Telecommuting Website (Part One)
"I've heard you talk about building a website to get telecommuting jobs. Can you tell me more about this, and how I would do it?" If you all listen to WAHMTalkRadio.com, then you might have heard me talk about using a website to help you get a work at home job. Basically, what I said was that in this field, you NEED to stand out from the crowd, and you can do this many different ways. One of them is to make a website to showcase you, your skills, experience, portfolio, resume, and more. I started to answer this question, and before I knew it, the answer turned into pages and pages! Instead of overwhelming you with too much to read at one time, I'm going to break this into a two part answer. Why Build a Website? Your main objective is to stand out from the crowd of competition, and this is yet another way to do that. Building your own website shows you're creative, unique, and you are willing to go above and beyond in order to get the job. Think of it this way. You are applying to a job where hundreds of others have applied, too. Now, they won't all be as qualified as you all the time, but let's say 100 are. The employer is sifting through resume after resume; then they come across yours. They click on your link, and it opens up... and there you are! With your picture, bio, resume, and all the other great stuff I'm going tot talk about below. Don't you think that at the very least you would stand out from the crowd? You might not always get the job because of a website, but it can't hurt, and it will make you more noticeable. What to include? Here are my recommendations for your website, but remember, you can do as much or as little on the website as you'd like. The website needs to reflect you, and therefore you can add to it or remove from it what you would like. ;) Your Bio - Include a little bit about yourself, your experience, and your skills. The potential employer can get to know you a little bit right off the bat. Your Picture - Like I've said before, it could just make you feel more real to the employer. Since they can put a face to the name, they might remember you more then someone who just has a resume. Your Voice - Of course, this isn't one of those die hard rules. I enjoy the option of listening to someone's greeting/intro, but I know some aren't comfortable recording their own voices. I do, however, think this is yet another great way to have the employer see you as a real person. Not only can they see your picture, along with your skills and experience, but they could also hear your voice. I use audio on my websites/blogs and newsletters. I find them a great way to communicate and seem more real to my readers Your Resume - This has all the necessary information that the employer will need. Please be sure to spell check your resume, along with the rest of the website. I would also recommend you having the resume done professionally. Think of it as investing into yourself and your future. I've also been told that you can write off a resume on taxes, so keep that in mind. Your Portfolio - If you have one and you're looking for work online, the only place to showcase your portfolio is online. It would be a perfect addition to your website. Your portfolio can be one of two things: it can either be work you've done, or it can be samples of work you can do. Just have fun with it, and be creative.
These are just some of my own suggestions. There are many other things you can do, and I'm sure you will come up with some great ideas for your own personal website. The next article in the series I'm gong to talk about how you can get your website out there in front of potential employers. After all, you can build an amazing website, but if you don't know how to get it out there and seen, there's really no point to it. Nell Taliercio is the publisher of a weekly telecommuting newsletter that helps moms and dads work at home. Read more about the newsletter and get your free listing of job links at http://www.telecommutinganswerlady.com
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