You Need a Website!

Last year, in my first column for my Alumni Magazine I wrote about my Top Ten Tips for a successful job search. I suggested that you (job seekers and career minded professionals) think of yourself as a product. Better yet, think of yourself as a brand. I also encouraged you to build a website to help employers find you and learn about your capabilities. Based on recent conversations with newly unemployed executives it is clear that I must give this topic more emphasis. Whenever I ask a candidate if they have their own website, I usually get a blank stare in response. Savvy professionals have their own websites. A career-focused personal website is an excellent way to promote you and your brand, further supporting your job search. If you have your own website presenting your professional credentials you will stand out among the crowd.

The ideal website domain name is your name or some close derivation thereof. Ideally, you want to own your name. Remember, you are a Brand. Your website must be professional, focused on your career accomplishments and your job search goals. Let’s be clear though, I am not talking about Face Book or My Space Accounts. Social media accounts have value, but are better suited to managing your network.

Doing background work for this article I did a simple Google search on the subject of building your own Website. It came as no surprise that there was a huge number of hits. Every ISP that I am familiar with offers the ability to create a personal website, usually at a very modest cost. If you are a subscriber to an internet account, the cost of a website is likely included in your subscription fee. Additionally, there are a number of low cost options for template-driven, do-it-yourself websites which deliver acceptable products at a reasonable cost. Some prominent web hosting services you should consider include GoDaddy; JustHost.com; FatCow; Yahoo; SuperGreen; BlueHost; Hostmonster; PowerWeb; HostGator; and Register.com.

I even have a personal friend who has developed a very creative do-it-yourself website product which I find very compelling. She offers affordable classes called “CoCreateAWebsite” which are a hybrid between doing it yourself and hiring a professional. She does the background and setup work (the hard part!), and you just enter and edit your content. You get a very professional, custom-designed website with a lot of flexibility and functions.

When developing a website to support your job search, there are a few items that must be included. Obviously, you want to display your resume very prominently, with the option to download. This is a common capability which adds value to your website. Other items you may want to consider are articles you have published, a sample of a project you completed, and letters of recommendation. I advise against posting references and their contact information as that is something that can be abused, to your detriment. But it is a good idea to put some quotes from others on your site – perhaps excerpts from your LinkedIn recommendations. Your contact information, especially a cell phone number and hyper link to an email address should be displayed prominently as well.

One of the best resources I can recommend is LinkedIn. The basic service is free, so even if you have your own website, you should still have a LinkedIn account. LinkedIn is the ideal multi-purpose tool for conducting your job search and building your career. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to display your resume in as much detail as you like. You can also secure and display recommendations from colleagues and past employers. Use its services to the fullest.

Some other features available through LinkedIn include:

• Links to websites and blogs
• Participating in interest groups
• Search functions to find people and companies
• Search Job postings
• Networking with colleagues and friends.
• Search for experts and ideas
• Explore new opportunities.

To benefit further from the capabilities of LinkedIn, especially the ability to directly contact potential hiring managers, you should consider one of the paid account options. A paid subscription also results in a much more prominent position if someone were to conduct a Google search on your name. Believe me, people will Google your name, so this feature will be very beneficial.

Recently LinkedIn has added the option of uploading files, allowing potential recruiters and hiring managers to download your resume. Please understand that this is acceptable if you are unemployed and actively looking for a job, but you should never make your resume available for download if you are gainfully employed. If you do so while employed, you put your current employment at particular risk.

If you promote your website by adding its address to your resume and in the signature area of your correspondence, you will not only be viewed as a serious professional, you will gain a significant competitive advantage over your peers. More importantly, it will make it easier for interested parties to contact you. This tip alone will help shorten the duration of your job search.

Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search