Over the course of the last year, the U.S. unemployment rate has plummeted to its lowest level in about 50 years. It sits at just 3.7% at the moment.
This might lead you to believe that you don't need to worry about creating a personal resume website if you are looking for a new job. But that couldn't be any further from the truth!
In reality, it doesn't matter what the unemployment rate is. If you are going to have any chance of landing a dream job, it is important for you to set up a website that shows off everything employers would ever want to know about you.
If you haven't created a personal resume website yet, consider doing it soon. Here are some of the ways that it will benefit you when you are searching for your next job.
Sets Your Resume Apart From All the Rest Right Away
Did you know that more than 100 people apply for the average job? That's more than 100 resumes sitting on the desk of someone who is in charge of conducting a search for a new employee for a company.
There are some ways that you can make your resume stand out. You can:
- Put together an amazing cover letter to go along with it
- Use the right industry keywords throughout it
- Customize it to fit the job you're applying for
That won't be an issue with a personal resume website. Rather than subjecting employers to a plain old paper resume, you can wow them with your website.
Employers will enjoy browsing through a website more than scanning through a resume. They will also be impressed with how much work you have put into your personal branding.
Allows You to Really Sell Yourself to an Employer
When you're creating an ordinary resume, you can try your best to sell yourself to an employer. You can list the incredible school you went to, show off your job experience, and even play up the roles you've had in your industry in the past.
But is your resume really going to look that much different from the next person's resume? They're going to do all the same things to sell themselves to an employer!
A personal resume website opens up the possibilities when it comes to you selling yourself. You can show an employer what you can do by including everything from a list of your credentials to a video of you speaking about the job you're applying for.
What employer won't love seeing a potential employee go above and beyond to sell themselves on their personal resume website?
Provides You With an Opportunity to Show Off Your Past Work
Have you worked on projects in the past that you want to show to an employer looking to hire someone for a position?
You would never be able to showcase them on a regular resume. The most you might be able to do is say something like, "Examples of my work are available by request," at the end of it.
But with a personal resume website, you can shine a spotlight on all the work you've done over the years. Whether you want to highlight newspaper articles that you've written as a reporter or blueprints you've created as an architect, you can do it on your website.
Makes It Easy for Employers to Get in Touch With You
Every good resume should include contact information for the person applying for a position. It should list a phone number and an email address so that an employer can touch base with you if they're interested in interviewing you.
But there could be complications if an employer tries to use a regular resume to contact you. What if they dial the wrong phone number and leave a message for someone other than you? Or what if they're off by one letter when they're typing your email address and accidentally email the wrong person?
This could be a professional catastrophe. You might miss out on a great job simply because the person in charge of calling or emailing you made a silly mistake.
You can avoid this altogether with a personal resume website. Your website can have a "Contact Me" form that makes it super simple for employers to reach out to you without having to worry about calling or emailing you.
Helps You Keep Your Resume Updated at All Times
You should get into the habit of updating your resume from time to time to keep it current. Even if you're not looking for a job at the moment, it's a good idea to keep your resume updated just in case.
The problem, of course, is that updating a paper resume can be a huge hassle. From trying to find where you saved your resume on your computer to editing your resume so that it fits on one page when you're done, it's a pain in the butt.
This is yet another conundrum you won't run into when you have a personal resume website. This helpful article will show you how to create a website from scratch that's easy to update.
You'll actually enjoy updating your website on a regular basis. It won't be anywhere near as bad as updating a paper resume.
Set Up a Personal Resume Website for Yourself Today
More and more people are starting to put together a personal resume website for themselves. This means you could be at a big disadvantage if you're not using one when applying for jobs.
Setting up a website to sell yourself isn't that difficult to do. It's also not hard to update it over time, which will help you to add new things to it in the months and years to come.
Do you want to find out more ways to get a leg up on the competition while applying for jobs? Check out our other articles for more information on conducting a successful job hunt.
