3 Easy Steps to Create an Awesome Portfolio for Job Hunting

Posted on Thursday, May 11th, 2017

Depending on your field, having a portfolio may be mandatory. But no matter what your field, having a portfolio is a great way to build your brand and make yourself stand out to potential employers.

But what if you aren’t in a creative or visual field? What if you haven’t done much in your industry yet? Below, we look at how to create a strong portfolio to impress, no matter what.

What is a Portfolio?

A portfolio is a collection of your best work intended to show people what it is you do. Typically, when people think of a portfolio, they think of professions like photographers or graphic designers, but industries of all sorts are conducive to building successful portfolios. Writers, programmers, chefs, business students—everyone can, and should, have a portfolio.

Choosing Your Work

Consider Your Audience

When you first start building your portfolio, it can be tempting to pull out every piece of work you’ve done and include it. But first, you should take a few minutes to sit back and consider who your portfolio is directed at.

Are you looking for a job? Preparing for a promotion? Applying to school? These kinds of questions will dictate what work you include in your portfolio.

If you’re applying for jobs, you want to choose pieces that exemplify your skills that will be valuable to your potential employees. Depending on your industry, this can mean a variety of things.

A helpful way of figuring out what kinds of work employers value is to take a look at job postings you’re interested in. Note the skills and qualifications that they’re looking for, and then choose work that demonstrates your ability with those things. That way, in your interview, when the employer asks what your experience is, you have the physical proof right there.

Look to Your Future

Your portfolio is a great opportunity to showcase the kind of work that you want to be doing in the future. It allows you to build up what you’re good at, and provide proof to employers that this is the area in which you excel.

School Work Counts, Too

When you’re just starting out, it’s likely that you won’t have a lot of professional experience or projects to include in your portfolio. Thankfully, school projects are ideal to include.

What you learn in school is usually totally up-to-date, and in some industries, can be even more cutting-edge than what is being used by companies currently. This is great for you. By including your projects in your portfolio, you demonstrate to a potential employer how highly relevant and impactful your skills will be to their organization.

Present It Well

So you have all your work and projects chosen, and your selections are looking great. Now, how do you present your portfolio?

In Person

While portfolios are very often online nowadays (more on this below), you may find it appropriate for your industry to have a physical copy. You can bring this to your job interviews and ask (always ask first!) if your interviewer would like to see it.

A three-ring binder with clear plastic sheets is perfect for holding all kinds of different media that you might want to share.

Online

There are tons and tons of resources for hosting a portfolio online. There are lots of benefits to this: you can include a link to it on your cover letter, resume, and personal website; you can organize it in a sensible way and make it extra easy for employers to find what they’re looking for; and you can easily design it to match your visual brand.

So what’s best for you? It depends on your industry and your style. But if you’re job hunting, doing both is probably best.

Keep It Updated

Once you’ve scored the job and have started working, be sure to hold on to complimentary emails, awards, and certifications that show how good you are at your job. Whenever you finish a big project, or are part of a really cool initiative, add that. Remove things as they become outdated, or as you complete better examples.

There is no magic number of how many pieces of work you should have in your portfolio. Remember, though: every piece in your portfolio should be excellent. Don’t overwhelm it, and don’t ever include any mediocre pieces.

Eventually, your growing portfolio can be used to secure promotions, negotiate raises, or in future job hunts. It will become a tool that follows you through your career.

Are you interested in taking a co-op course at Algonquin College? Are you an employer looking to hire an Algonquin co-op student? Get in touch with us! Visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623.


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