Ever thought of setting up a personal web site?
For getting the word out about your job search?
A personal website is a very effective job search technique!
You can build and customize your own professional looking Web site using materials you have already prepared, such as your resume and marketing plan.
Check this short video from Commoncraft: Blogs (a personal website) in Plain English
Here are a few of the most popular reasons to make a personal Web site part of your communications strategy:
- Directing contacts to your site after an initial meeting adds another dimension to the meeting and reinforces your abilities and availability.
- Your general networking contacts can review your resume, marketing plan, and target list at any time – and refer their contacts to it as well.
- A personalized Web site with an address that includes your name is an impressive addition to your business cards, resumes and networking letters.
- A site with a customized and professional look and feel suggests that you are computer literate and up to date on Web usage.
Many sources can help you set up a new personal Web site or re-purpose an existing one for a job search. Usually no HTML or programming skills are needed. Often you can copy and paste text and use online text formatting tools with button bars much like your word processor. Most personal Web site suppliers offer a variety of templates and graphics so you can customize the look and feel of your site.
Points to Consider:
1. Your Internet Service Provider may offer free web storage space, an online tool for building a simple personal Web page and technical support for personal Web page issues.
2. Often this service is bundled with your high-speed internet connection for free or for only a modest additional charge. Major telephone carriers, cable television providers, and web sites like Yahoo, Google, AOL and others have online services that can help you create your space on the Web.
3. Some professional networking and association web sites offer members tools to build a profile, portfolio or a multi-page web site.
4. Consider the URL web address, page titles, graphics and other text you put on your personal web site part of your overall communications strategy.
5. Most personal Web sites are publicly accessible and therefore you may have unintended viewers of the information you post.
6. If you participate in public Web discussion groups or blogs, your colleagues and potential employers may see what you’ve posted.
7. Keep your personal Web site current with updates that reflect recent career and educational achievements.
Ensure the provider of your personal Web site is perceived by others in your industry as reputable, professional and attractive. Using social networking sites, such as LinkedIn® strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts. Casual social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook may be useful in some circumstances, but can also seem far too casual for professional communication needs.
Make sure your “Internet presence” is appropriate and will not hinder your job search. A presence that features pictures of you in inappropriate dress or “edgy” material can render you a less than desirable candidate. Human Resources managers commonly check such sites, and even the sites of those to whom you are linked.
Choose an e-mail address for your resume and other job search communications wisely. Avoid using addresses such as
nocando@yourISP.com or geometric@yourISP.com. You can get a free email account at Gmail or Hotmail for your job search purposes.
More About A Web Presence…
A Web Presence From Scratch
With unemployment at a 23-year high, job seekers need to expand the ways in which they search, say career and workplace experts. These days setting up and maintaining an online presence is often critical to finding work. But for an accomplished professional, it might seem daunting to build up a social-networking presence from scratch. Here’s how to do it:
Claim your name.
Before someone else does it, you’ll want to “claim your name” on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, says brand strategist Catherine Kaputa and author of “U R A Brand.” You’ll also want to try to purchase the domain for your name — they typically are priced starting at less than $10. This way, you control how you will be perceived, says Ms. Kaputa. If your name is taken, use a slight variation, such as a middle name or initial, suggests Ms. Kaputa. Then begin developing a Web presence, starting with basic information like your résumé and then add to it as you go.
Practice prudence.
Sree Sreenivasan, a professor of digital media at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, made the decision early on to limit himself to three social-networking sites: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. “There is just not enough time,” he says. “Pick two or three, then cultivate a presence there.” If you only manage to join one site, most experts agree that it should be LinkedIn. “It is the one crucial place to be if you are a business executive, professional or entrepreneur,” says Ms. Kaputa. It might help you land a job. For example, more than half of the candidates in Salesforce.com Inc.’s recruiting process are connected to someone at the company, says Scott Morrison, director of
recruiting programs. Many of those connections come from the 98% of the company’s more than 3,500 employees who have LinkedIn profiles. “It’s a tremendous resource for us and our recruiters,” says Mr. Morrison.
Choose connections wisely.
You’ll also want to choose your network carefully; only add people you actually know or with whom you’ve done business. Whether it’s on LinkedIn, Facebook or any other networking site, “it’s much more of a quality game than a quantity game,” says Krista Canfield, a LinkedIn spokeswoman. A recruiter may choose to contact one of your connections to ask about you; make sure that person is someone you know and trust.
Consistency is key.
You’ll need to update your profile regularly. “Curate [your online profile] the same way you would curate your one-page résumé,” says Mr. Sreenivasan. And remember, many recruiters Google candidates before the interview, says Ms. Kaputa. Google yourself to see how you stack up on the Web compared with others and whether your “personal brand” is compromised in any way.
Source: Elizabeth Garone, cjeditor@dowjones.com