Articles by Tag
Yesterday I was contacted by a company about the possibility of doing some contract work. The recruiter had stumbled upon my web portfolio, liked what she saw, and asked if I was interested in taking new projects. I love getting messages like this that I know aren’t spam and are genuine interest in me and my work.
After looking into the company via there web site and a few google searches, the opportunity seemed excellent. A solid company that works with big names and does very good work. So I emailed back, wrote a bit about my experience, and said I was interested to hear what kind of work they were looking to have done.
This morning I get a phone call back from the company. I love getting new clients and new work so I get excited when things seem to move along so smoothly. And then I hear the words “here in the Loop.” As a former resident of Chicago, now living in New Jersey, my heart drops a bit. Where did this person get the impression that I still lived in Chicago? A quick review of my site and a slap on the forehead later, I discovered my own idiocy. “I’m 23, originally from South Jersey, currently the proud new renter of a Chicago studio apartment in Lincoln Park.” Kind of hard to misinterpret that.
In the end, the contract was for some on-site work, and I had to decline, but I think we both had a chuckle at my expense. The event drove home the importance of keeping a very active eye on your web brand. I had unknowingly been spreading misinformation about myself and my business, and simply put, that’s not cool. When a business doesn’t properly represent itself on its own website, both the business and the customer suffer. I highly recommend that everyone take a moment today and review your own about or contact pages. I doubt everyone’s life changes as drastically and frequently as mine has in the past 6 months, but even little things matter. New email, different hours, raised prices, etc. Your website is your interactive, international 24/7 store-front window. Treat it as such. Lesson learned.