, and governments in raising capital. The job can be demanding; you sometimes have to work under pressure to achieve the goals. You can earn around $74,120 per year from this job.

6. Earn through Social Media

With the growing trend of social networks, recruitment has become convenient. Internet is the biggest platform for job hunters and employers. Google processes more than 40,000 search queries every second of every day, and its main problem is promotion through Google Plus. Google Plus is a bit of an oddity as compared to any other social media website; and fills the gap left by Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.This is why, brands tend to use this network for better ranks. Once you decide to move over to Google Plus to make money, the doors of opportunities open for you.

5. App Development Business

The most benefited individuals are web designers and developers. If you are the lucky one with great programming skills, try to develop an app. Millions of Google Plus users can become your happy buyers. Visit Chrome add-ons and extensions page to see how to start your business. Submit your app to Android Market and Apple iOS stores. If it receives many downloads, you’ll get handsome amount from Google, and a chance to maximize your brand exposure.

4. Write Updated Contents

Never before had opportunities to make a sustainable living as a freelancer; thanks to marketplaces and Google Plus for making it possible. Turn your writing passion into a handsome career, and leave the well-trodden path of traditional working world by writing posts on multiple websites. Share them on Google Plus to get more page views and earn revenues through ad impressions and clicks. Remember that this is not a short-cut to reach your goals, but is a network armed with both positive and negative opportunities. The more you’ll write the higher will be your earnings.

3. Create an Open Google Plus Community

You can create an open Google Plus community that matches interests of your target subscribers. In the community’s “About this community” section, insert your website links. Invite more and more people to join your community to generate revenues from Adsense clicks, and expand your friends circle day by day. Join multiple Google Plus clubs of bloggers, web developers, and social media lovers. Invite friends to follow you on this platform; once you surpass the 1000 limit, you qualify to sell +1’d recommendations to branded websites. Multinational companies spend millions of dollars to buy tweets, Facebook likes and Google Plus recommendations to rank higher.

2. Claim Google Plus Authorship

Claim Google Plus authorship for your blogs. This way, your articles and posts receive more authority, and extra attention in search engines. Every article you publish with Google Plus authorship has your name and picture next to it, thus you’ve earn sufficient revenues.

1. Take Advantage of Google Plus

The plethora of earning opportunities provided by Google Plus is measured by your determination, and resilience. Dig deep into the well of courage and remember that the key to success is to not treat Google Plus as a secondary network. Give it the same attention and interest as Facebook and Twitter for entrancing your brand.

Working hard to develop core skills is needed by employers to succeed in today’s scenario. You should take extra miles to enhance your competencies to get a technical job like above for a prospective career. What you say?

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Top 10 Best Freelance Job Websites in 2014

There are a few ways you can make part-time money, such as e-marketing, web development, and freelance writing. Finding the perfect freelance job in today’s competitive industry isn’t possible without connecting with best brands. Creativity in the workplace is the key to healthy professional environment. Browsing the internet to check on the available freelance positions is a common habit; but if you feel that you’ve what does it take to land a dream job, you won’t be short of opportunities.

Here are the top 10 best freelance job websites in 2014.

10. Accolade Support Call Center Services

Accolade hires flawless IT professionals on contract basis. You can submit your resume for any of the technical position to work as an independent contractor. The job responsibilities include performing desktop troubleshoots and software support. Holding a first-class degree in computer sciences or programming is mandatory. Company pays $5-$10 per hour.

9. Odesk

If you are a proficient article or content writer, or have skills of SEO, you won’t be short of jobs at Odesk. This is one of the most famous marketplaces to find a suitable position. Here hundreds of jobs are posted every day, thus your selection of a proper job is a click away.

8. AccuTran Global

Part-time transcription job is one of the best freelance works in the world. AccuTran Global hires workers who can transcribe conference calls, meetings and interviews from financial-sector businesses. You have the freedom to choose your own working hours (from 20 to 50 hours a week). Salary ranges from $0.005 to $0.0066 per word. The company gives preference to the candidates from Europe and America.

7. Freelancer

Freelancer is another great website to find suitable jobs. Here web designers, writers, academic writers, SEOs, and other persons can finds thousands of jobs. You can develop direct communication with the customers and get hired for their projects officially.

6. AdmissionsConsultants

For teachers, looking for online teaching opportunities, AdmissionConsultants is the best workplace. The company hires candidates with post-graduate or doctorate degrees to work as independent contactors. Before you consider applying, make sure you have admissions committee experience and good interpersonal skills to work as an effective consultant. The job pays $20 to $50 per hour.

5. Automatic Data Processing (ADP)

ADP is an exceptional workplace for IT, business and management graduates. This company provides business processing services, such as payroll, talent management, and human resource management to many of its global customers and automotive dealerships. You can submit resume for multiple positions that match your skills and educational background to avail the chance of a great home-based job. Expect to earn from $6 to $15 per hour depending upon your job nature.

4. Elance

Elance is a great marketplace for the job seekers. This website has tough competition among the freelancers, this is why, you would get hired toughly if your profile shows no experience. To fulfill your dreams of financial freedom, Elance can offer best paying jobs ever.

3. Advanis

Advani is a Canadian marketing company that hires virtual call center agents, virtual assistants, and mystery shoppers twice a year. Although the company prefers Canadian residents but you can still apply if your credentials match their requirements. You’ll be paid up to $25 per hour.

2. Aetna

Nurses, physicians, and network experts looking for well-paying independent positions can apply at Aetna. Some positions are specifically for telephone operators, and virtual assistants. Choose jobs that perfectly match your educational background and experience from its database. Aetna pays $10 to $100 per hours to its independent contractors.

1. Allvoices.com

Allvoices jobs are best suitable for writers and media producers. You’ll be paid a fixed salary on the basis of your performance. This is a brilliant workplace for beginners with potential to work as company’s freelancers. The compensation is calculated based on page views, and their brand promotion.

As the above companies choose native English speakers with flawless characteristics, there is no guarantee that a non-native will be hired. You can submit your CVs and wait if they conduct your telephonic interview or not. Let us know about your experience once you’ve acquired a suitable position. Which website you have been using as a freelancer?

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