There's no better resume than a personal website. In a recent survey, 84 percent of respondents said they received tangible career benefits from their personal site. Elements of a successful online portfolio include clean design, a bio that tells a story, and work samples that show the work you want to do. Here are some tips on how to make your online portfolio shine.
Keep it Clean
Clean design makes your online portfolio easy to read and navigate — a must for anyone interested in learning more about you and your work. Short but descriptive text is critical when you need to tell a story with limited time. Other resume ideas include a healthy use of negative space, a grid design and simple typography that work together to create a comfortable visual flow that will help you sell your skills and experience.
Note the clean grid design and healthy use of white space in the personal portfolio of producer, athlete, and public speaker Lauren Selman, which she uses to showcase different skill sets without confusing the reader.
On the flip side, a chaotic design for your online portfolio can dissuade readers from interacting with your website. Layout customization tools make it easy to take advantage of the flat and minimal design styles that are both popular and effective ways to showcase your personal brand. The Page Layouts feature is a good place to start.
A Bio That Tells Your Story
Clean design makes your online portfolio easy to read and navigate — a must for anyone interested in learning more about you and your work. Short but descriptive text is critical when you need to tell a story with limited time. Other resume ideas include a healthy use of negative space, a grid design and simple typography that work together to create a comfortable visual flow that will help you sell your skills and experience.
Note the clean grid design and healthy use of white space in the personal portfolio of producer, athlete, and public speaker Lauren Selman, which she uses to showcase different skill sets without confusing the reader.
On the flip side, a chaotic design for your online portfolio can dissuade readers from interacting with your website. Layout customization tools make it easy to take advantage of the flat and minimal design styles that are both popular and effective ways to showcase your personal brand. The Page Layouts feature is a good place to start.
A Bio That Tells Your Story
A professional “About Me" page is a great way to show the personality behind your work. This is where you can include additional information that's not in your online resume or in your cover letter, such as your point of view on your profession, your backstory, and your hobbies and interests. After all, you're far more than a list of accomplishments.
For people interested in your work, a cultural fit is often as important as your skills and qualifications. Let them know you're a good match with a bio page that tells a story about what kind of partner you will be to work with.
A bio page is also a good place to display a professional photo. Every image needs a little touch up to create the right visual impression. After uploading an image to your site, select “Edit Image” to make changes like adjusting rotation, coloring, cropping and more, and see how the changes will appear on your page.
Actress Laura Savage uses her bio-focused homepage to introduce the person behind the roles she plays, describe professional awards she's received, and explain her work ethic to potential employers.
Choose Work Samples That Illustrate the Work You Want to Do
Past experience is important, but you want to illustrate the work you want to do next. If the purpose of your online resume is to get work and interest in a specific industry or field, focus on the skills and experience that are most relevant to that position.
Then, include the work samples in your online portfolio that best illustrate your ability to do the job you want to win -- and that show you at your best. Don't forget to include great descriptions of each work sample, including how it prepared you for success in your future position.
Image descriptions help add depth to samples displayed visually. It's easy to add a caption to any photo directly uploaded from the editor by selecting the "Caption" option after clicking on the image directly.
For people interested in your work, a cultural fit is often as important as your skills and qualifications. Let them know you're a good match with a bio page that tells a story about what kind of partner you will be to work with.
A bio page is also a good place to display a professional photo. Every image needs a little touch up to create the right visual impression. After uploading an image to your site, select “Edit Image” to make changes like adjusting rotation, coloring, cropping and more, and see how the changes will appear on your page.
Actress Laura Savage uses her bio-focused homepage to introduce the person behind the roles she plays, describe professional awards she's received, and explain her work ethic to potential employers.
Choose Work Samples That Illustrate the Work You Want to Do
Past experience is important, but you want to illustrate the work you want to do next. If the purpose of your online resume is to get work and interest in a specific industry or field, focus on the skills and experience that are most relevant to that position.
Then, include the work samples in your online portfolio that best illustrate your ability to do the job you want to win -- and that show you at your best. Don't forget to include great descriptions of each work sample, including how it prepared you for success in your future position.
Image descriptions help add depth to samples displayed visually. It's easy to add a caption to any photo directly uploaded from the editor by selecting the "Caption" option after clicking on the image directly.
Recent graduate and Social Media Specialist Emily Piskulick uses her personal profile to share her interests as well as current positions. Her Details page, for example, shares her love for style, Twitter, Instagram, Fashion Week, Apple products, anything made in San Francisco, and entrepreneurs, making it easy for prospective employers to envision her in jobs that match those interests as her career progresses.
A great online portfolio is essential in today's digital environment. Increase your chances of winning your dream job with the helpful tips above. What other site tools have you found successful for enhancing your online resume?
A great online portfolio is essential in today's digital environment. Increase your chances of winning your dream job with the helpful tips above. What other site tools have you found successful for enhancing your online resume?
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