In addition to the mini-newsletter we discussed earlier, another tool you may want to consider creating is a professional career web site— whether you're in transition or not. A career web site can take several forms, depending on how technically inclined you are and how often you'll want to update it.

One option is a static web site, which can act as an online repository for several of your Job Search Survival Toolkit documents, such as your professional biography, accomplishment stories, and resume. This type of web site is built once and remains fairly static, requiring the least amount of maintenance or updating. You may want a professional web designer or friend who knows the Web to set up a web site for you. Other options include using template-based, type-and-go web sites available from online providers such as Go Daddy (www.godaddy.com) and Network Solutions (www.networksolutions.com). Another excellent resource is VisualCV (www.visualcv.com), which lets you build a professional-looking web presence around your resume and credentials. The best part about VisualCV is that the service is free.

At the other end of the spectrum, if you want to keep things extremely simple and easy to update whenever you like, consider setting up a blog for your career transition. The word "blog" is short for "web log," and it can act as both an online journal and a venue in which to share your professional expertise, opinions, and resources. The leading blog software, Blogger (www.blogger.com), is free, very simple to setup, and is owned by Google. Another popular blogging tool is TypePad (www.typepad.com).

On the following page are examples of both a career web site and a simple career blog.

Sample: Career Transition Web Site

Sample: Career Transition Blog