Finding a Job Online – Part 2: Twitter.com

Twitter, when used correctly, can be a great resource for finding jobs. Once you have signed up, a good place to start is twitdir.com. Twitdir.com is a categorized directory of Twitter users. Therefore, if you’re like me, surf over to the web design section and start following like-minded individuals. The main key is to get involved in the community.

The power of Twitter doesn’t really take off until you are following at least 25 people. In most cases, if you follow someone, they will follow you in return. This allows you to grow your network of followers. Once you have established a following on Twitter, you can browser your feed for potential employers or job offers. This technique is a simple one but can be very effective. Especially if you are following people in the same industry that you work in. Also, don’t be afraid to ask a question to the community? For example, “does anyone know any companies hiring a web designer in downtown Vancouver?”

Make sure you completely fill out your profile! Add a link to your blog or online portfolio. Leave a brief description of your skills and expertise. If you are technically inclined, create a custom background for your profile page that shows/lists your skills.

Another technique you can use to find a job is to use Twitter Search. Try entering in “Web Design Jobs” and searching. That query returned several results for me. It’s as easy as that.

Note: entering the following keywords will return pretty much any job posting available on Twitter for Vancouver: job, vancouver, bc.

The final technique I have to offer is list of job aggregators on Twitter. Listed below are 5 profiles which function as live job feeds. Simply following the below users will add live job opportunities into your Twitter feed.

Web 2.0 Jobs
@Web20Jobs

Web 2.0 Contract Jobs
@Web20Contracts

Startup Jobs
@StartupJobs

Tech Jobs
@Joblighted

Web Design Jobs
@Web_Design_Jobs

The EA Sports Online division is responsible for the web presence www.easports.com which is evolving to become a unique, persistent, multi-platform experience that becomes the premier destination to become the center of your own online sport play experience.

Work with teams like Madden, Tiger Woods Golf and FIFA Soccer which extend these world class games beyond the console and onto the web. It’s the convergence of sports lifestyle, online gaming and community. Get your “Sport fix” online, anytime, anywhere!

Job Description:

EA SPORTS is looking for a passionate, dedicated Producer to help us deliver the next generation online experience for EA SPORTS.com.

Core responsibilities include overseeing the vision, business and management of the EA SPORTS.com web experience which is the primary destination and hub for EA SPORTS marketing and community based initiatives and integrates game extension features while also taking advantage of social networking opportunities through the likes Facebook and YouTube.

Nature and Scope of Position

• Regular, full-time position, reporting to the EA SPORTS Online Web Line Producer.
• You will manage and direct the work of artists, project managers and programmers in furtherance of the development of the site.
• You will work closely with the North American marketing and community and game development teams to help define the EA SPORTS.com product roadmap.
• You will work closely with the EA SPORTS Football World team (www.easportsfootball.com) in sharing ideas and features for the European market.

Responsibilities:

• Define, drive and manage the complete EA SPORTS.com experience.
• Author and manage ongoing product documentation.
• Coordinate post-release support of online features and product.
• Manage project tasks, resources, timelines and communicate project status with project stakeholders.
• Track and report on competitive landscape and community behavior patterns to drive product design decisions.
• Coordinate the activities of other product elements, such as Marketing, Public Relations and Operations, with the software and its development to ensure consistency, quality and timely implementation.
• Contribute to the prospecting process which identifies and develops product concepts which exploit targeted opportunities.
• Initiate, foster and maintain positive working relationships with internal and external organizations critical to both current and future development process.
• Define, drive and measure the success of EA SPORTS.com online programs through web-usage reports, end-user surveys and measurable goals.
• Responsible for the day to day operation of the live site including development, production and maintenance of the website. Responsible for planning live site feature improvements, assessing and resolving live site issues, designing and driving the development of features/tools.
• Conduct usability testing to balance business goals and objectives with customer experience.
• Act as the primary customer advocate, ensuring the best possible customer experience.
• Generate ideas for improving engagement and satisfaction with the site based on analysis of customer feedback.
• Coordinate with Quality Assurance to support the documentation, testing and QA processes.
• Be expert in understanding current market trends for online, including patterns and customer requirements.

What you need:

• Minimum 5 years experience in both game and web production including online community, online marketing and online journalism experience.
• Solid understanding of web production processes.
• Knowledge of online community management & development
• Strong background in design and proven ability in the creation of quality web site architecture design.
• Understanding of Games Production cycle, finalling at least one title (ideally sports) in a lead role, with a good understanding of finalling and submission process.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• The ability to develop strong working relationships with internal partners (central groups, QA etc.).
• Ability to manage multiple projects on various levels with different and converging timelines.
• Strong ability to initiate, foster and maintain positive working relationships with internal and external organizations critical to both current and future development process.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Have analytical and financial skills in order to forecast and report revenue, expenses, and project completion milestones.
• Flexible approach to travel.

Apply Here

Combined with these trends, there are an increasing number of Sports game teams to support on next-generation console platforms, plus requests to embrace PC/web and other future hardware platforms. With a full-year development cycle and constant support of new online-enabled titles approaching launch, the EA Sports Online team seeks an experienced producer to partner with game development teams and central technology providers, guide current-cycle feature planning and drive forward-looking multi-year strategic feature design.

The Producer will work closely with internal development groups, external EA partners and game teams throughout the EA Sports Label. Games include FIFA, NHL, NBA Live, NCAA Football and Basketball, Madden NFL Football and Tiger Woods PGA Tour.

This individual will provide these primary functions:

1. Set the direction for future online console feature development, consistent with EA Sports online business strategies.
2. Educate game teams on Label-wide business priorities to drive adoption of strategically important features.
3. Foster an environment of collaboration and innovation to enable cost-effective delivery of cutting-edge functionality across multiple games.

Job Responsibilities

1. Thoroughly understand EA Sports Online’s feature set and provide context to game teams on how features could be utilized to the benefit of individual game teams.
2. Partner with game teams and central teams to ensure Sports Online and game team objectives are achieved during the new feature development and integration process.
3. Drive future-looking cross-platform feature concept development aligned with online business strategies and game team goals
4. Own the creation and update of “roadshow” presentations and tools (including console testbed applications on console and the web) used to keep game team and studio staff abreast of the latest online features.
5. Act as primary point of contact with internal research groups to keep a pulse on the competition and other best-in-class features from the games/entertainment industry.

Required Skills

• 8+ years entertainment or interactive media production experience.
• 4+ years experience managing multi-disciplinary project teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ranging from high-level executive presentations/sales pitched to detailed feature design documents.
• Proven business acumen, with experience in negotiating contracts and running business operations.
• Working knowledge of major North American and European sports, including soccer, basketball, ice hockey, golf and American football. Passion for multiple sports is a plus.

Soft Skills

• Excellent collaborator, with the ability to partner effectively with a diverse team of creative, technical and business staff.
• Strong influencer, with demonstrated ability to acheive results without direct authority over staff.
• Well-rounded individual eager to take on a variety of tasks from primarily creative to primarily technical.
• Self-starter who will drive toward results with limited direction.

Apply Here

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee front-end development, deployment, and maintenance of large-scale web projects
• Convert mockups into highly optimized valid (X)HTML and CSS
• Work with developers to meet functional requirements
• Document methodologies and processes
• Assist in concept development
• Create re-usable and easily modifiable templates

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• 5+ years experience directly related duties and responsibilities
• Expert in programming with CSS, (X)HTML
• 3+ years experience using JavaScript frameworks (preferably jQuery) and AJAX
• Thorough understanding of cross-browser and cross-platform compatibility
• Strong knowledge of User Interaction/Human Computer Interaction
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proven time management and multitasking skills

Desired Qualifications:

• A Computer Science degree or diploma from a recognized post-secondary institution
• Experience using Visual Studio and ASP.NET skins and master pages
• Portfolio of past projects and design blog
• Experience using scripting languages
• Search engine optimization strategies
• Flash / Photoshop / Illustrator

Apply Here

Position Overview
With a strong software engineering background and proven web development experience, Front End Engineer is expected to work on the http://easports.com and http://easportsfootball.co.uk front end and presentation tiers.

Apply Here

Apply Here

Finding a Job Online – Part 1: Linkedin.com

Linkedin.com is a social networking website for professionals. It’s a great way to network with like-minded people, and a great place to look for a job. Feel free to check out my profile as an example. To get you started, surf over to Linkedin.com and register for a new profile. Once you have filled out all your stats, make sure you add the below items to your profile:

1. Make sure you add your past employers. That way you can search for previous co-workers who might be able to point you at a new opportunity.
2. If you have a website, make sure you add it. This is a must for creative types, you need a online portfolio of your work. Also, add links to your Twitter account, and your personal blog if you have one. The idea is to create a brand for yourself online. Treat yourself like a product that you’re selling to potential employers.
3. Be sure to include a short, to the point personal summary. As well, don’t forget to add a list of specialty skills that you possess.
4. Setup your educational background. That will allow you to search school colleagues that might be able to set you up with some job leads.
5. Edit your contact settings and select all the types of work you are interested in securing.
6. Last but not least, update your personal status to say “Looking for work!”

Once you have finished filling out your profile, it’s time to start adding some friends. There’s a couple of ways you can do this.

1. Click on “Add Connections” in the left sidebar which will bring you to a new screen. From here you can search your Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, and AOL contacts for people that have a Linkedin profile.
2. The colleagues tab will allow you to search for co-workers you have worked with in the past that are on Linkedin.
3. The classmates tab will allow you to search for classmates you went to school with that are on Linkedin.

Hopefully that will get you going with a few connections. However, if you have no luck finding anyone you already know, I would suggest checking out the Groups section. From there, you can join groups in your city, groups of people from your industry, etc… Once you have joined a few groups, it is up to you to get involved so you can make some connections. Also, consider starting your own group like “Interweb Magician looking for rabbits to pull out of a hat!”. You might want to be a bit more serious but a catchy name never hurts.

Linkedin also has some more direct job searching functions that you can take advantage of. Check out the Jobs section in the main navigation to search for jobs on the network. Also, I would suggest checking out the Companies section. From there you can find specific employers you might like to work for.

Getting back to finding connections when you first setup your profile. Hopefully you will find a few. If that is the case, make sure you ask your past colleague(s) for a recommendation. Recommendations can be a great way to appeal to possible employers. Offer to trade a recommendation with your colleague, therefore making it mutually beneficial.

The main key to Linkedin, as is with other social networking websites, is to get involved! The more you put into the community, the more you will receive from it. Check back in the next couple days for part 2 of this series on finding a job online.

Originally posted on Cardeo.ca

About smashLAB
smashLAB is a digital agency that concentrates on website design, social media strategy, and online marketing campaigns. We help companies clarify and share their messages via the web. Telling their stories compellingly allows them to better connect with the right people.

We’re hands-on and practical; as a result, our customers get access to long-term support as they build their brands online. Through 10 years of solid work we’ve gained international recognition from the likes of TIME, the Lotus Awards, and ICOGRADA.

We offer competitive remuneration, health benefits, discretionary days, and some other little treats. Most people choose to work here for the opportunity to create simply great work.

Apply Here

Basic Function:

Create front end / user interface that captures design and art direction.

Duties and Responsibilities:
- Works with senior artist to understand functionality and art direction specifications
- Ensures that work supports overall game design and art direction
- Organizes user interface in an intuitive way; may assist less experience artists as necessary
- Demonstrates understanding of branding requirements and supports through work
- Works with programmers to implement the front end and create solutions for obstacles
- Understands the budgetary requirements and works within scope
- Works with QA to ensure compliance with TRC
- Receives feedback and modifies work based on direction
- Ensures consistency in art style and quality of own work
- Understands memory and frame-rate budgets and works within those constraints
- Uses in-house tools as appropriate; provides feedback to improve the tools
- Follow schedules and meets deadlines
- Proactively recognizes potential problems and works with Senior Artist to limit risk
- Troubleshoots and seeks solutions; may assist less experienced artists with troubleshooting
- Participates in scrum meetings and presents own work as appropriate

Apply Here

Apply Here