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Ask HN: What are some resume/portfolio style webpages you like?

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Ask HN: What are some resume/portfolio style webpages you like?

#1

Post by kqr »

I am starting to think more and more that I should maintain my resume on the web rather than with desktop publishing tools, simply because of its dynamic nature. However, I'm also a firm believer that when choosing a medium, you should take full advantage of it and not just translate things over with no consideration for the differences. In other words, what neat things can you do with an HTML resume that you can't with a PDF?

Things I have thought of:

- Update it frequently - Conveniently link to projects - Make it small-screen responsive - Serve plaintext when curling it - Provide details on demand

Things you lose:

- Control over typography - Ensuring it fits neatly on a printed page

Any more tips for inspiration?

Re: Ask HN: What are some resume/portfolio style webpages you like?

#4

Post by tomahony »

A portfolio page is very different to a resume page. Your portfolio is your professional landing page. It might include a blog, relevant profile links, recent projects etc.. A resume _could_ be a part of this, but it's only one part of many. A portfolio is generally intended to drive traffic. For example, if you begin blogging about a particular technology, you can expect to start getting traffic from people searching that technology. This might lead to recruitement and inquiries. You will generally want to it show first on Google when someone searches your name.

If you just want a single-page resume, you don't need to do anything as fancy. Create an index.html and get a nice clean stylesheet to format it. Host it for free on S3 and off you go. I wouldn't overthink the "features". Who is going to CURL your resume?

For reference, I have a pretty active portfolio site that receives a lot of traffic via the blog from Google:

- https://timmyomahony.com

Re: Ask HN: What are some resume/portfolio style webpages you like?

#5

Post by kqr »

onion2k wrote: post #2

- Control over typography - Ensuring it fits neatly on a printed page CSS gives you a huge amount of control over both of these things.

Compared to desktop publishing software? Would not say so.

No intention of diminishing the great things about modern CSS, just stating it for what it is.

Re: Ask HN: What are some resume/portfolio style webpages you like?

#6

Post by laurentl »

If you're a (junior) front-end developer, then use the website to show off your skills. In other words make it responsive, accessible, use js libraries _when it makes sense to do so_, maybe some visual bling (background effects, scroll snap, a nice design). Https obviously, clean css, small page size, must load quickly.

The reason I'm recommending this: I recently looked for a junior web developer, in the zero-to-little experience range (combined work & school curriculum). I received more than 50 CVs, all stating that they were fluent in HTML/CSS/js. Less than 10 of these had personal web page links. I looked at all of these web pages, and they were a big factor in who got an interview. Off the top of my head, I don't think we interviewed a single person who didn't have a personal resume/portfolio webpage, because we already had a pool of candidates who demonstrated that they had an actual practical experience of building a web site.

Re: Ask HN: What are some resume/portfolio style webpages you like?

#8

Post by kqr »

tomahony wrote: post #4

A portfolio page is very different to a resume page. Your portfolio is your professional landing page. It might include a blog, relevant profile links, recent projects etc.. A resume _could_ be a part of this, but it's only one part of many. A portfolio is generally intended to drive traffic. For example, if you begin blogging about a particular technology, you can expect to start getting traffic from people searchin…

Thank you for your comments. I'm a bit undecided as to what the purpose of the site I'm planning is. Part resume, yes, but also sort of a business card, with links to my things in a central place.

Yours is a very appealing site. Thank you for sharing.

Re: Ask HN: What are some resume/portfolio style webpages you like?

#9

Post by kqr »

chris__butters wrote: post #3

Most recruiters still need your CV/Resume in a PDF or Word doc so it can be scanned by their software. This is mine [ https://code-designs.co.uk/ ] it's fairly minimalist with a single typeface so the focus is on the content not the design.

Interesting choice of aesthetic. Are you not worried it will look unstructured to the first time visitor?

Re: Ask HN: What are some resume/portfolio style webpages you like?

#10

Post by kqr »

laurentl wrote: post #6

If you're a (junior) front-end developer, then use the website to show off your skills. In other words make it responsive, accessible, use js libraries _when it makes sense to do so_, maybe some visual bling (background effects, scroll snap, a nice design). Https obviously, clean css, small page size, must load quickly. The reason I'm recommending this: I recently looked for a junior web developer, in the zero-to-lit…

All the things you mention are boxes I intend to tick. But I'm not really interested in junior web dev roles; I'm more of an algorithms kind of a person. The reason for making a good web page is more to indicate that I am as much of an allrounder as I say, that I attention to details, and that I care about communication.
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