how to build a resume website

WEBSITE ESSENTIALS

How to make a professional resume website in record time

• Nathaly Myers

Due to the ever changing landscape of technology, many processes that we’re accustomed to have drastically transformed or become outdated. One such process – applying for a job. The days of personally delivering your printed resume to your desired workplace are long gone (like, way long gone). And trying to fit all your education, skills and experience into one page is close behind it.

Considering that you're constantly acquiring new skills and qualifications – you need a resume that you can update and share this information at any given moment. On top of that, potential employers should also be able to find you online with a quick search of your name. Having a well-designed online resume website that conveys your personality sends a clear message to recruiters that you are serious about your career.

Waste no time and create your site from start to finish with Wix's website builder .

How to make a professional resume website

In order to get you going on your path to professional success, whether you're a freelancer, consultant, we’ve broken down the steps on how to make your very own resume website:

Select your website builder

Choose your resume website template

Add a professional photo of yourself

Add the relevant resume sections

Add in the small design details

Optimize for SEO

Make sure you're mobile friendly

Ask for a second opinion

Publish your website and track

01. Select your website builder

Using a website builder to create a resume website offers several advantages and conveniences, especially for individuals who may not have web development skills or want to create a professional online presence quickly. Here are a few of the main benefits of using a website builder for your resume site.

Website builders are designed to be user-friendly, often offering drag-and-drop functionality and pre-designed templates. This makes it easy for anyone to create an appealing and functional website.

Many website builders offer both free and premium plans, making it cost-effective to create a resume website, without the need to hire a professional web developer or the need to understand markup language.

Building a website from scratch can be time-consuming, especially for those without web design experience. Website builders and CMS streamline the process, allowing you to create a resume website fast.

A lot of website builders, like Wix, offer hosting services , which means you don't have to worry about finding a separate hosting provider. They also take care of the technical aspects, including updates, backup and security , allowing you to focus on updating your content and keeping your resume website current. While also including built-in analytics tools that allow you to track visitor statistics, understand user behavior, and gather insights to optimize your resume website's performance .

02. Choose your resume website template

Regardless of your profession, having a resume website that is functional and beautiful is an absolute must. Now, we understand that not everyone has an eye for design or a clue what a domain name is – and that’s okay. Luckily for you, you can find plenty of free and professional resume website templates on the internet that are equipped with all the page layout elements you need to look good online. All you’re left to do is pick your favorite and customize it until you’re happy with the final result.

Depending on your needs and style, there are two types of sites available. You can go for a long scrolling one pager if the sole purpose of your site is to let people read a quick overview about you. It's more extensive than a landing page but less extensive than an entire website. Alternatively, you can opt for the classic option, where each section has a dedicated page. This is recommended for people who have multiple elements to show, such as projects for clients, photography or design portfolios, or research papers.

03. Add a professional picture of yourself

It goes without saying that you should include a picture of yourself on your resume website – after all, if people are on your page, it’s because they want to learn (and see) who you are. Plus, people are naturally drawn to pictures rather than words.

But hold on, before you upload that family picture from your last island vacation, think about the perception you want to create with your photo and your resume website as a whole. While some professions (designers, artists, musicians, etc.) may have some creative freedom, for the general job seeker it’s best to play things safe with a neutral, professional looking headshot.

Make sure the picture you choose is recent, as well as a true reflection of what you really look like on a daily basis. Finding the right balance between friendly and serious is key – like Tyra Banks suggests: smile with your eyes. You should feel (and look) as natural as possible in order to exude a sense of approachability. Don’t think twice about hiring a professional photographer to snap some good headshots. It’s an investment that you’ll thank yourself for in the long run.

As for where to place your picture on your personal website – it should always be above the fold. Why? Because people need to understand in a matter of seconds what they have landed on. This being said, the dimensions and exact location of your picture are up to you. Unlike in printed CVs, your square picture is not required to live on the top left-hand side of your resume.

04. Add the relevant resume sections

When it comes to organizing your content, you have the liberty of deciding how to set it up and what to include. However, much like when baking a cake, there are a couple of key ingredients needed in order to achieve the perfect result. That means including the right pages so that your resume website as a whole is truly an accurate representation of you.

Whether you're creating a graphic design resume or a professional actor website, remember that readability is crucial here. A good (and complete) resume will always include the following:

An inviting homepage: This is the first snippet of you a recruiter will see, so it’s crucial that your homepage is eye-catching yet informative. Your homepage needs to be the perfect summary of who you are and what you do. It should entice people to click more in order to find out more about you. Use this page to display that carefully selected picture of yourself, your name, contact details and field of work or current position. You can also include a paragraph explaining your background or experience. Keep it short and sweet – you don’t want to overwhelm recruiters with tons of text. They’ll discover the rest in the following sections.

Your experience: Ah, the real nitty gritty of writing a resume . Select only the experience that is most relevant to the type of field you’re applying for. This can include jobs, internships and any volunteer work. For each job, list a couple of main roles, tasks, and accomplishments. You can visually represent your experience by displaying it on a timeline. This design style gives a clean, organized look to your valuable experience.

Your education: Depending on the extent of your education, you can also format this as a timeline or simply just list your degree(s). Be sure to include the name of each university or institution, its location and your date of graduation. Also include your major/minor fields as well as any honors, publications or notable projects you were involved in.

Skills: Highlight your many talents with a dedicated skills section. You should list any computer systems which you are proficient in (Photoshop, Microsoft office, PowerPoint, content management tools etc.), any foreign languages you speak, and other skills that may be required for the job you are applying for that haven’t been mentioned anywhere else in your online resume.

Personal projects: This section is included mainly for creative fields in mind, for which you might want to create a portfolio website that showcases your style and creativity. For example, if you're a photographer wanting to show a more personal collection of your work, you can display your images using the Wix Pro Gallery . With any selected project you choose to show, give a detailed description and some context as to how your project came about. The value of including any kind of extracurricular activity (even if it’s not necessarily related to your profession) is that it shows how dynamic you are. Don't be afraid to use multimedia here, including images and video.

Contact: As someone looking to be “found”, we can’t stress this enough: make sure your contact details are easy to locate. There’s nothing more off-putting to a site visitor than having to search for your contact info. It’s considered a good practice to add all of your essential details in the footer of your site.

Testimonials and recommendations: Reviews are everything these days. Think about the first thing you do when contemplating a new restaurant – you check the reviews, right? Well, you can give recruiters that same unbiased view of yourself by including testimonials and recommendations from previous employers or co-workers.

Link to your relevant social channels: For most professional fields, you’ll need to update your LinkedIn account and link to it on your resume website. However, for artists, photographers, freelancers and other creative types who use social platforms as a way to showcase their work, it may be useful to link to your professional Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube accounts.

05. Add in the small design details

Going back to that cake analogy, once your cake is baked (and looking delicious) it’s time to decorate it. To create a Wix website , there are a couple essential branding elements you’ll need. These include:

Selecting the correct colors and fonts: Think of yourself as a brand when completing this step. You’ll need a concise look and feel throughout your resume website. One way to achieve this is through the color scheme and fonts you select. Take a look at our helpful guides to selecting a color palette and choosing the best fonts for your website.

Choosing a unique domain name: Select a domain name that’s preferably, well, your own name. This is what is known as branding. If the domain is already taken, consider adding your job title, location or any other distinctive criteria. Doing this creates a sense of trust and credibility. Not to mention it helps you look professional when sharing business cards with your own domain on them.

Including a PDF version of your resume: While your online resume is very impressive, some employers will also want a printable version of your CV. To do this, include a button that links to a downloadable PDF version.

06. Optimize for SEO

Now, before you shy away from this seemingly complicated topic – hear us out. SEO (search engine optimization) is the practice of optimizing your site so that your pages can rank higher in search engines results. The more exposure you get on search result pages, the more likely that prospective recruiters will come across your site.

As you create a resume website, there are a few easy things you can do in order to improve your ranking right off the bat. For example, make sure to choose the right domain name and insert strategic keywords throughout your resume website.

To help you, Wix has developed an intuitive, comprehensive and free solution that will guide you through all these optimization steps. Introducing: Wix SEO Wiz , a.k.a. the ultimate tool to help you get found online. The Wiz automatically generates a personalized plan that tells you exactly what you need to do to set up your SEO.

07. Make sure you’re mobile-friendly

Smartphones and tablets are everywhere. In fact, mobile browsing accounts for approximately half of web traffic globally . Because of the popularity of these devices, you need to ensure your website is optimized for mobile viewing. If you're starting with a professional resume website template , you'll most likely be able to skip the mobile-optimization step.

To do this, you’ll need a mobile website - a version of your resume website that shrinks down to be small enough to display on the mobile screen. The Wix Editor automatically generates this for you, ensuring that your resume website looks neat and attractive on any device.

08. Ask for a second opinion

The whole purpose of your resume website is to give you a leg up on your job search. Nothing can ruin all your hard work quicker than a silly typo. To ensure your resume looks polished and professional, ask a friend or anyone you trust to proofread the copy of your text and test out your site’s navigation. Do all the links work? Does your resume website accurately represent you in terms of the style and tone? These are all valuable questions a trusted second opinion can answer for you.

09. Publish and track

After all that, it’s time to hit the Publish button and wait for the offers to roll in! But publishing is only step one. Now you need to maintain, nurture and keep track of everything going on regarding your resume website. This includes understanding who is visiting your site and how much traffic your resume website is generating. In order to keep track of these stats and live chat with site viewers, you can download the Wix Owner App .

When it comes to maintaining your site, be sure to keep your CV updated. Every time you achieve something new or change positions, it should be reflected on your resume website. Since you’re a busy bee and don’t have endless hours to sit in front of your computer, you can edit your existing site from your phone from anywhere and at any moment of the day – even on your morning commute.

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How to Make a Professional Resume Website (In 7 Easy Steps)

Are you still using standard single-page CVs and resumes to apply for jobs? If so, it might be time for an update!

Why? Because traditional paper resumes can come across as boring and outdated — not a good look if you’re trying to stand out in a crowded job market.

Fortunately, thanks to modern technology, anyone can create their own   professional resume website . This is a great way to distinguish yourself from the competition and showcase your skills and experience to a prospective employer in style.

In this post, we’ll show you how to make your own professional resume website in seven easy steps with the help of our Unlimited Shared Hosting  plan.

• Get a Domain and Sign Up for Web Hosting
• Choose a WP Website Builder Template
• Create Your Resume Website Pages
• Fill Your Pages with Content
• Optimize Your Website for Search and Mobile Devices
• Get Someone Else to Review Your Website
• Publish Your Website and Track Results

Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as you might think. Let’s simplify your job search!

Why You Should Consider Creating a Resume Website

Your professional resume website is a digital version of your CV that you can show to potential employers. It includes all the information you need to apply for a job, such as relevant qualifications, previous work experience, and your bio.

However, it can also show many other things you may not be able to accurately share using a paper resume. For example, you can include full-size photographs, a complete online portfolio , links to your social pages, or previous projects.

Here are some of the main advantages of using a resume website instead of a paper CV:

• It’s easy to update . You don’t have to print off a brand new resume every time you gain more skills/experience. You can just update your website.
• It’s more shareable . Resume websites are easier to share with potential employers. You can just email them a link rather than having to attach or print out a document.
• Employers can find you online . If you rank well in search engines  for relevant keywords, employers may come to you first.
• You can use it to showcase your work . You can’t display a portfolio of work samples on a single-page resume, but you can on a website.
• It’s interactive . Unlike paper resumes, employers can click around on your website. For example, they can navigate to different pages to find out more information about your personal brand.
• It’s more professional . A website can lend you an air of credibility and help you to land higher-paying roles.
• It demonstrates transferable skills . Building and maintaining a personal website demonstrates technical skills to potential employers.

Plus, as you’ll soon see, it’s not as hard or costly to create an online resume as you might think. Our take: Anyone  can learn to be a bang-up digital resume maker.

Build a Website to Support Your LinkedIn Profile

We offer budget-friendly Shared Hosting services with robust features and resources to help you create the perfect professional resume website. Plans start at $2.59/mo.

Next, we’re going to show you how to make your professional resume website step-by-step. Just follow the advice below, and you should be able to get it up and running in just a few hours!

Step 1: Get a Domain and Sign Up for Web Hosting

Before you can get your resume website online, you need a domain name and web host. Your domain name  is the address people type in their URL bars to navigate to your website.

Web hosting is what makes your website accessible via the internet. Your web hosting service provider  is the company that has the servers to host your website’s files. It also takes care of many of the other technical services you need to make your site live.

You can get both your domain and hosting service by signing up for the DreamHost Unlimited Shared Hosting  plan.

You’ll also get access to a free SSL certificate , an @yourdomain  email account , and our WP Website Builder  (more on that later).

You’ll also need to register your domain name  after you’ve signed up. When it comes to choosing your domain, we recommend using your name (first and last) followed by .com if it’s available.

You can check to see if your preferred domain name is available using our domain search tool :

If your preferred choice isn’t available, you can consider adding an extra word or using a less popular Top-Level Domain (TLD) . For example, if your name is Joe Smith, but the domain name joesmith.com is not available, you could consider options such as:

• Joesmithresume.com
• Hirejoesmith.com
• Joesmith.co

You get the idea! WordPress comes pre-installed  with your hosting plan, so once you’ve signed up, you can start building your resume website straight away.

Step 2: Choose a WP Website Builder Template

Next, you’re going to start building your resume website in WordPress. The easiest and fastest way to go about this is to start with a resume template and customize it.

Fortunately, DreamHost’s WP Website Builder  makes this easy. It provides 200+ starter templates that you can use to lay the foundations of your site. Additionally, it has an intuitive, drag-and-drop page builder that lets you design your website pages entirely on the front end.

Once you’ve installed WP Website Builder on your site, you’ll see the setup wizard, Boldgrid Inspirations.

Follow the instructions in the setup wizard. You’ll first be prompted to choose your design, where you can select from more than 200 professionally-designed starter templates .

Pick a resume website template that matches the kind of layout and aesthetic you’re looking for. If you’re a photographer or anyone who wants to include a design portfolio in your online resume, we’d recommend the   modal photography 1  theme. It has a grid-style portfolio section you can use to showcase your work.

Remember that you can change every element of the template, so don’t worry if it doesn’t precisely match what you’re looking for. Follow through with the rest of the setup wizard — think of it as your personal resume builder — until the basic foundations are complete.

Step 3: Create Your Resume Website Pages

Depending on which template and options you chose during the setup wizard, you may already have all the pages you need. If not, you can add new pages  via your WordPress dashboard.

Some pages you might want to include on a typical resume website include:

• Homepage : This is where you outline a brief overview of who you are (think of it like your cover letter).
• Resume/CV : This page can include a more detailed CV, complete with details about your education, past employment, and so on.
• References : This page includes testimonials from past employers or contact details for your references.
• Portfolio : This page houses samples of your work that you want to share with a potential employer.
• Contact Form : This page includes information about how to contact you.

Adding a new page in WordPress is easy. From your dashboard, simply click on Post and Page Builder  > Add New Page .

Then, give your page a title and save it as a draft. You’ll fill out the different pages with content in the next step.

Step 4: Fill Your Pages With Content

Next, you’re going to add relevant content to your professional resume website. Each of the pages that came with your starter template should already be pre-loaded with sample content. However, you’re going to replace it with your content.

For example, you might want to include the following elements:

• A professional photo of yourself
• A downloadable PDF of your existing resume
• Examples of your work
• Testimonials and references
• Links to your social media profiles
• A contact form

To add content, click on Post and Page Builder > All Pages  from your WordPress dashboard. Then, click on Edit underneath the page you want to change. You should now see the editing panel.

From there, you can click on any element on the page to change the text. You can also modify or add new images, backgrounds, and links. Overall, you can tweak the design in any way you see fit.

If you want to add a new block component, just click on the plus icon at the top of the editing panel and drag an element onto the page:

If you want to make more significant changes to the overall page layout, click on Add Block . This will open up a live view of your page where you can drag around existing blocks to rearrange them, or pull in new ones from the library.

Continue making changes until your website looks exactly how you want it.

Step 5: Optimize Your Website for Search and Mobile Devices

Let’s imagine that you’re hoping to get hired as a web developer in London, UK. When potential employers search for new employees, they might type something like “web developers in London” into Google to find candidates. When they do, you probably want them to be able to find your website, right?

If so, it’s important to make sure that your professional resume website is easy to find. This process is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). A lot goes into optimizing your website for SEO , but here are some general guidelines about getting started.

First, start by picking keywords  that your potential employers might search for. Then, optimize the content on your website’s pages around those keywords. You can do this by including them in your heading and body text, SEO title, image alt text, and meta description.

You also want to make sure your website is responsive and loads well on mobile devices , since mobile usability is an important ranking factor. Additionally, try to build some backlinks  to your website to improve the domain authority.

Various WordPress plugins come with tools to help with your SEO efforts, including Jetpack . If you want to get serious about SEO, you might also want to consider adding the DreamHost SEO Toolkit  to your hosting plan.

SEO Toolkit provides everything you need to make your website more visible on the search engine results pages. For example, it includes do-it-yourself tools, deep insights, and a personalized SEO plan.

Step 6: Get Someone Else to Review Your Website

By this point, your professional resume website should really be coming together. However, it’s helpful to have someone else look over it with a fresh pair of eyes before you launch. This can help make sure there are no glaring errors that might look bad to potential employers.

Ideally, you should ask for feedback from a friend, family member, or colleague who has previous experience in hiring staff. Show them your website and ask them to look at it as if they were considering employing you.

If they point out any changes that could improve your chances of getting hired, you’ll want to implement them before making your website live.

Step 7: Publish Your Website and Track Results

Finally, it’s time to launch your website. If your pages are still saved as drafts, publish each of them by opening them in the block editor and clicking on the Publish button.

Once you’ve launched your website, it can be useful to track your results and see how your website is performing. Tools like Google Search Console  and Google Analytics  can help you monitor how many clicks your website is getting and where they are coming from.

For example, you can use Search Console to get an overview of the different keywords driving traffic to your website pages. You can also see how organic traffic is trending up or down over time.

You can also navigate to Core Web Vitals  to find out if there are any problems with your website’s page experience. We recently wrote a complete guide explaining what Core Web Vitals are , why they’re important, and how you can improve your Core Web Vitals score.

To use Google Search Console, you’ll need to sign up and verify site ownership  first.

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Congrats on the Perfect Resume, Job Seeker

Regular CVs and resumes can seem old-fashioned and easily get overlooked by a potential hiring manager. Setting up a professional resume website is a great way to make your application stand out from the competition.

Here’s a recap of how to make a professional resume website in seven easy steps:

• Get a domain and sign up for web hosting.
• Choose a WP Website Builder  template.
• Create your resume website pages.
• Fill your pages with content.
• Optimize your website for search and mobile.
• Get someone else to review your website.
• Publish your website and track the results.

Ready to get started? You can begin by signing up for the   DreamHost Unlimited Shared Hosting  plan and securing your free domain. It comes with everything you need to set up your visual resume, including access to the WP Website Builder editor and free templates. What are you waiting for? It’s time to land your dream job!

About the Author : Jason Cosper

Jason is DreamHost’s WordPress Product Advocate, based out of Bakersfield, CA. He is currently working on making our DreamPress product even better. In his free time, he likes to curl up on the couch and watch scary movies with his wife Sarah and three very small dogs. Follow him on Twitter .

Build a Resume Website Employers Will Love

• Get inspired by our articles
• August 27, 2020

It’s hard to write a resume, especially if you have no work experience yet. Bullet points and black and white text don’t always show what you can do, or help you stand out.

Fortunately there’s a better way for job seekers to put their resumes online and find a job, and that’s building your own resume website. In this post we’ll go through some top tips for resume and CV websites, and examples of do’s and don’ts.

Learn how to start your own website today!

What’s the difference between an online cv and resume.

A CV is a comprehensive picture of your entire professional history, while a resume is a brief summary of your top skills and experience. A CV (“curriculum vitae”) will list everything you’ve done in your career and education. A resume will focus on what’s relevant for the specific job you’re applying for in 1-2 pages. Resumes are widely-used in the US and Canada. CVs are more common in Europe, and for government or academic positions.

When it comes to a CV or resume website , you can use either one depending on the kinds of jobs you’re looking for. Even though a PDF resume should still be only 1-2 pages, you can use the rest of the website to add more context and color. 

What pages should your resume website have?

You can do a lot more than just copy-and-paste the text from your resume. Here are some tips for what to put on a website for your job search:

• Resume/CV 
• Work Examples & Accomplishments
• Contact Form

1. Homepage

Your homepage is your chance to introduce yourself and let hiring managers know they’ve come to the right place. Make sure your name and your title/position are clearly visible in your website’s title and Header Text. Then give a brief introduction of who you are and the kinds of work you do.

Unless you are in a creative field with amazing photography or visuals to show off, it’s probably best to keep your background as a simple, solid color, with a small, flattering headshot of you. Here are some more tips for portfolio websites .

With Jimdo, you just answer a few questions and the smart system builds the website for you, with all the pages you need. Connect your social media accounts, and we’ll pull in your existing information so it’s ready to go, all in one place.

2. Resume/CV

Some people like to put their entire resume on the homepage. The advantage of that approach is that it wastes no time—it gives recruiters exactly what they’re looking for without having to click anywhere else. Another approach is to give your resume its own page on your website.

This page will be most similar to your paper-and-ink resume. Use Text Blocks to break up the page into sections and bulleted lists. On this page it’s best to keep it simple. Even though a resume website gives you the chance to do a lot of creative things, you still want to provide hiring managers with what they are looking for: a straightforward list of what you’ve done.

3. References

In many resumes, you provide a list of references and hope that hiring managers will call them to hear how great you are. With your own website, you can show exactly what your mentors and colleagues think of you. That way employers get a sense of what you’re like to work with, without even needing to pick up the phone.

Ask your mentors, colleagues, or past customers to write a short testimonial about why they like to work with you and include those snippets on this page. You could also copy any references you have from your LinkedIn profile .

4. Work Examples & Accomplishments

A good resume website can show your work rather than just talk about it in the abstract. This is your chance to break out of the boring bullet points that make up most resumes. If you’re in a creative or visual field, this page is where you would include photos , videos , or links to your work.

If you’re in a more traditional field, you can still give examples of the kind of work you’ve done and what you’ve accomplished. Think to yourself “what am I most proud of?” Rather than the “raised revenue by 25% over Q3 earnings…”, try to describe your success in a narrative way, so that employers can get a sense of how you work. Here are more tips on how to write about yourself on your website . 

5. Contact Form

Make it easy for people to get in touch with you. You can create a separate Contact page with your information and a contact form. Or add a Contact Block to your homepage. 

6. Custom Domain

To show that you’re really serious about your career, definitely invest in your own personal domain or website address. Ideally, you will be able to snag your name as a .com, but if you’re John Smith that’s probably not going to work (sorry, John Smith!) Adding your middle initial can help or adding your job title as in johnsmiththebaker.com or johnsmithconsulting.com. Here are more tips on how to choose your own domain .

See how to put your work online, with no coding

More ideas for building your resume website.

Every resume website needs enough text so that search engines can find you . But if you’re feeling like things are getting too text-heavy, here are some more ideas of what you can add:

• Links to any newspaper articles or press coverage about you.
• Links to pieces you’ve written on other websites.
• Videos of you presenting 
• Easy infographics that bring any dry numbers to life (Try services like Infogram or Piktochart to create your own).
• Other multimedia like interactive timelines to show your professional accomplishments over time.

Do’s and don’ts of resume websites

• Do still include a PDF file download of your resume on your website. Some people still prefer the paper version (or will need it as they go through the hiring process).
• Don’t break up your resume into too many separate pages. You don’t need a page for education, another for experience, and another for skills. That just means that people have to click multiple times to get the full picture of who you are. Make their lives easier and put all the important info on one or just a few pages. Here are tips on how to build a site plan.
• Do add links to your public social media profiles, if they’re work appropriate. Make your social media accounts private if they are not relevant to your job search or professional life.
• Do add testimonials. One advantage of a resume website is that you can add more context, including testimonials from previous employers or colleagues . If you have no work experience, adding testimonials from friends, teachers, or people you’ve volunteered with can be particularly helpful social proof in the absence of resume bullets.
• Don’t exaggerate or include irrelevant information. There’s a reason resumes are 1-2 pages. Employers only want the essentials. The same goes for your website.
• Do get a nice headshot. If you’re awkwardly cropping out relatives or posting something blurry, it’s time to invest in a better photograph of yourself .
• Do make your resume website feel unique . Even if you’re not a designer, here are some easy ways to customize the design of your website .
• Don’t spend so much time on the design that you forget about content. You might have great fonts and colors, but at the end of the day you need to have the skills to do the job. That’s why it’s important to focus on your bullet points and describe your experience clearly .

A good resume website evolves with your career

When your resume is just a PDF, it’s a static document that will never change or get updated. A website, on the other hand, is easy to change whenever you gain new skills or experiences. And then, once you’re hired for that dream job, your resume website can evolve into a professional portfolio site that stays with you throughout your career, through changing jobs and changing tastes.

Get started with a free resume website!

• freelancing , how-to , website-examples

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How to Build a Resume Website in 5 Steps

By Squarespace Staff

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First impressions count. And in this digital age, many professional first impressions happen online. By creating a resume website , you can establish your online presence in a way that fits with your personal brand and shows recruiters your professional goals. 

An online resume is one way to showcase your experience and interests and can help future collaborators and hiring managers understand the unique value you can bring to a project. The process of distilling your resume or CV into a website may even lead you toward a new career path.

Here’s our step-by-step guide to building a professional resume website, from designing your website to sharing your work experience to help you land your dream job.

1. Choose a template for your resume website 

When choosing a template for your website, preview examples and choose one with a layout and design elements that speak to your style and highlight your work best. For example, someone looking for a new job in graphic design will want a template that makes it easy for them to show some visuals, whereas a copywriter will show their work with writing samples. Squarespace offers a variety of customizable templates that provide the perfect starting point for a personal website.

Or build a custom template and get some help putting your site content together with Squarespace Blueprint , which guides you through some simple design choices and uses AI to draft some website copy for you.

Add visual elements, like a headshot or eye-catching work you’ve created, and key messages that will catch visitors' attention and reinforce your job search goals. Experiment with curated site styles like custom font packs and color palettes or customize your own. You can use the built-in photo editor to crop photos or source free high quality stock images to add relevant visuals to your site.

2. Craft your pitch 

Once you have a design framework, it’s time to start telling your story. Make your homepage concise and easy to digest while also giving people the opportunity to learn more through examples. Try outlining the ideas that demonstrate your expertise before adding them to your website. Show your experience by highlighting how you have applied your skills to different problems or industries and share testimonials from former clients and colleagues. Make sure you mention any specialities or certifications, so potential employers or collaborators can see what type of work excites you and where you excel. 

Consider including your hobbies and side projects on an About page as they may relate to your core skill set and ambitions. 

Learn more about designing your homepage

3. Lead visitors to learn more and get in touch

Make your personal site easy to navigate by focusing on what’s most important to visitors—learning about you and getting your contact information. You might decide to keep your pitch and work examples on one page or add a Portfolio page to showcase your projects. Encourage potential clients and employers to contact you by creating a Contact page or Contact section on your homepage. Consider connecting and displaying your LinkedIn profile or your social media accounts if they’re relevant to your work history. 

If you’re adding a downloadable PDF of your complete resume or CV , add it to a separate page and make it intuitive to find from your homepage. Embedded PDFs won’t show up in search engines, but including one makes it easy for visitors to download and print a hard copy. Take a moment to review our search engine optimization (SEO) checklist for best practices on SEO and keywords.

To ensure you upload your best resume, double check for typos and file errors. If you’re starting from scratch, look at other resume examples and professional resume templates to get a sense of what to include and how to style your new resume.

4. Register a domain

A custom domain for your personal website is key. If you already have a domain, you can transfer it to your Squarespace site or you can register a new domain through Squarespace . Either way, be sure to use a domain that includes your full name or your business name. Consider using a domain that ends in .me, .work, .bio, .info, .studio, or .online for your personal website. 

Read more about domain name considerations

5. Share with your network

Once you have your personal website updated with all the relevant information, it’s time to go live. Share your new site with your network so they understand your experience and what kind of professional project or new job you're looking for next. When they hear of a relevant opportunity you’ll be top of mind, and your site will be easy for them to share. 

Consider creating social posts that announce your new website and add it to your email footer and social media link in bio. This way you’ll make sure that you’re expanding your potential reach to everyone who already knows you or follows you online. 

Learn how to promote your resume website

This post was updated on September 21, 2023.

Posted on 13 May 2020

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How to Build a Website Resume

Learn how to build a website resume with this step‑by‑step guide from Mailchimp to help you land your dream job.

Are you looking for an easier way to share your resume with recruiters? If so, you may be thinking about building a website resume. Many people are interested in making a website for their resumes because it's a great way to showcase their experiences and skills. Plus, creating a website for this purpose is easy.

There are plenty of situations where it can be helpful to have a website resume. A lot of people are performing remote interviews, so you may not be in a position to hand someone a hard copy of your resume. Furthermore, these types of websites can help you stand out from the crowd and ensure your resume is always up to date with the latest information.

But what do you need to do if you want to build a resume website? Take a look at the important steps below.

1. Find a website host and choose a design

First, you need to find a website host and choose your design. There are plenty of website hosts–some are free while others are not–with ready-to-use design templates . Website hosts with templates allow you to create a resume website without prior coding experience. All you have to do is select a template you like and drag and drop individual website elements.

Note that the best design strategy for one person will not necessarily be the best for you. For example, if you're a professional in the science industry, you may have several published research articles you want to share. So, you'll need a website that can cater to your specific needs and allow you to upload multiple articles or links. Your site’s layout will also be different if you decide to have a CV website instead of a resume website.

Think carefully about what design is best for your website, and use it to showcase the essential features of your resume. Like any other website, you want to make it as easy as possible for people to find the most important parts of your resume.

2. Include a professional headshot

Adding a professional photo of yourself to your website is a good idea. There's no right way to take a professional headshot since every industry is different; however, there are a few tips you should follow. They include:

• Have someone else take your photo . Don't take a selfie if you're adding a resume photo to your website. A selfie isn't the most professional, so always have someone else take your picture for you.
• Use a neutral background . A plain, bright wall as a background is usually the best way to go. You don't want the wall or background to be too distracting. You want people to be focused on you and not on what's happening behind you.
• Check the lighting before you finalize the photo . You want the lighting in your photo to be even. If the lighting is uneven, one part of your face may show up brighter than another.
• Dress professionally . Even if your photo is only from the neck up, people can still see your shirt. Don't wear a graphic t-shirt or anything that could be seen as inappropriate.
• Make eye contact with a camera . Look straight at the camera to ensure it doesn't look like you’re distracted.
• Put a frame around the photo . A neutral frame is fine. Even a plain, white outline of the picture is appropriate.

If you keep these tips in mind, you should be able to take a professional photo for your website.

3. Add an inviting homepage highlighting key achievements

There's a saying that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. You need to make that first impression count. That means it's necessary to create a homepage that highlights your key achievements. That way, you can convince people to learn more about you and your skills. However, you probably don't want to incorporate middle or high school experiences on your homepage. Instead, think about what you're most proud of and what aligns the most with potential employers.

You may want to include your education, skills, experience, and personal projects. Then, place those on your homepage to encourage people to learn more about what you have to offer. If social media is relevant to your work, you may also want to include links to some of your social media profiles.

4. Create different pages

Don't try to cram everything onto one page. Otherwise, your visitors are going to get overwhelmed. Instead, create multiple pages to highlight different things on your resume. Make sure you have a menu that makes it as easy as possible for people to find what they’re looking for.

Here are a few possible page ideas you might want to include:

• About me page
• Testimonials
• Contact page
• Work examples

Every industry is different, so it’s best to customize these pages to meet your needs. If you're curious about what pages you should include, you may want to see what other professionals in your industry have on their resume websites.

5. Choose a domain name

Before your website can go live, you need to choose a domain name . You can't use a domain name that someone else has already used, and you must be very careful playing around with top-level domains. You don't want your website to appear “sketchy” if you use a domain suffix that people are unfamiliar with. Do some domain research, and try to figure out what works well for your visitors and search engines.

For example, you may want to use a domain name that has your name and title. Or, you may want to choose a domain name that has your first initial and last name. If you keep your domain name short, it'll be easier for people to remember.

6. Optimize the site for SEO

Don't forget that you also need to optimize your website for search engine optimization (SEO) , which is the process of making your website easy for search engines to find. When someone is looking for something on a search engine, it's the job of the search engine to show the most relevant results.

Most people click on websites at the top of the page, so that's where you want your website to appear. You can increase your SEO by conducting keyword research, ensuring your website loads quickly, and keeping it updated. It's also a good idea to ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as many people use their cell phones to browse the internet. If your website loads well on all devices, you can maximize the traffic from hiring managers and recruiters.

7. Review and publish your site

Conduct a final review of your website before you publish it. Make sure every component and feature works as it should.

Test the site on multiple devices to ensure it shows up well on all of them. You should also review your site's content to verify it's free of grammatical errors and has been optimized for SEO purposes.

Consider having someone else review your website also. A friend, relative, supervisor, teacher, or co-worker can pinpoint any issues you may have missed the first time around.

8. Make a dedicated landing page for your resume

Finally, creating a landing page where you can link your resume is a great idea. This makes it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to learn more about your skills and experiences should they be interested. Before publishing your landing page, ensure the links work correctly and direct visitors to your website resume.

Create a resume website with Mailchimp

If you want to create the best website resume, you need to use the best tools. With Mailchimp, building a professional website for your resume is fast, easy, and free. Plus, you can pair your website with other powerful marketing tools from Mailchimp to maximize your reach and land your dream job.

If you want to put your best foot forward with a great website resume, check out our free website builder today. Create a stunning website that'll help you stand out from the crowd in minutes.

Related Topics

• Landing Pages
• Build a Website
• Buy a Domain
• Drive Website Traffic
• Analyze Website Performance
• Optimize for Mobile

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