Work Portfolios are the best tools for job seekers to market themselves in the competitive market and front of potential employers. A well-crafted portfolio can give you an edge over competitors and make you stand out.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of building your own portfolio in 5 easy steps, including tips on what to include, how to organize it, and how to make it visually appealing. So, let's get started on building a portfolio that will help you carve a new path for your career!
What is a work portfolio?
A work portfolio or a job portfolio is the collection of all your best works related to your niche. Designers, artists, and writers use portfolios to showcase their skills and market their work. However, portfolios can be fairly used in any profession to create a positive impression on recruiters and HRs.
Your portfolio can be in any form: digital files/folder, paper, online website, or a combination. It is vital to have an online portfolio as it’s easy to share and publish.
The best time to create a portfolio for yourself is while you’re unemployed or trying to find a job and apply for jobs. During that time, you’re paying attention to everything you’ve done, the skills you’ve learned, and your achievements. So why not accumulate all your work samples in a portfolio?
How does a portfolio help you?
Lately, companies that conduct hiring cycles need more time to go through the details in the resumes of candidates. Having a portfolio will give you an advantage over your prospective employers. A quick scan through your portfolio will give you a rough idea of your skills and abilities.
Include your basic contact information on every portfolio page, like email and phone number.
Here are other advantages of having a professional portfolio:
1. Tracks your progress: A portfolio will act like a personal tracker for your professional life. It will contain your professional history, future lesson plans, achievements, and everything else.
2. Proves your credibility: List your skills and experiences on your resume for your employer to believe you. Your portfolio will validate everything you’re marketing about yourself during the interview and in the resume.
3. Another chance to be creative: How you create and design your portfolio is just another door to show off your creativity and skills. A visually appealing portfolio is most likely to impress your potential employer without fail.
4. A replacement for your verbal limitations:* Having excellent communication skills is almost seen as a necessity to get accepted for a job. However, only some are born with the ability to express themselves verbally. A digital or a paper portfolio comes to the rescue here.
5. Connect more with your clients: A visual representation of your projects and skills helps the client or customers connect with your work. They might see something they like and use it as a reference for future projects with you.
During your Job Search process, you could connect with your past colleagues or manager to get help with your portfolio. Also, let them know you’re looking for a job. Word of mouth still holds its value.
How to build a work portfolio?
Many online websites can help you create an online portfolio for yourself. Before signing up for those, it’s necessary to understand why you need to create one and how you will use it.
Do not rush into the process, and take time to decide how you want to design your portfolio. Take this up as a task for your professional goals. If you do it right, you won’t have to recreate it. Simply update your portfolio after regular intervals.
Here are some quick steps to design your portfolio.
Step 1: Gather all the information you can.
This is the most important step, and it is crucial to invest time in it. Here are the things you will need:
1. Formal and informal education
- Basic education details
- Diplomas, licenses, and certification
- Any vocational training or workshops
- Internships and volunteer work
2. Work experience
- Detailed descriptions of your jobs
- Projects you’ve worked on
- Performance reports
- Awards and recognitions, promotions
- Examples of problem-solving and management skills
- Satisfaction surveys from clients
3. Team-player
- Projects you’ve worked on with a team
- Pictures of you working with the team
- Testimonials from co-workers, clients, or managers.
- Examples of any volunteer or community service
4. Communication skills
- Presentations, lectures, or workshops you’ve held.
- Articles published
- Training resources
- Marketing campaigns
- Social media campaigns
- Blogs or copywriting
- Reports or proposals you’ve worked on
5. Technical abilities
- Software and tools you have used
- Equipment you operate
- Operating systems you’re comfortable with
- Management systems you’ve worked with
- Any blueprints or website wireframes worked on
6. References and testimonials
- Include any letters of recommendation
- Ask your past managers and colleagues to write short testimonials describing you as a professional
- As a freelancer, you could ask some of your clients
- You could ask a professor or even a classmate if you're a beginner.
Step 2: Organize all the information
The information you gathered in the second step cannot be kept from a folder or a website and be presented. It has to be well organized and should follow a narrative structure.
Let your portfolio have a narrative flow to it. Viewers/readers should be able to navigate through the portfolio easily. Include page numbers and a table of content on every page.
Here are 2 common ways to organize your information:
1. Occurrence-wise: You could create a timeline around the data you have.
2. Category-wise: You could create as many categories as you like- Education (Formal & Information), Internships, Work Experience, Achievements, and Personal Projects.
Whatever organizational structure you choose, remember that it should be easy to navigate from one section to another. Viewers/readers should not get lost or confused.
You could add footnotes to pages of how that particular item complements the skills and abilities listed in your resume.
Step 3: Choose the format (Presentation matters)
How would you like to present all your information? Here are some formats to choose from
- A digital folder containing an organized set of files.
- A personal website.
- A physical folder or a binder.
- A professional bound volume.
The format you choose should complement your field of work. For example, if you’re an iOS developer, it does not make sense to have your portfolio printed out in a binder. The whole point of having a portfolio is to give the viewer an experience of your work.
Know exactly what to include in your portfolio: Secrets To Writing The Best Portfolio Table of Contents
Step 4: Update your portfolio
Keeping your work portfolio up-to-date is as important as creating it. Your portfolio will never be “created.” During your entire career, it will be an ongoing process.
Build a habit of regularly updating your professional portfolio after you’ve completed a task. Make your portfolio update time coincide with your manager's review and performance report. Your portfolio can include all the new things you've accomplished or skills you've learned during the period.
Add all kinds of skills you have in your portfolio. Convey how one skill compliments the other or how you used two or more skills to solve a problem.
Step 5: Leave no spaces
You’ll often find yourself at a loss for information in some sections of your portfolio. This is especially common if you’re at the beginning of your career. However, don’t be discouraged. Even beginners can have a portfolio made.
In spaces where you feel you’ve nothing to showcase, omit the section altogether. Plus, you could also add your personal projects. If you're a web designer or graphic designer, you may want to include pieces you've created while practicing.
Your unpaid experience and projects can also be added to your portfolio. You could even start creating mock work to showcase in your portfolio.
Browse through our collection of blogs focussing on various portfolios:
A final note
Building a portfolio will take a lot of learning and research. Go through portfolios of people in similar positions, and observe how they have arranged their work in their portfolio over the years.
You’ll find various portfolio-building online resources and websites. However, the best option is to customize your career portfolio to have your personal touch.
Simply having a portfolio is not enough. You have to let your interviewer know you have a portfolio; hence mention it in the resume and the cover letter. If you have an online portfolio, add the link to your resume.
When preparing for the interview, remember to go through the portfolio to remember everything you’ve worked on. This will, in addition, minimize your anxiety before an interview and before starting a new job. Keeping track of our achievements gives us confidence.
You could convert your LinkedIn profile into a portfolio. Read this guide to learn more about optimizing your LinkedIn profile: Guide: How To Find A Job On LinkedIn With Steps?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is a job portfolio the same as a CV (cover letter)?
A portfolio and a CV are complementary, but they are not the same thing. A cover letter overviews your skills, achievements, and experience. A portfolio validates the things listed in your resume or CV. It is more like proof of your work. It is almost necessary to have a CV during a job application process; however, it is not necessary to have a portfolio. A portfolio comes in handy when you want to showcase your work.
2. Is it necessary to have a portfolio to apply for a job?
It is not necessary to have a portfolio to apply for a job. There is no mandatory requirement. However, it is a plus if you want to impress your employer. A portfolio is a visual representation of your projects, achievements, and references. There are some fields where a portfolio is treated as necessary, like, design, architecture, and photography. Regardless of your profession, having a portfolio will always give you the upper hand.
3. How do I make a portfolio with no experience?
Making a portfolio with no experience does not need to be stressed. Quality matters over quantity. Identify your best works and projects and add them to your portfolio. Include a table of content page to make it easy to navigate. Include recommendations from professors and testimonials from teachers. Work for non-profit organizations. Create mock pieces of your work to add to your portfolio. You can also write about your future goals and the skills you plan on building.
4. Which is better: A portfolio or a resume?
A resume is a summary of your professional journey. It contains an overview of your education history, work experience, skills, and achievements. A portfolio showcases your best pieces of work and acts as evidence of the things listed on your resume. While it is necessary to have a resume to apply for a job, having a portfolio is not a necessity. Yet, showcasing your portfolio in an interview will impress your employer and give you an advantage over other candidates.
This article has been written by Pansy Thakuria. She works as a Content Marketing Specialist at Vantage Lens. Her areas of interest include marketing, mental well-being, travel, and digital tech. When she’s not writing, she’s usually planning trips to remote locations and stalking animals on social media.