Can a CV website give you a professional competitive edge?

Technology has revolutionised every aspect of our lives, especially in the way that we navigate an ever more competitive job market. The days of delivering a hard copy of your CV to potential employers are long gone.

A CV website, sometimes called a personal website, is one of the newest ways to catch a recruiter’s attention and land a new job. But what is a CV website and how can it help job seekers distinguish themselves?

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A CV website, or website CV, is exactly what it sounds like — a version of your CV that takes the form of a privately hosted website. This is essentially an interactive, digital CV that expands your ability to communicate with hiring managers and recruiters about your skills and work experience.

Think of your CV website as an online portfolio of sorts. Because a CV website comes in digital form, it is far more versatile than a traditional CV, even one that uses a creative or infographic template.

The benefits of creating a CV website include:

Versatility

A CV website can host a range of different kinds of content, both on the homepage and on secondary pages. This means that you can showcase graphic design skills or even upload basic tutorials or presentations in video form. This gives job seekers a unique opportunity to prove their knowledge and skills.

Engagement

Recruiters might read thousands of job applications a week, and that can render even the most eye-catching traditional CV boring. A CV website allows employers to interact directly with your portfolio, which may help you stand out in their minds.

Reach

Forbes reports that 80% of available jobs are never advertised. This is because many hiring managers proactively look for suitable candidates to approach rather than choosing to wade through applications. Just like a great LinkedIn profile, a good CV website may increase your chances of a recruiter approaching you.

Credibility

The unique format of a website will allow you to upload materials that prove your key skills and certifications, increasing your credibility in the eyes of recruiters and hiring managers.

Of course, there are some limitations to choosing a CV website. For a start, you have to put in the work to keep it up-to-date and running. This requires time and money that some job seekers may find tiresome or unnecessary.

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If you choose to create a CV website for your next job search, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. First and foremost, design and functionality are crucial. It doesn’t matter how good your content is or how experienced you are if your website is poorly designed or fails to function as it should. Once the basic layout and functions of your website are dealt with, however, there are certain things that you should absolutely include:

Consistent personal branding

Choose a colour scheme and create a personal logo, even a simple one. This is a quick way to make your CV website feel coherent and well-designed.

Your contact information

Make sure that your full name, phone number, and professional email are listed and up-to-date.

A professional headshot

While it is not a good idea to include a picture in a traditional CV, having a professional headshot on your personal website can be helpful. Ideally, you should use the same photo for your CV website and LinkedIn profile. This will provide a sense of continuity between the two.

Your key skills and experience

Just as you would include all of your most important skills, certifications, work experience (or even internships) in a one-page CV, you should include this information in your CV website. CVHelp has CV writing advice that could be helpful here.

Recent accomplishments

If you have won any awards, undertaken any successful projects or otherwise had any relevant achievements in your professional life, you should showcase them on your CV website. Just be sure to focus on your most recent accomplishments.

An online CV website presents a unique opportunity to actually display your skills and knowledge when submitting a job application. While this comes with certain benefits, like limiting the importance of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) which often scan incoming CV for employers, and widening your reach. They also require more work than a standard CV.

Unless you intend to directly approach every person you want to view your website, you will need to pay some attention to SEO and how your CV website ranks in search engines. Likewise, if you have limited experience in graphic design you may need to spend more time on your CV website before it competes with those created by people with creative backgrounds. Nonetheless, having a digital version of your CV is great for people in certain industries.

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While anyone looking to stand out can use a professional CV website, there are some job candidates for whom a digital CV is an especially useful CV format:

• Freelancers
• Creative writers
• Computer and tech experts
• Website designers
• Graphic designers
• Anyone who needs an accessible portfolio of past work

If you fit into one or more of these categories, you could benefit from an online CV website, even if you are already active on LinkedIn. If you are uncertain about how to build an effective CV website it can be beneficial to use an online CV builder to create a traditional CV that you like, then use your CV as a design reference to help with things like choosing professional fonts and colour schemes. CVHelp has a CV builder with a variety of CV templates that will allow you to create your ideal CV.

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