Creating the Ultimate Career Portfolio

Creating the Ultimate Career Portfolio
(from Start to Finish)

Career Portfolios are professional presentations designed to showcase your most impressive talents and abilities, while at the same time documenting your most relevant career accomplishments as well. This is done by showcasing samples of your work in the portfolio itself. Often referred to by various terms such as ‘job portfolio’, ‘professional portfolio’, or ‘career portfolio’, creating one is a completely bespoke, time intensive endeavour that will involve you compiling a dossier of your best work and presenting it in the best visual format possible

Great presentation is the most fundamental aspect of any good career portfolio. However, in order to ensure you present your work most effectively, there are several important aspects you need to fully consider first. For instance, do you want to create a paper-based portfolio, or a web-based one? Are you designing your portfolio for a specific employer, or as a general all-purpose one? What skills or accomplishments are you looking to emphasise in it in particular? These are all important questions that will all need to be considered before you actually begin creating the portfolio itself

Creating your own work/ career portfolio can be a very time intensive endeavour. That’s why it’s normally best to only undertake such a project if you’re confident it will enhance your chances of employment within your chosen profession

A portfolio will normally only ever be required on a very limited number of roles, these include areas such as:

Artist

Audio-Visual editor

Beautician

Creative director

Editor

Graphic designer

Internships

Makeup artist

Model

Photographer

Self – employed

Software Developer

University roles

Writer

So, we’ve made the decision to make a portfolio that will dazzle the first employer or client who reads it, now what do we do next? The best way to approach such an endeavour is by taking a short amount of time to consider why we are creating our career portfolio in the first place. This will give us a basic grounding and understanding of what we’re trying to achieve as we move forward

Although it is normally ever required in a very limited number of fields, there are different reasons why people may choose to make a career portfolio. Sometimes people do this to make themselves more eligible for a specific employer or client, or sometimes they’ll do it as a way of making themselves more eligible for employers or clients in general. Other times, they may do this simply to give themselves a deeper sense of pride and accomplishment in the work they’ve done throughout their career thus far. While it will only normally be required in a very limited number of industries, as a rule, a career portfolio is still a valuable tool that can help greatly when looking for employment. This is particularly true with web-based career-portfolio formats. This is because with this particular format, a career portfolio can be utilised as a URL link on a C.V. As discussed below, irrespective of the job field you’re applying in, this can be used during the application stage, where as a URL, it provides a great way to enhance a C.V and increase your overall chances of making it through to the next stage of the section process. This is because unlike the interview stage, where it many times won’t be asked for or required, during the application stage, an employer will often times check links like this on your C.V, and this can give you a huge advantage because it gives you an opportunity to show off your skills, in the process giving you a much better overall chance of being selected for the next stage of the selection process and putting you closer to landing the role itself

Who’s your audience?

Determining your target audience is a very important step

Knowing this is necessary because it will affect the overall design of your portfolio and will help you determine the types of work samples you choose to showcase in the portfolio itself

Determining this will involve you deciding whether you are creating this for an individual employer, or creating it as a general all-purpose career portfolio that you can use as a ‘master-portfolio’, where you can amend it as needed, enabling you to showcase your work to different types of employers as and when required. Most times, starting off with the objective of creating a general all-purpose portfolio is usually the best option, because this will allow you to make copies that you can amend depending on the employer or client in question – although in some instances, the opposite is true, and if you’re interviewing with a specific employer or client, you’ll sometimes find it easier to focus your attentions on a portfolio by centering it around their specific needs and values first, giving you an employer specific portfolio that you can then later amend as and when necessary

What skills should we emphasise?

The next important decision you need to take is to decide which of your skills you’re going to focus on in the portfolio itself. Sometimes, people will be highly skilled in 2 or 3 different areas and may have numerous accomplishments across several different career fields. That’s why deciding who you are creating your portfolio for is so important, because that way you’ll have an idea of exactly what the most relevant skills are that you want to emphasise in your portfolio

As a general rule, you should make your portfolio specific to one job role and skill set only. If you are skilled in another field, you should make another portfolio for it. That’s because when an employer or client looks at your portfolio it should be completely relevant to the work that they are hiring for

What’s the format?

Once you’ve established who your audience is, the next thing you’ll need to consider is what format you want the portfolio to take. The options you’ll have will either be a paper-based or a web-based format. This is an important decision that will fundamentally affect the overall outlook and feel of the portfolio itself. As the majority of today’s job transactions are now web-based, a web-based platform is the recommended option as it will not only give you more versatility when composing the portfolio itself, but as we noted in the section above, it can also be added as a URL to a C.V or resume, giving you a great opportunity to showcase your work and gain an advantage over others who don’t have a portfolio during the application stages for the candidate hiring process.
With that being said, while a physical dossier is bulkier, there may be instances where it may be a better option to go with a paper-based format, this is especially true if you are meeting with clients in a physical location and want to showcase your work to them. While there’s nothing stopping you making a separate portfolio on both types of formats, given the differences between them, you’d probably find there would be significant variations between the portfolios themselves, and this becomes an important consideration when it comes to retaining consistency in your work.
(A person who views your portfolio in a paper binder, and then later views it on a webpage, will get an entirely different impression if there are lots of differences between what you’ve presented in one portfolio versus what’s on another. Where presented with differing versions of your work, it will often leave employers with uncertainties about the reliability and even the validity of the work itself. That’s why, if you make your career portfolio across both types of formats, consistency in your presentation is an ever-present factor that needs to be at the forefront of your priorities when you design them)

While both formats have their differences, each will give you a unique scope that allows for new and varied design opportunities. Both formats have their own forms of versatility, enabling you to show your work samples off in the most effective ways so you can have as big an impact on the employers and clients who view them as possible

Next, let’s examine the main features and functions you should be looking to add in each type of portfolio format

Paper based formats

Some occupations or clients will necessitate that a paper-based format is more practical to use when showcasing your work. Where utilising a paper-based format, here are some of the main features interview professional recommends you add to make a great portfolio that will wow anyone who looks at it

Choose a great ring binder
The first thing an employer or client will see before they even get a look at your work itself is the binder that contains it. While the design is down to your own choice of preference, make sure it’s something stylish and in keeping with the aesthetic of the industry and skills that you’re showcasing.
It’s also highly advisable to use a ring binder folder. This will allow the reader to turn effortlessly through the pages of your portfolio, making it as easy as possible for them to view your work

Create a title and a table of contents page for easy navigation
Doing this will ensure a professional look to your portfolio from the outset. Make sure you also include page numbers on each page in your portfolio too

Stylize your Portfolio even further by adding your own unique logo
Something that will help showcase your work and set you apart from your competition even further will be the addition of your own inspiring logo. This can be added to the front of your folder, at the top of each page in your portfolio, or both.
A logo is something that will ensure clients and employers recognise your work as your own and is a great way to promote your own brand and establish your professional identity within the industry in which you operate. This is especially true if you are self-employed, and is generally considered to be a really great way to add your own unique style to this professionally crafted endeavour

Make creative use of icons, charts, and infographics to stylize it even more
This is also normally another highly effective tactic that works well alongside other visual images and samples of your work

(In fields that are non-artistically orientated, charts and infographics tend to work particularly well alongside visual examples, although the opposite tends to be true for artistically related fields, where charts and graphs should be used more sparingly, with a higher emphasis on visual samples and iconography instead)

Physical Work Samples
Instead of only text or images, one of the big advantages of a paper-based format is that in some instances, (if they are small enough to fit in your ring binder), you can actually include some physical samples of your work too!
This might be practical in areas like artistry, beautician work, or other self-employed fields depending on the type of samples you’ve produced. This will provide your reader with a more visceral experience, giving them a more personalized feel for what you can offer them, and is something that is guaranteed to enhance the overall effectiveness of the portfolio itself

A simple, minimalistic design is recommended
While in the first instance, the individual style and aesthetic of your portfolio is entirely up to you, and you should go with whatever you think looks best. As a general rule, a minimalistic design, typified by neutral colours such as black, navy, dark brown, dark gray, beige, is the standard recommendation.
The thinking behind this guidance is that by electing to follow this advice it will not only save you time, (as you won’t have to spend as long coming up with complex and elegant designs) but more importantly, that a more simplistic overlay will help make navigating your portfolio much easier for the people who view it too

Easy Navigation is Essential
Having a portfolio that is easy to navigate is vital to its success

If your portfolio is difficult or confusing to the people who look at it, then no matter how good the work and presentation are that go into it, it will not have the intended effect that you want. To this end, organising your portfolio by sections and using a header for each page is crucial, as this will ensure that anyone trying to navigate through your portfolio will have an easy time doing so

Consider adding a Solutions Section
If you really want to stand out from the competition, you should consider adding a solutions section to your portfolio

A solutions section is basically an area at the end of your portfolio where you’ll outline to a prospective client or employer how you will solve a specific need or problem that they have.
(This tends to work best with portfolios that are designed with a particular employer or client in mind. That’s because without some basic knowledge about the person or organisation you’re dealing with, you’ll normally only ever be able to make the vaguest generalisations about what a client’s or organisations needs actually are)

One of the most effective ways to compose a solutions section is in the form of a 30/60/90 plan. This is where you’ll give a detailed outline of what you’ll bring to that organisation (in terms of adding value) or solving a particular problem that organisation has, over either a 30, 60 or 90 day timeframe

Update your portfolio regularly
Every time you get a new job, reach a significant career or personal milestone, or complete an important task or project, ideally you should be looking to update your portfolio with this information too. Doing this whiles it’s still fresh in your mind gives you the best chance of capturing all of the most important parts of the accomplishment itself, ensuring it captivates your audience in the way you deserve. Unfortunately, updating a portfolio tends to be easier with a digital format than it does with a paper-based one

Make copies
Making copies of your career portfolio is not only good professional practice, but is a sensible thing to do as well. To this end, ensure you keep a master copy on hand, that way you can make changes and tailor subsequent versions to individual employers and situations as required

Signature
Finishing off with a great handwritten signature is the best way of adding your own professional touch to end this incredible personal endeavour…

Digitally based formats

These are the recommended format for anyone looking to create a professional career portfolio, as they not only allow for a much greater range of versatility, enabling you to create a better, more engaging range of portfolio, but they can also be much more easily shared with prospective employers and clients too – this is particularly true during the application stages, whereas a web-based portfolio, a digital portfolio can be added on a C.V as a URL, providing you with the opportunity to showcase your skills and abilities to employers ahead of the interview stage. This gives you a significant advantage over other candidates who haven’t had the prescience of mind to do this, and can subsequently result in a greatly increased chance of you reaching the interview stages

Host your portfolio online
Hosting your portfolio online will provide you with a great way to give your portfolio the visibility and professional credibility it deserves. Today this is easy and inexpensive, and using a web hosting service is normally the most convenient way to do this

Make it interactive
This is one of the main strategies you should be looking to employ when designing a digitally based portfolio. Digital formats provide a great way to make your career portfolio interactive with things like mini quizzes, multiple choice boxes, and short audio excerpts or videos that will keep your audience intrigued and impressed

Use picture slide presentations
Not only do they look great on a digital format, but using picture slide presentations will enable you to give a much more comprehensive depiction of your work samples if you utilise them effectively in your presentation

Stylize your Portfolio by adding your own unique digital logo
Just as in the same way you can add a logo to a paper portfolio, you can do exactly the same thing on a digital portfolio too

An inspiring logo is definitely something that will help you showcase your work and set it apart from the rest of your competition. The best place to add it is normally on the front landing page or on the header of your digitally based design. This not only ensures clients and employers will recognise your work as your own, but is a great way to promote your own brand and establish your professional identity within the industry in which you operate.Thisis especially true if you are self-employed, and is a highly effective way to create a career portfolio that comes across as professional and accomplished

Icons, infographics, and charts are your friend
This is also a highly effective tactic to use on a digitally based format that works well alongside visual images and samples of your work

A simple, minimalistic design is recommended
The same design principles apply to a digitally based format as a paper based one. While in the first instance, the individual style and aesthetic of your portfolio is entirely up to you and you should go with whatever you think looks best. As a general rule however, a minimalistic design, typified by neutral colours such as black, navy, dark brown, dark gray, beige, is the standard recommendation. The thinking behind this guidance is that by electing to follow this advice that it will not only save you time, (as you won’t have to spend as long coming up with complex and elegant designs) but more importantly, that a more simplistic overlay will help make navigating your portfolio much easier for the people who view it

Add lots of links
One of the big advantages of a digital format is the fact you can easily market it to different types of audiences. While including a link to the portfolio on your C.V or resume is one of the first things you should do, it’s certainly not the last…aside from adding your career portfolio as a link in your C.V, you can also include links to any other relevant professional social media profiles you have in your C.V as well.
Not only that, but a digital format will also enable you to embed those same professional social media profiles as links inside your digital portfolio too!

(Add these in the PERSONAL BIO section in your portfolio, as explained in our step-by-step guide next). This will ensure your audience gets to see all the very best of what you have to offer

Consider adding a Solutions Section
If you really want to stand out from the competition, you should consider adding a solutions section to your portfolio

A solutions section is basically an area at the end where you’ll outline to a prospective client or employer how you will solve a specific need or problem that they have.
(This tends to work best with portfolios that are designed with a particular employer or client in mind. That’s because without some basic knowledge about the person or organisation you’re dealing with, you’ll only normally ever be able to make only the most vague generalisations about what a client’s or organisations needs actually are)

Update your portfolio regularly
Every time you get a new job, reach a significant career or personal milestone, or complete an important task or project, ideally you should be looking to update your portfolio with this information too. Doing this whiles it’s still fresh in your mind gives you the best chance of capturing all of the most important parts of the accomplishment itself, ensuring it captivates your audience in the way you deserve. Fortunately, updating your portfolio is a lot easier and more straightforward to do on a digital platform

Signature
Finishing off with a stylized electronic signature is the best way of adding your own professional touch to end this incredible personal endeavour…

Now we’ve looked at the best ways to compose a career portfolio in these two respective types of formats, next, let’s take a look at the rest of what it takes to make an outstanding career portfolio that will have you standing head and shoulders above the rest your competition in the eyes of any employer or client

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