Creating a professional work portfolio

by Taylor Rouse

When applying and interviewing for internships or full-time positions, you may be asked to provide a work sample showing your skills and capabilities. Having a tidy portfolio on hand is the best way to quickly find and send a relevant project to your hiring manager and can help give you a leg up during interviews by showing that you’re prepared.

Consider these best practices for creating an outstanding portfolio:

Keep track of your projects. Make sure you save all the work you’ve done throughout your internships or other past positions by creating a folder in your computer containing files or screenshots of your completed projects. Any of your demonstrable work, like articles, graphics, studies, etc, would be good documents to save. If you do not have any previous internship or work experience, you can always include school projects or relevant extracurricular work.

Pinpoint the information you’d like to include. Create an outline that lists all the positions you’ve held and the skills you learned from each one. Look through your completed projects and determine which ones you feel are best to show in your portfolio. You want to make sure each element you include is relevant and accurately reflects your expertise. For example, a video you’ve created would be a great piece to provide if you are applying for a job involving marketing or creative work.

Choose a platform that works for you. There are ample websites to help create your portfolio. If you have a lot of images or videos you would like to include, Canva is a great choice. Other potential options are Adobe Portfolio, Google Sites, GoDaddy or Wix. Although it’s acceptable to simply send a file of your work on your laptop when asked for work samples, having an online portfolio shows your professionalism and organization skills. Additionally, other professionals who view your online portfolio may leave comments or feedback that you could use to improve your profile.

Utilize your resources. Your career center on campus would be a great place to get your portfolio reviewed and receive any feedback for improvement. Certain professors may also be willing to give you edits and suggestions. Additionally, a friend, colleague or mentor would be great to ask when seeking an honest review or to catch any editing errors. It always helps to get a second opinion!

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Creating a professional work portfolio is a great way to keep your work in one place. When asked to provide a work sample, you will not have to comb through your computer to find sufficient pieces. Following these tips will help you create an excellent portfolio to send in with your next application.

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