I made a new resume site for myself. I can't stand looking at it any more but want to make one more round of edits if need be. What do you think?
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Comments on my new site 1
- Thread starter okpeery
- Start date
I just looked for a second but the 2 main things that I noticed are:
[ol]
[li]When hovering over one of the menu items in the navigation bar, the orange color is hard to read on the orange background, maybe get a color that stands out a bit more?[/li]
[li]The navigation bar has rounded corners on the left side and not on the right side. I understand that this is probably giving the feeling that it is attached or coming out of the content div, but since you put the gray space between them they have a feeling of seperation - and for that reason I would probably put the round borders on all corners of the navigation bar because it seems like it's own element.[/li]
[/ol]
-kaht
[small]How spicy do you want your chang sauce?[/small]
![[banghead]](/data/assets/smilies/banghead.gif "[banghead] [banghead]")
[ol]
[li]When hovering over one of the menu items in the navigation bar, the orange color is hard to read on the orange background, maybe get a color that stands out a bit more?[/li]
[li]The navigation bar has rounded corners on the left side and not on the right side. I understand that this is probably giving the feeling that it is attached or coming out of the content div, but since you put the gray space between them they have a feeling of seperation - and for that reason I would probably put the round borders on all corners of the navigation bar because it seems like it's own element.[/li]
[/ol]
-kaht
[small]How spicy do you want your chang sauce?[/small]
To add to kaht's comment, when rolling over the link "Related Experience" it appears that those are two seperate links but they are in fact one link, I think the extra space tag gives off that impression.
You're using two vivid fore-ground colors (green and orange) but a real dull background color, try to use another color in the bg that isn't too distracting. Use white and see what the results would be.
Might want to add like a logo or an image for more of a live look and feel.
____________________________________
Just Imagine.
You're using two vivid fore-ground colors (green and orange) but a real dull background color, try to use another color in the bg that isn't too distracting. Use white and see what the results would be.
Might want to add like a logo or an image for more of a live look and feel.
____________________________________
Just Imagine.
- Thread starter
- #4
I was thinking with the rollover color that I just wanted to call attention to the link and that the user probably already read it in black so if it is not very clear in orange it would be okay. I'm new at this second guessing users thing.
I don't see the related experience problem you are talking about. I changed my resolution to 800x600 to see if that forced related experience onto 2 lines and that is not what happened. I'm guessing that since it is a list that if a browser forces a break between the words it wold look like 2 different links. I can't make that happen though so I can devise a fix.
I like the background color, but I udnerstand it is dull. I think adding a logo of some sort would make the page pop a little. Thaks for the insights
I don't see the related experience problem you are talking about. I changed my resolution to 800x600 to see if that forced related experience onto 2 lines and that is not what happened. I'm guessing that since it is a list that if a browser forces a break between the words it wold look like 2 different links. I can't make that happen though so I can devise a fix.
I like the background color, but I udnerstand it is dull. I think adding a logo of some sort would make the page pop a little. Thaks for the insights
Additionally, you have links in the main content area on the education page, but they are not styled any differently than the rest of the text. You might want to give them a bit more distinction as being links because I didn't even realize they were till I rolled over them.
-kaht
[small]How spicy would you like your chang sauce? Oh man... I have no idea whats goin on right now...[/small]
-kaht
[small]How spicy would you like your chang sauce? Oh man... I have no idea whats goin on right now...[/small]
- Thread starter
- #6
I don't want underlined text for my navigation. I think it is obvious what it is. I would like to add an underline to the links in my content div. I tried doing this to no avail and I put it after the regular a rules in my stylesheet.
I've been working too long on this and it is probably something simple.
Code:
a div#content{text-decoration: underline;}I've been working too long on this and it is probably something simple.
-
1
- #8
The other guys seem to have picked the bones out of the visual aspects your current design, but I think there's a fundamental flaw with its functionality.
Maybe schools is the US are a lot more technically advanced than we are over here, but I bet their appointment processes tend to involve paper documents more than on-screen ones - so you need to make it simple to print out your full resume from the online version.
One way of doing this would be to put the whole resume in a single document, with all but one section set to [tt]display: none[/tt]. Your menu then uses Javascript to display/hide the relevant sections. You can then write a print stylesheet that displays all the sections and hides the menu.
In terms of content, the whole thing seems rather disjointed - you seem to have done a lot of jobs, and a lot of qualifications in a short space of time, and it's difficult to see how they all gel together. Maybe you need to add a little more narrative? It doesn't help that some pages start with the oldest event and work towards the newest, whilst others do the opposite.
If I were a potential employer, two things in there could make me nervous: you've taught in six different schools in as many years - why? You need to explain this, as the potential explanation I might guess at is probably worse than the true one (again, I'm basing my opinion on UK teaching practice - maybe it's a more nomadic profession in the States). I might also wonder if you could fully devote yourself to my school and co-own a gallery at the same time - if you're going to mention this at all, you might want to spell out how much (or rather how little) time you spend on it.
A photo, or photos, of yourself would be a good thing to add - I think people connect better with you as a person if they can see what you look like. If you don't have a good picture, grab a friend and a camera and get some done!
-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd
Maybe schools is the US are a lot more technically advanced than we are over here, but I bet their appointment processes tend to involve paper documents more than on-screen ones - so you need to make it simple to print out your full resume from the online version.
One way of doing this would be to put the whole resume in a single document, with all but one section set to [tt]display: none[/tt]. Your menu then uses Javascript to display/hide the relevant sections. You can then write a print stylesheet that displays all the sections and hides the menu.
In terms of content, the whole thing seems rather disjointed - you seem to have done a lot of jobs, and a lot of qualifications in a short space of time, and it's difficult to see how they all gel together. Maybe you need to add a little more narrative? It doesn't help that some pages start with the oldest event and work towards the newest, whilst others do the opposite.
If I were a potential employer, two things in there could make me nervous: you've taught in six different schools in as many years - why? You need to explain this, as the potential explanation I might guess at is probably worse than the true one (again, I'm basing my opinion on UK teaching practice - maybe it's a more nomadic profession in the States). I might also wonder if you could fully devote yourself to my school and co-own a gallery at the same time - if you're going to mention this at all, you might want to spell out how much (or rather how little) time you spend on it.
A photo, or photos, of yourself would be a good thing to add - I think people connect better with you as a person if they can see what you look like. If you don't have a good picture, grab a friend and a camera and get some done!
-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd
The photo comment is interesting. You're right that people connect to a human face far more readily than with a document full of text. I believe that in some countries, however, there are laws preventing the inclusion of photos with resumes, in case prospective employers judge you on appearance, even race, rather than your suitability for the job.
Of course, sooner or later you're going to meet people face to face, so I'm not sure how practical this situation is, and I don't think it applies in the US. However, it does raise the issue that visually, this site is, well, uninspired. The text just feels a little heavy handed, and photo or not, there's nothing to really draw viewers in.
My personal option is that the text is uncomfortable to read, but I'm not sure exactly why. It's certainly legible, but maybe it needs more contrast, better line spacing, etc. For example, in the related experience page, all the text under the Employment section is exactly the same, yet the information is different: Employer, Address, Description, Date. Try bringing out the subheadings (Employers), tone down the address (it's not of immediate importance), and so on. That way people reading it can scan it quicker, and find the important information at a glance.
A text based site can look well if it is carefully considered, and one or two graphics, such as a custom bullet point, can really give it a lift. Have a look at to get a few ideas.
Of course, sooner or later you're going to meet people face to face, so I'm not sure how practical this situation is, and I don't think it applies in the US. However, it does raise the issue that visually, this site is, well, uninspired. The text just feels a little heavy handed, and photo or not, there's nothing to really draw viewers in.
My personal option is that the text is uncomfortable to read, but I'm not sure exactly why. It's certainly legible, but maybe it needs more contrast, better line spacing, etc. For example, in the related experience page, all the text under the Employment section is exactly the same, yet the information is different: Employer, Address, Description, Date. Try bringing out the subheadings (Employers), tone down the address (it's not of immediate importance), and so on. That way people reading it can scan it quicker, and find the important information at a glance.
A text based site can look well if it is carefully considered, and one or two graphics, such as a custom bullet point, can really give it a lift. Have a look at to get a few ideas.
- Thread starter
- #10
Chirs I appreciate your comments. They really do make me think. This resume is really for a particular purpose and not meant to be a general one. Without going into too much detail, I already work for the School District of Philadelphia. I am trying to get a new teaching job in one of their new digital design schools. This will largely be a paperless information exchange because I am already employed and seek to be re-assigned, a different process. If I were applying for a job outside of the district I agree that I would still be doing paper resumes but this is not the case.
This also raises your other point about the number of schools I have worked in. In large urban school districts school populations shift and teacher allottments shift when that happens. No one within the district will question why I've been to 5 schools in the district within the last 4 years. They all know and understand the "force transfer". If I were applying for a job outside the district I would write my resume differently.
I hadn't really considered a photo. I thought this was a no no, but maybe not. I include the part about my gallery as "proof". Maybe the resume doesn't read this way but this is what I am shooting for. I want to say what skills I have and then show proof. The gallery shows proof of making ads, store displays, websites, business fundamentals, media saavy, etc. One digital design school in particular has students start a graphic design business and do design for non-profits and local community groups. This is where I'd like to work so I want to show how I can add to their program. Anyway, as painful as it was to read your critique I agree with many of your points and will go back to the drawing board.
The people in these forums are outstanding, thanks for all your help.
This also raises your other point about the number of schools I have worked in. In large urban school districts school populations shift and teacher allottments shift when that happens. No one within the district will question why I've been to 5 schools in the district within the last 4 years. They all know and understand the "force transfer". If I were applying for a job outside the district I would write my resume differently.
I hadn't really considered a photo. I thought this was a no no, but maybe not. I include the part about my gallery as "proof". Maybe the resume doesn't read this way but this is what I am shooting for. I want to say what skills I have and then show proof. The gallery shows proof of making ads, store displays, websites, business fundamentals, media saavy, etc. One digital design school in particular has students start a graphic design business and do design for non-profits and local community groups. This is where I'd like to work so I want to show how I can add to their program. Anyway, as painful as it was to read your critique I agree with many of your points and will go back to the drawing board.
The people in these forums are outstanding, thanks for all your help.
My turn!
I would echo most of the made above, from a quick look at the site I would add:
The Education history page is set up as a number of unordered lists. This is fine I guess, but if you think about the information being conveyed then perhaps it should be marked up differently.
For example. The first item in each of your lists is the name of the establishment you worked in. The following list items are things that you did while there.
If it were me, then I would mark it up something like so:
Example of just 2 establishiments
I would then use CSS to make the establishment names stand out from the other items.
Perhaps like so:
In fact, it could be argued that you should use a heading tag for the establishment names.
The differentiation of types of information is incredibly important. I think by applying a few tweaks along these lines then you will help break up the "wall" of text.
There is nothing wrong with simple, mainly text designs (I like them, and I like yours) but I feel it is important to create rhythm and flow by denoting structure with visual cues.
You've partially done this elsewhere on the site, and I think that you should carry the thinking further through the site.
I would also consider increasing the spacing between list elements so it is larger than your leading (line spacing). Again, this will help break up the blocks of text a bit.
It would seem like a good idea to change the menu rollover colour too. I understand your reasoning but it is disconcerting on the eye when something disappears rather than when it changes.
You could also add some visual interest to the site by using graduated tints for the box backgrounds, perhaps darken the top or bottom of the box(es)? Perhaps add a very subtle shading to the edges (more difficult) or an extremely subtle drop shadow?
<honk>*:O)</honk>
Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web site design in Cheltenham and Gloucester
Ham and Jam - British & Commonwealth forces mod for Half Life 2
I would echo most of the made above, from a quick look at the site I would add:
The Education history page is set up as a number of unordered lists. This is fine I guess, but if you think about the information being conveyed then perhaps it should be marked up differently.
For example. The first item in each of your lists is the name of the establishment you worked in. The following list items are things that you did while there.
If it were me, then I would mark it up something like so:
Example of just 2 establishiments
Code:
<ul>
<li>University of California at Berkeley
<ul>
<li>BA in History, Minor in City Planning</li>
<li>graduated 1993</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<li>Holy Names College
<ul>
<li>CA Teaching Credential, MA in Urban Education, ABT</li>
<li>Thesis currently being researched</li>
<li>attended 1998-2002</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>I would then use CSS to make the establishment names stand out from the other items.
Perhaps like so:
Code:
ul li {
font-weight:bold;
}
ul li ul li {
font-weight:normal;
}In fact, it could be argued that you should use a heading tag for the establishment names.
The differentiation of types of information is incredibly important. I think by applying a few tweaks along these lines then you will help break up the "wall" of text.
There is nothing wrong with simple, mainly text designs (I like them, and I like yours) but I feel it is important to create rhythm and flow by denoting structure with visual cues.
You've partially done this elsewhere on the site, and I think that you should carry the thinking further through the site.
I would also consider increasing the spacing between list elements so it is larger than your leading (line spacing). Again, this will help break up the blocks of text a bit.
It would seem like a good idea to change the menu rollover colour too. I understand your reasoning but it is disconcerting on the eye when something disappears rather than when it changes.
You could also add some visual interest to the site by using graduated tints for the box backgrounds, perhaps darken the top or bottom of the box(es)? Perhaps add a very subtle shading to the edges (more difficult) or an extremely subtle drop shadow?
<honk>*:O)</honk>
Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web site design in Cheltenham and Gloucester
Ham and Jam - British & Commonwealth forces mod for Half Life 2
- Thread starter
- #12
Thanks for all your help. I did a little updating, including adding h3 headings etc. I'm going to take a break for now so I don't go crazy(ier). I changed the rollover color to white to match the white headings, I think it is a little "corny" as my students say but it keeps the same colors. I think I'll add some graphic on the index page to make the content div stretch down more and maybe a picture later.
Foamcow, I used javascript to render the background rounded corner boxes. I guess this is a drawback to not using images, that you cannot add shadows or gradient colors. Maybe you can but I bet it would be FAR beyond what I can do with js. If there is a simple way or link to somewhere I could learn I would appreciate it. If not thanks again for your invaluable help.
PS btw my students have been watching this process today. I was trying to explain how web development can occur so I projected my work as they worked on their projects. I showed them this forum, how to update code on a remote web server, how to weigh people's opinions, etc. It was great except that they all felt like giving up on their web projects because they were so basic, then I showed them my first web site, they laughed.
Foamcow, I used javascript to render the background rounded corner boxes. I guess this is a drawback to not using images, that you cannot add shadows or gradient colors. Maybe you can but I bet it would be FAR beyond what I can do with js. If there is a simple way or link to somewhere I could learn I would appreciate it. If not thanks again for your invaluable help.
PS btw my students have been watching this process today. I was trying to explain how web development can occur so I projected my work as they worked on their projects. I showed them this forum, how to update code on a remote web server, how to weigh people's opinions, etc. It was great except that they all felt like giving up on their web projects because they were so basic, then I showed them my first web site, they laughed.
Yes, but you built it "right".
As the kids say, "props to you!"
Funnily enough I was just discussing with someone here how old I felt when I discovered that Metallica's "Nothing else matters" was released in 1992.
Where's my zimmer?
Kids, listen to teacher.
<honk>*:O)</honk>
Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web site design in Cheltenham and Gloucester
Ham and Jam - British & Commonwealth forces mod for Half Life 2
As the kids say, "props to you!"
Funnily enough I was just discussing with someone here how old I felt when I discovered that Metallica's "Nothing else matters" was released in 1992.
Where's my zimmer?
Kids, listen to teacher.
<honk>*:O)</honk>
Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web site design in Cheltenham and Gloucester
Ham and Jam - British & Commonwealth forces mod for Half Life 2
Foamcow, I hate to pour salt on an open wound, but it was 1991:
-kaht
[small]How spicy would you like your chang sauce? Oh man... I have no idea whats goin on right now...[/small]
-kaht
[small]How spicy would you like your chang sauce? Oh man... I have no idea whats goin on right now...[/small]
They said 92 on the radio. I think that was the year it was in the charts here in the UK. The album may well have been released in 91 though.
It was part of a phone in vote. Choose a track that was in the UK chart on this day in <year>
Metallica won with 78% of the vote and this was on Radio 1, arguably the biggest station in the UK.
<honk>*:O)</honk>
Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web site design in Cheltenham and Gloucester
Ham and Jam - British & Commonwealth forces mod for Half Life 2
It was part of a phone in vote. Choose a track that was in the UK chart on this day in <year>
Metallica won with 78% of the vote and this was on Radio 1, arguably the biggest station in the UK.
<honk>*:O)</honk>
Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web site design in Cheltenham and Gloucester
Ham and Jam - British & Commonwealth forces mod for Half Life 2
![[smile]](/data/assets/smilies/smile.gif "[smile] [smile]")
- Thread starter
- #17
In 1991 I was living in Berkeley and we were trying to ignore Metallica (which was hard because they are from the Bay Area) because we thought we were in the midst of a "real" musical "revolution" made up of obscure bands with undecipherable lyrics. So in addition to feeling old I feel cheated, by myself of course, for having tried so hard not to like something so good. Oh regrets!
I'm the opposite, in 1991 I really started to like metallica (along with the other 7 million people), and have since moved on to listening to the "real" bands with the "undecipherable" lyrics
![[lol]](/data/assets/smilies/lol.gif "[lol] [lol]")
-kaht
[small]How spicy would you like your chang sauce? Oh man... I have no idea what's goin' on right now...[/small]
In 1991 I think I was crewing for Tigertailz.
The shame of it.
<honk>*:O)</honk>
Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web site design in Cheltenham and Gloucester
Ham and Jam - British & Commonwealth forces mod for Half Life 2
The shame of it.
<honk>*:O)</honk>
Foamcow Heavy Industries - Web site design in Cheltenham and Gloucester
Ham and Jam - British & Commonwealth forces mod for Half Life 2
richcleverley
MIS
Tigertailz!! The ugly Welsh glam band. lol, there's a lot of talk over at glitzinet about that era. Maybe see you there Foamcow.
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