Developing a Work Portfolio
With the labor market rapidly changing and skills – a diverse variety from technical to transferable core skills – being evermore important to highlight, it’s important more than ever to be able to showcase your unique experiences. For some industries and career paths, creating a work portfolio can be an excellent way to not only catch the eye of a would-be employer but have a structured way to communicate your experiences.
What is a work portfolio?
A work portfolio (also called professional portfolio) is a way to display your best work to potential employers. Portfolios can be digital or physical. Certain career paths are more likely to request work portfolios in fields such as:
- Photography
- Graphic art/graphic design
- Software development
- Writing, Editing, and Publishing
- Modeling
- Creative Direction
- Film and Videography
- Make-up and Cosmetology
It may be helpful to have a portfolio for other industries as well. For example, some find it valuable to curate a teaching portfolio in order to showcase their assignments, student feedback, vision as a teacher, and more (for greater details on teaching portfolios, visit our career resource for educators).
You may also create a portfolio to reflect on specific experiences (internships, courses, etc.) or simply want another way to easily track what you’ve done.
Building Your Portfolio
Perhaps the most difficult step in building your portfolio is choosing what you want to include. Your portfolio will vary greatly depending on your field of work. It may be worthwhile to do some research on example portfolios online or connect with people who hire in your field to see what they would recommend.
Some examples of what to include are:
- Current resume
- Writing samples, articles, publications, reports, and/or research
- Projects (class, freelance, and/or personal)
- Awards and certifications
- Transcripts
- Documents or materials created at internships
- Artifacts from events, student organizations, or campus leadership
- Work samples
- Examples of community involvement and volunteering
- Personal statement or statement of values
- Reflections or evaluations of yourself
- Testimonials and/or recommendations from others
Types of Portfolios
Hard copy portfolios include copies of your work in a professional binder. They are meant to be used during an interview to share items when answering questions, in order to show real examples of your achievements. A benefit to hard copy portfolios is that an employer can actually see the work and you are able to expand on it if needed.
Tips
- Place in a professional binder or folder.
- Use clear labels and any necessary explanations about the item and what skills or expertise it shows.
- Group items in a logical way to make them easy to find. Include a table of contents if you have many items in your portfolio.
- Use divider sheets and include page numbers to help with organization.
- Make the portfolio visually appealing – print in color if you are able, format materials in a pleasing way, and show your personal brand through its design.
Digital or electronic portfolios are the most common these days. Most are created in a simple website, using free hosts such as Squarespace, Canva, Wix, WordPress, or Weebly. You may choose to purchase a domain name if you want to host your own website and make it easier to find through search engines.
Electronic portfolios allow you easily to upload content, show technical expertise and style with your design, and link to your portfolio on your resume, through LinkedIn, and anywhere it is requested.
How to Make the Best Use of Your Portfolio
- Keep it up to date so that when you are applying for jobs, you don’t have to change everything in it.
- If relevant, tailor it towards the jobs you are applying for.
- For interviews, bring in a few relevant items and integrate them into your answers.
- While digital copies are the norm, it’s helpful to have a back-up printed.
- Consider the story you want to tell others about yourself and how your portfolio can express this. Include challenges as well as successes.
- Done is better than perfect – your portfolio will continue to change, so make sure you have something you can share, rather than the perfect showcase.
Sources
Indeed: What is a work portfolio?