To maximize the impact of your resume, be sure that the information at the top of each screen is the most important. For example, the employer will see your name which you might follow with a skill heading like the example below:

As you design your resume and hyperlinks - think of important key words to use as hyperlinks. Use key words that will grab each employer's attention and make them want to click on your hyperlink and go to that section of you resume. For example, an Electronic Technician might use these skill headings as hyperlinks to each section of his resume:

Review Home Page Resumes and See What You Think
If you are considering creating a home page resume, I encourage you to surf several home page resumes first. Using the strategies you've learned in this site - critique the resumes you find. Analyze the design, content and key word sections of each resume.

Here are a few links to home page resumes created by webmasters, designers and other high tech professionals. If you haven't yet developed web design skills don't be discouraged by how fancy these resumes are. Study the examples and incorporate small design techniques as you go. Create a resume that reflects the skills you want to market. For example, if you are an electronics technology and aren't marketing web design skills then a resume with little design elements will work fine to market your EET skills. On the other hand, if you are a web designer and are marketing such skills create a resume that markets your ability to design web pages with HTML, JAVA and other graphic software packages (and be sure to list all programs you are familiar with).

I found these web resumes under a Yahoo! Search at: Top:Computers and Internet:Internet:Employment:Individual Resumes. Due to the ever changing nature of the net some of these links may no longer exist. However, if you perform a Yahoo! search under the category just mentioned you'll find many resumes to review and get ideas from. Remember to bookmark us before you leave!

I noticed that even though this Yahoo! category lists over 100 resumes from webdesigners, they like many job seekers were misdirected in what their resume should accomplish. Since they are marketing their webdesign skills to employers their web resumes should illustrate these skills, yet of more than 100 resumes I reviewed, I found only a few that accomplished this goal. Here are several excellent examples. (Some of these resumes may not be available.)

Robinson,Monica (a more traditional resume layout but with color)

Alexander,Jennifer (opening page is very impressive but Jennifer's resume is also very well organized and includes links to client projects---my favorite!!!)

Ashman, Eric (begins with a minimalist approach and links to deeper pages)

Begg,Jennifer (love the opening page for this resume)

Chen,Helen (fun use of graphics and animation)

Glenn, John (like how John listed a variety of his skills in the left hand frame of his resume)

Contacting everyone listed above and receiving permission to link to their sites, John Glenn shared several good tips: Announce your availability on all resume posting sites but to LINK to one primary URL. This way as you find you want to make changes or update your resume you are only changing it once rather than 25-50 different times at each resume posting site. He also brought up a good point of not including your photograph due to legality. Employers (other than modeling/acting agencies, etc.) are not supposed to file resumes with photographs due to the possibility of discrimination issues. Don't share any personal viewpoints or other materials in your web home page/site that employer could find offensive or make you appear unprofessional.

Tips and Links from Lynette DeWitt on Designing Your Own Web Resume

Use A Title or Key Word Employers Will Search For
Search engines sort by your page title, URL, and HTML meta tags which can include key word sections. Overall, your page title and the words or phrases you use in it are probably the most important way to make sure an employer can find your resume. Of course, employer's won't know your name, unless you give it to them, and therefore won't find your resume by your name. For employers who don't know you imagine what words or phrases they would use to find someone with your background and skills. Using a page title of, "Network Administrator, Systems Operator, and Web Designer - Resume for Cliff Smith" will be more effective than a page title of, "Cliff Smith's Resume."

$9,000 Salary Increase
The first resume workshop in this site shows how Fran's after resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase.  Fran wanted a $33,000 Corporate Customer Representative job but her resume created an image of her being at a $20,000 to 24,000 salary level -- that's $9,000 to $13,000 beneath her goal.

What Level Does Your Resume Market You At?
If you are curious to see what level your resume is marketing you at … then be sure to read and use the graphing techniques in my first workshop.  By graphing the job titles used in Fran's resume it's easy to see why her resume failed … and once you understand this … you will understand why the majority of resumes fail.  You'll then understand how to analyze your job titles and see if you are better off using them or replacing them with skill headings that market you more effectively. 

Most People Have Job Titles that Weaken Their Image
I estimate that at least 85% of all job seekers have job titles unrelated to their current career goals … and that they are much better off using skill headings rather than job titles to land higher salaries and double and triple their interview rates.

For example, Fran had been a Directory Operator but in most people's minds that doesn't sound like she's at the level of a Corporate Customer Representative making $33,000 … that's because most people don't view directory operators as providing true customer service.  Most people say that Directory Operator sounds like someone making only $20,000.  However, by using the 12 Questions in my Proven Resumes Series, Fran wrote a new description of her duties as a Directory Operator that described her being selected out of 100 Directory Operators to provide specialized Customer Service to the Governor's Office and Political Dignitaries in the Washington State Capitol … now that information begins to change our image of Fran doesn't it?  That makes her sound much more like someone being able to command $33,000. 

Which sounds like a better match for the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative goal… her old job title of Directory Operator  … or a skill heading like Customer Service Representative to State of Washington Account.  In Fran's actual resume we used the heading of Customer Service Representative but you can see how you can play with skill headings to control and elevate your image … this is one strategy I explain in detail with examples throughout my book, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries, and one of the strongest things I can offer you as a resume writer … just in case you don't have the time or patience to write your own.

Going from 0% to 100% Interview Rate
By using skill headings that matched her goal, Fran went from a 0% interview rate to a 100% interview rate -- meaning none of her prior resumes had landed an interview but her new resume landed an interview for each position she applied for.

Click here to learn other ways we improved Fran's resume and landed her a job paying $9,000 more click here to read my first set of resume workshops!  If you've entered my site via this page, be sure to go to my home page for an overview of more than 60 Free Resume & Job Search Workshops that include tons of Resume Tips for 45 Career Fields, Job Search, Electronic Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Networking and Confidence Building strategies. 

The testimonials at the top of this page and throughout my site describe salary increases ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 and more.  Here's one of my most recent ones: 

In Summary, Electronic Formats Aren't Miracle Workers
Just like me, you'll probably find that the majority of home page resumes are very weak. As a result, many of these resumes will probably prove to be ineffective. Again, as statistics come out about the effectiveness of electronic resumes including home page resumes, success rates may appear to be low. In large part, this will probably be due to such poor resume design and content. As you've learned in these workshops my booklets can show you how to generate more interviews and higher salary offers!