Jenna Frye

Resumes and cover letters are no longer good enough. I’m still trying to figure out the art of job-searching, but I have learned the more you can offer a potential employer, the better. The best way to catch attention and showcase your skills and talent is with a portfolio website.

I’ve had a lot of compliments and requests for help regarding my portfolio website and I’m proud of it! I have a lot of fun creating and updating it, so I recommend creating one for yourself, especially if you’re like me—college-educated and seeking an entry-level job. I list mine right on my resume (and hopefully someday soon, I’ll have a success story to share because it).

Every new grad and job seeker should have a portfolio website for these reasons:

• It gives an insight to your personality that an employer would otherwise miss out on before an interview.
• You can post writing and design samples for employers to view without asking and having to wait for your response.
• You can tie all of your social media accounts—LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook—together so you’re easier to find.
• You can showcase your talent, skills and knowledge with your blog.
• Lastly, it gives you an edge on competition!

I don’t mind sharing my secrets (because it’s not really hard to figure out anyway once you’re given the proper tools!)

Here are the steps to make one:

• Use a website creation tool such as Weebly, Wordpress or Tumblr. I use Weebly for my main website because it has simple drag and drop features for ease in adding pictures, text, files and custom html.
• Buy a domain name. I used GoDaddy. Both Weebly and GoDaddy have how-to’s so you can point your domain to your website.
• Set up your blog page. You can do this with Weebly too, but I used Tumblr so it’s easier for others to “follow me.” I created pages to redirect back to my website and vice versa.
• Track your visitors so you know you’re getting views by using Google Analytics.

Good luck, friends!