Three decades ago, resumes were simple one-page printouts with all the details potential employers needed to know about you.
Sure, you could dress them up with on-point formatting and heavy paper stock, but getting a one-page document to stand out among a few hundred others was never easy.
A lot has changed since then. Of course, the printed resume is still an essential part of the job process--but these days, its most important goal is more focused.
Many times, modern job applications have you submit everything digitally in webforms anyway. So the goal of the modern resume is to convince recruiters and hiring managers to check out your personal resume website.
What is a Resume Website?
A personal resume website gives you more power and flexibility to make your sales pitch. It gives you space to host projects, testimonials, images, and videos that won't fit on a traditional resume.
It's through a personal resume website where one can link to their online portfolio, provide contact information, and include whatever else is necessary for their industry. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a website in 2024.
An online resume can be a one-page website or a separate web page within a much larger portfolio. For instance, if you're a photographer with a photography portfolio, you can include a section detailing the different clients you've worked with and the results achieved.
See, a resume website is just the digital equivalent of a printed resume or CV. When someone wants to know more about you or see your work, they go directly to your personal portfolio website.
You can link your personal website to your job applications, or maybe you use it more widely, for example, your business cards, email signatures, and letterheads.
If you want to know more, read our article on the different types of websites and their focuses.
What Are the Advantages of Building a Personal Resume Website?
As mentioned above, a resume website is basically a digital version of your CV. Through this, you can highlight your previous employers, your qualifications, skills, a testimonials page, and much more.
Here are a few reasons why one must invest in a resume website:
Showcase your creativity, knowledge, and skill
Unlike a CV, which may limit you to a page or two, a personal resume website can provide potential employers with a comprehensive view of your career as a whole.
You can include information about previous work or projects you've been part of or add blogs relating to your industry. All of these can be done in a visually appealing and interactive manner through your own resume website.
Customize the way you want
When you build a resume website, the pre designed templates allow for thorough customization. Whether you're striving for a one page minimalist design or a multi page design, you can easily play around with the layout, fonts, and content. This level of personal touch cannot be seen in a traditional CV.
Engage and interact with ease
During the whole job search process, we all find it difficult to achieve the level of engagement and interaction we want with potential employers.
Through an online resume website, you can add key elements such as a contact page or a comment section on your blog, allowing visitors to engage directly with you.
Networking is the name of the game, and professional resume websites make it much easier.
Gain an online presence
An online resume website allows you to rank in search engine results. How? You need to put some effort into search engine optimization.
Many resume website builders offer integrated SEO tools to help you rank higher for relevant keywords in your respective industry, thereby, improving your online visibility.
15 Things You Must Include on Your Resume Website
- A Clear Purpose
- An Inviting Home Page
- Professional Portrait
- Introductory Statement
- Relevant Experience
- Employment History
- Education
- Skills
- Certifications and Qualifications
- Personal Projects
- Contact Information and Form
- Social Media
- Testimonials and Recommendations
- Downloadable and Printable Format
- Personality
1. A Clear Purpose
Before you dive headfirst into building your resume website, take a moment to ponder exactly how you want to use it. Think about who's going to be viewing it and the message you want them to take away.
Your resume website is a marketing piece for your personal brand. Think of it as creating a professional online presence.
Identify that purpose, and build your page to suit. Remember, you can always finesse it later for different job opportunities.
2. An Inviting Home Page for your resume website
With your mission in mind, set out to make the home page warm and welcoming. Many design elements can come together to make this happen for you - but it can go wrong quickly.
The best advice is to find a customizable resume website template on your favorite online resume builder, like Pixpa, that will work for you.
The design should make the visitor feel welcome and make you seem friendly. Include a concise summary of your professional journey and include links to your contact page.
Imagine the personality you'd like to exude during an in-person interview and bundle all of that into the colors, layout, fonts, images, and text copy on your home page.
3. Professional Portrait
It's important to put a face to your name. A professional photograph helps to create a more personal touch.
You don't want to be just a standard, nondescript list of bullet points and 12-point Times New Roman font. You want to be you. The fastest and most effective way to do that is to include a photograph right on the opening landing page.
Pay attention to the photograph, you need to strike a fine balance. The photo should not be too casual nor too professional either. Don't go all about with your outfit or hairstyle. A picture is just a medium for site visitors to see who you are.
4. Introductory Statement
The first few elements on your home page set the mood for your visitor's entire encounter with your online presence - and that sets up the likelihood that you'll get a follow-up.
The first thing visitors will notice is the layout - the colors and the use of space. Then, they'll gravitate toward your photograph to "meet you." And finally, their eyes will land on your text.
So, what do you want them to read first? Do you want them to dive into your education and your skills? More likely, you'll want to say something directly to them, welcoming them to the site and clearly laying out what your goals are.
Whatever you do or want to do, your website's content must be put out in a friendly and professional way. For example, visual artists might use an artist's statement, while others may opt for a more traditional objective.
If you want some inspiration, do check out some examples of outstanding portfolios built with Pixpa
5. Relevant Experience
Once you've got the formalities and small talk out of the way, it's time to dive into your career highlights. As you compile the relevant sections, make sure you consider the overall length that you want your page to be.
It's common to find both short single-page web resumes, but many people build multi-page sites. The critical thing to remember is that your landing page must lay out the complete picture concisely.
Some viewers may not be inclined, or even have the time, to click through the entire site. You want to wow them with the home page.
So, with this in mind, you have several options. Most resume websites start with a single page and well-laid-out CV. The personal website stands alone as a single-page view but is also home to other information for those inclined to look.
What experience do you include on that all-important home page? This will depend on the job you're applying for. Naturally, you want to pick the ones that speak best to the job. As a result, you'll need to move things around and customize occasionally.
6. Employment History
The same can be said about the employment history section. You want to include former employers but don't want to overdo it by including unrelated high school summer jobs you've done previously.
The work experience section aims to show that you're a reliable employee, that you are trainable, and that you have relevant workplace experience. You should pick the jobs you've had the opportunity to bring about a positive result or change.
7. Education
Like your employment history, the amount of detail you want to include in the education section is up to you.
You want to include your highest level of completed degree. But is it necessary to label each step of your path to get there and details like your GPA? Sometimes yes, and sometimes no.
The training programs or degrees you've previously completed must fit the jobs you're applying for. If they do, then, by all means, include them. But if they don't add anything meaningful, it's probably best to keep it brief.
Now, if you're starting out, your employment section must be given more importance, mainly because you have little to include under experience.
8. Skills
The skills section allows you to do some creative target marketing. We're all taught to include and discuss certain things when we're interviewing for jobs, right?
Do you have strong people skills or the ability to multitask? This could be an excellent place to list those.
However, an even better technique is returning to the job description. Check out the skills they are looking for--what things did they specifically list? By addressing these, you are indirectly speaking to the hiring manager.
Of course, you must be careful not to seem like you're just copying their language. It needs to be genuine. Don't make promises you can't deliver. Instead, find creative and meaningful ways to demonstrate that you have the skills they're asking for.
9. Certifications and Qualifications
Professional qualifications are essential in some industries. If you're working in one of those, you'll know you should have certain certifications done. If these are mentioned in the job description, you should have them listed on your resume website.
This list should contain only professional-level certificates. It isn't the place to describe yourself as "hard-working." Mention here that you hold a Microsoft or Lean Six Sigma certification, for example. Save the less specific stuff for the "skills" section.
10. Personal Projects
Potential employers are looking for a person to join their team, not just a drone who comes to work daily. To that end, be sure to inject personality when creating your own website.
Include personal projects and things you're doing on the side. Try to pivot things so that they're relevant to the job at hand, when appropriate.
11. Contact Information and Form
When creating an online resume website, make sure your contact page is on point. Your email and phone number should be easily accessible. Include a web form to make it even easier for potential employers to reach you.
12. Social Media
Linking your social media is a great way to keep your site updated and relevant. Use your best judgment as to what networks you want to connect. Don't link to anything that you don't want potential employers to judge you by.
Many job seekers use LinkedIn, so this is usually a good choice. If your Instagram or Facebook accounts are relevant and safe for work, link them too.
13. Testimonials and Recommendations
Your website is a great place to collect testimonials and references. Instead of just supplying a list of names upon request, you can include professional recommendations you may have received.
Also, don't inadvertently put your reference's contact details or identity online without their permission. Make sure that they're relevant to the skills and projects at hand.
14. Downloadable and Printable Format
It might seem old-school, but in some situations, hiring managers might find it handy to be able to print out your CV. Always include a downloadable PDF version of a basic one-page CV that they can print to hand to colleagues. Ensure that the formatting comes outright, no matter how it's printed.
15. Personality
Lastly, don't forget to add a personal touch to your resume website. Let it tell a story that is uniquely you.
Keep it professional, use professionally designed resume templates to help you stand out. Here are 12 Great Tips to Write Awesome Website Content
Examples of Resume Websites Built on Pixpa
Pixpa is one of the best full-featured resume website builder platforms available. Check out Pixpa's visually appealing resume templates here.
Here are a few website examples of resume sites built on Pixpa:
Tokie Taylor, Photographer
Taylor's artist portfolio uses a captivating image to grab attention before directing you to her CV. Once there, you'll see a dynamic web document and artist's statement.
It's a beautifully done website, with an excellent portrait of Taylor and many personal touches. Since it's a section embedded on her portfolio site, it's easy to click away and check out her impressive catalog of work, too.
Lewis Robinson, Architect
Robinson's portfolio website is packed with information. The entire website is shown in a gallery-style view, with the large header providing contact information and the items of interest scrolling below.
Instead of showing as web pages, his resume, CV, and references are included on another page. Since they're in a document view, they're a little hard to read and feel much more static than most resume websites. However, the effect is good in that it works with the site as a whole.
Jena Locastro, Graphic Designer
Locastro has a simple PDF resume that is shown in an embedded PDF viewer. It's an easy technique that integrates the viewing and downloading of the document into the websites. It also makes updates super easy. Links to her social media accounts and portfolio are in the header.
Brook Perryman, Graphic Designer
As you might expect from an excellent graphic artist, Perryman's resume is a thing of beauty. It is a classic one-pager, but it's also unique enough to stand out in any pile.
A contact form button and a download the PDF action button are located above the top. The main webpage is entirely text but clearly shows a lot of information. Links to the rest of her graphic design portfolio are cleverly placed at the bottom.
Maryam Berenji, Urban Design
Like many working professionals, Berenji uses her online portfolio to host a one-page resume. The document itself is simple and entirely text-based, not unlike a printed CV.
But the fact that it is internalized within her portfolio makes it a powerful tool. Recruiters and those interested in her work can dig deeper and find out about her many projects and accomplishments.
Build Your Resume Website with Pixpa
A website resume gives you so much more power than any one-page printed text document ever could.
You can include social links, provide more information about key projects you've worked on in the past and more. If a recruiter wants to spend more time getting to know you and your work, an online resume website is the right way to go forward.
Want to create a resume website? Pixpa has the best tools to create visually appealing resume websites that convert. Choose from our library of 150+ user friendly designs and customize them to your job title and target audience.
FAQs
What should a resume website look like?
There's no standard format for a personal resume website. But, in a way, that's what's so great about the format--it provides a creative avenue to connect with potential clients and employers. To get an idea of what a resume could look like online, take a look at Pixpa's resume templates.
How many pages should a resume website have?
There are no set rules. Every resume should have some central component that is no more than one printed page in length. This is so that if an employer wants to print it out, they can.
But online, you're free from these constraints. You can have links to other pages or other things of professional interest like your portfolio of works.
Which website builder can I choose to create a professional resume website?
There are tons of website builders out there, but Pixpa is one of the top choices for creatives. One look at the beautiful resume templates available to work from and Pixpa stands out as a robust resume website builder.
Should I build a personal resume website?
There are many reasons why you would want to have a website resume. Here are just a few of the most important reasons.
- Differentiates you from your competitors.
- Can be made as detailed as you need it to be, anywhere from a single page to many pages.
- Makes you look more relevant in the modern workplace.
- Easy to keep it up to date.
- Can provide a more personal and lasting impression than a written resume.
- Allows you to publish multimedia content like photos, videos, and presentations.
- Communicates more personality than a standard form-based resume.