By Kendall Farley
In
today’s society, 56 percent of all hiring managers are more impressed by a
candidate’s personal website than any other personal branding tool. However,
only 7 percent of job seekers actually have a personal website (Smith, 2013). It
used to be that having an impressive resume and slick cover letter was exactly
what a job seeker needed in order to land an interview. But now, with the
Internet being such an important part of our lives, that is no longer the case.
So, what should a job seeker do in today’s market? It’s simple; a personal
website needs to be created to improve one’s odds of landing an interview and
securing a job.
To
begin, what exactly is a personal website? This is a site created by an
individual that contains content of a personal nature rather than information on
behalf of a company, organization or institution (Pooley, 2013). Personal web
pages are often used solely for informative or entertainment purposes, as I am
currently using one for this blog. I will be letting you know how having a
personal website can, in the end, make you a more employable contender for that
dream position. I will also let you know some key pieces of information to
include, and things you may wish to omit, while creating your website.
It
is also worth mentioning that creating a personal website is not rocket
science. You do not need to be a programming wizard to set up the right site to
showcase your professional accomplishments and
pertinent information in order to entice future employers to interview or hire
you. I highly recommend using a blogging platform such as Wordpress in order to
develop this site. A site like Wordpress offers templates you can follow to
create a clean, simple website that features your contact information, your biographical
information, your resume, and any other information you may wish to highlight
as a job seeker. One of the advantages to a site like this is that it makes it
easy to update or make changes to your site, as well as provide a place to host
all of your files.
Now
that you have a better understanding of what a personal website is, and how to
create one, let’s talk about why why you
should have one and what this personal website should include. One of
the main advantages of having a personal website is the fact that is allows
hiring managers to get a glimpse of your personality, which is something that
is not able to be done with just a resume (Smith, 2013). Everything from the
biographical paragraph you write to the design options you choose for your
website makes a statement about you and gives recruiters more opportunities to
decide if they want to bring you in for an interview. Since
actions speak louder than words, a personal website demonstrates to an employer
that this applicant took the initiative to display themselves in a creative
way, in addition to having technology skills by creating and designing a
website. Taking this extra initiative may ultimately pay off big time in your
job search.
A personal website also should clearly show a perspective
employer the reason you are creating the site. One of the main spotlights of
your site should be to have your contact information (name, address, phone,
email) displayed in an easy to find manner. It is a good idea to make this the
header or footer of every page. While viewing your site, no one should ever
have to search for contact information (Smith, 2013).
Once
the contact information is clearly outlined, then you have the opportunity to
show off your creative side. You can express your opinions, thoughts, and
feelings for the world to see in whatever manner you desire, as long it is professional
and relevant to your strengths and abilities. 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 reveals something about you. It should entice recruiters to want to bring you
in for an interview.
Along
with showing off your creative side, you can also show off your expertise in
the field you wish to pursue by including blog posts on topics that relate to
the field. Even if you don't have a great deal of job experience, a
well-written and well-informed blog can go a long way in
impressing a potential employer. Although
your expertise is important, it is only going to be valued if you keep your
website up to date. It is important to review and update your website every
few months. Keep your achievements up to date, and upload a more recent
headshot to keep it current. If you're no longer looking for a job, you can
leave the site up, but make sure the copy doesn't encourage hiring managers to contact
you. There have been cases where employees have been dismissed after an
employer found out about a site, so just keep that in mind (Pooley, 2013).
A 2006 survey of 100 executive recruiters by a job search and
recruiting network found that 77 percent use search engines to learn about
candidates (Hoffman, 2013). By building a website that features your name in
the URL, you will have more control over what hiring managers and future
employers see if they Google you before (or after) an initial interview. Having
a website can push those unrelated sites, such as Facebook or Myspace, further
down in the rankings, allowing a summary of your career to ride at the top of
the search results.
On the other hand, a website that is unprofessional or contains inappropriate
content could potentially turn into something detrimental if an employer
reviews the information. It is not useful to post an underdeveloped website, because
your website should be up-to-date and not look like a project you started but
left undone. This type of website could lead the employer to believe that you
aren’t willing or able to finish what you started. Typos, errors, missing
content, and lack of attention to detail can all be potential downfalls for
employers. Think of the personal website as an extension of your resume and
have multiple people review it before submitting it for the World Wide Web to
see.
Although we did talk about having contact information available
and personalizing your site to complement your own personality, you will also
want to be careful with how much personal information you include on the site. Keep
information interesting, but relatively neutral. Avoid providing information
that might be controversial such as religious or political views. Always make
sure to ask yourself “How relevant is this information in the job field for
which I am applying?” This sounds like a lot to be wary of, which is true, but
you do have to understand that creating and maintaining a personal website for
job seeking purposes is not going to happen overnight. It is important to understand
that websites takes time to develop and needs to be done well in order to be
effective. This should not look like your Facebook page
where you are going to upload pictures of the margaritas you and your friends
are drinking on Cinco de Mayo.
I want
to emphasize that print resumes are still a very important component when it
comes to being considered for a job (Bhatki, 2013). I am just showing you how
having a personal website can tell parts of your story that your print resume
cannot. Since a print resume is typically only about a page, an online personal
website can feature so much more information that you just cannot capture with
a sheet of computer paper, such as creating a file that shows lesson plans
created for a class you taught. Having your
own website allows you to control what people will find when they search
for you. More and more, we hear that employers are Googling candidates to learn
more about them. When you have your own website, you have an opportunity to
demonstrate a portfolio of information about you and to provide further
information so employers can learn more about you, not some picture of you
throwing up the peace sign from your eighth grade Myspace page.
Sources
Bhatki, K. (2013).
Benefits of a Personal Website. Retrieved June 17, 2013, from http://www.bhakticreations.com/benefits-of-a-personal-website
Hoffman, A. (2013).
Job Applicant, Beware. In Monster. Retrieved June 17, 2013, from http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search/getting-started/hr-googling-job- applicants/article.aspx
Pooley, C. (2013, May
6). Why Every Job Seeker Should Have A Personal Website. In DemiPost. Retrieved June 17, 2013,
from http://demipost.com/why-every-job- seeker-should-have-a-personal-website-or-blog-and-what-it-should-include/
Smith, J. (2013, April 26). Why Every
Job Seeker Shoud Have A Personal Website, And What
It Should Include . In Forbes. Retrieved June 17, 2013, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/04/26/why-every-job-seeker- should-have-a-personal-website-and-what-it-should-include/
This blog is very well thought out and carefully written. The information given is specific and to the point. There really is nothing I disagree with. There is a great usage of outside sources that only enhance the credibility of this blog. Although with further research on this topic I have discovered an aspect that would really tie together this whole blog and make it more complete. Considering that many facets of a personal website were expanded on in this blog it could have used something to make it all nest together more cohesively. The use of personal websites in means of getting a job is now becoming old news. There are hundreds if not thousands of blogs, studies, and articles out there pertaining to this topic. In order to give this blog the creative edge it needs to keep readers attention new information that is not so common could help.
ReplyDeleteAs discussed in the blog it can be instrumental in getting a job now days due to your online presence especially when having a personal webpage to promote yourself. With that being said employers are commonly now doing online searches of future employees. When these online searches are put into action that can mean false or unappealing information about you can be accessed. So recently there has been a new trend catching on that can avoid this conflict. Job applicants are beginning to print QR codes on resumes in order to highlight their online presence (Stafford, 2012). This new resource can assist employers in weeding through all the false or unappealing information about future employees online. This new concept is not only beneficial for employers but also those who are seeking jobs.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with QR codes this simply is referring to bar codes that can be found on various product labels. This new tech savy aid can lead employers straight to the information online you want them to see such as a personal website as discussed in this blog. The only thing the employer needs to access this information is a smart phone and the app that can read the bar code. This bar code can not only gain your future employer easy accessibility to your personal webpage but it can also give your resume that trait that sets you apart from the rest.
As the blog stated above your online presence should be a positive outlet and should make you more desirable to future employers; therefore it is key to monitor what can be found on you. With the help of this bar code you can monitor what the employers pull up about you via the internet. This bar code is not to be carelessly printed on the resume for looks it’s a resource that can potentially add significance to your resume (Stafford, 2012).
If the readers can keep in mind all of the important aspects of this blog they can be very successful in terms of their online presence. This blog presents helpful information. Although, it is no secret that technology is changing everyday and to keep reader’s interest doing even further research may be needed. Adding a source such as the one I have introduced here could make this blog even stronger.
Stafford, D. (2012, September 1). Improving Your Resume With A QR Code. In Women In Business. Retrieved July 10, 2013, from < http://rpusm.lib.usm.edu/ebsco-ehis/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=cbbf905f-5761-4aa0-898b-8d1e26285937%40sessionmgr198&vid=2&hid=101> .
Response on Why You Need a Personal Website
ReplyDeleteKendal Farley did an incredible job on pointing out the benefits of having a personal website, providing you with tons of information on how it should be set up and how to maintain it. I would like to touch on some areas she discussed in her blog and give you some more examples of why having a personal website is so beneficial.
People who use social media have sites like Facebook to keep up with friendships and social needs. They use websites like LinkedIn for business and Twitter for updates, but having a personal website has many advantages when it comes to apply for a job. Farley mentioned earlier that employers are impressed by a clean looking, polished website that has and applicant’s biography, contact information, and resume. Having a personal websites shows initiative to create, basic design aesthetic, and basic computer skills. Due to the world becoming more technologically advanced those three basic skills are on the radar for many jobs looking to hire.
When it comes to setting up your personal website Farley mentioned how important it is on hosting your platform, meaning the actual layout of your website. There are tons of free hosting platforms to get you started and are very easy to use. Most of them have drag and drop features like text boxes, picture boxes, file links, etc. Here is where your creative side can be brought to the surface and give examples of your work. Some examples of free sites to use to get you started are listed as the following: Wordpress, Weebly, and Free Web. The only pitfall to using these free template sites is that the URL the website is given will have the hosting site’s identifier, like, www.yourname.weebly.com. If users don’t want that tag in their URL, a website domain name can be purchased from sites like GoDaddy for about $9.99 per year. You can see more at www.thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu (2013).
Next, when it comes to your content when forming a personal website Farley covered everything that needs to be included form your bio, contact information, and resume. The only thing I would like to add on here is that it would be helpful to also include a PDF version of your resume so that future employers may print it off if they wish to view it offline. Keep in mind that your website will be viewed by many employers so it would be wise to keep your resume relatively general and include all your experience instead of narrowly tailoring your resume for a specific job.
Finally, when it comes to the design of your website technology editor, Ashley Golden suggest that you stay away from bright colors, lots of pages and tabs with cool fonts. Colors and certain fonts can distract from you as the applicant making it hard for your employer to read and search through your page. When people have a hard time reading something it can be a huge turn off and normally overlooked. Do not miss any job opportunities because you could not stay away form all the neon colors and swirl fonts.
In conclusion, do not forget to have your name be the focus of your home page that way it will stick with your employers viewing your site, and making it easier for them to remember you. Everyone should consider having a personal website to add more job opportunities for you in the future.
Works Cited
Golden, Ashley. (2013). The Bottom Line. The Benefits of Having a Personal Website for Job Applicants and How to Build One. Posted: May 1, 2013. www.thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu
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