Make a Resume Website to Market Yourself to Employers

A resume website can be used as a self-marketing tool for persuading potential employers. Setting up your resume in website form allows you to layer resume information with elements of interactivity, visuals, and other creative arrangements. You can bring your strengths to life as well and demonstrate your technological prowess to employers you seek to impress. 56% of all hiring managers are more impressed by a candidate's personal website than any other kind of personal branding. These instructions will help you make your resume website the best it can be to market yourself to potential employers.

Steps

Deciding What to Include

1. Brainstorm and gather your ideas. The first stage of development should be a brainstorming session where you gather all of your ideas on what data to include on your website. This provides a well-directed sense of purpose from the beginning and will lead to a more productive process in the long run. The reason numbers are so low for job applicants who create resume websites is reported to be that they do not know what to put on their sites. Specifics of what to include will depend greatly on your audience. The goal that all resume websites have in common is that each will be intended to convince others of your value.
2. Understand the expected criteria of employers. Consider the company expectations listed within the “help wanted” resource you used. What they consider the top priorities are what they will describe in their advertisement. What you do not want to do, however, is craft your website's content solely based on the expectations of a single company's job offer. You should not rely on acceptance by only one employer, since there is no guarantee you will score that particular spot.
   • A better strategy could be to study and incorporate the expectations of many similar openings as well, so you have a better-rounded set of ideas. This enables a wider applicability for your website beyond one opening your sights may be set on and improves your chances of being noticed and accepted.
3. Consider the skill level of your desired position. Another way to help gauge what information will have the greatest impact is understanding the breadth of knowledge and experience valued for the desired position. The most recent experiences contributing toward your eligibility for this new position will vary based on the job's skill level, affecting what should be given emphasis.
   • If you are seeking an entry-level position or internship, with education in the near past or ongoing, then a focus on educational history could be worthwhile. Not yet having a rich employment history in your field means that your education is one of the most critical aspects of your qualifications. Additionally, an introductory position will likely not be highly specialized, so demonstrating a broad base of fundamental knowledge about that field would be effective.
   • If you desire a specialized, high-skill position, then there should be a focus on providing evidence of detailed knowledge on that narrow domain. For positions requiring greater expertise, it becomes increasingly important to highlight past work in your field for credibility. Education is still an essential inclusion, but highlighting practical industry capabilities will be key in assuring employers you have what it takes to undergo an advanced responsibility.
4. Provide contact information. Show that you are eager to start communicating with potential employers by incorporating methods of reaching you through your website.
5. Contemplate other relevant contributions. Beyond the ideas you have accumulated so far based on hiring guidelines and the nature of the occupation, think of other facts you might normally include on a traditional resume that could effectively market your strengths. Examples of such topics are portfolios of past work from another job or your spare time, extracurricular activities tying into your desired position, and interpersonal (“soft”) skills.

Outlining Your Website Structure

1. Create an outline that describes the overall website structure, before you begin writing. This is commonly referred to as a sitemap, and paves the way for a sturdy sense of direction. Two primary qualities that a sitemap describes are how web pages are separated and what the hierarchy of links looks like between these pages. In order for readers to be able to navigate your website and find the information they are interested in, it will require logical structure and convenient access to the subject matter. As a result, page separation and linking are both qualities worthy of their own discussions within this step.
2. Separate unrelated information between different pages. For example, education history could have its own page while employment history could have another. You want to avoid writing long-winded pages that cover too wide of a range of topics about yourself, since this will be overwhelming for readers to scroll through and make it difficult to pinpoint where a specific topic is discussed. The process of breaking down the data into "fewer, easily managed topics or units of information" is known as chunking in web design terminology.
   • On the other hand, excessive page divisions will cause your content to be spread too thinly and your pages will be unattractively brief. A proper balance of chunking will leave pages long enough to be informative but short enough to be readable.
3. Make each page easily accessible through a navigation system. One simple way to ensure page interconnection is by means of a consistent navigation bar on each page, containing links to each of the website's pages. Because a resume website is just meant to summarize qualifications and point to accomplishments in different areas, there is no need for an excessively complex navigation system.
   • If there is a hierarchy of links that is too vast and it takes multiple link clicks to reach a certain page, then that page could go unnoticed or be a burden to reach. Try to ensure that each page is no more than a few clicks away from the home page.

Planning Your Information Structure

1. Format and organize information. After completing your sitemap, there is even more organizational work to do on a smaller scale before you start writing words. Utilizing effective methods for making your information easier-to-read will maximize visibility and effectiveness.
2. Break large blocks of text into paragraphs or sections. Though the information placed into a particular page already shares a common, overarching theme thanks to your website structuring, you can still find more minor changes in subject matter to break up dense text around. By splitting these kinds of sections into smaller groups and gaining some extra empty space, your pages will be easier to read and more organized overall.
3. Take advantage of list formatting when applicable. Much of what you will be including on your resume website will naturally lend itself to portrayals in list form, such as past education, past work, and personal qualities ideal for the job you desire. Communicating in bullet points or numbered sections when it applies will often be an effective way to avoid laundry-listing what can be conveyed in a concise, orderly manner.
4. Use logical sequences for lists. When dealing with information presented in list format, use a logical sequence like chronological order or most to least significant. That way, an employer can conveniently track that data with respect to factors like time or your level of ability.
   • You will also want to follow the principle of arranging your pages so that the information you consider most important for employers to see is at the top of your pages. Maximize visibility of the proudest certifications and traits in your page sections by immediately presenting these strengths at first glance.

Starting to Write

1. Put your resume into words. Now, with your organizational structures serving as your guide, you can begin fleshing out your biographical information in writing. Having accomplished the steps leading up to this point, you should feel confident in exactly what you want to talk about and how you want to carry it out. To be as persuasive as possible to readers considering whatever job application this website supplements, there are a handful of qualities you need to pay attention to during the writing stage.
2. Be concise. Use concise wording to establish your points clearly and understandably. Be efficient in communicating your thoughts and maximize your information density within the space provided.
3. Double-check your grammar. Use proper grammar conventions to conduct a professional appearance. Mistakes visible here can have undesirable implications.
4. Be consistent in tone. Develop a substantial and consistent formality in your language. Having differences in the tone of writing can distract readers from reading what's important.
5. Know what fonts are appropriate. Typically, a professional website's main consideration for font will be the best readability possible, which rules out a lot of excessively flashy fonts that are an eyesore to read in heavy quantities.

Designing Visual Layouts and Styles

1. Create an attractive visual scheme. At this point in time, you have solidified the structure of your resume website and fully expressed all of the words you intended to share about yourself. Now, to put the finishing touch on your project, you will want to develop an attractive visual scheme that draws attention and makes viewing more pleasant.
   • This is listed specifically as the last step in the process for a reason. Without an outline of what purposes pages will serve and how the information will be laid out within them, early focus on visuals can easily lead to prolonged, indecisive tweaking of pictures and colors. The following points of focus will help breathe creative life into your pages.
2. Prioritize clarity. Be wary of using weak color contrasts as these may make text difficult to read over your background. The greater the contrast between text colors and background colors, the easier it is to read the text within. Conversely, don't be afraid to use color to put emphasis on the information you want to stand out.
3. Develop a visual theme. Consistency in visual layouts is very important for maintaining the same mood, flow, and level of formalism for your website. Common color schemes and image layout schemes will make navigating the website feel sensible.
4. Make use of imagery. As long as they aren't used so often that they distract viewers from content, relevant images to the subject matter can strongly enhance the viewing experience. Attractive images that work to supplement page information will persuade employers to further explore the website.
5. Consider those with disabilities. Utilize text large enough to be legible for those without perfect eyesight. Don't be too reliant on visuals to communicate your information; keep it simple.

Finalizing and Reviewing

1. Review your website. Once you think you have finished, it is a good time to double-check your website before you finalize any changes so that you are satisfied with the results.
2. Proofread your writing. Typos and otherwise improper use of language will hurt the mature impression you are trying to create, but they are also easy to overlook in small quantities. Re-read carefully.
3. Get a second opinion. Feedback from others can expose you to new ideas you otherwise would not have considered, or cause you to realize that there are better ways of approaching ideas. Furthermore, feedback can be valuable regardless of who is giving it, whether it be from a seasoned web developer or a casual Internet user. Quality design principles that allow for readability and understanding are recognizable by all types of people.
4. Experiment. Although your website might be completed, experimenting with different looks and other templates could give you a new perspective that you might not have seen before.
5. Give it time. Consider keeping your website offline for a few days before publishing it. Then, come back and examine it with a pair of fresh eyes and see if you want anything changed. You might be surprised to find means of improvement you had not considered before.

Tips

• There are tools available for people of any skill level to build their own domain. Beginners without any coding knowledge do not need to worry, as there is a multitude of intuitive, template-based website builders that are intended for such people. For those who do have coding knowledge in languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, the possibilities become much more expansive.
  • Don't be ashamed to use a website builder or even hire someone to create your website - people do it all the time for traditional resumes, so why not online portfolios? First impressions are everything.
• Make sure you can access and view your website properly from multiple devices.
• The required time commitment will vary a great deal. Depending on the scope of the project at hand, the tools used, and the speed of your decision-making, it could take anywhere between a few hours and a few days.

References

See also

• Get a Temporary Job Over 50
• Speed Up Your Job Search
• Search Global Jobs From Your Mobile Phone
• Get a Job During the Coronavirus Outbreak
• Prepare for an Informational Interview
• Make Money in the Winter (Kids and Teens)
• Look for a Summer Job
• Find a Job for Your Skill with SkillLot.com
• Find a Job on GAPbuster
• Apply for a Job via Careerbuilder

Read more ...