Top 10 Creative Freelance Careers

By Shannon Belew

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

When searching for the perfect business opportunity, experts advise following your passion. For those with an artistic eye, you can easily turn a flare for the creative into a thriving freelance career. You may prefer a more traditional arts and crafts interest, such as custom pottery or blown glasswork. However, you can just as easily take a more typical freelancing opportunity and add a creative twist to make it your own. Here are 10 ideas for creative freelancing careers to get you started.

 

1. Scrapbook Design Consultant

Scrapbooking and rubber stamping are no longer simply hobbies; they now make up a multi-billion dollar industry. If you have a talent for layout and design and a passion for creating lasting memories then freelancing as a scrapbook design consultant offers several opportunities. Companies, like Creative Memories and Stampn' Up, offer home-based consultant programs. For a modest fee, you receive a starter kit and then resell the supplies, and other related products, through home party demonstrations. You can go it alone and provide scrapbooking services to others, in which case you can list your services online at Creative Keepsakes Consultant Locator. Or, you can use your talent to create gift cards and other custom products to sell direct.

2. Speciality Freelance Writer
Writing may be one of the first (and oldest) professions to lend itself to freelance work. However, it is time to think beyond the standard freelancing notion of writing copy for brochures, white papers and magazine articles - and get creative. For example, consider putting your talents to use writing witty, but brief, copy for online greeting cards. Or, how about selling your services as a scribe to create custom party invitations, thank you notes or love letters. Another growing trend is disatisfying customers hiring professional complaint letters to send to offending corporations.

3. Color Consultant
Color consultants are companions to the interior design business and there services are increasingly in demand. How many times have you driven by a house that sticks out like a sore thumb because it is painted a horrific neon blue or a sickly pumpkin orange? You can hardly blame the owner, given the tricky properties of paint and its ability to fool the eye as it goes from a one-inch cardboard paint sample to the real thing. The same can be said for interior colors which appear quite different on walls depending on the size of a room, or the amount of natural or synthetic lighting. Also boosting the need for color consultants in both homes and businesses is the Feng Shui movement and the recognition of the effects of color on mood.

4. Waterscapes Design Consultant
Waterscapes are an ever-popular segment of the booming industry focusing on outdoor living spaces and custom-designed gardens. As a design consultant for waterscapes you help home owners and businesses utilize water elements in their outdoor spaces. This can include designing or advising on the use of waterfalls to complement pool and spa areas, ponds (of all sizes), custom water fountains, and fun, backyard water centers designed specifically for children. If you enjoy the outdoors, are comfortable working with contractors, and have an interest in using stone or other natural elements as a function of design, you might be the perfect candidate for helping people create one-of-a-kind waterscapes.

5. Real Estate Marketing Consultant
Selling a home has become more competitive than ever and that challenge opens up an ideal freelance career for marketing professionals. Maximize your creativity working with both homeowners and Realtors to help position a home for sale. There are three primary opportunities for marketing services. As a home staging professional you are paid to declutter, rearrange and organize a home so that it looks its best for showing to prospective buyers. Or, you can offer your services to create an attention-getting Open House, in which you help the Realtor ensure there is plenty of buyers showing up to see a house for sale. Similarly, Realtors and For Sale By Owners also need help developing creative marketing materials to advertise a house.

6. Social Media Consultant
A growing trend is the use of social networking sites, such as FaceBook, MySpace and Second Life to market a traditional business. Corporations know they need to use these types of online media to reach customers but often they do not have the in-house expertise to do so. As a social media consultant you can advise companies on issues such as, the most appropriate, and cost-effective means of advertising on these and other social networking sites; creating viral videos; and even on implementing and maintaining a corporate blog.

7. Event Coordinator
This may not be a new freelance opportunity but event and party planning offers the ultimate chance to put your creative touch to work. And, like other long-time freelancing careers, this one is also being reinvented. Stop thinking in terms of wedding planning and boring, corporate functions. The newest trend in event planning is to specialize in coordinating lavish Sweet 16 parties for teens, or the Spanish equivelant of the Quinceanera party. Event coordinators are also being hired to create intimate, romantic dinner parties for two and to organize unique and over-the-top memorial and funeral services for the ultimate going-away party.

8. Jewelry Designer and Buying Consultant
Using precious gems or intricate beadwork to design jewelry is a wonderful way to evoke your creative muse. But this idea can extend to more than selling standard necklaces and earrings. Instead, consider designing custom necklaces, or jeweled collars, for pampered dogs and cats. The pet industry continues to expand and jewelry for fido is among the rising trends. Similarly, teens and young adults are dressing up their electronic devices with jewelry. You can design custom pieces to add to cell phones, digital cameras and MP3 players. Of course, maybe you have extensive knowledge about silver, gold and gems and would rather buy it than design it. In that case, consider offering your services as a buying consultant for upscale clients.

9. Graphic Artist
Freelancing as a graphic artist is hardly new, either, but there are ways to put an even more creative touch to the profession. Whereas you may have once designed advertisements and corporate logos, now you may prefer to specialize in online graphics. For example, you could use your artful imagination to design Avatars, or graphical representations of people for use online. Similarly, you could put web-based artwork to use in video games, Flash ads, and online videos.

10. Play Consultant
Perhaps the ultimate creative freelance career is that of a professional play consultant. Companies once paid big money for employees to attend team-building programs, and now that same concept has been reinvented as a play therapist, so to speak. You consult companies on how to use play and creative thinking in brainstorming events to engage employees and solicit better ideas. Play consultants also advise on how to use fun as a way to de-stress overworked, burned-out employees. On a smaller scale, the same concept can be targeted to a client base of young children. In that case, parents, preschool programs, and home schooling organizations hire you to provide weekly exercise programs or creative play sessions for their students.

17 Tips for Designers on Starting a Freelance Business

By Steven Snell

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

As I interact with readers of my blogs, I continually encounter designers who are just getting started in the world of freelancing. In some cases they are very experienced designers/developers who are going out on their own for the first time. Others are trying freelancing part-time to see how it will work for them, and some are planning for a transition process but have not yet started to freelance. Since a large number of readers are facing issues that go along with getting started as a freelancer, I thought it would be helpful to share some tips from my own experience.

The tips in this post will cover all aspects of freelancing and the lifestyle that comes with it. In many cases unexpected issues and adjustments are what new freelancers struggle with, so hopefully this article will help to prepare new freelancers to meet the challenges that will be presented.

1. Make Sure You Have Some Experience
It’s very easy to get started as a freelance designer. There’s no need to have a particular education (although it can certainly be helpful) and there is no governing body or licensing that requires freelancers to be experienced. For these reasons there are a lot of freelancers out there, so you will need to be good at what you do in order to be successful.

If you have several years of experience working for a design studio or in-house somewhere, most likely you have many of the skills that you need to be successful as a freelancer. However, if you are just getting started as a designer there is a need to gain valuable experience. Getting experience doesn’t mean that you have to land work with high paying clients. You can gain a considerable amount of experience by working on personal projects or by taking some work for a non-profit organization that may be looking for a lower-priced alternative. Look for opportunities to take on work where you can stretch your skills and make yourself as valuable as possible to future clients.

2. Acknowledge the Downsides to Freelancing
When I talk to friends about the type of work I do, most of them assume I sleep in late and have a lot of freedom to do whatever I want. While there are significant benefits that come with being your own boss, the freelancing lifestyle has plenty of downsides as well. If you are going to pursue this type of work, do yourself a favor and consider the pros and the cons and make sure that it is something that you (and your family) are comfortable with. Some of the negatives to being a freelancer include:

Work/life balance – Working from home is great, but it also makes it more difficult to separate your working time and space from your personal time and space. In fact, most full-time freelancers work longer hours than they would if they were an employee somewhere. Be sure that you are prepared for the difficulties that can arise with finding an adequate work/life balance.

Benefits - One of the biggest reasons to choose to be an employee over freelancing is the lack of benefits for freelancers. If you have a spouse that works, you will probably be able to have health insurance through their employer. Otherwise, this can be a huge expense. Other benefits like paid time off and 401K plans are non-existent for freelancers (although there are other investment alternatives for the self employed).

Steady Paycheck – There is a big comfort for most people in knowing that they will be getting a paycheck every two weeks and knowing exactly how much it will be. Most freelancers have very little consistency in terms of income. Some months will be good and other months won’t be so good. If you have trouble dealing with inconsistencies in your income, be sure that you have given this sufficient thought before jumping into freelancing full-time.

Personal Interaction – Working in an office as an employee will give you the opportunity to interact with co-workers, as well as customers/clients. Even if you are not the type of person that cherishes your daily interaction with others, working from home as a freelancer will take some adjustment.

3. Start Freelancing Part-Time if Possible
Because of all of the unknowns that come with freelancing, in my opinion (and from my own experience) it is a good idea to start freelancing part-time while you are working a full-time job. With this approach you won’t face the same pressure to produce immediate income because you will still have your full-time salary, which means you can focus on building your business and improving your skills without the need to devote all of your time to work that will produce income.

Another benefit of starting part-time is that you can use the money you are making to invest in your business. If you starting freelancing full-time you will most likely need all or most of your income for living expenses, and you may have little to invest in your business.

In general, freelancing on the side while working a full-time job will allow you to get a taste for what full-time freelancing will be like, but with very little risk.

4. Set Your Working Hours
As I mentioned already, separating work from the rest of your life becomes a challenge when you are freelancing and working from home. Because of this, you may find that you are working considerably more hours than you had intended, and you may struggle to break away from your work for some personal time. From my experience it helps to set a schedule that will let you know when you should be working and when it is ok to relax. You can either have a set schedule that you work every week or you can have more flexibility and set your schedule each week or each day. Whatever the case may be, it’s a good practice to start every workday knowing how long you plan to work and when you will be wrapping it up for the day.

5. Set Up a Comfortable Office
If you are freelancing full-time you will be spending a very large amount of time each day in your home office, so make sure that it is a comfortable place that allows you to focus and work without distractions. Ideally, your home office should be separated from the living space in the house to keep distractions away and so that you can stay out of the office when you are not working. For more information, see Essential Qualities of a Home Office.

6. Set Up an Effective Portfolio Site
One of the biggest assets for a freelance designer is the online portfolio. For many successful freelancers, their portfolio site is responsible for generating most of the leads that convert into clients. A quality portfolio site that draws a lot of interest and links can help a new freelancer to get established pretty quickly, so be sure to give plenty of time and attention to your portfolio site.

If you’re looking for some inspiration for designing your own portfolio, check out my gallery of well-designed portfolio sites, Folio Focus. And if you are looking for ways to gain exposure to your portfolio, see 9 Ways to Get Your Design Portfolio Seen.

7. Invest in Quality Equipment
Earlier I mentioned that one of the benefits for starting as a part-time freelancer is that you can re-invest the money that you are making in your business. This includes equipping yourself with everything you will need to be more effective in your work. This could include a computer, software, a scanner, a printer, general office supplies, and anything else that you will need to do your job well. There is a tendency with most freelancers to avoid as many expenses as possible, but investing in the necessary tools and equipment will allow you to be more efficient and effective in your work. Of course, you’ll need to use discretion in what is necessary and what is not, but don’t be afraid to spend money on the things that you need to do your job.

8. Work on Reducing Your Living Expenses Wherever Possible
The amount of money that you need to bring in as a freelancer will be directly proportionate to your living expenses. If you can reduce unnecessary expenses you will relieve some of the pressure to make money. Take a look at how you are spending your money. Most of us have a number of ways that we can easily cut back on our expenses if we want to or need to. There are probably some areas that you could cut back on while you work on building your business as a freelancer, and this will help to improve your chances for success.

9. Find a To-Do List System that Works for You
One of the challenges you will face as a freelancer is that you will have to manage yourself and decide how to spend your time. You will most likely have some type of deadlines with most of your projects, so keeping track of them and setting up some milestones that you need to achieve in order to meet those deadlines will keep your clients happy and keep yourself from facing unnecessary stress.

I find it to be a big help to have a list of things that I need to get done each week and each day. That way whenever I finish working on something I don’t have to waste time trying to figure out what to work on next, and I can get more efficiency out of my time.

If you prefer, you can simply keep a list on paper and cross things off as you get them done, or you can use an online to-do list. [LINK]

10. Have an Established System for Tracking Time and Invoicing Clients
Dealing with the business aspects of freelancing is dreaded work for most freelancers. As a result, keeping things as streamlined as possible will help you to stay organized, on top of things, and avoid mistakes. There are plenty of great resources for helping with these aspects, some are paid and some are free. Some popular options include Fanurio, FreshBooks, and Zoho. For a more complete list, see 20 Invoicing Tools for Web Designers at Six Revisions.

11. Plan for the Time it Will Take to Run the Business
Many new freelancers are surprised to find out how much time is required for non-income-generating tasks that are necessary to run the business. This would include all of your work with finances, responding to emails, finding work, networking with other professionals and much more. All of these things are needed in order to be a successful freelancer, but none of them will directly bring in money. Don’t expect to be able to spend all of your working time on client projects that will be producing income. Instead, plan your schedule accordingly and account for this time when you are determining your prices or giving quotes to potential clients.

12. Consider Specialization
Some freelancers are able to stand out from the crowd and attract potential clients by being an expert in a particular area or type of work. There are pros and cons to specialization, but it is something that is worth considering. Are there types of work that you enjoy and that you would like to spend most of your time on? Do you have areas of expertise that would make you more valuable to potential clients?

13. Consider Starting a Blog
There are a number of different ways to market your services as a freelancer and one of them is to start a blog, preferably on your portfolio site. Designers generally don’t use their blogs to directly promote their services, but it is an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise, to build some name recognition, and to gain exposure for your portfolio.

Blogging is not for everyone, but most freelance designers can greatly benefit from it. Starting a blog on your portfolio site doesn’t mean that you’ll have to write blog posts everyday, but it will involve some work. However, if you enjoy writing and getting to interact with other designers, blogging can be an excellent tool for networking.

14. Set Aside Some Time for Networking
Most successful freelancers have a strong network of other professionals. This could include other designers, web developers, SEOs, marketers, small business owners, and anyone else that you would have potential to work with in some capacity. Networking takes effort, but it can be one of the best things you do for your business. Your networking efforts ideally should include both online and offline activities.  Last year I wrote a four part series that covered topics related to networking for freelancers.

    * The Role of Networking
    * Networking Online
    * Offline Networking
    * Mutual Benefit

15. Don’t Ignore Your Local Area
Being able to do business with clients who live in various parts of the world is a big advantage of being a freelance designer, but it makes it easy to ignore opportunities for growing your business locally. Because most designers are not attempting to target local clients, it makes it easier for you to do so. You can optimize your portfolio site to attract local searchers and you can get involved in the community to build you local network. For more information, see Tips for Attracting Local Clients.

16. Have Some Go-To Sources for Finding Work
Most likely, your clients will come from a variety of different sources. Some will probably hear about you through word-of-mouth. Others will come across your portfolio site and contact you. But sometimes you may be looking for work and not getting much interest from some of these types of sources. In these cases it is helpful to have some places you can go to look for work when you need to. Online sources like the DesignM.ag job board and the Freelance Switch job board can be great ways to quickly look for opportunities. For more sources, see 27 Places to Find Web Design Jobs.

17. Focus on Gaining Experience and Learning More Than Making Money
If you plan to make a career as a designer, whether it be as a freelancer or if you want to be an employee somewhere, it is more important to work on developing your skills than it is to make as much money as you can. Of course, we all have expenses and bills that need to be paid, but maximizing your income may force you to pass up valuable opportunities to improve on your abilities or gain valuable experience. Planning your schedule to allow time for learning and growth is a good practice if you can afford to do so.

15 Tips for Breaking in as a Part-Time Freelancer

By Steven Snell

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

The best way to get started as a freelancer, in my opinion, is part time. There are many benefits to starting off in a limited role (which we will discuss in this article), as opposed to jumping in full-time. Here we will take a detailed look at the subject and provide tips based on experience. This article is intended primarily for those who have some experience with design but are looking to gain more experience and improve their skills before going into full-time freelancing.

I’m constantly in contact with readers who are at the early stages of freelancing or designing for a career, so I hope this subject will prove to be of value to you.

1. Keep Your Full-Time Job

Freelancing is a great opportunity and many people desire to be able to set their own hours and work from home. But earning a living as a freelancer can be difficult (especially when you are first getting established) and it usually involves unnecessary risk that can be avoided by sticking with your full-time job until the timing is right. Additionally, some people find out pretty quickly that they really don’t enjoy freelancing. If this is the case for you, it’s best to realize this while you still have a full-time job.

Working a full-time job and freelancing in your “spare time” can take a lot of discipline and sacrifice, but it will help you to try it out part-time and build up your business a little bit before quitting your job, which will obviously help to reduce risk. Maybe even more significant than the risk factor, when you are freelancing part-time you will have the luxury of taking the projects that are a good fit for you, and you can even dedicate a lot of your time to learning without the need to be making any money at that time. However, without a full-time job there will be much more pressure to make money immediately and you will have to take whatever work you can find without being able to prioritize learning and your own development.

2. Set Up a Basic Portfolio Site

Having a quality portfolio site is one of the best things you can do for attracting clients. Of course, this assumes that you have some work to include and showcase in the portfolio. If you’re just getting started as a designer you may need to work on some projects specifically for the purpose of building your portfolio first.

Make sure you take as much time as needed to design a portfolio site that reflects your best work. One-page portfolios are very common and could be designed and coded fairly quickly. Additionally, there are templates and WordPress themes for portfolios that you could choose from. In this case you could use the theme as a starting point and make some customizations to get a unique design.

3. Prioritize Experience Over Income

As you decide on projects to pursue, place more emphasis on learning and developing your skills as opposed to just taking jobs that will pay you the most. If you have other income you’ll be able to accept projects that may not pay that well, but maybe you will get some valuable experience. This may include doing work for non-profit organizations, businesses with small budgets, or just working on projects of your own that may not produce income.

By taking this approach you will earn less in the short-term, but you will be able to improve specific skills and gain valuable experience that may prove to be incredibly helpful in the long run.

4. Work on Your Own Projects

One of the struggles of almost every new freelancer is finding enough work. If you are not able to get many client projects, you always have the option of working on your own projects just for learning purposes. While working with clients is a necessary step towards moving to full-time freelance work, you’re probably not learning very much or improving your skills if you are spending all of your time looking for clients. Instead, why not choose something specific that you want to learn and incorporate it into a project of your own that you can work on whenever you have time. For example, if you want to learn more about WordPress take some time to design and develop a theme for a blog of your own, or even design a theme that you can give away for free from your site.

5. Establish a Basic Work Schedule

Working a full-time job and freelancing on the side will require you to manage your time efficiently. From my experience it is best if you have at least a rough schedule that allows you to block off some time for your freelance work. For example, maybe you will plan to work 4 hours on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and 5 or 6 hours on Saturdays. Whatever the case may be, this will help you to have time in your weekly schedule that is dedicated to your freelance work, but it will still give you some flexibility to change things up when you need to.

For part-time freelancers it’s very easy to get distracted by other things and spend less time on your work. If this happens to you it’s very likely that you’ll look back a few months down the road and realize that you’ve made very little progress. If your goal is to build a freelance business that will provide a full-time income so you can quit your other job, setting up a basic schedule will help you by providing some structure.

6. Open a Separate Bank Account

Keeping track of income and expenses can be a challenge for those who are not used to managing their money in great detail. One of the problems is that it can be difficult to distinguish what money is from freelancing as opposed to your full-time job. The easiest way to keep things separated is to set up an account just for your freelancing income. Everything you make from freelancing can go in this account, and whenever you have business-related expenses it will be there for you, and you won’t have to touch your other accounts for these expenses.

7. Re-Invest the Money that You Make

One of the reasons that freelancing is a possibility for so many people is that it requires very little financial investment and comes with low barriers for entry. However, there will be some times when you will want or need to spend money on something that will help you to do better work or to save time. You may need to buy some software, basic equipment for your home office, cover hosting expenses, or pay for training or education. All of these things can be covered if you are willing to re-invest the money that you are making. The idea is not that you need to find some way to invest your income back into the business, but when there are things that will genuinely help you to do a better job, be willing to spend some of the money that you have made and you will be better off in the long-term.

8. Don’t Forget About Taxes

Another reason that it is best to keep your freelancing income separated from your other money is that you may wind up with taxes that are higher than expected. If you have your freelancing income in a separate account it will be available to cover the taxes and you won’t need to dip into your other accounts. Of course, tax laws vary depending on where you live and the amount you owe will depend on your income and expenses. If you are moving towards full-time freelancing or making any kind of significant income through freelancing, you should hire an accountant to make sure that you have everything covered and doing things correctly and legally.

9. Talk to People You Know

One of the best sources of business for freelancers (full-time or part-time) is word-of-mouth advertising. Talk to your friends and family about the services you’re offering and you may find that they know someone who could use your services. Even if you don’t think that the people you know would have any need for your services, they will each have their own network of others that you don’t know, and that can be a great way to get in contact with potential clients.

10. Visit Design Job Boards

There are a number of design job boards online where you can find opportunities for work (see our post 27 Places to Find Web Design Jobs). Sources like the Freelance Switch job board, Smashing Jobs and the DesignM.ag job board are great because you will find listings from people who are looking to hire freelancers for specific projects. Job boards are unlikely to ever be your sole source of work, but they can be a nice supplement to word-of-mouth advertising and attracting clients through your portfolio. Best of all, whenever you are in need of some work you can visit job boards and respond to the appropriate postings without dedicating huge amounts of time for trying to find new work.

11. Be Comfortable with Your Rates

Pricing your work can be a very difficult thing for new freelancers. In fact, even designers who have been at it for a while often struggle with determining how much to charge. There are a lot of articles that have been written on the subject (see 12 Realities of Pricing Design Services), although most of them have been written by full-time designers with the same audience in mind. As a part-time freelancer who is just getting started, you may be intimidated by charging high fees, and you may even feel added pressure in these situations.

The most important thing to consider in pricing your work at this time is to charge a rate that you are comfortable with. Making the most money possible is not your priority at this time, so if you would like to keep your rates low while you feel that you are still learning, there is nothing wrong with that. From my experience you will want to charge your clients enough that they will take the project seriously (charging very small amounts will usually result in clients that don’t put much priority in their website since they have very little invested in it), but don’t charge more than you feel the services are worth. Once you get more experienced you’ll have greater confidence in your work and raising your prices should not be a problem.

It’s also a good idea to be upfront with your clients about where you are at in your own career and progression as a designer. There are plenty of clients that are willing to work with less experienced designers if the situation and the price are right. If your clients are under a false impression about your level of experience or your skills, it could come back to cause problems down the road.

12. Don’t Take Too Much Client Work

One of the mistakes that some new freelancers make is taking every possible project that comes their way. Especially when you are getting started, you will want to be able to take all the time that you need to learn from the projects that you are working on and to produce the best work that you are capable of. If you are working to build up your portfolio, rushing through jobs will lead to work that is less than your best, and a sub par portfolio.

Also, if you are working full-time in addition to freelancing you will not have a lot of time to dedicate to these projects, so resist the temptation to take on too much. Explain to the potential clients that you would like to work with them, but it will need to wait a few weeks (or whatever the case may be in your situation) until you could get started.

13. Network

All successful freelancers have a strong network of contacts that they have established over a period of time. This may include other designers that you can learn from, designers that you can share referrals with according to your workloads, other professionals in related fields like SEO, copywriting and marketing, or really any other type of professional. Every business needs a web presence, so there is really no limit to types of people that could be valuable members of your network.

Networking takes time, and most importantly, a commitment to giving something back to others. There are plenty of things you can do online for networking (such as Twitter), but don’t forget about offline opportunities as well. Last year I published a series of four posts that covered various aspects of networking for freelancers:

• The Role of Networking
• Networking Online
• Networking Offline
• Mutual Benefit

14. Develop Your Own Business Practices

As you eventually move from part-time to full-time freelancing you will find that a greater amount of your time is needed for things like invoicing, paying your bills, recording income, providing customer service, responding to inquiries from potential clients for pricing quotes, and other things like this. While all of these tasks are a necessary part of the business, they are all taking time that could be otherwise used to perform services that generate income. The more you can streamline your processes for these activities, the more time you will have for other work.

As you are working part-time with the idea of moving forward at some point, take some time to think about how you can handle these tasks in an organized manner that will require only small amounts of time. You may find that it saves you a lot of time to use something like FreshBooks or Billings for your finances and invoices. Each person works differently and has their own preferred methods of doing things, so find what works best for you.

15. Plan for Differentiation

As you plan for the move to full-time freelance work, one thing that you will want to consider is how you will set yourself apart from all of the other designers out there. During your work as a part-time freelancer you may be able to offer your services at lower rates than other designers, but that will likely change when you eventually move to full-time. At that point, one of the best ways to attract clients is to differentiate yourself in some way. For example, maybe you want to specialize in designing custom WordPress themes. If this is the case, by marketing yourself as a WordPress expert, when clients are in need of a custom WordPress theme they will likely contact you over another designer that does not specialize in WordPress. Of course, this is just one possible example, but the idea is that you will have an easier time attracting clients if there is something that sets you apart from the huge (and growing) number of other designers out there.

If you are able to decide on something for differentiation, take some time to think about how you could market yourself in this way. Having a particular set of skills is really not as important as being able to let others know that you have those skills and to lead them to remember you. Also, you may need to improve your skills in a particular area in order for your plan for differentiation to be effective, so you may need to dedicate time to find projects and/or work on learning in other ways.

13 Tips for Effective Communication with Clients

By Steven Snell

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Being able to communicate effectively with clients is easily one of the most important aspects of being a web designer. The communication process starts immediately as you’ll need to learn what the client wants and expects from you, and as you get to know more about their business. The need for communication will continue through every phase of the design process as you and the client work together to create a site that will be effective for the business. After the design is completed, it’s likely that you’ll provide some customer support at least occasionally, so the need for good communication will always exist.

In this article we’ll take a detailed look at the topic of communicating with clients. Many of the tips that are mentioned can apply to communication in general, but the article comes specifically from the perspective of a designer/client relationship.

1. Start with a Solid Foundation

Communication is of critical importance during the early stages of the client process. At this time you will need to get to know the client’s business as well as possible. You’ll want to understand the products and services that they offer, their corporate culture, and what makes them unique to their customers. Additionally, you should get a solid understanding of their customers and what they will be looking for when they arrive at the website. It’s also important to understand the client’s specific goals for the website, what they wish to improve (if it’s a re-design) and what they need to get out of the site.

By taking the time up front to communicate with the client and to build this solid foundation for the project you can save time and avoid miscommunication later. It’s a good idea to have some sort of intake process that you go through with clients to get through this stage, it can help to make sure that you don’t miss out on any important points.

Some clients may be hesitant to dedicate much time before the project begins for this type of communication. When that is the case it can be helpful to explain that all of this is important in order for you to give them a website that will truly work for their business and for their customers. Emphasize that taking this time up front can help to make the process smoother and quicker, and to avoid costly mistakes.

2. Have a Method or a System

In the previous point I mentioned that it is a good idea to have a standard process for client intake. In addition, it’s also helpful to have a method or system for client communication beyond that point. If you are just responding to emails or phone calls as they come in with no records or organization, chances are you could benefit from putting a system in place.

If you’re working with several clients at one time it can be very challenging to remember exactly what was said by which client and what was done at different points. There is no right or wrong method, but you could consider using a resource that is intended for customer service (see our post 12 CRM Options for Freelancers), or you could develop your own system and processes to keep track of communication. At a very minimum you should have folders in your email to keep track of messages from and to specific clients.

Without a system you will probably find yourself scrambling to find out what was said about different aspects of the project. Having a record is always good because it will avoid the need to go back to the client when it’s not necessary and it will also help to protect you in case there is some type of dispute down the road.

3. Do More Listening Than Talking

The client’s website is all about them, their business, and their customers. For this reason it is important to emphasize the need to listen and let them provide you with the information that will help you to do the best job possible. Of course there will be plenty of times where the clients should be doing the listening, but especially during the initial stages when you are just getting to know about their business, be sure to place the most value in listening to what they have to say.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions

Misunderstandings will always lead to wasted time, so don’t be afraid to ask the client questions that will help you to get on the same page and to design something that will work for them. Your customers are busy, just like you are, so they may be in a hurry when you are talking to them, but don’t let that discourage you from getting the information that will help you to do your job for them.

Many clients won’t give a lot of information to you about their business or their customers unless you ask because they may not see the need for you to fully understand their business. Those clients who don’t have a good understanding of what is involved in creating a successful website will often think that a skilled designer can just pick up a new project and create something special without really taking the customer’s specific situation into consideration. In most cases they just don’t stop to think about all of the communication that is needed, so you may have to be proactive and ask a number of questions.

5. Be Patient with Your Explanations

The typical client does not have a great understanding of websites or design, and that is why they are hiring you. As you are explaining things to them throughout the process, be patient and remember that this is probably not an aspect of their business that they are very comfortable with. Clients appreciate designers who show patience and a willingness to explain things in a way that they can understand, without putting them down.

6. Explain Your Reasons and Thought Processes

As you give your opinions throughout the process it is important that you also explain to the client why you are giving that advice. Clients will often want you to do something that you don’t think is a good idea. When those situations arise, rather than just doing it the way they want or doing it your way with no explanation, take the time to demonstrate to them why you think it is important and what the potential impacts can be.

Clients will typically see things as they appear on the surface, but from your experience you may know that there is more to be considered in the situation. When this is the case you need to explain to the client the other factors that are involved and why you feel a certain way.

7. Give Advice When Needed

Designers really are consultants to clients as well. Clients (at least most of them) know that you have more expertise in the area than they do and they’ll trust that you are interested in doing what is best for them and their business. There will be situations where you will need to be willing to give them advice on a particular decision that needs to be made, or situations where you should add some of your own ideas for making the project better.

Some clients know what they want and as a designer it can be easy to get caught up in giving them what they want, without giving much thought to ways that it could be improved. Don’t be afraid to advise clients based on your professional experience. Most clients will respect your opinions and appreciate that you are looking out for their best interests.

8. Avoid Jargon

One of the biggest frustrations for clients is when designers talk to them with terms and phrases that they don’t understand. Although you are working online all the time and you probably communicate with other designers and developers a lot, keep in mind that your clients will not have the same experience, so you should avoid using terms that they are unlikely to understand (or at least explain what they mean).

As you work with clients you will get a better understanding for how tech savvy they are, and you can adjust your communication accordingly. Some clients will have a very good understanding and will be able to communicate without the need to explain everything, and others will have very little knowledge or experience related to the internet and web design.

9. Avoid Assumptions

Assuming that the client understands certain things or that they want something a particular way can lead to miscommuniation. If you’re unsure about something, take a minute and ask the client rather than assuming and causing a lot of work that needs to be re-done later.

10. Use Examples When Possible

One thing that can really help your communication, particularly when you are explaining things to clients or giving them choices, is to use real-world examples. Explaining options over the phone or through email can be challenging, and at times ineffective. By using examples to help, you can make things more clear for clients and get more accurate response and avoid misunderstanding.

An example of this would be if you are talking to a client about the type of navigation menu they would like to use on their site. Rather than trying to explain the differences you could provide them with URLs of a few sites with various styles so they could see it in a real-world situation

11. Make Your Communication Count

Because your clients are busy, most of them will not want to be constantly receiving emails or phone calls about the project. One of the lessons I’ve learned from my experience is to make the communication count. Try to put your questions together in one email rather than sending 4 different emails in one morning with one question each. Additionally, make an effort to be as clear as possible when you communicate so there is no need to go back and forth several times just to understand the issue at hand.

Because clients value their own time, they will appreciate if you maximize the time that you have in communication and if it requires them to respond to less emails or take less phone calls. This also goes back to the need for good organization and having a system to keep tabs on the communication. If you forget what a client told you, you can either go back through your records to find out yourself or you can contact them to ask again. Of course, it’s preferable to not have to go back to the client when it’s not necessary.

12. Put it in Writing

One of the reasons that email communication is effective is because it gives you and the client a record of what has been said. There may be times where it is necessary for customer service or for legal purposes to have a record of what was said, by whom, and when. Aside from email, other types of CRM tools can also help for record keeping.

For situations where you are talking to clients on the phone, it’s a good practice to type notes after you get off the phone to summarize what was discussed, and of course you will want to include the date and the names of the specific people that you spoke to. While you may not be able to prove that what is in your notes was actually discussed, it is still better than not having record at all, and it can be just as effective when you need to go back through the records for your own purposes. Another option is to send a summary of the conversation to your clients by email. This may be overkill for short calls just to discuss one point, but it could be helpful with longer, more detailed calls, and it could also help clients to have an account of the conversation for themselves.

13. Keep it Professional

While you are communicating with clients, whether it be face-to-face, telephone, or email, always stay professional. Clients are paying for your services and they will expect you to conduct your business in a professional manner, so avoid things that could cause them to see you differently. That’s not to say that you can’t get to know your clients on a more personal level, but remember that what you say and write can impact you designer/client relationship.

Funny Safety Slogans

By workplace-safetytips.com

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Funny safety slogans are a fantastic way to bring a little humor into the work place. Although safety is never a laughing matter, bringing humor to it can make it less strenuous. Humor gets the point across but let’s everyone still enjoy themselves. Here is a list of a bunch of really funny safety slogans. Put them up in the office, in the break room, or in any highly trafficked place.

• It’s easier to ask a dumb question than it is to fix a dumb mistake
• Safety…Did it, done it, doing it tomorrow
• Those who work the safest way- live to see another day
• Your wife will spend your 401K; If you get killed at work today
• Watch your step - it could be your last tomorrow
• Your reward for working safely today.
  • Protect your hands, you need them to pick up your pay check
  • Those precious fingers don’t ignore. . . Or they could end up on the floor
  • Get in high speed pursuit of safety
  • A spill, a slip, a hospital trip
  • Safety - A small investment for a rich future
  • Safety is a cheap and effective insurance policy
  • Falling objects can be brutal if you don’t protect your noodle
  • Let’s all keep our heads, and other body parts, together
  • When you gamble with safety you bet your life
  •  Seat Belts are for kids - Hug them at home - Belt them in the car
  • Quench the thirst – safety first
  • Safety is no accident
  • Safe crane operation is uplifting
  • Safety — a small investment for a rich future
  • Safety doesn’t happen by accident
  • Safety glasses: All in favor say “Eye!”
  • Safety isn’t a hobby, it’s a living.
  • The stupid shall be punished
  • While on a ladder, never step back to admire your work
  • Work safe today–heaven can wait.
  • Safety is as simple as ABC…Always Be Careful
  • Knock out…accidents
  • Keep safety in mind. It will save your behind.
  • One bad day at the grinder could ruin your whole life
  • Hard hats, they’re not just for decoration
  • If you don’t think it will happen to you, find the person who had it happen to them
  • Shortcuts cut life short
  • If you mess up, ‘fess up
  • Is better to lose one minute in life… than to lose life in a minute.
  • Pencils have erasers–mishaps don’t!
  • Safety is a mission not an intermission
  • Chance takers are accident makers
  • Safety is a full time job; don’t make it a part time practice
  • The door to Safety swings on the hinges of common sense
  • Unsafe acts will keep you in stitches
  • Safety isn’t expensive it’s priceless.
  • Your first mistake could be your last

I hope you enjoyed these funny safety slogans.

Workplace Safety:Tips to have a safe working environment

By S Edwin

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

If you are safe in the workplace then you will have more efficiency in your work. It will also help you to concentrate on your work to the maximum extent possible. There are many people who do not try to think of the safety aspects at all. This too is not right. If you would like to be a very good worker, then you should make sure that you are safe in what you do as this has an effect on the outcome of the work that you are doing.

There are various tips that you have to take into consideration if you want to ensure a safe work spot. Some of the safety aspects that you might come across will even help to save the life of a person. All other tips will help you to make sure that you are healthy and also able to do your best in the work that you are doing.

The tips that will help you to be safe in the place where you work are as follows:

1. Clean work spot:

The work spot where you are working should be clean and should have the best view of the machines and other equipments with which you are working. If the place is cluttered, then you will not be able to work efficiently. The various objects that cause the clutter will hinder your movement and also your vision. It will also make you slow and inefficient. This will all make you try to work still faster and this can lead to accidents. To prevent all this, you should make sure that you maintain a clean work area.

2. Maintenance of equipment:

The maintenance of the equipments are very important for you to be able to have a safe working environment. Most of the industrial accidents occur because of the poor quality of the equipments that are available in the various factories. There should be regular maintenance and quality checks on these equipments and machines for the company to have a safe environment for the workers.

3. Added safety features:

You should also ensure that safety features are added on the equipments that are being used in the company. If the equipments are new, then you should make sure that you purchase them with the various safety features inbuilt in them. This will help to make your equipments to be very strong and also ensure safety of all the people who are working with these equipments.

4. Work with concentration:

The worker also needs to be concentrating really hard on the work that is being done. There are times when the person may not be concentrating on the work because of the experience that the person already has. Regular routine jobs have decreased concentration. This can lead to sudden accidents that can be very tragic in nature. To avoid this, you should make sure that you concentrate even on regular and routine work.
All these will ensure that you are not hurt in your workplace.  

Office Chair Users Top Safe Working Tips

By officechairadvice.com

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Here are my 7 top tips for helping you to improve your working environment in the office by simply paying attention to how you interact with your office chair, workstation and ancillary equipment.

1. Organize Your Workspace Efficiently

You need to organize your workspace so that the things you use most frequently are closest to hand and things that you only use occasionally are beyond this area.

Key to this is your office chair as this will dictate the focal point of your work area.

Things you use most frequently, or for long periods of time should be close to hand and within easy reach, no more than 12 inches from you.

You should avoid stretching excessively on a regular basis as this can cause discomfort. It's better to stand up and reach something that isn't easily accessible.

2. Ambidextrous Mouse Use

If you find that you are using your mouse or pointing device a lot, it's a good idea to swap your mousing use from left to right hand frequently.

This may feel a little awkward to begin with, but it's surprising how quickly you will get used to it.

Try and use the muscles in your shoulder and forearm to make mouse movements and avoid setting your wrist at odd angles, just keep it as straight and level as you can.

3. Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Most software programs include a set of standard keyboard shortcuts as well as the ability to create your own individual ones too.

You will find it is quicker and easier to complete an action. It's also a lot less strain on your body, so use keyboard shortcuts wherever you can.

4. Change Your Posture Regularly

Sitting in the same position in your office seat for long periods of time isn't good for your body - it simply wasn't designed to be used like this.

So, when you find you've been doing something in one position for any length of time, try changing position by perhaps reclining briefly in your chair or stretching your arms above your head. It's also a good idea to stand up and get out of your chair from time to time to vary your body's movement.

5. Using The Telephone

Place your phone on your left if you're right handed and vice versa if you are right handed. This means that your dominant hand will be free for writing or other tasks during calls.

Under no circumstances wedge the phone between the side of your head and shoulder it is very bad for your posture.

Instead, if you need to find something tell the caller that you're just going to place the phone on your desk while you find what you need. Alternatively, if you can do so without disturbing others, use your phone's speaker if it has one.

6. Typing Techniques

Make sure your keyboard is placed so that the 'M' key is in line with the center of your monitor and chair seat and you are able to reach the keys comfortably as well as keeping your wrists straight.

By setting your keyboard like this the main keying area will be central to your work and seating position with the numeric keypad offset on your right hand side.

When typing, use the tips of your fingers and maintain a light touch when keying.

7. Take Regular Breaks & Perform Simple Exercises

If you have a lot of typing to complete it's very easy to get engrossed in what you're doing and end up in a static position in you office chair for long periods of time.

This isn't good for you, try and take a short break every 30 minutes or so, and for definite after an hour. Make a point of relaxing and clearing your mind at the same time.

Have a brief walk to the vending machine, or grab yourself a drink if you work from home. Some stretching exercises will be of great benefit in varying your posture and allowing some of those inactive muscles to get some use and they only take 3 or 4 minutes to do.

So, to conclude follow these 7 simple tips to help keep your body healthy and your mind alert.

• Organize your workspace efficiently
• Do mousing work by alternating hands
• Use keyboard shortcuts whenever possible
• Change your sitting posture frequently
• Use the telephone properly, never cradle it
• Develop good typing habits
• Take regular breaks & do exercise

Keeping these 7 simple points in check will ensure working at your desk will be a far better experience and you will be much more comfortable in your office chair.

Small Company vs A Corporation? You Decide

By tipsandjobs.com

 

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

While many people may be tempted to take up the first job that comes their way to take care of the bills and huge student loans that need to be repaid, others may mull over this decision for quite some time and select a company that fits their goals and needs.

The job market today is extremely competitive, and if you want to work with a company that suits your job requirements, you will have to weigh the pros and cons of working with both small and big organizations.

Benefits Of Working For Small Companies

You need to choose your work environment carefully where you can showcase your talents and pave your way to a fulfilling career. Working with a small company has its own advantages. When you choose to work for a smaller organization, you stand a greater chance of being noticed. You don’t get lost in the crowd – and if you are strong performer, you will get faster promotions and pay raises.

Small companies are the ones that have a total workforce of five hundred or less. These companies are generally fast-paced and it is a lot easier to excel, provided you have the talent required to reach the top. If you lack specialization in a particular field, but have the ability to learn new skills and handle variety of projects, you can easily get a good job in smaller organizations. In fact, by being involved in multiple projects, you gain more experience and become more competent.

In the past, people chose large companies as they offered better job security. However, with the current trend of employee downsizing among large organizations, there is little or no job security in the first place. Unlike large companies, in small organizations you get to interact with the top management. This goes a long way in building a loyal and committed workforce.

Benefits Of Working For Large Companies

Large companies usually have a workforce comprising of about two thousand or more employees who compete with one another to reach the top positions that are usually limited. Most people choose to work with large companies because of the benefits that they are offered. More than eighty percent of these companies offer health care packages to all their employees and their families. They may also offer other benefits such as paid vacations, paid holidays, retirement benefits, and full-coverage health insurance.

One of the biggest advantages of working with a large company is that generally, you can start off with a higher salary as compared to smaller companies. Large companies operate in a more structured manner and salary increments, bonuses and promotions are linked to the performance of the company and the organization. As an employee of a corporation, you have access to a variety of training programs that are designed to hone your business skills and upgrade your technical knowledge.

Since these companies have a wide network, you may get a chance to relocate to your favorite destination for better living opportunities. Large companies provide a stable work environment and the growth of the company largely depends on the team spirit of the workforce.

Your choice of organization should be based on quality of work experience you will gain rather than the size of the organization. If you have the talent and the expertise, you will quickly climb the corporate ladder irrespective of the size of the company.

Steps to a Successful Diversity Program

by WFC Resources

Jobs Vacancy, Employment, Job Vacancies

This month, one of our Newsbrief stories quoted experts who say while a solid diversity program is more important than ever before, it's time to be more subtle about it. Advertising your company as an Equal Opportunity Employer just doesn't do it any more. It can even be a turnoff, making minority job-seekers think they're being courted just to fill a quota. Here are some steps that companies say have helped them to build a successful diversity effort, reported in the latest issue of Staffing Management.

View diversity as a business advantage

"It has to be a business goal," says one recruiter. The Urban League reports that most companies noted for good diversity practices have been involved in those efforts for more than 20 years. The most important traits are commitment and involvement of top leadership. That doesn't happen unless it's linked to business.

Define Diversity, set goals and measure progress

Looking across the board at your company, says Texas Instruments' Diane Johnson, is not always a good assessment of diversity progress. Many times minorities and women are well represented in the workforce but not in leadership positions. She studies U.S. census data to find out how many engineers are in the population, the graduation rates and the percentage of women, blacks, Hispanics and other groups in those pools. "Then we compare our current population to see if we're on target" and set hiring goals. Managers make the final decisions, and their buy-in to hire diverse candidates is critical.

Hold managers accountable

At Pitney Bowes, diversity metrics are built into the corporation's business objectives and management compensation is tied to diversity. Managers are also held accountable at Allstate, which has mandatory diversity training. The company has moved away from emphasis on affirmative action and looks at having a diverse workforce as business strategy, as opposed to a legal mandate.

Tap the college market. Building a strong campus relationship requires a presence that is constant, positive and consistent. Staples has established ties with the student chapters of minority professional organizations, and brings in students as interns with an eye toward eventually hiring them as employees.

Connect with diverse professionals

Pitney Bowes has been recognized for its strong support and sponsorship of minority professional organizations and CEO Michael Critelli is current chairman of the National Urban League. Supporting such groups is one way the company stays on the leading edge of the diversity movement. One of their newer initiatives is an MBA Leadership Summit for members of Hispanic and black MBA associations, which is focused on career and technical development. They attend career fairs and national meetings, sponsor sessions and provide speakers for professional organization conferences.

Make community connections

Both Texas Instruments and Allstate reach all the way down into grade schools, supporting programs that target diverse seventh and eighth graders. Allstate is involved with numerous community programs that deal with tolerance, inclusion and diversity, partnering with the NAACP, the National Crime Prevention Council, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement and the Hispanic Association of Police Commanders. They support the Women's Business Development Center and the Entrepreneurial Youth Institute, a partnership with the NAACP that teaches entrepreneurial skills to young people. All enhance their reputation as a company that is tolerant and inclusive of minorities.

Focus on a long-term strategy

Companies that have effective diversity efforts view diversity as a long-term strategy and use multiple vehicles to find viable candidates. That means committed time and resources. Said one executive, "Leadership commitment has to be real, not ceremonial. . . It means being an advocate. . .We as leaders must do this job ourselves. Diversity can't be delegated."

10 More Tips to benefit from The New Work

By Alex Vermeule

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

You can now fine because in the morning to go to the gym later in the day and this time "catching up". Naturally, this is your work permit.

In many cases, this flexibility causes an unnoticed change in several areas. Both for you personally and for the organization where you work.

These ten tips will help you to anticipate these changes and thus better with The New Work to get started.

1. Analyze and develop your four S's
When you pull the alarm if something fails and you're not in the office? Find yourself in the consultation? Communicate your proactive and intervening on the progress of your work? Be aware of the following qualities and be honest to yourself or you can develop it further:

• Self - are you able to organize their on the way you perform your job?
• Self-reliance - are you able to work independently or problems to ask for help?
• Self-discipline - are you able to work unsupervised?
• Self-development - are you able to independently grow and develop your talent to business goals?

As a manager or director of the organization also play a role for you: Personal growth of your employees does your company growth. Help employees to develop (including the four Z's) and your business grows with them.

2. Agree on outcomes
As mentioned earlier, The New Work offers flexibility. While it requires that you take the responsibility that comes with it here.

It is therefore important to work together to agree on the outcome of the work since you do not have to come to the office to 'show' what you do. But how to make specific agreements about the work? In general terms must be clear framework within which work is done. Think of clear measurable goals you want to achieve, within what time frame and with what resources.

The management within an organization must also send this kind of like to apply. Many organizations struggle with the transition of command & control 'to' give space and trust. This transition is also an essential part of the new work.

3. Set limits and boundaries leave
Technology makes it possible to 'always work'. The effect is that the boundary between private and work less clear. In practice it is difficult to then stop working: after dinner anything send emails, went to look at a document and make adjustments, etc.

You must make this your own border. Otherwise you risk that too much private time to spend working. Decide for yourself what is workable. Also discuss with your partner and colleagues how they experienced in practice this limit.

As a manager or director of the organization you have an additional role, stimulate dialogue about setting limits in order to share experiences and learn from each other.

4. Agree on attendance
If you and colleagues in the office less, it is important to make proper arrangements for access and possible minimal presence.

Think of agreements on:

• How many days or hours per week and when working from home
• The minimum occupation of the team in the office
• Out-and in office hours (call forwarding telephone, email, chat, etc).

An example
Suppose your organization has a secretariat that consists of four members. They act on administrative work, answering the phone for the department. With smart technology may well take place from home. It is important that an agreement on presence as the secretariat also has a supporting role in the office.

It may be considered for the secretaries of these agreements, within a given framework, allowing them to formulate. This encourages independence and commitment to honor agreements.

5. Provide a good home office
Go get more work from home? Look carefully at the layout and facilities of the places you want to work at home. You can fine at the dinner table or bench some work.

Keep in mind how these places fit the work you'll perform. Do you work an average of three hours or longer at a particular spot, make sure it is ergonomically designed. You run the risk of eventually to suffer from complaints associated with the wrong seat or posture.

6. Commit yourself to virtual or physical encounter
Technology enables each virtual arrangements. Think of a conference call or web conference where a presentation is discussed. But when you choose the one for virtual contact and when a physical meeting?

To determine when the best physical or virtual contact each other, you should know exactly what requirements of the contact. Determine what encounters you want to do physically and what virtual.

It is also good for any (physical and virtual) meeting to evaluate what the participants as well and experienced. In this way, more effective meetings.

7. Leverage m2 of office
When you come to the office less frequently, it is obvious workstations to share. Arise at that time known as hot desking. You get your own work "lost", it ask for a mental switch. Besides the traditional desktop workstations that creates an excellent collaboration and knowledge sharing support.

The trick to the vacant square meters to best use new workspaces to create tailored to particular activities. For example:

• Cooperate
• Consultations
• Concentrated work
• Individual work
• Calls
• Meet

Note: The design of a new or modified office do together. By everyone involved in the design of a flexible device, ensure that the device optimally to the current and future ways of working.

8. Be transparent about availability
When your time and place independently, it is important to clearly indicate where you are and whether you can be reached. The most obvious way around this in the digital agenda and data with your coworkers.

This caused for some people an immediate dilemma: what puts you all in your calendar? Suppose you have a working time during execution of your daughter in school, you share this with you all?

The barrier that people can experience generally has to do with the degree of confidence. It is therefore important for a manager or director to work actively to increase the trust among colleagues.

A simple way is itself a good example. Indeed, if you close your calendar set, you can expect others to open up their agenda?

9. Organize social contacts
Because you have to come to office less, you'll go more with your colleagues agree to see each other. When you come into the office less, you and your colleagues find each other less for an informal chat at the coffee machine.

It is precisely this kind of informal contact points are very important to keep abreast of what an organization has, or what's in a colleague personal lives. It gives a sense be part of an organization. Therefore it is important to draw the necessary attention.

This can be done by more 'social contact' with your colleagues to organize and that can be done by:

• A weekly cocktail
• Special Events
• Theme Days
• Onions
• Internal training

Create enough space in these meetings for informal contacts. For example by an afternoon not full schedule of speakers and content business updates, but also a couple of hours of free space. Then everyone has the opportunity to take a walk together to chat.

10. Stay in touch about your work
Do not underestimate the importance of casual and informal contact for your work. If you and colleagues to the office less, it can be challenging to stay connected. How do you ensure that you are aware of each other's work?

If you are from your organization more room to time and location independent working, contact the work in other manner. Thereby aids include:

• Phone
• A weekly email to all colleagues with an overview of activities
• A blog post
• Twitter / Facebook