this website is useless. discuss....
who has honestly got a job through this site or found relevent material that isnt all about useless info? be honest!
Replies8
- The elephant in the room here is that nobody wants to admit just how fractured the work environment is right now - specifically for independents and freelancers. Most experienced designers would agree that sitting down with a potential client, presenting work and talking through projects either leads to commissions or at least good feedback and possibly the start of a working relationship - but those days are long gone, digital platforms can’t replicate that.Nobody wants to admit just how tough things are at the moment and they are going to get worse. I’m seeing many long-term and well-established clients walking away from industry or downscaling. Projects are cancelled or put on hold and budgets for new work being slashed for the foreseeable future.Looking through various platforms I see a lot of low-value quick-fix work being offered and ‘feelers out’ type posts but engagement or support from practitioners is minimal, which is understandable considering how territorial work can be.This is a better-looking site than most but not particularly busy, it doesn’t have the annoying self-aggrandisement of Linkedin - the ‘Hey, let me explain how you’re doing everything wrong’ feel of Design Twitter or the free-for-all scramble of work sites like Fiverr.Obviously, all sites need an identity to build an environment of their own, but honestly - I just wish there was a straightforward message board where clients could post leads and coherent project descriptions, reasonable budget scales and clear descriptions of the kind of practitioners they are looking for - and then have the professionalism to acknowledge and respond to applicants.I would say that the full-time design job market looks pretty buoyant - but that’s not what I’m interested in, and because of the general uncertainty in the economy and industry - I’m moving away from looking for and leading larger projects, but I’ve found many clients with smaller, self-contained projects either want something pretty that’s just thrown together or don’t actually understand the design process at all. Twice this year already I’ve been asked to ‘rescue’ complicated print projects that were started by someone on Fiverr who massively oversold their experience and abilities and were prepared to work for almost nothing (I think that SHOULD have been a red flag)There is a place for a platform that supports dialogue/connection within the freelance design industry as well as curating potential work streams - but perhaps there should be a separation between the two.
- I've found a couple of long-term jobs with startups through this site which I typically wouldn't get on a larger job site - say Linkedin or Indeed.
- I think it works really well for individuals who are comfortable with a digital discourse/ presence and quite confident robust in how they treat the 'space'. For more hands on/people centric creatives it can be bewildering and 2 dimensional. It's not as superficial as Linkedin, which has always seemed to be a place for grandstanding. I think the interface is actually quite good but better discourse, participation and standards of engagement would really help. The occasional good, friendly, professional participation and dialogue makes up for the rest.
- After LinkedIn, I've found this to be the most productive place to find clients.There's a lot of ghosting on this platform (but there is everywhere unfortunately).And I think there are more people just starting out and looking for work than experienced people looking to hire on here.But it's definitely a great place to meet and network with fellow creatives even if you take those conversations off platform.It's worth sticking with as part of a wider strategy in my view.
- I've got about ten jobs through this platform, obviously I have obtained many "No", sometimes justified and sometimes spurious, but here it would open a chapter that is a bit too controversial.What I personally find frustrating is seeing so many people offering gigs and then disappearing into thin air without noticing if the position has been filled or not, which I find very unprofessional, but this problem could be easily solved by deleting the posts after a certain amount of time (a week, for example) to prevent freelancers from wasting time replying to job ads for which they will never be answered.So I would say there are ups and downs but overall my experience on The Dots has been better than other platforms like Upwork and I have to say that the staff listens to feedback and makes changes from time to time to improve the users' experience.Ultimately I would say that the problem is often not the platform itself but those users who don't have a clear idea of what it means to be professional.
- It's a mixed bag. I want it to work and I keep coming back but I am not convinced it does enough or has the staying power. It's a nice alternative to LinkedIn - which I hate and recently deleted. I have connected with a few people here and depending on what you do here there are varying degree of success. If you are looking for someone to help with graphics or web work then you might see success, but if you post much of anything else you may well go unnotticed. I have had much greater succcess getting work and connections through facebook - which is a pity because overall FB is a toxic vaccous platform and you have to step into specialised groups and pages to get the most out of it. I feel a little hamstrung by The Dots at times - it doesn't feel open and flexible nor very navigable. As a creative director myself I want the platform to flex a little and give room for more creative connections. I haven't made up my mind yet.
- Why do you thinks so? I have been looking opportunities on this site and getting exhausted. Is there anything to do to improve?
- I got hired by two jobs on this website, jumped on two or more projects and connected with amazing individuals :)
You must sign up or log in before you
add a comment.