Job search expert Susan Joyce wrote an article about “What 80% Of Employers Do Before Inviting You for an Interview.” In her report, Joyce said that 80% of employers Google the candidates of a job before calling them for an interview.

Resumes, CVs, cover letters, personal statements, and any form of job application can only say so much about you. The facts and information in the resume are merely theoretical; ink on paper, if you may. And when it comes to employers, they want to see the application of all the skills and talents you claim that you have.

Nowadays, employers and HR managers have no time for a long hiring process that would eventually end up in rejection. Or even if they do have the time, they would rather spend it on something more practical and beneficial. So, they spend this time looking you up on the internet.

Now let us be straightforward; you will not be giving them a good impression if they Google you and find only photos on your Instagram account of your friend or family outings. Or if they see your Facebook or Twitter account that you only use to post memes and dark humor. Employers will be looking for tangible evidence of your skills. This is where having your own website comes in handy.

How Does Having a Website Help You?

Students started following the trend of creating their websites. And we can safely say that this is such a good trend. Here is why:

Get a job easily

First and foremost, your website will help you in your job seeking. It will serve as an online portfolio for your resume and all the needed documents to prove your skills; you can upload your photography, writings, artwork, music compositions, physical or technological achievements, and anything you want to show.
Since we have mentioned before that 80% of employers Google you before inviting you to an interview, imagine how impressed they would be if Google shows up a website with your name, showcasing all of your achievements.

Speaking of names, this leads us to the next point.

Create your brand

When you create a portfolio website, the best thing to do is name it according to your first and last name or the name you will use to apply to jobs. This is how it will help you:

• You will have your own brand -  as an artist, fashionista, photographer, engineer, or anything else, you will have a brand name that belongs to you. And, who knows? Maybe one day it will become a global brand!
• You will get more clicks – Search Engine Watch proved that when people Google something, the first result gets 32.5% clicks compared to the second result that gets 17.6%, and the percentage goes down considerably with every lower rank.

So, if your website has your name, it will be the first thing to show up when employers look you up, giving you more clicks and pushing you into a higher rank on Google. A higher rank on Google means more visibility for you, which increases your chances of attracting people to your website. So, more chances of success for you!

Make connections

When you create your website as a student, you will start making connections with people already in the labor market. This will help you after graduation because if there are people who already know your potential, it will be easy for you to get a job through their referrals.

Be in control

Don’t you think that sometimes job interviews or pre-hiring tests can be a little unfair? You might be the right person for the job, with vast knowledge, but the hiring process might do you wrong with irrelevant questions and requirements.

If you have a website, you’re completely in control of what you show to employers. You can show off the talents, skills, and achievements that you think can help you get your dream job.

Protect your work

Hosting services offer high levels of security to protect your work; everything on your website and everything they have on their database for you will be hack-proof. Besides, having a website with your name is like copyrighting your work. So, it is always safer to have your work on a website than to display it on social media where anyone can steal or plagiarize it.

Gain money

You read that correctly. If you have a website that showcases your work, you can start taking commissions. Someone might see your work and “book you.” So, you will start working (in your field of knowledge, too) and making money while still being a student.

Sounds great, right? But where should you start?

Creating Your Website: A Step-by-Step Guide

The beauty of making a website lies in the simplicity of the process.

Choose a web hosting service

It all begins here. You need to find a good web hosting service, and then you’re pretty much all set. Is it really this easy? Well, yes, because the web hosting service will take it from there and do the hard job for you.

With tens of hosting services on the market, each claiming they offer the best service, it can be a little challenging to choose the best one. However, we’re glad to tell you that website-building experts have rated and ranked the top web hosting services of 2021 for you to pick and choose.

Choose a domain name

After choosing a web hosting service, you will head right into creating your website. The first step is to choose a domain name. As advised above, you can put your first and last name as your domain name (e.g., yourname/.com).

Pick a theme

Most web hosting services have a wide variety of themes you can choose from according to your needs (and aesthetics, of course).

Upload your work

Start classifying your website into different categories; for example, you can make a home page, a page for your resume, a page to showcase your work, and a page for commissions.

Launch your website

Your website is ready! You can launch it and get yourself in the market.

While creating your website, everything will be easy as the hosting service will guide you through every step of the way. You will be asked questions to customize your website. You will also receive help in creating your logo, theme, images, and everything you need to make the perfect website.

You will also always have access to customer support and experts’ help. Most hosting services offer help through phone calls, chat, Twitter, knowledge bases, and FAQs pages.

Hosting services do the heavy lifting for you. First, they create and customize your website, and even after doing so, they will always be there for you if you need any help.

What are you waiting for? Find the best web hosting deals and offers that fit your needs, and start creating your website right now!