There’s a great scene in the movie The Jerk when Steve Martin’s character (the Jerk) gets ridiculously excited about the delivery of new phone books (yeah, it’s an old movie). People used phone books before Google. Anyway he’s excited to see his name in print, as if it verifies his existence and opens him to ample opportunity. Well it didn’t exactly work out that way for him, but there is something to getting your name out there so people can see it, and with a labor market that’s still demanding applicants stand out, maybe it’s time to think about a personal website as a way to showcase what you have to offer and give yourself a little competitive advantage.

Websites are easy and cheap to make, and yet so few people are taking advantage. Your prospective employer will Google you, so why not own your digital content? Use your site to talk about the great things you can deliver. Be sure to keep the site focused on why you absolutely should be hired by a prospective company. So that means leave the cat videos for a different site, but you can still have some fun.

Here’s how a personal website helps you win the job:
– Provides more insight into your accomplishments and character
– Helps humanize you, whereas a resume tends to be black and white (literally and figuratively)
– Many HR reps say it gives you an advantage over equal applicants who don’t have one

Here are things to include on it:
– A traditional resume
– An interactive resume with links to work samples or case studies
– Links to work-related articles or blog posts published on other sites
– Volunteer or non-profit activities
– Portfolio samples
– Awards and other honors

At this point it’s safe to say the internet is probably not going away, and that you can expect deeper professional interactions to at least start in the digital realm in the future. Think of how you research a company you want to work for. Where do you get your information? It’s really not hard to get a decent looking microsite up and running, and if you’re not going after a job in design, then don’t let any lack of expertise in that field slow you. It’s definitely worth a shot.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.