Why You Should Have a Personal Website for Job Hunting

Posted on Thursday, March 23rd, 2017

You may not think that you need a personal website, but having one is one of the best ways to stand out during a job hunt. Even if you’re still a student, a simple and clean website lets you showcase your best work and stand out from the crowd.

You don’t need design or coding experience to make a great website, either. There are dozens of resources online for building one that looks awesome. Below are four reasons why you should launch your personal website this week.

Personality

Cover letters and resumes follow very specific formats to make it easier for employers to scan through and understand them. Your website gets to be a little more personable.

While it is important to stay professional, having a website gives you a chance to include a short biography of yourself, with your interests and hobbies. This humanizes you to the employer, which makes your application more memorable—a definite bonus during the job hunt.

Show Off Your Best Work

One of the biggest benefits of having a personal website is that it gives you a space to show off the work you’re most proud of. It’s a great addition on your resume, because instead of just telling potential employers about the work you’ve done, you can now show them.

For example, maybe you’re in design. Your resume may say that you built a branded, dynamic and responsive website for a small business in the city. With a personal website, you can link to that work and show employers just how good you are.

Even if you aren’t in a visual field, a personal website still gives you the chance to feature your work. If being able to write is a big deal in your industry, feature some of your reports, blog posts, or articles. You can even have a professional blog on your website, but only if you update it consistently.

Your website gives you the chance to show off all the things you talk about in your resume, and proves to employers that you can actually do the work you say you do.

Manage Your Online Reputation

We’ve already talked about how to manage your online reputation. In a world where upwards of 80 per cent of recruiters are Googling applicants before interviews, it’s important that your online presence is professional and respectful. One of the best ways of maintaining your online reputation is with your personal website.

The first benefit is that you can link to all your professional presences online. You have a LinkedIn, right? Do you have a Twitter? These links can all go on your website, and direct employers to the places where you’re active.

There’s good reason to do this. Here’s a worst-case scenario. What if your own online reputation is tidy, but someone with the same name as you comes up when you Google yourself, and their online presence is less than ideal? It can happen. If you have a personal website that you link to on your resume, employers can go there and find your real profiles.

Stand Out

Here’s the truth: most people don’t have personal websites. You will be different from your peers. And if you’re hunting for a job or co-op placement, this is great news for you.

Taking the time to establish yourself with a personal website shows that you’re passionate and dedicated to succeeding in your field. It’s a tiebreaker, separating you from other equally qualified candidates who haven’t built their own websites yet.

So make it your mission to build your website this week. Find some solid resources online (this one is good) and start looking extra professional to your potential employers.

Are you an Algonquin College Co-op student looking for some guidance while hunting for a placement? Contact your co-op coordinator for help with resume and cover letter writing, job hunting, and more.

If you would like to learn more about the co-op program, please visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623.


Comments

Comments are closed.