How to Enhance Your Resume with Online Profiles and Portfolios
Publié le 2 October 2024Stand out from other job seekers by knowing how to enhance your resume with online profiles and portfolios.
There was a time when the traditional paper resume used to be enough to apply for a job. However, things are different now. In today’s job market, the impression is often made online; a strong and professional online presence along with a digital resume is preferred.
According to a press release by CareerBuilder, around 47% of employers say that if they can’t find a candidate online, they are less likely to call them in for an interview.
The reason for having an online presence is simple: it lets the employers know more about you. And when they know about you, it creates a sense of familiarity or knowingness which influences them to trust you and call you for an interview.
But how to build your online presence? What are the profiles and portfolios that can help? How can you improve your resume via those profiles and portfolios? This detailed guide answers all these questions. Read on and learn all your answers!
Create a Professional LinkedIn Profile
Online presence is key to your personal brand, and there is no better option than a professional LinkedIn profile for this purpose. Include a link to your LinkedIn profile in your resume so employers can better know who you are beyond a one-page CV.
Here is a catch: your profile should be up-to-date according to the latest trends to showcase you’re continuously working on yourself and your personal branding and are aware of what is happening in your field.
Here are some tips to craft and improve your LinkedIn presence:
- Write a descriptive headline and summary of you that describes your top skills, achievements, and career goals.
- In the experience section, describe your responsibilities and key achievements in your previous roles.
- List all the skills clearly that are relevant to your field and career goals.
- Post and share articles regularly that are relevant to your industry.
TIP: Don’t forget to include testimonials on your LinkedIn profile; this is the best way to build trust and credibility. If you intelligently manage and use testimonials, these can best improve personal brand and increase your chances to get the job.
Build an Online Portfolio
Whether a writer, photographer, or designer, how can these people show their work? The answer is a portfolio website.
A portfolio website is more like a web-based space that offers a visual and practical demonstration of an individual or company’s previous work, skills, and experiences.
Add a link of your portfolio/portfolio website onto the resume so employers can access your work and know about your creativity and style. This practical demonstration of your work shows you’re confident about your skills, and makes you stand out.
However, make sure to attach your projects that are new, creative, and make you stand out in terms of expertise and skills.
The platforms you can use to design a portfolio website are:
- Behance
- Dribble
- Carbonmade
- And so on
If you’re an expert and can create a website yourself, you can use platforms like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.
Remember, the homepage of your website should provide a quick overview of who you are, what you do, and why someone should explore further.
In addition, portfolios should be organized into sections based on types of work or projects, along with an introduction about each project.
Don’t forget to talk about your role in each project and how it went, from start to end. This will help you show your leadership skills in the future role. Isn’t it amazing?
Develop a Personal Blog
When your wondering how to enhance your resume with online profiles and portfolios, consider creating a personal blog as a sub-part of your portfolio website. Why? To share your narratives on what is happening in your field and your experience with the other learners.
There are many reasons to create a personal blog and then attach it in your resume:
- When you write blogs and share insights about your field, it shows that you have the expertise and in-depth knowledge.
- It showcases your ability to communicate, convey ideas, and structure information.
- It reflects your unique voice, style, and approach beyond the standard resume format.
Creating your own personal blog increases your reach in your industry, rewards you with an audience that listens to you, and builds a professional network. As a result, the potential employer takes you as a credible authority in the field rather than just an employee.
In addition, with time, industry experts start finding your blogs on the search engine results. This also increases the chance of getting hired directly and getting more clients.
Remember, the secret to enhancing your resume via a blog lies in the content and its quality. You must create blog content with the latest industry trends, information, and discoveries.
Moreover, focus on the language to describe the things. Be to the point and write concisely to deliver your message in fewer words and time. If you don’t know how to do so, use a summarizing tool and learn how it is done.
Showcase Your Skills on GitHub or Other Project Platforms
If you’re into coding, use platforms like GitHub and link them to your resume to showcase your coding skills, open-source contributions, and personal projects.
In addition, you can also attach a direct link of projects you completed, such as websites you have developed, into your resume to give concrete proof of your skill to the recruiters.
The linked projects should be unique and technical and showcase your problem-solving abilities. These should also align with the job you’re applying for.
Here are some other tips to optimize your GitHub profile:
- Add a professional photo, bio, and contact information to your GitHub profile.
- Pin repositories that best showcase your skills.
- Include thorough documentation in your projects, with clear instructions, usage examples, and explanations of your code’s functionality.
In addition, you can engage with other users and contribute to their open-source projects. If possible, provide feedback on others’ work to demonstrate your abilities further. Employers will also see these things on your GitHub profile.
Conclusion
The best way to enhance your resume is to build a strong online presence with professional profiles and portfolios. And there are many ways to do so.
First, create a complete LinkedIn profile with a descriptive headline, skills, and detailed experience that explains your role and contribution. Add testimonials to build trust.
For creative roles, like writing or design, create an online portfolio using platforms like Behance, Dribble, or your own site on Wix or WordPress. Include recent, standout projects that showcase your skills.
A personal blog can also boost your resume. Here, show your expertise, communication skills, and industry insights via blogs. You can also gather a lot of audience.
If you’re into coding, use GitHub to display your projects, skills, and contributions to open-source work.
Once you have created these profiles, link all these to your resume so employers can easily see your work and get to know you better. Knowing how to enhance your resume with online profiles and portfolios increases your chances to get hired as it makes you stand out in the job market.