Create a Personal Homepage

Personal Homepage

Putting your information on a website under yourname.com is  worth it just to have some real estate on the web and make it easier for hiring managers to 
 - find you, 
 - learn about you, and 
 -  get in touch with you.

# Elevator Pitch
Right off the bat, when people land on your site, you want them to understand 
 - who you are, 
 - what you do, and 
 - what you’re looking for.
Somewhere that’s easily accessible (your home page or “about” page), include a summary—no more than two to three paragraphs long—laying out the most important things about you. This includes 
 - major companies you’ve worked for, 
 - projects you’ve worked on that you’re most proud of, 
 - your “superpower” as a professional, and 
 - even a little personality.
Imagine people coming to your site and only reading this one section. What would you want them to take away? "I want them to take away ... " 

### You, Remembered.
https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-tell-people-what-you-doand-be-remembered
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." --Maya Angelou

People rarely remember the microscopic details of what, exactly, you do but they will *always* remember how you made them feel.

Make them *feel* something. 

In order to write a job description that people will actually read, listen to, and remember
Use phrases like
 - “But really…”
 - “Which really means…”
 - “Basically? It’s all about…”
 - “Which is a fancy way of saying…”
 to get straight to the emotional core of what you do, and why.
 
The people you’re connecting with will probably bounce back with a few questions. They may need a bit of clarification. They might request a simple run-down of your skills and credentials.

But one thing’s for sure: You’ll spark a new feeling. And you won’t be forgotten.


### Avoid Your Life Story
While you want to tell an engaging story on your site, you’re not writing your autobiography here!
Just like hiring managers don’t spend much time on your resume, there’s a good chance that people visiting your personal website aren’t going to spend hours clicking around.

Keep it short and snappy. People will get much more from two well-written paragraphs than they will from skimming over two pages.

# You, Visualized
Remember that your personal site shouldn’t just be pages full of text: your resume and cover letter handle that. Instead, find ways to visualize yourself and your accomplishments. 
 - create a simple logo that represents you and what you do,
 - including a professional photo of yourself,
 - create icons or an infographic to represent your accomplishments
Up the imagery and cut down on the words on your site. It will make your site look beautiful—and make you more memorable.
Use Squarespace’s logo designer (http://squarespace.com/logo/?channel=display&subchannel=themuse&source=us&campaign=campaign1_logo&subcampaign=personal) 
or pull images from one of these sites (https://medium.com/@dustin/stock-photos-that-dont-suck-62ae4bcbe01b), 
which offer beautiful, free images to anyone.




Example: 
> As an Editor at The Daily Muse, Erin has an unhealthy adoration of taking sentences and making them shine. In her search to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, Erin journeyed to the Galapagos to try her hand at environmental filmmaking, jetted to Copenhagen to study Urban Design, and spent hours in the kitchen contemplating quitting it all for culinary school. Follow her continued adventures at eringreenawald.com or on Twitter @erinaceously.
http://www.eringreenawald.com/

Source: Erin Greenawald, *6 Things You Should Put on Your Personal Website—and 6 Things to Avoid at All Costs*, https://www.themuse.com/advice/6-things-you-should-put-on-your-personal-websiteand-6-things-to-avoid-at-all-costs