Since this is a blog, I can take my time and write specific posts for specific types of people.

Today, I’ll begin to explain how a total newbie (you?) can set up their own website and host their html resume online for the world to see. There’s two basic steps you need to follow before you can actually follow my original instructions. In this post I’ll cover the first step and in my next post I’ll follow up on this one.

As The Muppets once sang… Moving right along…

Step 1. Registering A Domain Name For Your HTML Resume

The first step in setting up any website is to first get a domain name. Your domain name is the unique address of your website on the Internet. When deciding what domain name to register, keep it simple and just use your full name.

As you’ve no doubt noticed, the name of this site is htmlresume.com because the topic of this site is based on the keyword “html resume”. It only makes sense to use your full name since you and your resume will be the topic of your website. I don’t think “Bob’s Wacky Site O’ Fun” would be a good name to use if you want people to take your resume seriously.

Now that you’ve got an idea of what you’ll use as your web address, it’s time to register that name.

To register a domain name, you head on over to a “domain registrar” and start an account. The account is free — registering a domain name is not. You’ll pay an annual fee to the registrar for the right to use that name. Don’t worry, this part isn’t that expensive, especially if you use a registrar service like Namecheap to register your domain name. They’re the only people I use and trust.

Note: Simply registering a domain name does not get you a website — It’s just a name and only a name. It’s sort of like being assigned a telephone number, you still need somewhere to receive phone calls or something to receive it with.

When registering your name, you’ll get a choice of domain name extensions – stick to these 3 choices: .com, .net, or .org for your site name. Choosing a .biz, .us, .me or any extension other than the 3 mentioned just looks cheesy.

In the next post we’ll cover Step 2: Getting A Hosting Company. See you then!

Today I’m glad to say I can give you a free HTML Resume Template.

Now it might not be as fancy as an Online Portfolio Site — but it’s free! It’s a very simple 1 page HTML Resume Template that will get the job done… and hopefully help you get a job.

First, you simply unzip the file and edit the information to reflect your job history

Next, if you already have your own domain and hosting for your site, upload the contents (not the folder itself–just what’s inside) to the root of your domain. That’s it!

If you don’t like the “fancy schmancy” background picture on the HTML Resume Template, you can delete it from the folder before uploading it and you’ll have a plain white background.

Most folks don’t see the hiring process as a “sales process” and the fact is… that’s exactly what it is. You’re literally selling the value you provide to each potential employer who sees your resume. Your resume is your foot in the door for potential career opportunities.

Many job seekers are creating web-ready online resumes and portfolios to increase their chances of being discovered or as a place to refer an employer who might want to see more than what is usually found in a resume.

If you’re not already familiar with HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), it’s basically a programming language used to make web pages that are hosted online.

Hosting your resume online offers these unique benefits:

• You can easily email a link to it to potential employers
• It’s online and working for you 24/7
• It’s easily bookmarked and shared by anyone who stumbles onto it
• It sets you apart from all the other people who are still using old-fashioned paper resumes
• It can be printed out and kept for later viewing by a potential employer

Even if you’re not a “techie”, building your first html resume is not as difficult as it sounds — HTML is relatively easy to understand and simple to learn fast. And if you were to build an online resume from scratch, you’d only need to know just a few codes to create something presentable enough to get you a job.

There’s 2 Different Flavors of HTML Resume

The most basic and widely used type of HTML Resume would be a 1 Page HTML Resume. These are as simple as they sound — just picture your paper resume on your computer screen. That’s all it really is.

Anybody could design one of these in a day and have it online almost immediately.

However, in an online resume, you’re not limited by space — you could build an entire website dedicated to different projects you’ve worked on and have separate sections for each.

You could simply upload your resume as part of your website and enable your clients to learn more about you and your work.

Even better: An HTML version of your resume works particularly well for persons in the visual arts or programming — it’s like a one-two punch where you list your experience… and back it up by showing your skill by linking to it.

HTML formatting truly benefits those who need more of a visually-oriented portfolio, but it could serve anyone, provided it is done right.

With an Online Portfolio Resume, you can include photographs, links to other Web sites, design/layout graphics, streaming video, and just about anything you’ve seen on other internet sites.

This kind of resume is especially useful for self-employed contractors who work on a project by project basis.

And now you know what an HTML Resume and Online Portfolio is. Later on we’ll get into how you’ll use one.

On this site you’ll discover the benefits and the how-to knowledge you need to get your HTML Resume in front of more eyes so you can be picky about which job you choose. You’ll also find out how to set up your own person Online Portfolio or Resume… even if you know nothing about site design!

Welcome aboard!