In the rat race of job searching, you’re often one of a plethora of applicants with similar skillsets and cvs, near identical experience and form letter cover letters so it’s important that you set yourself apart as much as possible to bring your application to the top of the pile.
More and more employers are taking to the web to ‘preview’ applicants before delving too far down the screening process, so things like social media and blogs can sometimes really hinder your application.
As well as cleaning up your social media, or at the least, your privacy settings, having a personal website and your resume made more visual in this way provides far more insight into you as a person and applicant than your generic cv.
Your chance to shine
A Resume is a place for limited information. You don’t have space to tell your story or list all the reasons why you’re amazing for this job. Similarly, while your cover letter provides a little more space, they don’t want to read a novel, they want the most relevant facts which is why tailoring your cover letter to the role is so important. The downside though is that often, recruiters won’t even give you the option to submit a cover letter and so your CV is your only tool in the submission process. Having a link to a personal website on that CV puts the ball in their court. If they want to know more about you, they can go to your site where they can find as much or as little information as you choose to provide and that they choose to scroll through.
Show off your comms skills
If you’re searching for a role to take advantage of those killer creative writing skills or perhaps a role copywriting in marketing, this is great way to showcase your talent in a truly creative way without providing official ‘samples’ that can still seem generic in a pile of submissions. Make sure your website content is tailored to the kind of role you want. For instance, creative copy may work a dream for creative roles but if you’re looking for a role that requires more technical or business communication like a role in Policy, the creative content isn’t going to win you any fans.
Make sure the recruiters can find you
If a recruiter chooses to search online for you and you have a popular name, you don’t want them to encounter your evil name twin in another county who has a record the length of the Great Wall or social media showing how high they are each day. A personal website that links to your specific social media profiles is the best way to ensure that they find the real you online.
Think building a website is a bit too overwhelming? It needn’t be. Your site should be thoughtfully planned out to ensure you’re not overloading the user with irrelevant information but the actual execution of the website is relatively simple, especially if you get a third party to take care of it for you.
JAGGAR International’s Online Services can build a personal brand website for you in no time at all and for a reasonable cost. You can have your website live anywhere between a few hours from booking to a few days depending on the level of content you wish you include. You can even take your personal branding options one step further with matching business cards and stationery.
JAGGAR International
JAGGAR International is the ultimate resource for the discerning, ambitious woman. It seeks to inspire and motivate young women into their careers, to help them build self confidence and go confidently in the direction of their dreams. It seeks to mentor young women and seasoned female executives in the pursuit of success and entrepreneurship.