How to Make a Website, Blog, or Online Portfolio for Your Job Search

How to Make a Website, Blog, or Online Portfolio for Your Job Search How to Make a Website, Blog, or Online Portfolio for Your Job Search Creating an online presence offers potential employers a window to view your skill set, which allows you to shine above the rest of the candidate pool. Once reserved for creative professionals such as artists, actors, and writers, an online skills profile is now useful to professionals on all levels. Follow the below tips to make a professional website, blog, or online portfolio for your job search that will get noticed by recruiters! Here are six tips to make a professional website, blog, or online portfolio for your job search! Choose your platform. There are many services to choose from when selecting a hosting service for a website, blog, or online portfolio. Many job seekers are on a tight budget, so FREE services such as WordPress or Blogger are good options. Gone are the days when HTML coding experience was required to build a website or blog. User-friendly services like GoDaddy.com allow you to build a website or blog in a matter of hours and offers customer service assistance to guide you through the process. It’s all in the name. Use your name for your online profile, whether it’s in the form of a website, blog, or online portfolio. This approach makes finding your online profile simple and efficient for busy recruiters. For example, Jane Ann Doe’s portfolio name should simply be called janeanndoe.wordpress.com. Using your complete name will help recruiters to easily distinguish your site from others. Build your portfolio. Once you’ve selected your hosting service, begin building your portfolio. Include a brief bio (200 words or less), an easily digestible overview of your resume, clips or links to your work (including videos or published projects), and recommendations from previous employers or clients. Polish and post your resume. If it’s been some time since you’ve reviewed your resume, it’s time to revisit it with a critical eye. Simplify the information on your resume wherever possible, using clear, concise language. Before posting it to your online portfolio, remove personal information that could be used in identity theft, including your address, phone number, and even the name of your alma mater. Create a new email address to use for your job search and use this on your online resume as your point of contact. Once you’ve combed through your resume, post it! Show off your skills. Using a blog as your online presence is a great way to show potential employers that you have strong communication skills. Make a plan to write two to four blog posts a month and work to get a substantial number of followers. For example, if you excel in investing, write posts that will help your audience maximize their investments. Recruiters will take notice! Make social media work for you. Most professionals have a LinkedIn page, so be sure to include social media access links on your online portfolio and resume. Avoid including links to Facebook as the content there is often too personal. If you’re part of professional groups, business networking sites, or the like, be sure to include links to your professional pages there as well. Remain active at these sites in a professional manner so potential employers can see how well you conduct yourself. Readers, have you decided to make a professional website, blog, or online portfolio for your job search? Share with us in the comment section below!