Showcase Yourself
In addition to professional networking sites, personal webpages can be another great option for building your brand and increasing your visibility as a job seeker. Like a profile on a professional networking site, personal webpages act as online multimedia portfolios. You can show, rather than tell, others who you are. In addition to standard contact information and a brief bio, a personal webpage can be used to effectively showcase the following:
- your skills, work experiences, and talents;
- your resume, relevant photos, and previous projects;
- a blog, Twitter account, writing samples;
- your personality, interests, and goals.
As with other forms of professional communication, there are do’s and don’ts. The main idea is that you keep your website focused and clean. Maintain a sense of consistency across your various online professional outlets, and start building the website well before you think you’ll need it.
Network Profiles vs. Personal Webpages
It is important to note that strong webpages take time to develop, and that a weak one will most likely detract from your brand. The main difference between a personal webpage and a profile on an online network is that a personal page allows for a greater degree of customization. As Workfolio CEO Charles Pooley explained in a recent Forbes article:
“A website gives you creative freedom to express your personality in ways that are not be possible through your resume. Everything from the bio paragraph you write to the design options you choose for your website says something about you, and gives recruiters more chances to decide if they want to bring you in for an interview.”
Popular Site Builders
Wordpress has more than 200 free, customizable design themes and can be used to create both blogs and websites.
Blogger is a free blog publishing tool from Google and connects seamlessly with Google+
Google Sites integrates well with other Google features, like Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Picasa. This builder also works well for those who want to collaborate on a site.
Weebly | Strikingly | Moonfruit are three similar site builders. Each features easy-to-use, beautiful, mobile optimized websites and free basic plans. Minimal or no code or design work necessary.
22slides was created by photographers, for photographers and other artists.