Aside from your ever-trustee resume, your portfolio can also help you market yourself to hiring managers. Some people neglect this element because they think their work experience written on a one-page document is enough proof of what they can do as a professional. That’s a myth you need to let go of whether you want to fulfill work under a company or be a freelancer. After all, any job boils down to interviews and work assessments.
What Is a Portfolio?
A portfolio is one way to present a curated collection of your best work to potential employers. This document can vouch for you so that it comprehensively details your skills by showing your past jobs and products. It can also include other helpful documents like recommendation letters or certifications. Picture it as if you’re selling homemade goods in a local grocery; of course, you must provide them with free taste. Generally, they need to see what you can do based on what you have done in your past work and not just on what you have stated on your resume.
Practical Tips to Ace Your Portfolio Building
Collect Your Personal Records
Portfolios are everything, but you don’t need to attach everything inside literally. First, you need to collect your records from the most up-to-date to your favorite work. These include your well-written resume, recommendation letter that can vouch for you, certification as proof that you have the skills, and work samples to show potential employers that you are ready to do the job.
Organize Your Work
One important tip to make your portfolio as efficient as possible is to organize your records based on what you want your employers to see first. For example, your resume can have the beginning page to be followed by your work sample. This way, you’re like a dependable tour guide to them while they’re assessing your professional experience. When presenting your work samples, you might want to arrange them based on category and date so employers can see your development throughout your career. A table of contents can also be helpful!
Customize Your Presentation
Your portfolio should be able to translate two things: professionalism and your personality. Hence, it would be best if you customize it depending on how you want to be viewed by hiring managers or potential employers. You can have two options: customize it or maximize free templates.
Personalizing your portfolio - You can search for portfolio designs or templates and take them as an inspiration in creating yours. You can filter search results by searching for the portfolio of a specific job title. This way, you will have an overview of what you need to include based on the profession or industry you want to enter.
Working with templates - There are a lot of accessible portfolio templates that you can download online. You can look for the most appropriate template for your desired job and customize it based on your collection. This can make your portfolio building more convenient and hassle-free.
A portfolio serves as proof of what you can do as a professional. It also serves as a permanent record of your career growth. Please do not waste your best work with an unorganized portfolio; plan what you want to include, then execute it how you want to be perceived.