Re: resume on a web page

[Alexia Prendergast <alexiap -at- SEAGATESOFTWARE -dot- COM>]

Sorry for the empty e-mail last time, folks! My fingers are faster than
I am today.

Re: resumes on the web... I'd say it depends.

1. Who are you trying to reach? Web resumes probably go over better with
software development companies who are on the bleeding edge (or other
high-tech companies or Internet-savvy wannabes).

2. Is it your only resume? Or is it a supplementary source of info?
Using both traditional hardcopy and web is probably a safer bet. You
please the people who like hardcopy and you please the people who like
online. You show (to some degree) that you can handle different mediums.
You are not totally at the mercy of your web server if it goes down or
slows down. Also, remember that out of sight is out of mind. When I've
got 60 gazillion things to do, I'll be more likely to remember the
hardcopy resume that I have to shuffle around on my desk than the one I
bookmarked in my browser.

3. Is the web page accessible by all browsers, designed well, and
indexed with the major search engines?

4. Is it well-written (obviously applies to all mediums)?

5. Are you planning on directing people to the page or are you waiting
for people to search and find you? Personally, I don't search for
writers on the web. But others do. The hits I get from my page are
generally from non-writers who work for companies or departments without
their own writers. I posted my page when I was going to go independent a
while back-- I still get requests from it. (For some reason, it seems to
appeal especially to Australian lawyers -- don't know if that's a good
thing or a bad thing. ;-)

Most of my comments apply to situations where you are applying for a
particular job. If you are looking to advertise and generate business
off of the web, I'd definitely design a web site rather than put a
resume directly online (unless you are including your page in a resume
search site).

Of course, you will have hiring managers who feel completely differently
about everything I've mentioned... being conservative in your content
and design and being versatile in providing different formats is
probably your safest bet. (Hey, it's not often people can accuse me of
being conservative!)

My somewhat disorganized thoughts for the day,
A.
--
Alexia Prendergast
Tech Pubs Manager
Seagate Software (Durham, NC, USA)
mailto:alexiap -at- seagatesoftware -dot- com

> -----Original Message-----
> I am an English graduate student thinking about doing contracting
> technical
> writing part-time soon and full-time after graduation.  How effective
> is
> having your resume on a web page?
>

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