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Out of 88 million young people currently
unemployed across the globe, 17 million are in
South Asia alone. This recent warning issued by
the International Labor Organization states that
youth unemployment in developing nations is set
for worse times ahead. Whether you're an IT
graduate or a barber, hunting for work against
such a backdrop is tough. What will make or
break your chances of success? Your resumé
speaks for you. A number of sites such as
10minutesresumes.com
and
eresumes.com
provide free as well as paid services to help
you design an eye-catching resumé.
A bankable option is to put your
portfolio online where the resumé becomes
accessible anywhere-just so you can bag that
international contract. Here are some tips on
building a slick site to net the attention of
potential employers. You can follow these rules
to create your own portfolio online or improve
your recruitment luck using online services.
Be Specific
Organize the content
of your site with skills that you have. Be
honest to the core. You might be an excellent
graphic designer and a good pool player but
consider building two separate sites to project
these two different skill sets. A website that
contains an overwhelming list may put employers
off, giving them the impression that either
you're a jack-of-all master-of-none type or a
big liar. Keep it focused.
Start With A Nice Introduction
In order to grab the
attention of your visitors, start your homepage
with a well-written and concise introduction
that provides a glimpse in to what the site
offers and where. One way to write this is to
put yourself in the same spot as your visitor
and think about exactly what they would look
for. No typos! Always spell check at least twice
before you upload any page.
Formatting
Although you should
always send your CV in printed form, you score
bonus point if you also offer it on a website.
Offer the resumé in both downloadable and HTML
versions. In the downloadable version, it's a
good idea to offer a PDF version along with a
Word version. This is because PDFs faithfully
retain your choice of design and layout whether
it is viewed on a PC or a Mac. Check out the
links section to see how to convert a word
document to a PDF file.
Find the Right Keywords
Now when the web
page(s) carrying your CV is up and running, make
sure you bear in mind the likely keywords
employees use. One way to find out if you've
used the right combination is to load Google,
type in the keywords used and see which sites
pop up in the list; the objective being that
your site should come up at the top of the list.
Or you could use the free keyword software from
GoodKeywords.com
to help you get the right set of keywords for
your resumé. For example if you're a programmer,
you could use the set of keywords such as the
names of the tools that you use (C#, JAVA, PHP)
in each of the web pages improving your site
ranking at search engines based on meta tags.
Watch your Tone
Make sure you don't
use any slang or hip words. At the same time,
don't be too posh or formal so as to bore your
reader. Don't make the web pages unnecessarily
long simply because you may have little actual
experience. Be careful that you don't use
uncommon technical lingo to impress people with
your knowledge, unless you can't help but use it
to explain your work. In any case if you use
to jargon, create a separate subsection at your
site, for example the FAQ section, to explain
those terms.
Simplicity
Although you may be an
animation expert, armed with all the knowledge
of funky HTML tags and scripts, it's always a
good idea to keep the design of your site simple
and direct. Clients and employers aren't coming
at your site to get wowed by your Flash skills
but to gain information about your utility to
them and their organizations. If the objective
is to project such skills then upload samples of
your creative work in an organized list at a
separate section of site. Avoid unnecessarily
heavy images and sound files that could increase
the load time of web pages.
Structure the Site
Structure the
navigation of your site into logical subsections
that makes it easier for visitors to find your
background details and examples of your work.
For example if you're a computer science
student, you could categorize samples of your
work in subsections such as 'Programming',
'Animation' etcetera instead of fitting them all
into one big list. Double check all links and
see if website is working in the same manner as
you has originally planned to show off your
skills.
Link to other sites
Build a separate page
that links to any press coverage regarding your
work online or offline. Mention testimonials of
former employers or clients that can convince
others to consider you for future contracts with
them; also remember to insert the company URLs
of your referrals. Don't forget to include any
awards or medals that you might have been
honored with.
Periodically check external links on your resumé
to see if they are in working order.
Keep it Updated
Regularly update your
online portfolio and CVs with your current work
examples. If you change your address or phone
number, remember to immediately update your
contact details in both of them.
Written by Nabeel Khalid |
