As technology continues to develop, the ways in which we communicate have drastically changed. Appropriately, the people behind the communications industry have also changed. Far more is now demanded of marketing and design professionals as they compete for roles in today's leading communications firms. Technology is being used as a tool to better shape messages, as a vehicle for more effectively delivering a message, and as a means to work smarter. Marketing communications, public relations, advertising, and e-commerce integration firms have made emerging technology competence a prerequisite.
Audience Expectations The explosion of the Web and new media has redefined and created a whole new set of user expectations. Never before have audiences taken in so much information so fast. Quicker, tighter, shorter. If users can't find the information they need in a matter of seconds, they'll tune out or click away.
Similarly, if you cannot show a potential employer that you understand this shift in expectations, they too will move on to the next job candidate. If you are a designer, you must design an interface that is intuitive. If you are a writer, you must be concise. If you are an information architect, you must put the information that users want at their fingertips.
Knowing Strengths and Weaknesses Communications firms will always demand a working knowledge of your tools, but more importantly, they will need you to know the strengths and weaknesses of each of these tools and technologies in delivering your message to a specific audience. Demonstrate to a potential employer that you know when a Flash intro to a site is and isn't appropriate. Know how much copy you can expect someone to read on a banner ad versus an email newsletter. Go into an interview touting any tool or program as the end-all-and-be-all of communications, and you probably won't be invited back.
Using Technology as More than a Vehicle Your use and understanding of technology should not just stop with your craft
