When you’re busy climbing the corporate ladder or paving the way as your own #girlboss, remembering to do the little things to advance your career can be tough. Maybe it’s hitting up happy hour for a networking session or making sure you’re rocking your resume (or, TBH, keeping it up to date!), but small, smart moves can help you advance your career. According to a new study from .ME, there’s one tool that seems to attract more development opportunities and helps you gain more professional recognition than others. The super simple, blink-and-you-might-miss-it tool? A personal website.
After surveying more than 600 professionals with personal websites, .ME and co-researchers branded.me found that 84 percent of respondents had received tangible benefits from their website, and 53 percent found their website helped position them as a subject matter expert in their industry. A majority of respondents also said they believed that websites will become even more important for career success in the next five years, as they help to build personal brands and attract new opportunities.
And since half of the respondents were proactively contacted by a hiring manager as a result of viewing their website, we knew we had to figure out how to make our own websites really shine. Below, Natasa Djukanovic, CMO of .ME, provides four tips to make sure your personal website stands out from the crowd.
1. Treat it like an interview. Before walking into an interview, you’re told to do extensive research on the industry, the company and the skills required for the position so you can figure out exactly what your potential employer is looking for. Why not take the same approach when building your personal website? “Imagine your dream job, then research what it takes to make it in the field,” Natasa says. “Think about the questions an HR professional in this industry might ask in an interview, then address those points within the pages of your site.”
2. Show off your superpower. We all have something that makes us an exceptional employee. Maybe you’re the go-to person for organization, or maybe you’re the one with the big, creative ideas. Natasa suggests finding your biggest asset you can bring to a company — that’s your superpower. “Make sure it’s prominent on your website with examples of how you’ve applied it in real situations to reach a successful outcome. Your superpower can be tricky to show off on your resume, but examples of your work or a series of blog posts on your website can convey exactly how a potential employer could benefit from hiring you,” says Natasa.
3. Go beyond work experience. Unlike a traditional resume, you’ve got a lot of room to work with on a personal site. “Your personal website should have a portfolio of the work you’ve accomplished, but it’s more than a resume,” Natasa advises. “HR professionals are looking to make sure you not only have the right skills, but are also a good cultural fit for the company. Use your site to highlight your personality and other interests, such as including photos that speak to your community engagement, blog posts about relevant books you’ve read or your insights into industry trends.”
4. Make it easy to contact you. “It’s common to have a contact page on your website, but don’t limit your contact information solely to that portion of your site. Keep your email address prominent on each page so a potential employer can easily find it the moment they decide to reach out,” suggests Natasa.
Check out the full infographic from the study here.
Tweet us a link to your personal website @BritandCo!
(Infographic via .ME; feature photo via Getty)
