I recently upgraded my website (www.robinresumes.com) and am delighted with the results produced by the website developers I chose. If you are a website developer or website designer, whether freelance or full-time employee, here are the 5 most important concepts to understand when writing your resume:
- DIY website design and development is your biggest competitor. To convince someone to avoid do-it-yourself, you have to include key technical and managerial skills that a DIYer might not have and might not even know are important, such as cybersecurity and analytics.
- Technology can be daunting. That is why—and I cannot say this often enough—you have to stress accomplishments when discussing your technical skills. What have your websites enabled your clients/companies to achieve: more conversions, better data, increased views, faster communications?
- Mini case histories add credibility to your resume. Use the context/challenge/action/results format. By explaining the context (a situation that demanded action), challenge (what you were asked to do), action (steps you took), and results (the effect), you quickly give future clients and employers insight into your abilities and accomplishments.
- Believe that clients and employers know what they are looking for. Listen carefully to your past clients to find out what they appreciate most about your services. Read advertisements and postings to find out what employers want most. Then craft your resume to honestly highlight those results, skills, certifications, career milestones, and educational achievements. Remember, too, that clients and employers are always interested in value-added.
- Showing is as important as telling. Make sure your own website and online presence reflect the advice you are giving your clients. No one is going to hire a website developer or website designer who is unable to take advantage of the internet.
As someone with a strong technical background, I fully appreciate the work of website developers and website designers. As a professional resume writer and career coach, I also appreciate the limitations of do-it-yourself—professional skills charge up resumes just as they charge up websites. I look forward to hearing your comments about my new, professionally designed and developed website.