CREATING AND USING A WEB RESUME

        Some resume sites (such as Lycos and Career Hunters) enable you to create a web resume. They will walk you through a surprisingly simple process of constructing a resume web page of your own. These are referred to throughout this section as “web resumes.” The site then pads your text with HTML, the programming language that makes a web site look the way it does. The web resume is accessed through an employer’s use of a web search engine, such as Google—www.google.com, MetaCrawler—www.metacrawler.com, or Yahoo—www.yahoo.com, and is displayed onscreen (complete with formatting and layout) just like any other web page. It can also be accessed by an employer who knows the web address of your web resume. Since anyone with a search engine can find your resume, which of course includes your name, address, phone number, and other personal information, consider your privacy needs before creating a web resume.

Building A Web Resume

        A web resume has the benefit of keeping all the formatting features such as bolding and bullets, that you selected in your formatted resume. In other words, it looks good. If you choose to build a resume on one of the sites (such as Lycos and Career Hunters) that converts your resume to HTML, you’ll have to manually enter the usual personal information—name and address—but then you’ll be directed to paste your resume into text windows piece by piece, instead of all at once, to fill in the blanks. As you go along, you’ll be prompted to select design elements, such as section dividing rules and header styles, from a menu. It can be hard to picture, as you go along, what your finished HTML resume will look like. This process is slightly cumbersome, but it produces a good, basic design. When you’re finished, view the page you’ve created and use your password to go back in and edit it as needed.

        The Lycos resume page builder has space for three of your most recent positions, additional skills or relevant information, special awards or honors you have received, and your educational history. The finished page is laid out simply and is easy to read.

        The Career Hunters site offers more flexibility so that you can build a more detailed HTML resume and include anything you think is relevant, not just your three most recent jobs. You can build a single page on Career Hunters for free, or pay for other options and customization.

        Your web resume will be more useful if you’re looking for a position in which photographs or sound files of your experience or past accomplishments could be useful to the potential employer. A web resume is especially helpful if you are applying for any type of web related position such as web master, web designer, or web help desk. Before proceeding with a web resume, determine if you are likely to benefit. If the answer is yes, by all means take the time to produce one. Keep in mind that you essentially give up all privacy when you post your resume on the web.

Get Your Web Resume Noticed

            The site will ask you to create a title for your web resume. To increase your resume’s chances of ranking high in an employer’s search, incorporate words into the title that might be used in a search for someone with your skills and experience. Include the city and state where you would like to work, the word “resume,” and a few key words relevant to your desired position, all within the title. Do not include your name; it appears in the body of the resume and will not be used in a search.