When Your Resume Isnt Enough - CareerEnlightenment.com

Alternative #3: The Personal WebsiteA growing trend is for job applicants to create customized websites on which they can  post all kinds of information about themselves. Very often these websites are named for  the candidate (e.g. www.johndoe.com).Advantages:Employers dont need to mess with printed paper, disk files, DVDs, CDs, or any  other form of external media. Instead, they can merely access the candidates  website and find out the information they need. Not only that, but potential employers  can reach the candidate anytime they want simply by doing a computer web  search for the candidates name.Job seekers can use their personal websites to convey attributes that they could  never get across nearly as well with a traditional resume. Things like intelligence,  personality, communication skills, and passion can be communicated easily and  effectively.Drawbacks:Like any permanent structure, a website needs continual attention. A site can  easily lose its effectiveness if not reg ularly maintained and updated.Some employers still prefer a tactile resume of some sort. Just having a link to a  website instead of something in hand is sometimes viewed as a cold way of doing business, or even worse, a sign that the applicant is afraid of providing a tangible  foundation for an interview.Alternative #4: The Professional NetworkMany job applicants are now taking full advantage of websites, such as LinkedIn, to  post their professional profiles. In some cases, this is done not as an alternative, but as a  supplement to some other form of resume.Advantages:An increasing number of potential employers are now expecting job candidates  to have their professional profiles posted online and are relying on LinkedIn and  similar sites to give them the additional information about job applicants that they  seek.A professional network site gives job candidates visibility and access to  employment targets they would not otherwise have reached.Drawbacks:Increased visibility can also mean increased access to unwanted sources. Postersmare often targets of spam, or of strangers looking to take advantage of a posters  network of contacts.Information on a network site is not so easily tailored to a particular employer.  Personal profiles on a professional site by nature tend to be more general and less  likely to be a snug fit for that certain employer that the candidate is targeting.