How To Build a Professional Portfolio

A work portfolio is a collection of work samples showing your capabilities and skills to prospective employers. Job seekers can create a paper or online professional portfolio by creating a website or using a third-party site such as LinkedIn.

Online portfolios are a great way for job candidates to showcase their work, any licenses or certifications, and feedback or recommendations from previous employers, teachers, or clients. If you're applying for a job, an online work portfolio is required or expected for some fields.

Once you've identified an internship or job, the common practice of applying is submitting your resume and cover letter. The resume is a professional document that briefly describes your previous educational and professional experiences.

The cover letter will complement the resume by including information about specific experiences and interests that match up with the company’s job description. When drafting a cover letter, it's important to show the company that you are familiar with its mission statement and other information included on the company's website.

An impressive job portfolio can often catch the interest of employers and, ideally, prompt them to want to call you in for an interview. Here are some helpful tips on how to make a professional portfolio, along with some examples.

Collect Examples of Your Work

Creating a professional portfolio begins by collecting examples of your work. These examples can show potential employers your skills and abilities.

Media Files

Have ready media files of your work, which might include any reports, surveys, press releases, or specific materials you have designed or written for a past employer, school project, or class. Include any videos, PowerPoint presentation samples, or photos via jpegs and PDFs that can be sent to your prospective employer.

Internships

If you are currently completing an internship, be sure to include some of the work you are doing right now. The information you collect to include in your portfolio primarily depends on the type of job you are looking to get. However, it's good to show specific examples of your work and the impact that work had, such as how it helped the company or its clients. For example, you could include spreadsheets that you designed to complete certain projects or improve the flow of the work.

Graphic or Web Design

If you are interested in graphic design or art, your portfolio should be put together with specific examples of your artistic work. Here you can include videography, photography, artwork, graphs, charts, or other visuals to show prospective employers your skill level.

Web designers could showcase some of the website pages that they created and perhaps any data as to the success of the website, such as the level of engagement.

Teaching Projects

Teachers can put together exceptional portfolios by highlighting projects they introduced in the classroom as well as the lesson plans they created for the class. Portfolios are a great chance to show your creativity, and the nice thing is that no two portfolios are alike.

Include Licenses and Certifications

If your area of expertise involves a license or certification, be sure to include those to help demonstrate your skills. For example, you might have a certificate from a recent class showing your advanced skills in Excel spreadsheets or PowerPoint. Also, if you currently work and have a license, such as for finance, plumbing, or mechanics, be sure to make sure it's up to date and included so a prospective employer can verify it.

Include Letters of Recommendation, Testimonials, or Other Communications Showing Praise

Any correspondence that you have received in the past from teachers, professors, or previous employers describing your hard work and professionalism should definitely be included as part of your portfolio. Having professionals in the field commenting on the outstanding work you contributed to any project can make a real positive impact on any employer.

Be sure to include an example of the outstanding piece of work (college paper, artwork, lesson plan), so they can evaluate it. It may feel uncomfortable bragging about your work, but it’s important to understand that if you don’t highlight your successful experiences, no one will know.

Choose an Online Portfolio Platform

You can create a website to showcase your online work portfolio or use a third-party site such as LinkedIn. You can upload videos, graphics, and images. You can also create an article on your LinkedIn page (similar to a blog post) showcasing a specific project or work you completed for a past employer.

If you have them, be sure to include any photos of yourself working on specific academic projects or in previous internships. Perhaps you have a video of you doing a presentation or an interview on your college TV station.

If you are currently doing community service, completing an internship, or volunteering for a company, be sure to take some photos to show employers what you're doing right now.

Be sure to include your work history and timeline, especially if you have previously worked for a prestigious or successful company. Show any of the projects that you worked on, but also any measurable results due to your involvement. If you're a college student, it might be helpful to include what you learned or the skills achieved as a result of your work.

Maintain and Customize Your Portfolio

You may want to customize your professional portfolio for certain jobs or at least link to items you think would be appropriate for the job you’re applying for. Be sure that you have created clear, concise documents that are organized to let the employer know that you are serious about the job.

And make sure you add new items as you get them, and consider removing older items. As you gain experience from working or make progress through school, be sure to make copies of your work to update your portfolio, providing specific examples to illustrate your growth over the years. By continuously adding and updating your professional portfolio after completing a project or work and school milestone, you prevent your portfolio from becoming outdated.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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