A professional website is one of the most important ways to showcase your personal brand and professional portfolio. It will often be the first, second or third impression you make on a potential employer and ought to be clear, concise and illuminate who you are as a professional. Though a solid professional website can’t make up for work experience, a well executed professional website can be a tool that explains what is relevant about the experience you do have. Consider these important tips on what you should and shouldn’t do when you decide to create your first professional website.
-incorporate your personal brand
-include contact information on your home page
-write conversationally and concisely
-include a professional photo of yourself, or better yet, a photo taken of you at work
-link to your Twitter and LinkedIn profiles
-use correct spelling and grammar (TIP: have a friend or relative look over your text before you publish)
-include your resume
-include examples of or links to your best work
-properly title your pages
-pick a website platform appropriate for your work
-think about your audience when you’re developing your site
-ask friends, family and mentors to give you feedback once you’ve finished your first draft
-highlight your biggest professional accomplishments, it’s OK to brag
-include visuals (TIP: use free photo banks like Flickr if you don’t have any relevant photos)
-include a link to your website in your professional signature
-choose wisely which work you want to highlight, think about including work that shows your different talents
-promote your website on social media
-update your portfolio and resume as needed
-use a crazy font (Helvetica, Times New Roman and Arial are safe bets)
-choose too many bright colors
-include too many pages or links, simplicity is key
-include non-essential links
-include your age if you’re under 25
-change fonts, colors or design within the different pages of your website (everything should be streamlined)
-lie about your experience (or anything else!)
-use Facebook photos or unprofessional personal photos on your website
-change tenses in your personal bio (pick third or first tense and stick to it)
-leave outdated information on your website
For a few examples of excellent professional websites, click HERE, HERE or HERE!
Sources: www.themuse.com
Photo 1. based on Computer Keyboard, by Marcie Casas, CC-by-2.0
Photo 2. based on (21/365) today’s verdict?, by Britt-knee, CC-by-ND 2.0
Photo 3. based on /disapprove, by hobvias sudoneighm, CC-by-2.0