Why Every Job Seeker Should Have a Personal Website Earlier this month I uncovered seven little-known facts about the job search process. I reported that 80% of job openings are never advertised; the average number of people who apply for any given job is 118; and only 20% of applicants ever get an interview, among other things—and today I discovered one more.
According to Workfolio, a newly launched company that develops applications for professional visibility, 56% of all hiring managers are more impressed by a candidate’s personal website than any other personal branding tool—however, only 7% of job seekers actually have a personal website.
Workfolio’s founder and chief executive Charles Pooley says: “The employment market is an incredibly scary place to be right now as a job seeker—but a personal website offers several important things to improve your odds.”
One, it gives hiring managers a glimpse into your personality, he says. “A website gives you creative freedom to express your personality in ways that are not be possible through your resume. Everything from the bio paragraph you write to the design options you choose for your website says something about you, and gives recruiters more chances to decide if they want to bring you in for an interview.”
Having an informative, well designed website also sends a message that you take your career seriously—and employers will take note, he adds.
Lastly, it offers visibility, Pooley says. “Showing up is half the battle. We know that an ever-increasing number of employers are researching job applicants online, and owning your own website with your name in the domain gives you a great shot at showing up when someone searches for you.”
Miriam Salpeter, a job search coach, owner of Keppie Careers, and author of Social Networking for Career Success and 100 Conversations for Career Success, agrees. She adds: “Having your own website allows you to control what people will find when they search for you. More and more, we hear that employers are Googling candidates to learn more about them. When you have your own website, you have an opportunity to demonstrate a portfolio of information about you and to provide further information (via links) so employers can learn more about you.”
Who needs a personal website?
Dr. Katharine Brooks, director of Liberal Arts Career Services at The University of Texas at Austin and author of You Majored in What? Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career, says it is especially important for job seekers in a field related to computers, technology, social media, or communications. “A website can be a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and skills related to your career,” she says. “A personal website should be considered a part of the job-search package and serve as a positive sales pitch for you.”
A personal website might also be essential to professionals working in a creative field, adds Ryan Kahn, a career coach, founder of The Hired Group, star of MTV’s Hired, and author of Hired! The Guide for the Recent Grad. “It can be a good tool to showcase your portfolio and provide a snapshot of your abilities.”
Brooks says it’s important to know that websites take time to develop and need to be done well in order to be effective.
“It’s hard to keep up with a personal website, particularly if you don’t need it or use it on a day-to-day basis,” she says. “But if your website contains a lot of grammatical errors, misspellings, or outdated information, it may detract from your reputation rather than enhance it.”
Salpeter agrees. “Like anything online, if a site is unprofessional or contains content an employer will not appreciate, it can be detrimental,” she says. “It’s not helpful to post an underdeveloped website, and especially in the midst of a job search, it should be up-to-date and not look like a project you started but left undone.” That may tell the employer that you aren’t willing or able to finish what you started.
Kahn says, like anything else you provide a company you’re applying to, it’s critical that a personal website be done well. “Typos, errors, missing content, and lack of attention to detail can all be potential derailers for employers. Think of the personal website as an extension of your resume and review it with the same level of scrutiny before submitting.”
You’ll also want to be careful with how much personal information you include on the site. “Keep information interesting, but relatively neutral,” Brooks says. “Avoid providing information that might be controversial such as religious or political views. Always keep the word ‘relevance’ in mind. Ask yourself: Is this relevant to the employer and to the position?”