CONTROL OVER YOUR IMAGE Employers almost always run a search online for their job candidates. Try it. Run a google search on your name inside quotes i.e. "Viana Maya", and see what you get. Do you like it all? Does it look impressive? Is there anything there at all that relates to you? Does someone with the exact same name have pictures of themselves being carried out of El Barrio with one shoe missing and green vomit stains all down their front giving the camera the finger in 2015? Even worse, is it you?
Take control of what you want to share by directing people to YOUR own website. Hopefully, that'll satisfy their curiosity.
REACH It might not seem important now but reach could help you later down the line. Genuine reach (contacts achieved organically) takes time and is more valuable than paid for numbers. More connections means more opportunities and a better impression.
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD A website can help show your uniqueness and how much better you are than the competition. They're rubbish compared to you but no-one knows it. Adapt it when you are applying for a new role so that your past experience, projects, volunteering etc. is more relevant. It can be like a CV, a digital portfolio, or a full on booking site and, if done well, can pull in the viewer using images, evidence of work, testimonials, collaborations - whatever you can think of that would make someone pay attention ( in a positive way!)
GENERATE A LITTLE EXTRA INCOME
If you have enough traffic to your website you could make some cash through incentives from adverts. The higher your website traffic, then the more extra cash. But that's for later and requires effort and investment to generate the kind of traffic that could make any serious income.
A website can be changed quickly with a one button click changing the whole format or design. If the one you have is not working for you then it's easy to take a risk and be bold.
MORE TIPS
Use high quality photos. This will be the first impression your web visitors (aka potential employers / customers) will have of you.
Don't crowd the page with too much content. Only include what you'd really want people to see e.g. a short bio, CV summary, outstanding achievements,awards etc. But keep it relevant.
GETTING STARTED
Learning HTML, CSS & JavaScript takes time. It's useful and fun but you'd be better starting with a drag and drop service such as WordPress or Wix (which we use). You'll also need hosting which can be free if you don't mind service branding all over it or you can have your own branding which does cost quite a bit.
There are also lots of free tools out there to help with design or you can Google search "best personal websites" to get design inspiration. Take time on this first step. It might also be worth checking out some of these links for what NOT to do.
To get you started we are running workshops this week. So come and book in.
References:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurencebradford/2016/09/27/3-reasons-why-you-need-a-website/
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