By: A UNO Student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, as part of Heather Nelson’s Service Learning Academy class.
According to a Forbes article, 56% of all hiring managers are more impressed by a candidate’s e-portfolio than any other personal branding tool. However, the real shocker is that only 7% of job seekers have an online portfolio.
Creating a personal website to represent your portfolio and previous work is a great opportunity to build your brand and get noticed by recruiters. A website allows recruiters to see the personal touch and experience that you can bring to the workplace.
When you’re trying to sell yourself as a candidate, a website allows you to show off your previous work experience and what you can bring to the table. It also serves as a great plug when you're trying to build a connection. If a recruiter would like to know more about you, it's simple to say "Hey, you should feel free to check out my website if you'd like more information."
Here are a few steps you can utilize to enhance your online portfolio to get a recruiter’s attention:
First thing’s first, there are plenty of platforms to create your website on. The benefit is that many of them are even free! A few options that you can go with when it comes to creating your own personalized website would be Wix, Weebly, or even WordPress. There are many other routes to pick, but those websites tend to be the most popular ones.
Now that you’ve got a website started and running, it’s critical to make a homepage that stands out as this is the first thing recruiters will see when they go onto your website. Make sure that it represents a bit of your personality while sharing some information about yourself.
Once the homepage is set up, you can create sections for the recruiters to gain more information on you. This can be an “About Me” page, a “Contact” page, a “Resume,” or even a “Portfolio” page to showcase your past work.
Your "About Me" page can include a headshot of yourself and a small biography allowing the recruiters to get to know more about you. This is a great opportunity to write about your strengths while telling them what makes you unique compared to other candidates.
Adding a "Portfolio" page allows recruiters to go onto your website to see previous work that you've done, whether it's writing, photography, a campus event, or a campaign that you've been a part of.
if you have recruiters who are interested in your work and want to reach out to you, the “Contact” page comes in handy for them to easily get a hold of your email or phone number to send you a message.
Being a young professional, you’re going to continuously increase your work and experience, so don’t forget to routinely go into your website to tweak the language and add to your work experiences.
Once your website is up and running, don’t forget to promote it by adding it to your social media and LinkedIn profile.
Creating an online website is a great asset in helping you stand out to recruiters in this competitive workforce market that we’re currently in.
Attend Freedomtainment's Level Up Career Fair
On Saturday, September 3rd from 11am-3pm at the Gene Leahy Mall, Freedomtainment will host the Level Up Career Fair for individuals that are ready to "level-up" or step up to a next level job, connect with Omaha are employers and resource providers. For more information and to register for the event, go to: www.tinyurl.com/LevelUpCareerFair.
The family-friendly event will include free lunch* and a Tailgate Watch Party at 2:30pm to cheer on the Nebraska Huskers as they play North Dakota.
*while supplies last