Career Essential Portfolio Tips

Getting Started

• Choose a free web platform like Wix or WordPress.   You may consider investing in your own domain name. You can get a long term plan for less than $10  per year.  Make sure you try a few sites and use the tutorials before loading in your work.
• Clean copy. Minimalist designs are recommended.  It is essential the portfolio elements be free of typos and grammar issues.
• Create clear navigation for the site beginning with an executive summary / about me as the home page.  Have your social media handles, especially LinkedIn and your resume PDF easy to find.
• Customize a variety of samples specific to your discipline and related career paths.    Provide context and a brief description of your role with each of the work sample sections to showcase versatility.  Look at job listings so you include samples that reflect skills required.

The Samples

• Elevator pitch video.  Now that remote work and Skype and Zoom interviews are increasingly commonplace, record a short “elevator pitch” video that can showcase your personality and highlight key achievements that make you a strong candidate.  Think about those common “tell me about yourself” and “why should we hire you” questions and answer them in 1-2 minutes with a dynamic video introduction.
• Writing samples for public relations or integrated marketing you should include standards like press releases, alerts, features, pitch letters and resulting placements, newsletter articles.
• Strategic work like social media planning calendars, PowerPoint’s of PR/marketing plans you’ve created for class projects or real clients. These examples showcase your ability to work through the strategic and creative process in business. Just be sure to remove any confidential information.
• Research. This might include a competitive analysis, media audits, sample SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, a case study analysis, Cision media lists, social media analytics or influencer assessment or other examples of how you have conducted research for strategic purposes.
• Social media samples. These might be from client work or a link to your personal blog, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.   Include screen shots of a few of your best posts from internships, volunteer work, or student groups. Also include analytics to show you understand the strategy behind effective social media content creation and community management.
• Creative work such as flyers, infographics, PowerPoint designs, invitations, photography, graphics, animation, posters or other graphic design samples.  In this increasingly social and digital era, having a creative proficiency is an asset.
• Production, podcasting, digital storytelling samples. These might include a screen shot with audio files of a podcast you produced, a public service announcement script, a video you’ve directed, or edited. A visual such as a logo or screen shot should be featured so employers can easily refer to the work and skills you are illustrating.
• A hard copy.   When you get called for an interview, you should bring a hard-copy of your portfolio as an prompt for you to show evidence of your credentials.  A simple black binder works well. You don’t need to spend much money, just use a clean half-inch or one-inch binder and page protectors. And remember to have a few clean copies to leave behind for the interviewer.

Your portfolio should illustrate strengths, professional attributes, and abilities that will position you as the strongest candidate for your dream job. Keeping your collection of portfolio elements up to date and flawlessly compiled will ensure you are ready for any opportunities that arise.