Creating a website specifically so you can put your resume on it may not be a common concept but it definitely is a good idea to surprise and impress employers. It gives you a professional look when applying for a position and shows you are willing to try new ways to represent yourself.

What is a Resume Website? 

A resume website, also known as a portfolio website, is a website that hosts your resume online and is the latest and fast way to let the world know your various skills and experience.

What are the benefits?

Fast and accessible: Resume websites are becoming a huge trend as people looking for jobs have found it a fast and innovative way of getting noticed. As technology evolves and society relies on it more, then resume websites become great ways to advertise yourself and help you get a job.

Easier to get noticed: It’s also easier when looking for a job to have it on a website as you can easily link your URL to companies. This also makes it very convenient to distribute online, making the whole process of getting a job much easier.

Ability to show your skills: Resume websites are also a great way to show your skill sets. With some great designs you can show your ability with HTML or WordPress. This will be a great sign for potential employers as it shows a level of intelligence and also your ability to work hard. It’s also a great way to advertise certain skills which are becoming more important than ever.

Great for some industries: If you are a web designer, a photographer, or in marketing, it’s becoming common for perspective employers to simply request a link to your website, rather than an email with your resume.

It also can be a great drawcard if you add a good design to the site and make sure it is well coded. This will impress employers as it shows you have several skills including presentation and website making. This method is also a very fast way to show these skills and advertise yourself because when they open the website they will be presented with it straight away. It will work well with any job type but if you are getting into website design or something similar, I can’t think of a better way to advertise yourself and your skills effectively and easily.

But this can also have the reverse effect if done poorly. If you use simple or no design and the site is poorly coded it could show possible employers that you are unimaginative and lack the skills needed to give a good presentation. This can affect your chances negatively when applying for a job using a resume website.

Ability to include video: For some it’s not just a site where they place their resume, they also include examples of their work and often a video clip of themselves.

How do you get one?

If you are website literate, or technically minded and experienced in website and content design, you could easily put one together. However if you are not, there are websites that will host your resume if you choose or that will design your resume website for you.

There are many sites that can step you through the process of how to set up a resume website, and the great benefit is you can still use all the techniques found in our Resume Rescue ebook to guide you with your content.

What are the disadvantages?

They may not be appropriate for all industries and types of work. However the biggest negative of doing this is cost. Now if you are out of work you may not have much or any money to spare on ideas like this. It is not expensive as you can get the hosting and domains altogether for under $40 per year, but this may be more than you want to spend. You can also get free hosting and domains but they will have an additional part in the domain which may make it look unprofessional.

A word of caution though, I would resist placing your private details e.g. home address, on the site, as this could attract some unwanted attention from people.

When creating a resume website the benefits by far outweigh the negatives but they still exist. You can get a unique way to present your resume as well as your skills first hand to advertise yourself to potential clients or employers. However a downside would be if you do this poorly it may have a negative effect on your aims; and also the price while resume websites are cheap, it may be more than an unemployed individual would want to pay.

Regardless, if you have a resume website or a word document resume you will still need to know what to write in a resume and how to write a resume well. We can help here!