Building Your Professional Presence: Creating a Website

As another school year passes and the summer begins, students and young public relations professionals may find themselves with extra time on their hands.

In between barbeques, spending time with family members, and summer jobs and internships, there could be extra hours left in your personal planner that need scheduling. What better way to spend your free time than by creating a website?

A website can be a great addition to a young public relations professional’s online presence. By having a place where your resume, clips, and portfolio pieces are all together and interwoven with your personal brand, it will be even easier to showcase your skills and experience to a potential employer.

Of course, the thought of creating a personal website can be overwhelming when first examined. Immediately, the thought of having to design, populate, and promote a page can have your head spinning a million miles a minute.

However, there are many different sites that will help you create your own website with easy navigational tools and technical support (for those of us who are not as computer savvy as we would like to be).

One such website is strikingly.com. This free option allows you to create your own page through choosing a pre-designed template.

 Once a general theme is selected, the user may add their resume, clips, and portfolio pieces through URL links or PDF documents. The user also has the option to upload photos for each section as well as to add their social media handles.

Once the user is satisfied with his or her website, they can customize their website title and URL, and it will become a published page. Of course, if changes need to be made later, the user can add or edit their website at any time.

There are many websites like strikingly.com that will help you customize your own page, and by doing research, you will be able to find a website that will suit your needs.

Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to expand your professional outreach!

Written by Executive Board member Maggie Wurst.