Presenting Your Work Physically
Although some employers will explicitly say to present a digital portfolio, if your work needs to be presented physically, make sure its done so in a professional way. This is frequently overlooked as many candidates assume that the work they are presenting is more important that what holds them. This is a dangerous oversight, especially when applying for a creative position, as it may bring into question your aesthetics and even organizational skills if you give the interviewer a battered, beaten and torn portfolio. Here are a few other things to consider when choosing your portfolio binder or folder.
How To Present A Digital Portfolio
First, make sure you know whether the interviewer wants you to use Skype or Google Hangout or something else. If youre not accustomed to their choice, its a good idea to practice with a few people so you have a comfort level with it.
Second, pay attention to your background. Make sure theres no clutter or mess behind you.
Third, check your lighting, especially at the time of the day of your call. A light behind you will make your face dark, but in front of you, it could work, depending on the light. Just play around with it and figure out your best set up.
Finally, make sure the sound is good and the door is shut to outside noise. My dogs are famous for barking when I get on Skype, but if I have a job interview, I get them out of the house.
Ask your clients how theyd like you to present your digital portfolio. Do they want you to share your screen? Or just go through it on your own screens? Make sure you know how to share your screen ahead of time. Practice it a few times with someone else so its seamless.
Visually Organized Resume Content
Kens more simple resume is visually organized. This makes the content easier to read and digest. Once the scanning stops, the reader has to decide if it is going to be easy to read.
This resume model is organized into three sections.
Resume header
Much like a website header, this resume header gives a visual sign of order and a quick overview. The picture is a powerful way for someone to put a person to the page.
Resume sidebar
Kens resume model makes effective use of a sidebar that is visually separated by the background color. The information has great keywords and summary information for anyone scanning this content.
He further separates the content into sections with headers. Easy to scan and easy to digest.
Main resume content
Ken separates the main content with a white background. He further organizes content with separators. Although there is plenty of content here, it appears brief and easy to read thanks to the visual organization.
Ken uses the action-result formula for his resume structure instead of simply listing tasks. He quickly tells a story of the value he brings to the business.
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Five Best Website For Creating Digital Professional Portfolio
Switch to digital. A digital portfolio enables you to showcase your content with a larger community and can be viewed whenever your viewer has the opportunity to go over your portfolio. When it comes to developing an online edition of your portfolio, you have a lot of alternatives.
Digital portfolio products are available on a variety of sites and networking websites, some of which are free. You can also build your website. To create your digital portfolio more aesthetically engaging, design it like a PowerPoint slide or add photographs and infographics. Provide a link to your digital portfolio in your CV, professional online accounts, and electronic signature after its completed.
What Makes Up A Portfolio For Interview
An effective interview portfolio should consist of samples of your work, works in progress, certifications, awards, and other things that demonstrate your professional experiences and qualifications. Whether you are creating a portfolio in the form of a website, presentation, or hardcopy document, here are steps for creating an effective portfolio:
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Find The Best Medium To Create Your Portfolio
There are many different mediums that you can use to create a portfolio. For example, a web designer may create a website to use as a portfolio for showcasing their design skills and capabilities. On the other hand, a writer may use a platform that allows them to include links to their published articles. Use the platform that serves you best to showcase your work.
The Elements Of A Portfolio Can Vary Widely But Examples Include:
Your portfolio leaves room for creativity so do not be afraid to include resources that demonstrate your expertise. For example:
- A new graduate with a programming specialty might include a list of every programming function he can perform with a certain tool or language plus samples of some code.
- A sales person might include a sample newsletter he created or photos of himself receiving trophies when there are no paper awards to insert in the portfolio.
Consider what would be good examples of your work and include them.
DO BE CAREFUL not to reveal anything confidential from your current employer.
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What To Include In A Marketing Portfolio
It is very tempting to include a visual of every campaign you were associated with that had positive results. Dont do it, at best it says I was really busy. Most likely it says I am not capable of reviewing information and isolating whats important which are critical skills for a marketer. The basics you need to include in your marketing portfolio are:
Wrapping Up The Presentation
In closing, ask if the interviewer has any questions. If he or she is a Creative Director or somebody who sees a lot of portfolios, and it seems like theres still time, you could also ask for feedback on your book.
(If you make a suggested change, this is always a nice way to follow up i.e. I took your advice and removed the Verizon work. I really appreciate that feedback and found it very helpful.
But everyone has different opinions, so dont do something if it doesnt feel right. Take it all in and then trust your gut.)
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Choosing The Best Pieces For Your Marketing Portfolio:
The first 3 items in the portfolio are pretty easy to understand. Things start to get more complicated when you piece together the samples of your work. How do you choose which ones to include? I would recommend the following items:
Once you have gathered together the key components of your marketing portfolio you need to decide on a format. There are many digital portfolio options including setting up your own website or blog, using LinkedIn, Google Slides or using paid portfolio programs like PortfolioBox or or Prezi.
Who Needs A Digital Portfolio For A Job Interview
Years ago, portfolios were used mainly by artists, designers and photographers to showcase their best work to a potential customer. Today, portfolios are created by people in almost every industry from teaching to writing, marketing and more as a way of bringing a resume to life using visuals. The digital age and the power of social media mean that no matter what industry you work in, you can create a digital portfolio that showcases your best work and use it to set you apart from other candidates at your next job interview.
See also:
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Prepare Your Resources By Organizing Them
The portfolio should be organized in such a way that employers can quickly discover the information they need. It is advisable to start with your Résumé, biography, and abilities list, and then organize the rest of the material according to you. Sort your data into categories and organize them in a sensible, easy-to-understand sequence.
For instance, organize your work examples from current to oldest so that recruiters can track your progress. For easier navigation, provide a header and a table of content, also provide page numbers so they do not have to go through the whole portfolio to find a simple piece of information.
How To Create A Job
Bringing a well-articulated and polished portfolio with you to an interview can impress your hiring manager. A portfolio can give potential employers a detailed look at your abilities and qualifications, and provide them with samples of your work. In this article, you’ll learn about what an interview portfolio is, why you should have one, what to include and how to create a portfolio for an upcoming interview that gets you the job.
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Does This Really Work
Yes, but dont just take it from me. There are many people who have been doing this type of preparation for years.
Take Kelly Stamerra, a senior hospital pharmaceutical sales representative, for example, who says, It started out as just a way to look and sound more credible when I was just starting out, but after a while I realized not only was it keeping me on track, but it directed the conversation. I felt so comfortable discussing the information I had put in there because I had taken the time to think about it, so I never went down a rabbit hole.
The result?
I call it my lucky presentation, Stamerra explains. Hands down I would not have gotten the jobs I did without it. As I continued to apply for promotional positions, it made me sound polished and professional and I quickly moved into specialty positions. It is my security blanket. Honestly, I would feel naked going into an interview without it!
Why Is A Career Portfolio Important When Looking For Work
When someone types your name into a search bar, the displayed results are called SERP . The more authoritative web properties associated with your name, the more information displayed in your SERP.
Here is the SERP for Kris Fannin as an example:
Why does your SERP matter? Because I guarantee people will search for you while looking for work. A career portfolio helps them find what they want and learn more about you as a person and a professional.
Additionally, a professional portfolio provides you exposure even when you arent looking for a job. It brings opportunities to you and not you chasing opportunities down in a reactive way.
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How To Make A Portfolio For A Job Interview
- Post authorBy Laura DeCarlo
Smart job seekers know that they have to prepare for the interview to know how to sell themselves, handle challenging questions, and overcome concerns in their histories or experience levels.
However, only about 3% to 5% of active job seekers have catapulted their way to the top by the savvy strategy of creating and leveraging a career portfolio.
So few job seekers use portfolios because most job seekers do not realize the value, do not know what to put in a portfolio, or just do not want to take the time to assemble one.
Because so few use a career portfolio, this is a fantastic way to stand out in the interviewing process.
However, there is also another added gold star for your career in maintaining a portfolio you are better able to talk about your accomplishments, more prepared for updating your resume since the information is at hand, and ready to position yourself for your next promotion or annual evaluation! Why wouldnt you want to spend the little extra time it takes to create a powerful portfolio?
Understand How Theyd Prefer To View Your Portfolio
Before you begin, ask the interviewer if theyve seen your work and if they would like you to present it to them. Sometimes interviewers will want to flip through your work on their own, which I never understood because having someone present their portfolio tells me so much about the person.
If they want you to present your whole portfolio, the two biggest variables are timing and how in depth you go on each project. In presenting the first project, you can get a sense of both of these.
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Marketable Skills And Abilities
This is where you get to prove your unique value to potential employers by listing all the things you do well. To help you decide which items to include, you should review all of your skills and choose the things that youre most proud of and that best reflect your personal brand.
Some common marketable skills include:
- Project management
Be sure to describe exactly how you use your skills:
Teamwork
- Used interpersonal skills to collaborate with other writers to draft and produce Company Xs weekly newsletter.
Taking initiative
- Taught myself how to use several software programs, including Grammarly and Hemingway Editor, to make my writing more efficient.
Showcase Your Best Marketing Samples
Your work samples are the meat in your portfolio. You can create a separate page for them or add 4-6 your best works to the existing one-pager. When selecting and adding your work samples, consider the following:
- Add cases with great results first. Show examples of your work that will interest visitors of your site from the very first glance. For example, it is worth mentioning the marketing campaign you developed for a large brand at the very beginning, or how you achieved +100% of followers on Instagram in a month, etc.
- Showcase your innovative ideas. Maybe youve managed a new project launch or rebranding? Convince your site visitors of your creativity and ability to think outside the box.
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Key Reasons To Create Your Professional Marketing Portfolio
You might say, Why would I need to create a marketing portfolio when I have a resume and cover letters? Heres why:
- To receive interesting offers even when you are not actively looking for work. According to CareerArc, 75% of professionals are passive job seekers. If you do not mind changing your current place of work for a more interesting project, an online portfolio can attract recruiters without any effort on your part. Theyll just find it on the internet.
- To leave a link to your beautiful portfolio on social media. Do you know that 1 in 10 hires comes from social media? Adding links to your portfolio on social media will increase your chances of getting noticed by a recruiter.
- To stand out from other candidates. HRs receive 200-300 resumes for each job opening. No one has time to thoroughly read all of these requests. A bright portfolio immediately catches the eye and contains all the most important things from the recruiters point of view.
And I Should Have One Because
Creating an interview portfolio does three things for you that can skyrocket you past other candidates. First, it shows that youre serious, that you do your homework before an interview, and that you dont take the process lightly. Youre in it to win it. That goes a long way with both HR recruiters and hiring managers because they want to not only see that you want a job, but also that you want this job. The portfolio demonstrates enthusiasm for the position. Because employee turnovers costly, the powers that be want to get it right the first timemeeting with someone who is obviously excited for the opportunity can make all the difference.
Along with demonstrating your enthusiasm, a portfolio prepares you for the interview better than any other method out there. Heres the thing: To a recruiter, it looks like a wonderful showcase of your skills and accomplishments, but for youits a cheat sheet! Getting nervous and forgetting to say something impressive, or worse, saying something that doesnt sound as good out loud as it did in your head is normal. Taking time to write out some examples of your brilliance ahead of time will aid you in having a successful interview.
On top of all that, this physical packet serves as a tangible reminder of your talents. Youre giving yourself an edge because now the hiring manager can quickly reference your skills and accomplishments.
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How To Make A Professional Job Portfolio For Your Next Interview
Its easy to claim youre great at working with others, but what does that really mean? Even if an employer is willing to assume youre telling the truth, its a claim that communicates almost nothing and does little to separate you from others who also say they work well with others or are great at generating ideas.
With that sentiment in mind, understanding how to make a professional portfolio for a job interview can provide more substance to your claims. A job portfolio provides evidence to the claims you made in your resume and cover letter regarding your candidacy and backing backs them up with tangible proof of your skills, both concrete and transferable.
To give you some pointers in building an effective interview portfolio, well take a look at a few interview portfolio examples and give you some best practices to follow when crafting your own and mistakes to avoid. Once you understand how to prepare and organize a portfolio, you can reap the benefits on virtually any kind of career track and show your work — and yourself — in the best light.
