Harvard 2017 alumna and developer Zara Zhang posts on social media that personal websites are the new resume
Harvard 2017 alumna and developer Zara Zhang posted on social media that personal websites are the new resume.
Zhang has previously emphasized that in the AI era, the core of job hunting is being discovered rather than actively applying. Developers should showcase GitHub stars, open-source contributions, and side projects, while marketing and design professionals need viral content and portfolios.
She pointed out that the old path involved polishing resumes and sending them out in bulk, while the new path is to publicly build things that people need and let opportunities come to you. A resume merely claims what one has done, while side projects and online presence serve as evidence.
In related discussions, several professionals responded that the best personal website is an interactive proof of work, rather than a static template. Recruiters will check candidates' online presence during screening, and personal websites can provide project details and technical skills that resumes cannot showcase.
Zhang operates her own personal website and GitHub, and has previously asked, "Who has the coolest personal website?" which generated a lot of responses. Industry observations indicate that about 70% of employers check candidates' online profiles during screening.
Market mechanism: Candidates with verifiable projects and personal websites have a higher probability of being discovered, while the traditional ATS screening and bulk application model is under pressure; positions where skills can be directly proven through public works (design, development, content) benefit from this shift, while competitors relying on plain text resumes face higher barriers.
Source: Public information
ABAB AI Insight
Zara Zhang, a Harvard 2017 graduate, has long publicly built projects as a developer and operates her personal website and GitHub. She has repeatedly discussed the shift in job hunting logic in the AI era from "submitting resumes" to "being discovered." She previously pointed out that developers prove their abilities through open-source and side projects, marketers through content reach, and designers through portfolios, rather than relying solely on text resumes.
In terms of capital pathways, personal websites shift job hunting from resumes and LinkedIn controlled by platforms to personal domains and interactive content. Resources shift from polishing ATS-friendly text to building clickable demos and public projects. This pathway reduces dependence on recruitment platform intermediaries, allowing proof of ability to be directed at potential employers or partners.
This aligns with the earlier practices of designers and developers relying on portfolio websites, and is similar to how consultants in traditional industries use case pages rather than pure resumes to attract clients. The current job market is transitioning from "credential screening" to "public evidence screening," especially in the context of AI-generated resume text, where verifiable online projects become distinguishing signals.
Essentially, this is about technological substitution and the transfer of pricing power: as AI lowers the cost of resume creation, the signaling value of static text decreases, making interactive personal websites and public projects more costly proof tools. The mechanism is that information overload and the proliferation of generated content make it harder for employers to trust claims, thus those willing to invest in building public evidence gain greater attention and opportunity allocation, while paths relying solely on traditional resumes see diminishing marginal returns.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
Resumes are claims; websites are evidence.
Submit to seek opportunities; build to let opportunities find you.
Text can be generated; interactive works are harder to forge.