Is it worth creating a personal website for a job search?

JaneDoe

I've been thinking about making a personal website for my job search, in addition to my linked in profile and professional twitter account. I've done a lot of web development before so this would be really easy for me. Will it help employers find me? Is it worth doing? Does it look desperate?

markulous

I don't see how it would help employers find you, but if you're applying for web development jobs, then it's almost a must to have some sort of portfolio and example of work. If you're not going to work in that field, then I'd say more along the lines that it wouldn't be tremendously helpful, but it can't hurt either.

Iristheangel

I have a domain redirected to my VisualCV and linked on my LinkedIn. I plan on one day linking it to a blog that also features a CV page and a portfolio, but I just haven't had time yet. The thing I hate about linkedin is the character limit under the job descriptions and lack of flexibility in the format. Linking a more extended and customized CV somewhere else is better for me. I get to stick my domain and linkedin url on my cards and they can ideally check out my in-depth CV/portfolio there and network with me on LinkedIn

RyanW

What Iristheangel is doing is great and I wish more people would do it. As long as it adds value there is no harm in creating one otherwise stick to the job boards and linkedin.

JaneDoe

I'm not going into web development, at least I don't want to be (but if that's the only job I find, I'll take it), I rather be going into networking. I just want employers to get a good impression when they google me.

stryder144

It depends on what is on the website you create. If it is more blog like, detailing what you're learning, what you already know, etc., then post the link to your Linkedin account, then it might be useful.

As Iris said, creating an expanded CV could also make it a useful exercise. You will have to balance need, time, and ability to make sure that you're not putting too much effort into something that might have a limited benefit to you.

ande0255

I like the idea of making a visual web page / blog and linking to it on linkedin, like a blog that demonstrates some in depth understanding, though so far I have not really felt it necessary with lower level topics.

I think it's a good idea, especially if you can code the webpage yourself, and fill it with good content (not acronyms and random pics of devices). You should post it if you do end up making a page!

docrice

I definitely recommend creating an online identity which you have complete control over in the presentation. LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. do not allow for this and while they provide useful connections and inferences of reputation, I think it makes sense to be able to deliver your branding on your own terms. General blog sites work, but I went through the trouble of registering a domain that's obviously my own and creating a website containing material that's unique to me so I can demonstrate my level of competence and areas of interest in a format that other outlets can't provide the same level of flexibility for.

Consider it an investment for your own marketing and development as a professional. Many employers may do some online research on your name after they review your resume. You don't want to be limited by what the common social media domains. And besides, everyone else does the same thing. It helps to stand out somehow.

JaneDoe

I'm nervous about writing a professional blog under my real name because I'm worried I'll make spelling / grammar mistakes (as I'm sure everyone has seen me do here), say the wrong thing, etc. and I won't have time to have multiple people edit every entry as I would with a resume or cover letter. If I could write perfectly every time I'd go into journalism not IT. I can't afford to hire a professional copy editor for a blog. Is that a reasonable concern?

Iristheangel

It's a reasonable concern but it just goes to show you how important researching, labbing, and proof-reading yours posts will be. We've had a few members do some pretty successful blogs that probably would help them in their future careers if they aren't already advertising them. To name a couple:
RoutingNull0 - The Network Engineer Path
SGT CCIE - A man on a mission

Both of those members sort of inspired me to want to write a blog. I just need enough free time to do it

JaneDoe

I've never been the greatest at proof reading - when I need something real professional quality, I need someone else to look it over for me, or at least to sleep on it, print it, etc, so I'm not blinded by what I expect to see on the page. Doing that for every blog entry is an untenable amount of work. I do it often enough for school. Publishing professional work is another story, because there I'd have 4 or 5 people looking over the document to start.

Putting together a website with information about myself wouldn't be hard though.

docrice

Part of the journey is to expose and learn your shortcomings. If that comes in the form of grammar issues, the importance (and your perception of risk to your digital reputation, perhaps) of that aspect of your professionalism becomes even more magnified and will allow you to pay more attention to it. Communicating both verbally and in written form is especially crucial in this business and identifying your flaws early on in this regard is critical. Your delivery in email, chats, and reports shape how others perceive you and the establishment of your credibility.

It's okay to make mistakes. We all make them, including our take on debatable topics. The key is to make the basic ones early, correct them, and keep going forward. A career is an exercise in constant self-tuning.

JaneDoe

I don't think my writing is generally bad compared to most people in IT. I have no problem communicating in emails and chat, as the level of errors I typically make is acceptable in those mediums. I don't write perfect first drafts like people I know with English PhDs, but they spent years working on that skill exclusively. I need people to review my resume and check for errors - same goes for professional reports. There is a reason organizations employ copy editors (a job I couldn't do anymore they could administrate a Linux sever). I'd be nervous posting something publicly, that's supposed to be professional quality, without having it reviewed by others first, and I couldn't bug anyone to review my blog entries before I posted them. My concerns are much closer to missing typos than having issues with grammar, and it's really hard to re-train your eyes to read differently after you've been doing it for years. It would take me the same amount of work to take my writing from acceptable to perfect as it would take for me to get my CCIE, and I'd rather do IT than law or PR, so I'd go for the latter (and avoid publishing things that aren't edited by someone who specializes in that).

Maybe I'm worrying about nothing, and people don't really care if there are typos in a blog?

Iristheangel

As long as you get you're/your, there/their/they're, then/than, effect/affect right and other people can make sense of what you write, you should be fine.

Everyone makes mistakes. My number one mistake here is that I usually type out a response extremely quickly and my brain is going faster than my fingers so I'll forget a word. I always try to go back and edit it but it happens

JaneDoe

I'm afraid employers would hold something like a missing word from quick typing against me in blog. When I read my own stuff my brain knows what it's supposed to say, and sometimes automatically adds words or letters in that aren't on the page. I'll only catch that the next day, or if I see my writing a different way (such as printed on paper).

advanex1

I have a question in regards to this. Would someone be able to use cisco's name in their website? Something like, piercevscisco.com? I'm curious because I've been contemplating marking my journey as well.

docrice

No one is perfect at being their own editor. As long as you're not consistently making amateur mistakes relative to your career level, generally people aren't going to hold it against you. In this day and age where speed and time-to-market often trumps polish (think software and feature sets, for example), employers aren't going to expect absolute perfection.

I think writing down your thoughts which you feel are robust enough to publicly display will only enhance your professional growth. I see minor errors done by just about every infosec blogger as well as professional writers. As long your fundamental thought process is well-reasoned, grammar shouldn't be holding you back. And if it is, work on it.

JaneDoe

Thanks Dorice. It doesn't hold me back at all when I'm writing anonymously. I'm just nervous about publishing something under my real name that isn't publication quality (meaning edited by a second person). I should probably get over that.

I know people who can write publication quality work without an editor, most are humanities PhDs, and they typically make good money with that skill alone.

colemic

Similar to Iris's site, you might look into visualize.me and about.me, both may be useful to you.

PurpleIT

I've been looking at putting together a site with my credentials/resume/CV and a troubleshooting blog, but like so many other people in this thread have, there is the ever-present time issue.

This would serve a couple purposes:

1 - I use Evernote to keep track of the interesting/quirky fixes I stumble across, but if I polish up my notes and share them they might help someone else out.

2 - For job hunting, this would give an idea to potential employers how I approach problem, my troubleshooting techniques, etc. I know that if I were looking to hire someone to take my place this type of information would be invaluable.

3 - Go into greater depth on some of my projects: Network maps, configuration snippets, etc that are not troubleshooting related; rather, they would high-lite my design/engineering skills.

For this to be a useful job hunting tool I would need to have my real information on it and I have to admit I am not overly excited to make the connections between my real life and my pseudonym on here (and other web sites) too public, but that may be something I just have to get over.

Dieg0M

Having a blog, full time job, family aswell as studying 20-30 hours a week is very time consuming. I put my blog in my resume and I think it's the main reason I got my current job. You must sacrifice sleep to succeed. Oh and coffee is your best friend.