These days, pretty much every job requires the creation of documents, media in the form of documents, images, presentations, and online content. For this reason, portfolios aren’t just for designers and photographers any more! A good e-portfolio could help you stand out and give you an edge over competitors in the job market and will help you show off your strengths much more distinctly than a mere resume.
You could opt for a traditional printed portfolio, but e-portfolios are more shareable. Nobody can forward a leather binder to a potential lead the way they can email a link or a digital file!
Your portfolio can be a PDF document, a personal website, or you can even host it on LinkedIn, which is probably the easiest and most versatile solution.
LinkedIn allows you to show off projects like videos, presentations, photos, letters of recommendations, awards, and all kinds of other accomplishments, intertwined with your other experience.
If you like getting hands-on with tech, a well developed self-made website can be even more impressive, and there are several sites that offer free hosting and development tools.
If that sounds scary, you can consider using a template interface like www.wix.com or www.squarespace.com which allows you to quickly build a website in an easy, drag-and-drop interface.
Career Partners International offers the following criteria for setting up an online portfolio:
Display a summary of your objectives, goals, and accomplishments on the first page that visitors see and make sure the contents of the portfolio relate back to that information.
- Select work examples that reflect your objective. You may include the following in your portfolio if applicable:
- Professional philosophy/mission statement
- Resume
- Reference list
- Samples of your best work, including reports, papers, studies, brochures, projects, presentations, videos, and other multimedia content
- Testimonials and letters of recommendations
- Favorable employer evaluations and reviews
- Awards and honors
- Professional development activities, including seminars, conferences, and workshops attended
- Transcripts, degrees, licenses, and certifications
- Military records, awards, and badges
- Volunteering/community service
- Concisely reflect on the challenges you’ve faced, the skills you’ve used and developed, and provide a concise description of each piece of work you include.
- Proof your portfolio and get it critiqued before sending its link to a referred user.
- Don’t include photographs of yourself unless it conveys a skill or it’s included in an “About Me” section.
If you need more help standing out from the crowd, contact TalentBridge today and ask to speak to our Vitae Career Coaching department. We’ll set you up with a coach who can help you maximize your potential, or contact a TalentBridge recruiter to find opportunities you didn’t even know were out there!