The Power of an Online Resume

Posted by Nick Niesen on November 2nd, 2010

I just finished posting what has to be my 150th online resume for yet another happy customer. As a manager of a site for corporate flight attendants, I know that there are several things that are extremely important to consider when crafting an online resume no matter where or how it is listed. Please continue to read on as I share some valuable pointers with you.

Granted, not everyone wants or should have their resume posted online for all the world to see. However, if you are seeking a very public position ? and I don?t know too many more jobs that are much more public than that of a flight attendant ? then having some information about you online is not only smart, but critical to your finding work.

Name and Contact Information ? You must include your first and last name and at least an email address for contact purposes. Never include your home address and if you decide to share your phone number think long and hard about that too. A cell phone is better for anonymity purposes as a home phone number could reveal to someone where you live. Who wants to deal with that sort of hassle? Better yet, a real creep could end up stalking you!

Job Information ? No, you don?t have to name the companies who employed you or even the specific dates. General information is helpful; you can always indicate somewhere on your resume that additional information will be forwarded to prospective employers upon request.

Education/Training ? Let them know if you are current with all of your training, who trained you, certificates awarded, etc.

References ? Never list another person?s name online! Even on hard copies of your resume, references should be left off and submitted separately upon request.

A Picture ? Hey, if you are beautiful or handsome, why not list your picture? In Europe, including one head shot and one full body shot with your resume is a generally accepted practice. Not so in the US, but it can be useful to do. Have the webmaster crop your picture if needed and put in place as a thumbnail. When people click on your thumbnail, your full sized picture will appear.

Beautiful CSS ? What makes any resume rock, besides the content and the picture, is the way it looks. Have your web person create your resume using corporate style sheets for the best looking and most highly professional copy possible. Make sure that the colors don?t overpower the content. Black or navy font is acceptable; Arial, Trebuchet, and Verdana type faces are best.

Sure, no resume can guarantee that you will get a job or even secure an interview for you. At the very least, an online resume is your own marketing campaign to sell your name to as many people as possible. Name repetition in the form of your resume and picture speaks volumes and opens more doors than you can possibly imagine.