Online portfolios help professionals demonstrate their skills, presenting solid evidence of their work. People spend many months or even years perfecting their skills, learning their craft, and working hard. A portfolio is your opportunity to show instead of telling what you can do. Of course, you may want to simply include a few links in your resume. However, you should understand that the hiring process is extremely competitive, and a good portfolio allows you to stand out. Experts at https://writers-house.com/ decided to share some useful tips with you so that your online portfolio can impress potential employers.
Why You Need a Portfolio
Given that professionals from different areas spend a lot of time building their online network, showcasing the best results of your work is necessary. Let’s be honest: if you were an employer, you wouldn’t want to rely on a candidate’s word. Instead, you would look for candidates who can show real examples of their work.
While having an online portfolio is an advantage for some professionals, it is an absolute necessity for certain career paths:
- Artists;
- Photographers;
- Web developers;
- Videographers;
- Advertisers;
- Graphic designers;
- Writers;
- Architects.
We will consider portfolios in more detail later in this article. However, as you can see, a portfolio is necessary for most creative professions.
‘I Don’t Work with Visuals’
Even if your profession isn’t too creative, a portfolio certainly will be a considerable advantage.
For example, if you’re working in such areas as HR, nursing, or chemistry, which are not associated with visuals or creative work, employers still would like to see your accomplishments, and a good portfolio is the only way to give them what they want. Here are some types of portfolios that have nothing to do with visuals.
- Research
It can be a perfect portfolio for students who are studying history or law, as well as any other discipline where research skills are important. This format allows you to turn your ability to collect and analyze information into an online portfolio. - Case studies
Case studies are a great way to demonstrate your authority in a certain subject area. They enable employers to evaluate the way you work, think, and solve problems. In addition, writing case studies doesn’t require you to know design. - Presentations
Almost all majors in college require students to prepare a presentation at some point. Given that a presentation requires you to use both research and public speaking skills, including presentations in your portfolio is a great solution. Include a video of your presentation or a slideshow. - Lab reports
Students from medical-related areas can repurpose their lab reports. It is the easiest way to create an effective portfolio, showing your potential employers what you’ve done in the lab. Include the necessary links or PDFs. - Certifications
Quite often, certifications give you an advantage when looking for a job. In this case, it makes sense to include your certifications in the portfolio. Just add screenshots or attach a copy of the original document.
How to Create an Online Portfolio
If you have read this article to this point, the chances are that you don’t have an online portfolio and you could use some help creating it. Let’s talk about creating an online portfolio and consider some tools that will make it effective.
- Create a website
If you already have a website, you can proceed to the next step. However, if you don’t have a website yet, you need to make one as soon as possible. Your personal website is the most important networking tool which will also help your professional development. Traditional resumes are somewhat outdated, and you need to update them every time you need to add a new accomplishment to the list. If you don’t know how to create a website, you can use various online constructors or hire professionals who will do it for you. - Select your best work
An important thing about portfolios is that you need to be selective. There is no need to include all the work you have because you don’t want to make your portfolio overwhelming for hiring managers. We recommend that you take some time to reflect on the work you’ve done so that you can select pieces that make you feel proud. Keep in mind that quality is much more important than quantity. If you have any doubts about whether or not you should include something in your portfolio, the chances are that your portfolio will be better without it. For instance, if you’re a writer, there’s no need to include every single article you’ve ever written. Moreover, if you have enough experience, this task can be virtually impossible. Instead, you can select the most popular articles, as well as the most interesting and well-written ones.
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