TheCareerGrid

Guys… what if instead of sending just a CV or LinkedIn profile, we sent a short talent profile and included a simple website for people to review?

I don’t mean a huge site or a personal rebrand exercise. I mean one place that explains you properly, beyond job titles and dates, and gives context to the experience you’ve built over time.

Most career conversations still start the same way. Someone opens a CV. Someone clicks a LinkedIn profile. They skim roles, companies, timelines. That still matters, but it rarely tells the full story, especially once you’re no longer early in your career. At mid-career, people aren’t just assessing what you’ve done. They’re trying to understand how you think, what you’re trusted with, and where you actually add value now.

That’s become even more important as career visibility changes. Opportunities don’t always start with a formal job application anymore. They often begin with someone asking, “Who should we speak to about this?” or “Who has experience with this kind of problem?” Increasingly, those questions are being filtered through AI-assisted search, recommendations, and summaries that look for patterns, clarity, and evidence of expertise — not just a list of roles.

CVs and LinkedIn profiles weren’t designed for that kind of interpretation. They’re still essential parts of any job search or career strategy, but they act more like snapshots. They show history and credibility. What they don’t always provide is context.

This is where a personal website can add real value, without creating extra work.

A simple website gives you a stable place to explain what you’re known for, how you approach your work, and the problems you solve best. It connects the dots between roles instead of listing them one by one. It gives humans, and AI systems, something tangible to reference when deciding whether you’re relevant to a conversation, a role, or an opportunity.

There is a limitation here, and it’s worth noting.

A personal website works best when you’re clear on the kind of work you want to be known for. It’s one narrative and one positioning. If you’re actively applying for very different roles at the same time, a website shouldn’t replace tailored CVs. You still need to adapt your CV to match the role you’re applying for.

That’s not a downside. It’s actually a strength of this approach.

Your CV should be flexible and role specific. Your website should be stable. The website anchors your personal brand and career story, while your CV does the tactical work of aligning your experience to specific job requirements.

When used this way, a website isn’t a replacement for LinkedIn or your CV. It’s an extra layer. A modern talent profile that adds depth, clarity, and ownership to your career positioning.

Instead of sending only a CV or expecting someone to piece together your value from a LinkedIn scroll, you’re offering a clearer picture. Here’s my experience, and here’s how I think.

At mid-career and beyond, careers aren’t assessed purely on chronology anymore. They’re assessed on judgement, relevance, clarity, authority and trust. The people who stand out aren’t doing more. They’re explaining themselves better.

And honestly? I might just trial this myself. Not as a big announcement or a rebrand, but as an experiment. Because if I’m encouraging professionals to rethink how they show up and build career insurance, it makes sense to test it in my own career too.

Have a workplace or career-related question for the team at TheCareerGrid? We’d love to hear from you. You can reach us at info@thecareergrid.com

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