How having a personal website can help your job hunt

© Andriy Popov – 123RF.com

You might think that you don’t need a website because you have a profile on LinkedIn and an up-to-date CV registered with the major job sites. But a personal website complements these efforts and can help you to stand out when you’re looking for a job after leaving school or university.

It’s also a great way to let prospective employers get to know you a bit better, especially at this time when face-to-face interviews are mostly out of the question.

One advantage of having your own website is that it gives you a space you can truly call your own. You can pick a design that reflects your strengths and your personality. What’s more, you have as much space as you want to talk about your skills and experiences. With your own space, you can create your profile to show your experience and skills, to help differentiate you from other candidates.

Building your own website, managing it and keeping it up to date shows that you are committed and serious – something prospective employers often see as a plus. Once you’ve built a website, you can even add it to your CV as one of your skills! Another advantage is that a website helps make it easier to find you through Google and other search engines and shows you as a credible job candidate.

Profile your skills

If you are seeking a job in a creative industry like design, film, photography or writing, your website is a great place to showcase a portfolio. You can create a gallery of your best work for prospective employers to browse through. You can also include testimonials from any jobs you’ve had.

You can be as creative as you like – you could create a short animation or a snazzy infographic showing your achievements. Of course, this website can also be a home to promote a side hustle you may be working on while you continue look for your dream job.

If you decide to create your own website, remember to keep it updated often with new skills and education classes, examples of your work and testimonials from your clients. It’s a way to show that you are working hard and building experience, while continuing to search for a full time opportunity.

Here are a few tips for building a great website to help support your job search:

• The quickest and easiest way to get started with creating a personal website is using a website builder tool. With a provider like GoDaddy, you can get a professional looking website up-and-running in an hour or less. You may also want to consider using WordPress if you want to customise the design more and are willing to spend additional time on adding and managing extra plug-in features for your website.
  
• Think about the sections of the website. Do you want to have a landing page and then a separate page for each of the traditional sections of a resume or CV (cover note, experience, education, personal details etc.)? Or do you want to show the information in a different format? Whichever route you choose, ensure anyone visiting can find your contact details easily.
  
• Add your website address to the contact details section of your CV.
  
• Check your content carefully for spelling and grammar mistakes and ask a trusted friend or family member to proofread it for you.
  
• Carefully consider the stock photos and templates you choose, to be sure they reflect the professional image you would like to project.