The career development of a Web officer

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The career development of a Web officer

• Peter Griffiths,
• Home Office, London
• including material provided by Recruit Media,
  London

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In this session

• Presentation and participation
• Roles in the Web team
• What skills and competencies do Web officers
  need?
• How do you find work?
• What development opportunities exist?
• What career patterns are emerging?

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What roles in the Web team?

• Roles in the Web team
• managerial

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What roles in the Web team?

• Roles in the Web team
• managerial
• design

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What roles in the Web team?

• Roles in the Web team
• managerial
• design
• editorial

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What roles in the Web team?

• Roles in the Web team
• managerial
• design
• editorial
• technical

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Skills and competencies
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Editorial staff

• Some typical titles -
• interactive editor, online managing editor, web
  news editor
• Skills and experience
• writing
• editorial and proof reading
• newspaper journalism

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Design staff

• Some typical titles
• creative director, designer, animator
• Skills and experience
• design - degree in graphic design often cited
• knowledge of software
• creative flair

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Technical staff

• Some typical titles
• Web site builders, Technical Lead, Client and
  server-side Web developer
• Skills and experience
• computer science degree
• specific computer systems e.g. Unix
• raw code, HTML, JavaScript, SGML, XML, Perl, CGI,
  ASP, VB, C, industrial strength middle tier
  MTS / COM, etc, etc

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Managerial staff

• Some typical titles
• project manager, corporate Web master, production
  managers
• Skills and experience
• business skills - scoping, specification,
  budgeting
• negotiation, project management, financial and
  commercial understanding - the big picture
• managing suppliers and contractors
• systems management, communications skills

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A few other people

• Information architects, browse developers
• Customer relations management
• e-commerce professionals
• Communications officers

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How can you find work?

• Direct recruitment or direct application
• Agencies
• Word of mouth
• Online
• Contractors and freelancers
• Business to business (agency brokered)

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Ways of working

• Bureaucracy and hierarchy are stifling
• Team style management works
• examples from business Web sites and intranets
• ad hoc groups, managing their own agenda, formed
  to create a given site and then to close
• do these styles work in the local government
  environment?

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Why do Web officers leave?

• The causes of early quitting
• boredom
• limited opportunities
• lack of appreciation
• uneven team quality (managers and members)
• bureaucracy
• poor match of effort and reward

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Issues in staff development

• Phenomenal growth of the Web profession
• Range of professional skills including technical,
  information management, graphical
• Training courses and meetings
• Networking
• Professional bodies

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Questions for discussion

• Does this match your own experience?
• Does the local government webmaster have special
  considerations?
• Do you have a centralised IT unit and does this
  affect the position?
• How do you find suitable training development
  opportunities?
• What other issues are relevant to you?

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pdg_at_dircon.co.uk