How to Create an Impressive Career Portfolio
Having a carefully prepared career portfolio gives job candidates a competitive advantage.
If you are a member of a rotational leadership program, you should keep a portfolio to collect and showcase your work. Even if you are not in a leadership program, you should consider having a portfolio as a competitive advantage over less prepared candidates. While having a resume or comprehensive list of duties and key wins is helpful, having a portfolio presents tangible evidence in a handy binder. The combination of a resume and portfolio together makes candidates appear organized and competent. In today’s economy, job stability may decrease. Being prepared ensures an easier transition if and when you decide to, or are forced to, find new sources of income and employment. Because actions speak louder than words, having a portfolio is also a great tool for prospective or existing clients to become familiar with your work.
Successful Portfolio Recipe
Before assembling the items that you think will highlight your skills to potential employees, create a vision for your portfolio. If you already have a personal branding statement, you are one step ahead. If you have not created a personal branding statement, now is the time.
Translate your personal brand into your portfolio. For example, if you are a person excited about technology and social media, incorporate web 2.0 tools into your portfolio to make it more than just a binder. Keep it live. If one of your personal brand traits is your organizational skills, make sure your portfolio is highly organized. Above all, your portfolio should be updated, professional, rugged, and honest.
The contents of your portfolio are very important. Showcase your best work. Consider adding pages that will explain each piece you use to make it easier for managers to understand why each piece represents a successful output of your experiences. The list below are guidelines to create an impressive portfolio.
The Binder- Assemble your work in a rugged, professional binder. If you carry your portfolio around with you a lot, it’s very important that it be durable. Also, make sure it is the appropriate size. If your work experiences is limited, get a smaller binder. If you do not have a lot of work experience and your binder is huge, you may appear inexperienced. If your portfolio is so big that you cannot turn pages easily, it’s time for a bigger binder. A lot of binders have sleeves that allow you to create your own front and back cover. Taking time to personalize the outside covers will make your portfolio memorable. Print on high quality paper. Use sheet protectors.
The Contents- Having the right combination of contents is important and will vary. Making sure that your content is updated is very important. Here are some suggestions that you should include:
- Table of contents
- Personal branding statement, career goals and/or self-assessment
- Updated resume with quantified contributions and references
- Extracurricular contributions (special projects for work, affinity groups, volunteer projects, things you have lead, things you do outside of your job that make you a stronger leader or candidate)
- Examples of your work (drawings, audio, video, spreadsheets, screen shots, PowerPoint’s, advertisements, collateral, etc)
- Recommendations or feedback from customers and co-workers
- Transcripts
- An electronic version of your portfolio that people can keep
- Digital Teaser: Tease your website (if it’s appropriate), LinkedIn Profile, or digital portfolio.
After assembling your portfolio, review it as you would a resume to make sure there are no mistakes. Have a few people you trust review your portfolio and ask that they give you honest feedback to make it stronger. They may be able to identify gaps you have missed. For example, your personal brand statement may be saying one thing but your portfolio says something different. Make sure they are complimentary. You may refine your personal branding statement after this exercise– which can be very good for self-awareness and self-promotion.
If you already have a portfolio, keep it updated. What else should be included in a successful portfolio? Give us your feedback in the comments section.
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Tags: IT, Job, Leadership, portfolio, Resume, Volunteer, Web 2.0, WorkRelated posts
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