Web Portfolios: A Powerful Way to Present Yourself Online

If you’re looking for a way to extend your online visibility for job search, you may want to consider a web portfolio. More than a simple online resume, a web portfolio allows you to present information about yourself in a variety of forms, including your profile, your photo, statement of your philosophy, a Q & A about your expertise, highlights of key results, samples of your work, press, and even audio or video clips. In short, anything that best represents your talent and accomplishment to a potential employer.

Until now, you could hire a web designer and developer to create, upload and host your portfolio; or, you could go to specialty firms such as Kirsten Dixson’s Brandego, or Louise Fletcher’s Blue Sky Portfolios for outstanding professional guidance. Recently, Reach Communications colleague, Tara Kachaturoff, discovered another way: VisualCV. At their site, you can sign up for a free account and start building your own web portfolio. The site not only offers ability to add dynamic features to build a case for yourself, but it also gives you control over who sees your portfolio.

I think this could be a great resource, provided you have great clarity about the value you deliver and have crafted key messages to underscore that value. In other words, I think that your first step in creating a web portfolio is to put some work into your personal brand. After all, it’s what you uniquely offer, communicated in a compelling way, that will make you stand out both online and off.

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Comments

[Peggy McKee]

Walter,
Take a look at www.interviewondemand.com. We have a free Video Career Profile for job seekers. It is a webpage that showcases their resume, video profile and short "why you should hire me" summary. It is impressive to both hiring managers and recruiters ...
Have a great day!
Peggy McKee

[Walter Akana]

Hi Peggy! Thanks for sharing this additional resource. Cleary there is a proliferation of great web-based job search tools for both candidates and recruiters. Still, I think that these tools can be a “double-edged sword” for the job seeker. Unless a person takes the time to work on a strong and on-brand presentation of their promise of value, across all types of media, they risk hurting their candidacy.

[Peggy McKee]

Walter, We understand how intimidating candidates can find video (for use in the job search) and have made our system very user friendly. For example, candidates can re-record each answer until they are completely satisfied that their video represents them in the most positive light! You should create a Video Career Profile for yourself!

[Walter Akana]

Hi Peggy! Thanks for this additional information about Interview on Demand. Aside from its use in recruitment, it sounds like it can be a great coaching tool!