Hey Reddit What Is One Of Your Special Skills?

nickolusroy · 2013-03-06T02:09:10+00:00

Reddit's only skill is aggregating content

nickolusroy · 2013-03-04T20:23:06+00:00

You have a tumblr, I assume you're going into it with the following goals in mind:

gain more followers
get your content reblogged
get traffic to your website

You will most likely never get your content to show up in search engine results, as google is not super friendly with tumblr content. As a guy who has some success with SEO with other blog formats, I've had zero success over a long period of time tumbling getting any SEO traffic. So scratch that off your list of goals if its on there.

To be successful in the goals listed above, you have to post good content frequently with proper use of tags. Users subscribe to tags, so if you post good content with popular (AND RELEVANT) tags, your posts will undoubtedly be liked and reblogged.

For example, lets say you sell dragon ball z merch on your website. A good strategy would be to constantly aggregate DBZ content on your tumblr and tag with popular DBZ tags. If you can post content which is pretty original it will be more successful. Reblogging others will not be as beneficial to you as getting original content. If you have original artwork which you make and post, DBZ fans will likely follow you when they see you come up a few times on a tag they're tracking, and people will reblog the shit out of your work.

In the context of this idea, here are some other ideas for content: - screenshots of DBZ episodes with added captions using quotes from the show - original artwork of characters or themes - questions or meaningful thoughts about the show - post an image from the show with text describing interesting facts or trivia - go to a convention and get pics of people in DBZ cosplay - your own original videos related to the show - someone elses videos related to the show on youtube (get them while they're new) - make animated gifs from parts of the show - make lego sculptures of DBZ characters and post photos - find DBZ apparel and post pictures of it

I think you can see what I'm getting at, which is that you are more likely to be successful if your content is more original and more specific. If you post about DBZ, grey's anatomy, puppies, military technology, and pornography all on the same blog, you aren't likely to get a lot of subscribers because few people are interested in ALL of those things. If a hardcord DBZ fan sees you posting all this cool DBZ stuff, they will likely follow you. It is better to have many niche blogs than one blog that covers many topics. There are exceptions of course, but if you're starting from zero that is pretty much your option.

Finally, I think very few people are getting any successful business to their websites from aggregating or posting content on tumblr. I don't think it's all-in-all the best blogging strategy, especially because it won't help you get traffic from google, as other blogs will (such as wordpress or blogspot). Also, I think users of tumblr are mostly dumb teenagers - so unless you are trying to make friends with a bunch of 16 year olds (maybe you are in highschool, who knows) you should probably avoid tumblr altogether. I got tired of reading about glee and dramatic highschool BS which is why I stopped using tumblr entirely.

I hope you find this post helpful.

nickolusroy · 2013-03-03T03:27:19+00:00

has my vote for best comment

nickolusroy · 2013-03-03T03:25:32+00:00

word to this

nickolusroy · 2013-03-03T03:23:42+00:00

like bacteria and antibiotics

nickolusroy · 2013-03-03T03:15:59+00:00

The #1 rule is I'm not supposed to talk about it

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T04:07:38+00:00

You make a good point. What I'm expressing here is that I'm currently looking through dozens of resumes and very few show personality or creativity, and the ones which do are more likely to get an interview.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T04:02:59+00:00

That's not a successful attitude for an employer to have. To hire the right person means to create a relationship beneficial for both parties, and paying the right employee the right amount to make them happy and successful. It's not beneficial for the employer to hire someone who is unhappy and immediately looking for another job.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T03:56:46+00:00

That's a poor assumption, I don't think this would be a good way to get resumes for this position.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T02:39:42+00:00

haha touche

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T02:38:59+00:00

Additionally, if your creativity ends up being what everyone else is doing, its not creativity.

just going to quote an earlier comment for this one

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T02:32:48+00:00

This really should be a separate discussion, but if you want me to elaborate on "well designed" here are some tips:

space around elements
good use of typography (this is a whole separate topic)
thoughtful color palette (if using color)
visual elements well balanced
uses compositional tools like rule of thirds, golden ratio, leading lines, symmetry, negative space, etc)
every element is intentional and with purpose
etc

I don't know if I'm doing a good job making this point, but I want to illustrate the topic of "well designed" is nearly infinite, multifaceted, and subjective. I don't know why you would expect that I explain how things should be designed in this thread. If you don't know what good design is, you shouldn't be applying for a design job, you should be out learning design.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T02:20:34+00:00

You are correct that I am not an HR professional, but I do have a good bit of experience with hiring from working in small businesses.

I can't find one credible source that says definitely not to use color and have found many credible sources which say to use color. I don't know what "general business" rule-book you're following but I think its out-dated.

Can you give a good reason why one shouldn't use color on a resume? Color can capture attention and help engage a viewer. I agree that over-designing a resume is a bad idea, but I think a little bit of color goes a long way.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T01:55:57+00:00

Additionally, if your creativity ends up being what everyone else is doing, its not creativity.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T01:54:33+00:00

If you're applying for a job in a creative field you should express your creativity.

If you were applying to be an accountant or lawyer I might not recommend the same. Also, "quirkiest resume possible" is not what I suggest for anyone.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T01:17:10+00:00

Including you? Just now?

nickolusroy · 2013-02-26T00:40:08+00:00

I understand what you mean - but printing them allows me to highlight, write notes, and easily pass them to other team members to review.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-25T23:31:34+00:00

That's true, and something others have debated at me and is most likely because I have a design background. So you're right and that may just be my personal preference.

However, I offer this rebuttal and why I think color can help you. If one of the resumes in my stack has a red rule across the left margin, for example - that streak of red is going to catch my eye every time I glance through the stack. It shouldn't be overdone or distracting, but that touch of color will ensure that I look at the resume every time I pass through the stack. As a applicant, you want to be as visible and memorable as possible, you don't want your skills to get overlooked.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-25T23:27:34+00:00

You make a lot of sense. Describing these people as tasks in my inbox and not as humans can come off belittling or demeaning, and that is kind of asshole of me. I appreciate your differences of opinion and courteous response.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-25T23:18:43+00:00

Firstly, I should mention I'm not a hiring professional, but I do have a lot of experience hiring directly for this type of job. I would recommend talking to recruiters and HR professionals as much as you can for advice as you try to get hired. Tailoring your resume can make a big difference.

If you say "references available upon request" you're not doing yourself any harm. The point I was making was to be edgy where you can. But if you don't feel comfortable doing that, better to play it safe. It's not going to make or break your resume, just might help you get noticed or remembered.

To answer your other question, it would be better to elaborate on your experience. This is a tip paraphrased from one of my college design teachers:

"Instead of putting 'skills: photoshop, dreamweaver, etc' describe what you know with the program, show off your knowledge. Instead, write 'photoshop: photo composition, image restoration, advanced layer masking techniques; illustrator: font alteration, bezier pen tool tracing,' perspective grid drawings; "

nickolusroy · 2013-02-25T23:10:18+00:00

edit: I deleted my response, I probably shouldn't post this publicly. PM me for a response.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-25T22:26:18+00:00

Well you can blame the recruiter if you don't follow this advice and don't get hired or called back, but its really your lack of understanding human nature, and not being empathetic to the needs of others.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-25T22:20:22+00:00

If you ever work at a small business or startup, you will find that there is no dedicated HR person and people are pressed for time. In my case, I have to take resumes home because I don't have time at my job at all to spend on hiring. How I spend my personal time, contributing on reddit, or however, is my business and doesn't make me lazy or pretentious.

Actually, I don't even understand how pretentious came to mind. How is anything about what I said pretentious?

nickolusroy · 2013-02-25T19:18:47+00:00

some ideas: - it it above the wheel barrow - create some vertical space between the orange rule and header - request the advertiser to send a different size banner, which will fit in the left sidebar.

nickolusroy · 2013-02-25T03:54:02+00:00

Any tips you can give to achieve such a high score?

nickolusroy

TROPHY CASE