To really excel in the web development field, the key to success is being open to learn.

All skills in life can be learnt, and in any digital field you’ll find that regardless of how much you know, things will always be continually changing and developing to improve levels of efficiency and engagement. With that in mind, we’ve created a list of skills that will help you get hired as a web designer.

1. Simplicity
   Losing sight of the objective is often where people go wrong in the web development field. Your sole job is to retain the engagement of prospective customers by giving them all the information they want to know, in the shortest time frame possible.

Overcomplicating a website for the sake of showing off the complexity of your skills could actually be a major deterrent for an employer, because anyone involved in digital marketing will know that the most important qualities of a website are things like how simple it is to navigate, and whether it offers concise information. So, some tips on how to bring your design down a few notches are:

• Add infographics to reflect data
• Clearly segregate the information to create a nice, clear story flow
• Reduce the text and just use buttons to link people to more information if they need it
• Think of the home page as a tender document, replicating a visual checklist that includes information people would typically request. E.g. qualifications, accreditations, testimonials etc.

2. Leveraging Images

They say a picture is a thousand words, and particularly in today’s day and age where people simply don’t have the patience to sit and read, this makes them a vital attribute to any website. They also give a website that creative and authentic feel, personalizing it by:

• Putting a face to the name of a business
• Giving people a behind the scenes insight into the operations of the business
• Providing the story behind the business without overloading the page with text.
• Simply explaining a process by providing a visual reference.

3. Aesthetic Trends

Some people have a natural eye for design, but that’s not to place any limitations on the capabilities of someone who doesn’t. Closely following contemporary trends across all industries (ranging from fashion and technology, through to interior style and construction) will provide you with plenty of people-pleasing design ideas. Incorporating a sense of lifestyle will evoke deeper emotions, so looking externally and getting creative can have massive impact. But our one key recommendation here is to keep things consistent. The overall theme and colour palette need to connect every page, both for aesthetic value and brand memorability!

4. Uniqueness Isn’t Always Good
   What makes something “trendy” is a shared appreciation among a group of people, and sometime moving too far away from trends can be risky for the business. This is particularly an issue with the structure of a website, because if people go in with an expectation they can feel let down if it isn’t fulfilled.

That’s why most website or design companies will stick to some kind of theme or uniform across their projects, staying in line with what they know works. An example of this is the navigation bar at the top of the page. If you thought it might be a creative idea to place it on the left of the page then there’s a good chance people will miss it completely, which then leads to frustration and a higher bounce rate for the website.

5. Invest Time in Troubleshooting
   One of the greatest qualities any employee can possess is willingness. People are never expected to have all the answers, but if you can prove that you tried or eventually overcame a hurdle than that speak wonders about you as a web developer—and trust us, there will always be hurdles in a digital-based career path. Discovering new functionalities, integrating new plug-ins, fixing broken links and general trouble-shooting will no-doubt become a standard part of the job, so make sure you demonstrate your willingness to learn early on in the hiring process.

6. Be Open to Different Approaches
   As we mentioned, most web development companies will already have processes in place that enable them to create websites backed by tried and tested marketing methods. These methods might not always align with what you’ve been taught, so compliance and demonstrating an ability to adapt will take you a long way.

However, we’re not saying don’t put forward ideas—just pose them in a diplomatic way and try and back your arguments with research where possible. Because at the end of the day, the website has a purpose to serve, and you don’t want to detract from that objective by focusing too much on the aesthetics.

We hope these few tips help you navigate your way through early employment as a web developer!