When you go into the skilled building trades, there are a lot of opportunities out there for you. And while it is an extremely tempting notion to simply assume that if you practice your trade to a level superior to the next guy or gal, you are going to be the person that everybody refers to (and hires) to do the big, high paying jobs. Unfortuntately, this is just not the case. Ultimately, you are going to need some placement. And as simple as it sounds to simply do some lower paying jobs to the best extent possible, have those jobs professionally photographed and keep your visual “resume” close at hand all of the time (which is a great set of steps when you are first setting out), even this is still not enough. You are going to have to network to the highest level that you possibly can, because at heart, every trades person is also a sales person.
One of the important ways that you can keep your name out there is by going onto sites like Craig’s List, and letting it be known that not only do you practice this trade (and have testimonials by all of the people whom you have dazzled), but also that you do work of a particular type. Often times, the saying of “a picture is worth a thousand words” is a spot on observation, because showing a few pictures of your work can do better than all of the ad copy in the world.
Consider, just as an example, if your profession were tile setting. If you do this to a professional level, you are going to want to show off some of the designs you have brought from the drawing board into people’s homes and businesses. There is nothing quite so powerful as showing what you have done in the past, to get people’s minds racing with ideas at how amazingly you could help them out (assuming that they can afford you- never underprice greatness!). Just remember that nobody else can place you as well as you can place yourself.