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Skills Gap & Job Analysis



Another step that I took which helped me visualise the steps I need to take in order to get a job in the field I have chosen was to look into current web design vacancies. Understanding what skills employers seek from candidates would help me analyse my understanding of how prepared I am at the moment to get a job in web design and what I need to do to increase the chances of getting employed.

For the purpose I spent some time researching web design job specifications and came across a wide range of skills that are primarily required for the job. Here is a list of the vacancies which the content below is based on:

Based on the aforementioned vacancies, I made a list of required job attributes that employers in the web design field are most likely to look for in job candidates. Here are some of the most frequently demanded skills for a web designer followed by my view of how competitive I am in them (with scores from 1 to 5) and my opinion on how I can improve in the certain field.
  1. Have good working knowledge and understanding of CSS & HTML5 for creating online content

    • Level of competence -  4 (previous experience in constructing web pages for university projects that gained satisfying marks and feedback ; regularly practicing and improving current HTML & CSS skills by following online tutorials and trends for presenting online content (Lynda.com ; w3schools.com ; musefree.com)
    • Ways to improve - mastering my existing knowledge on web building programming languages by learning more about jQuery and Javascript

  2. Have experience in using Adobe Photoshop or other design packages
    • Level of competence - 3 (confidently using Adobe Photoshop for various purposes (academical, casual, work-experience related) ; successfully building online content from scratch by working with Adobe Muse & Dreamweaver for my own portfolio website)
    • Ways to improve - getting more familiar with Adobe InDesign - a valuable tool for publishing online materials  (posters,brochures,magazines) and creating appropriate layout styles ; improving current Adobe Illustrator techniques in order to be able to create specific ornaments and decorations for web pages

  3. Possess interpersonal skills and  have the ability to work within a collaborative environment
    • Level of competence - 3 (forming groups for previous and ongoing university projects with people with similar interests and design approaches ; maintaining a peaceful and productive workflow while being part of a group project)
    • Ways to improve - being more open to different opinions concerning the creative direction of the project ; ensure that people who don't voice their opinions as much are also heard and feel satisfied with the direction of the project

  4. Present a portfolio of original work showcasing all elements of design experience required
    • Level of competence - 3 (setting the foundation of my own portfolio website by choosing the following elements - parallax image technique for the separate sections of the website, navigation and logo (fixed to the top of the page) & images and font for presenting the content)
    • Ways to improve - research hosting solutions in order for the website to be uploaded online and accessible to everyone ; add responsiveness to the content so that it is easily displayable on various devices (PCs,mobile phones, tablets) ; think about appropriate ways to layout the key portfolio section that showcases my previous work in a professional manner

  5. Excellent presentation skills and ability to explain and sell ideas to clients and colleagues
    • Level of competence - 3 (previous experience as an assistant to an educational fair representing University of Portsmouth abroad (2013) ; doing small presentations as part of my ongoing university studies discussing design approaches and creative decisions for projects as well as presenting a favourite piece of online content and analyzing its distinguishing features)
    • Ways to improve - check feature events from Purple Door that could improve my presentation skills and confidence while talking in front of an audience

  6. Reliable planning and time management abilities to help meet deadlines & working  in a dynamic environment
    • Level of competence - 4 (successfully spreading work for university projects based on different factors - submission date, type of project (group/individual), type of artefact (digital/physical) ; set starting and ending points to the different phases of creating an artefact & keeping to them time wise ; review & hand-in the finished artefacts on time )
    • Ways to improve - look more into project planning methodologies and appropriate ways to organise my work on projects (reminders, sticky notes, Gantt chart)

  7. Understanding of Content Management Systems (CMS) and web hosting 
    • Level of competence - 2.5 (awareness of Wordpress and Joomla from looking into website creating approaches in the past ; seeing online tutorials for setting up a Wordpress based website and researching Wordpress themes )
    • Ways to improve - attempt to create a test webpage using a CMS, research ways of customisation, applying custom fonts and widgets ; look up hosting platforms, pricing and appropriate tutorials

  8. Awareness of Search Engine Optimisation Principles and cross-browser compatibility issues
    • Level of competence - 2 (have some knowledge on SEO tools but not much actual experience with using them ; experience with cross-browser testing and finding ways to ensure that when designing a webpage it is appropriately tested on different browsers with different resolutions)
    • Ways to improve - research SEO guidelines and tools ; work more on testing approaches (look into appropriate testing plugins, use different devices)
Also, most of the web design vacancies require some sort of relevant work experience in this area. I will talk more about this in the next few posts that will concentrate on my continuing  work with a web design agency on Isle of Wight called Bate Brand.
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