7 Dos and Don'ts of a Professional Web Site

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- More and more companies are turning away from traditional resumes and looking at your online presence instead to vet you for a possible job. As such, having your own Web site can increase your chances of scoring a position.

"Employers are moving away from a one-dimensional to two-dimensional resume to a three-dimensional approach," says Bruce Hurwitz, president of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing in New York, referring to an individual Web presence. "It's good to have one now. In 10 years, probably everyone will need one."

A Web site will only help if it's created correctly, though. Here's what to do -- and what not to do -- when putting yours together.

Having your own Web site can be a boon for job hunters, but employers want to see you can do it right.

Do keep it simple
"Think of it as the first sample of work they're going to see from you," says Carolyn Hughes, vice president of people at SimplyHired.com. "You want it to be easy to navigate and very organized."

You also want to make sure all of your contact information is readily available in the work you are using the Web site to showcase.

"Integrate other channels as well," says Samantha Zupan, spokeswoman for job search engine Glassdoor.com. "Put up links to your Twitter handle and LinkedIn(LNKD) profile."

... But don't phone it in
Like a quality resume, the Web site should be devoid of typos and misspellings, clutter and inaccurate or misleading information. It should also illustrate that some time and effort was put into the formatting, which means those who don't know anything about making a Web site shouldn't try to do so on their own, says Jason Carney, director of human resources at WorkSmart Systems, a human resources outsourcing firm.