If you want to compete against individuals with more experience than you for internships and entry-level positions, you are going to have to bring your A-game. It’s not enough to say, “I’ve done XYZ, and therefore you should hire me.” Companies want to see results.
So, why not show them what you’ve done with an online portfolio, suggests Jeff Hunter, CEO of VisualCV. In a recent interview, Hunter provided three steps you should take to successfully showcase your work.
1. Create the perfect online résumé. First, job seekers should begin by creating their online portfolio using their traditional résumé text. By cutting and pasting from your existing static Word, PDF or plain text formats, your online portfolio will become a live Internet document capable of supporting built-in company and university data and accomplishments.
However, as a new graduate or first-time job seeker, you probably feel like you don’t have much to offer in terms of “real-world” business experience. The good news is you probably have more than you think. Online portfolios are a great way to demonstrate accomplishments and skills even if they didn’t happen in a work environment, so be sure highlight yourself by describing non-work related activities that showcase your capabilities.
Use the dynamic résumé to highlight the volunteer work you organized for your sorority, your recent college fund raising activity and results or the public speaking skills you learned via the debate club. In fact, one of the biggest benefits of creating an online résumé is that recruiters and hiring managers no longer need to conduct upfront research to determine if you are the right candidate. So, be sure to think out of the box when it comes to adding content and accomplishments – and always consider how you can make the job easier for your potential hiring manager.
2. Enrich it with content. Once you know what content you are going to include, the next step you need to consider is how to make it work for you. Enrich your online portfolio to make it a proxy for that first interview by adding class projects, transcripts, writing samples, images, professor recommendations, live links and optional video. These all serve as key validation that recruiters will look for in their selection process.
In order to rise above the noise and attract the time and attention of recruiters and hiring managers who have been overwhelmed with the record number of résumés and candidates, it is important to take every opportunity to “show versus tell” by embedding letters of recommendation, diplomas or award certificates and/or include your outstanding writing samples, articles, artwork, or designs right from the get-go. Be creative and think of your portfolio as a way to deliver “first interview content.”
3. Share it with hiring managers, colleagues and social sites. Now that you built your online portfolio, you need to consider how and where to distribute it. The good news is that you can share it with anyone you choose—from career counselors to professional networks to college alumni. In fact, critically important in today’s recruiting world where candidates are often “Googled” during the hiring process, online tools (like VisualCV) help job seekers present a consistent professional image online that can be linked to wherever you have a digital footprint – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, a personal or professional blog, e-mail signature line, etc. This allows you to extend your professional network and market yourself to hiring managers even before certain job requisites and internships are opened.
When applying for positions, include the URL of your online portfolio in your e-mail signature, on your résumé and in your cover letter. In doing so, you will give the hiring manager the opportunity to learn more about you immediately. Also, create different versions of your online portfolio for different audiences, showing more personal information only to those you trust. By putting your best online foot forward and remembering to network, network, network, you never know where that next great opportunity might come from.
Comments
www.nuResume.com is an excellent site where users can create an online resume portfolio. Each user builds an online resume, uploads photos and videos, joins chats, groups and forums, instant message, blogs and social network. All one one site.
Great Post... Having an online resume is very important in this economy. Consumers should utilize all tools to help distribute and bring traffic to their profile.
resumebucket.com does a good job @ this.
My favorite part of an online resume is that you can hyperlink companies you worked for, links to media coverage or blogs/newsletter (key results!). It becomes interactive!
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