Now, you’ve got the skills, knowledge, and experience to land your dream role, but a traditional resume can only give recruiters a bird's eye view.
We live in a world where making a good first impression is as challenging as ever. Employers or recruiters are looking for more than just qualifications.
They want to see your work, the results, solutions you’ve brought, and understand what sets you apart from other candidates - that’s where a resume website comes in.
A resume website gives you full freedom on how you want to present yourself, i.e., your project, personality, and potential.
Whether your goal is to land a new role or a freelance contract, a resume website serves as a digital portfolio, showcasing your resume and contact information.
This guide on how to make a resume website is perfect for:
- Job seekers who are looking for their next big role.
- Freelancers who need to impress their clients.
- Professionals looking to boost their personal brand.
- Students are ready to take ownership of their careers.
What is a Resume Website?
A resume website is a personal website that highlights your professional journey. This includes your skills, work experience, latest projects, education, and achievements.
Unlike the traditional resume, you get more space and flexibility to showcase to potential recruiters what makes you unique, with complete creative freedom.
See, recruiters look you up before reaching out. If your resume website shows up first, then this is a huge advantage. You’re not just telling them what you’ve done, you’re showing it!
An online resume can be a one-page website or a separate web page within a much larger portfolio.
For instance, if you're a photographer with a photography portfolio, you can include a section detailing the different clients you've worked with and the results achieved.
A resume website is just the digital equivalent of a printed resume or CV. When someone wants to know more about you or wants to see your work in detail, they go directly to your personal portfolio website.
What Are the Advantages of Building a Personal Resume Website?
Making a resume website brings you a ton of benefits. Firstly, it shows that you’re serious about your work and are willing to take that extra step.
Instead of just detailing your work experiences, with a resume website, you can provide real examples such as latest projects, images, code, or anything else that proves your skills.
Most important, is the ease with which you can update the content, and unlike a PDF, it’s always online and ready for someone to view.
Above all, a personal resume website helps employers and recruiters get a better sense of who you are and why they should work with you. A platform where you can back your knowledge and experience with proof and stand out.
How to Make a Resume Website: 10 Things You Must Include
Ready to learn how to make a resume website? Whether you’re a freelancer or an employee looking to reach your career potential, here are a few essential steps you must go through to make a solid resume website:
- A Clear Purpose
- Personal Branding Statement (Your Elevator Pitch)
- An Inviting Home Page for Your Resume Website
- Add a Professional Headshot
- Include an Introductory Statement
- Make Sure to Create These Essential Web Pages
- Experience
- Employment History
- Education
- Skills
- Certifications and Qualifications
- Personal Projects
- Contact Information and Form
- Social Media
- Testimonials and Recommendations
- Links to Downloadable CV and Project Case Studies
- Integrate Analytics to Track Visitors
- Never Neglect SEO
- Highlighting Your Personality is Key
1. A Clear Purpose
Before you dive headfirst into building your resume website, take a moment to ponder exactly how you want to use it. Consider who will be viewing it and the message you want them to take away.
Your resume website is a marketing piece for your personal brand. Think of it as creating a professional online presence.
Identify that purpose, and build your page to suit. Remember, you can always make changes later depending on how you want your career to move.
2. Personal Branding Statement (Your Elevator Pitch)
A personal branding statement is a short, clear sentence at the top of your homepage. It tells interested parties who you are and what you’re great at.
Think of it as a headline for your online presence. This is important to help strike that all-important first impression.
For example, instead of saying “Hi, I’m [Your Name]”, you can include this: “UX Designer | Problem-Solver | Pixel-Perfect Thinker.”
See, this helps recruiters gauge your strengths from the get-go. The sweet spot is to aim for under 12 words, and place it right below your name or photo.
Let’s take a look at an example of a creative branding statement by Jo Roggemans.
3. An Inviting Home Page for Your Resume Website
With your mission in mind, set out to make the home page warm and welcoming.
Many design elements can come together to make this happen for you, but it can go wrong quickly.
The best advice is to find a customizable resume website template on your favorite online resume builder, like Pixpa, that will work for you.
The design should make the visitor feel welcome and make you seem friendly. Include a concise summary of your professional journey and include links to your contact page.
Imagine the personality you'd like to exude during an in-person interview and bundle all of that into the colors, layout, fonts, images, and text copy on your home page.
4. Add a Professional Headshot
It's important to put a face to your name. A professional headshot helps to create a more personal touch.
The fastest and most effective way to do that is to include a photograph right on the opening landing page.
Here are a few tips for a professional resume website headshot:
- Always choose a neutral background. Preferably, a bright, plain wall that is not distracting.
- The focus of the photo should be you. Lighting is crucial.
- The photo must have even lighting, and both sides of your face must look even.
- Dress professionally. It’s best to avoid graphic t-shirts or checkered shirts.
- Maintain direct eye contact with the camera. You don’t want to be looking distracted in the photo.
- Ask your friend or hire a photographer to take your photo, never do it yourself unless you’ve a camera and a tripod.
Here’s a brilliant example of a professional headshot included in Toby Mathew’s resume website.
5. Include an Introductory Statement
The first few elements on your home page set the mood for your visitor's entire encounter with your online presence - and that sets up the likelihood that you'll get a follow-up.
The first thing visitors will notice is the layout - the colors and the use of space. Then, they'll gravitate toward your photograph to "meet you." And finally, their eyes will land on your text.
So, what do you want them to read first? Do you want them to dive into your education and your skills? More likely, you'll want to say something directly to them, welcoming them to the site and clearly laying out what your goals are.
Whatever you do or want to do, your website's content must be put out in a friendly and professional way.
For example, visual artists might use an artist statement, while other may opt for a more traditional objective.
In need of some inspiration? Here are a few stunning examples of resume websites built using Pixpa.
6. Make Sure to Create These Essential Web Pages
When you’re learning how to create a resume website, these essential pages must not be neglected. These pages include:
Experience
Once you've got the formalities and small talk out of the way, it's time to dive into your career highlights.
As you compile the relevant sections, make sure you consider the overall length that you want your page to be.
It's common to find both short single-page web resumes, but many people build multi-page sites.
The critical thing to remember is that your landing page must lay out the complete picture concisely.
Some viewers may not be inclined, or even have the time, to click through the entire site. You want to wow them with the home page.
So, with this in mind, you have several options. Most resume websites start with a single page and a well-laid-out CV.
The personal website stands alone as a single-page view but is also home to other information for those inclined to look.
What experience do you include on that all-important home page? This will depend on the job you're applying for.
Naturally, you want to pick the ones that speak best to the job. As a result, you'll need to move things around and customize occasionally.
Employment History
The same can be said about the employment history section. You want to include former employers, but don't want to overdo it by including unrelated high school summer jobs you've done previously.
The work experience section aims to show that you're a reliable employee, that you are trainable, and that you have relevant workplace experience.
You should pick the jobs you've had the opportunity to bring about a positive result or change.
Education
Like your employment history, the amount of detail you want to include in the education section is up to you.
You want to include your highest level of completed degree. But is it necessary to label each step of your path to get there, and details like your GPA? Sometimes yes, and sometimes no.
The training programs or degrees you've previously completed must fit the jobs you're applying for.
If they do, then, by all means, include them. But if they don't add anything meaningful, it's probably best to keep it brief.
If you're starting out, your employment section must be given more importance, mainly because you have little to include under experience.
Skills
The skills section allows you to do some creative target marketing. We're all taught to include and discuss certain things when we're interviewing for jobs, right?
Do you have strong people skills or the ability to multitask? This could be an excellent place to list those.
However, an even better technique is returning to the job description. Check out the skills they are looking for - what things did they specifically list? By addressing these, you are indirectly speaking to the hiring manager.
Of course, you must be careful not to seem like you're just copying their language.
It needs to be genuine. Don't make promises you can't deliver. Instead, find creative and meaningful ways to demonstrate that you have the skills they're asking for.
Certifications and Qualifications
Professional qualifications are essential in some industries. If you're working in one of those, you'll know you should have certain certifications done.
If these are mentioned in the job description, you should have them listed on your resume website.
This list should contain only professional-level certificates. It isn't the place to describe yourself as "hard-working."
Mention here that you hold a Microsoft or Lean Six Sigma certification, for example. Save the less specific stuff for the "skills" section.
Personal Projects
Potential employers are looking for a person to join their team, not a robot who comes to work daily. To that end, be sure to inject personality when creating your website.
Include personal projects and things you're doing on the side. Try to pivot things so that they're relevant to the job at hand, when appropriate.
Contact Information and Form
When creating an online resume website, make sure your contact page is on point.
Your email and phone number should be easily accessible. Include a web form to make it even easier for potential employers to reach you.
Social Media
Linking your social media is a great way to keep your site updated and relevant.
Use your best judgment as to what networks you want to connect to. Don't link to anything that you don't want potential employers to judge you by.
Many job seekers use LinkedIn, so this is usually a good choice. If your Instagram or Facebook accounts are relevant and safe for work, link them too.
Testimonials and Recommendations
Your website is a great place to collect testimonials and references. Instead of just supplying a list of names upon request, you can include professional recommendations you may have received.
Also, don't inadvertently put your reference's contact details or identity online without their permission. Make sure that they're relevant to the skills and projects at hand.
7. Links to Downloadable CV and Project Case Studies
It might seem old-school, but in some situations, hiring managers might find it handy to be able to print out your CV.
Always include a downloadable PDF version of a basic one-page CV that they can print out to hand to colleagues. Ensure that the formatting comes out right, no matter how it's printed.
Now, a project case study is a one-page summary that explains what a project was, how you worked on it, solutions and pain points addressed, and the results you achieved.
Providing these downloadable resources will always be beneficial, to providing a screenshot, for instance.
8. Integrate Analytics to Track Visitors
The story doesn’t end with you creating a resume website. You need to scale it through SEO efforts as mentioned above, and other marketing techniques.
Now to know the result of these efforts, you need to track traffic, what they are clicking on, and how long they’re staying on your website.
This is possible by way of website analytics. Tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and more help you track these metrics, which you can then use to see what's working on your site and devise measures to improve.
Make sure you check your metrics at least once a week. Use it to improve your resume website over time.
9. Never Neglect SEO
If you were able to create a resume website without much or any technical knowledge, you can get SEO done right.
For those who aren’t aware, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of ranking your website in search engines.
The larger the exposure you can gain, the higher the chances that potential recruiters will view your resume website.
Just be mindful when creating your resume website to choose a domain name that includes keywords that you’re looking to target. Use these keywords in your content, headings as well.
Website builders nowadays offer users with in-built SEO tools to help optimize their resume website, i.e., your page titles, meta descriptions, and content for relevant keywords.
10. Highlighting Your Personality is Key
Lastly, don't forget to add a personal touch to your resume website. Let it tell a story that is uniquely you.
Keep it professional, and use professionally designed resume templates to help you stand out.
Examples of Resume Websites Built on Pixpa
Pixpa is one of the best full-featured resume website builder platforms available. Here are a few website examples of resume sites built on Pixpa:
Tokie Taylor, Photographer
Taylor's artist portfolio uses a captivating image to grab attention before directing you to her CV. Once there, you'll see a dynamic web document and an artist's statement.
It's a beautifully done website, with an excellent portrait of Taylor and many personal touches.
Since it's a section embedded on her portfolio site, it's easy to click away and check out her impressive catalog of work, too.
Lewis Robinson, Architect
Robinson's portfolio website is packed with vital information. The entire website is shown in a gallery-style view, with the large header providing contact information and the items of interest scrolling below.
Instead of showing as web pages, his resume, CV, and references are included on another page.
Since they're in a document view, they're a little hard to read and feel much more static than most resume websites. However, the effect is good in that it works with the site as a whole.
Jena Locastro, Graphic Designer
Locastro has a simple PDF resume that is shown in an embedded PDF viewer. It's an easy technique that integrates the viewing and downloading of the document into the website.
It also makes updates super easy. Links to her social media accounts and portfolio are in the header.
Brook Perryman, Graphic Designer
As you might expect from an excellent graphic artist, Perryman's resume is a thing of beauty. It is a classic one-pager, but it's also unique enough to stand out in any pile.
A contact form button and a download the PDF action button are located at the top.
The main webpage is entirely text, but it clearly shows a lot of information. Links to the rest of her graphic design portfolio are cleverly placed at the bottom.
Maryam Berenji, Urban Design
Like many working professionals, Berenji uses her online portfolio to host a one-page resume. The document itself is simple and entirely text-based, not unlike a printed CV.
But the fact that it is internalized within her portfolio makes it a powerful tool. Recruiters and those interested in her work can dig deeper and find out about her many projects and accomplishments.
Final Thoughts: How to Make a Resume Website That Gets You Noticed
A website resume gives you so much more power than any one-page printed text document ever could.
You can include social links, provide more information about key projects you've worked on in the past, and more.
If a recruiter wants to spend more time getting to know you and your work, an online resume website is the right way to go.
Want to create a resume website? Pixpa has the best tools to create visually appealing resume websites that convert.
Choose from our library of 150+ user-friendly designs and customize them to your job title and target audience.
FAQ
What should a resume website look like?
There's no standard format for a personal resume website. But, in a way, that's what's so great about the format--it provides a creative avenue to connect with potential clients and employers. To get an idea of what a resume could look like online, take a look at Pixpa's resume templates.
How many pages should a resume website have?
There are no set rules. Every resume should have some central component that is no more than one printed page in length. This is so that if an employer wants to print it out, they can.
But online, you're free from these constraints. You can have links to other pages or other things of professional interest like your portfolio of works.
Which website builder can I choose to create a professional resume website?
There are tons of website builders out there, but Pixpa is one of the top choices for creatives. One look at the beautiful resume templates available to work from and Pixpa stands out as a robust resume website builder.
Should I build a personal resume website?
There are many reasons why you would want to have a website resume. Here are just a few of the most important reasons.
- Differentiates you from your competitors.
- Can be made as detailed as you need it to be, anywhere from a single page to many pages.
- Makes you look more relevant in the modern workplace.
- Easy to keep it up to date.
- Can provide a more personal and lasting impression than a written resume.
- Allows you to publish multimedia content like photos, videos, and presentations.
- Communicates more personality than a standard form-based resume.
