An online resume is a web page which is hosted on the Internet and contains keywords in both visible and invisible areas of the page to maximize its ability to be found by common Search Engines i.e. (Google, Yahoo, Excite, etc...). Special formatting guidelines apply to online resumes which do not apply to other types of resumes.

Using the proper tools to create your online resume, and knowing how to get your web page resume on the Internet, are important factors for your success.

Tools of the trade:

Common software programs for creating web pages & web resumes are Macromedia Dreamweaver, Microsoft FrontPage, Homesite, and Adobe Go-Live. For the Tech Savvy folks, these are named "HTML Editors" which function much like a word processing program by allowing a user to either type and format their web resume from scratch, or copy & paste their already completed resume from another program into a blank web page. By using an HTML Editor, the user avoids learning details of web page programming and can focus on making their resume look good.

Although web pages can be created using word processing programs like Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect, results are may often be unpredictable. To ensure that an employer can find your resume and can view your resume as it is intend it to appear, it is best to use an HTML editor to create your online resume.

Put your resume online:

• UWRF Students: all current UWRF students have limited Internet space through UW-River Falls, and may contact IT Services regarding placing their web pages on that Internet space. The IT web site offers assistance www.UWRF.edu/its.
• Non-Students: limited Internet space is typically available through your Internet service provider (ISP), which is included in your monthly Internet service fee. Contact your ISP for more information.

Online resume formatting guidelines:

• So that employers may contact you, provide an e-mail address at the bottom of each page.
• Provide no mail or phone contact information regarding yourself or your references.
• Include only contact name, company, and title if you provide names of your references.
• Use tables to adjust web page content layout. Do not use layers.
• Do not use banners.
• For employer-friendly printing, provide a .PDF version of your resume. Web page resumes print awkwardly.
• Provide examples of paper documents or other documents as .PDF files.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader is required software for employers to view .PDF files. If examples of your work are in .PDF format, provide a link to where an employer may download Acrobat Reader for free.
• If multimedia is used i.e. (videos or sound), provide a link to where an employer may download a free free tool for viewing that multimedia.
• Set multimedia to not play automatically. Give a viewer the option of playing the multimedia file.
• Password protecting or securing your online resume behind a firewall and encryption defeats the purpose of having an online resume, as it will not be found using search engines.
• For companies where you have worked, if they possess web sites, you may link to those web sites from your online resume.

Keywords - getting your online resume noticed:

Employers use keywords when using search engines to find candidate web page resumes or portfolios. Different search engines look for web pages in different ways. All search engines search for web sites using keywords, yet some search for keywords in web page titles, some search page keywords, some search page descriptions, and some search web page content. Most search engines use a combination of these techniques, so an effective online resume will scatter keywords throughout these four parts of a web page to maximize potential page hits.

Updating a page TITLE using an HTML editor: The web page title is the name of a page which appears in the very top-left corner of a web browser. When "Bookmarking" a web page, or when adding a page to "Favorites", the page title is automatically included as a reference for users to return to that page in the future.

• FrontPage: right-click in a blank area of the page and select "Page Properties". Enter a descriptive title.
• Dreamweaver: see the "Title:" field at the top of your page. Enter a descriptive title.

Updating web page KEYWORDS using an HTML editor: Web page keywords are inserted invisibly as "meta tags" into the "Head" of a web page. Viewers do not see keywords, but search engines do. To be effective, use as many keywords and variations of keywords as possible.

• FrontPage: File pulldown + "Properties". New prompt - click on "Custom" tab. In the "User Variables" section click on "Add..." button. New prompt - in the "Name" field, type the word "Keywords". In the "Values:" field, type keywords & variation of keywords separated with a comma. You are not limited to the amount of keywords that you add.
• Dreamweaver: Insert pulldown + Head Tags + Keywords. In the "Content Field," type keywords & variation of keywords separated with a comma. You are not limited to the amount of keywords that you add.

Updating web page DESCRIPTION using an HTML editor: A page description describes the web page in paragraph format when that page is found using a search engine.

• FrontPage: File pulldown + "Properties". New prompt - click on "Custom" tab. In the "User Variables" section click on "Add..." button. New prompt - in the "Name" field, type the word "Description". In the "Values:" field, type a description for your resume web page (Example: Web designer with 3.5 years background in building e- commerce web sites seeking a position in Minneapolis Minnesota as a webmaster).
• Dreamweaver: Insert pulldown + Head Tags + Description. In the "Description" field, type type a description for your resume web page (Example: Web designer with 3.5 years background in building e-commerce web sites seeking a position in Minneapolis Minnesota as a webmaster).

Publishing your web site:

Some search engines "crawl" to find new web sites, like your online resume, while other search engines require that you publish your site with them before your resume may be found using their search engine.