How To Prepare Your Portfolio For A Job Interview
With the job market becoming increasingly competitive, jobseekers can stand out by properly preparing a great portfolio. Gone are the days where you walk into a job interview with just an extra copy of your resume. Your portfolio is a great way to show the employer your skills, experience and previous projects.
Preparing your portfolio prior to your interview will make you stand out from those who simply walk into an interview empty-handed, or with a resume that the employer has already looked over, hence the interview.
Here are nine documents that should be displayed in your portfolio:
1. Cover page
Your cover page should be simple but inviting. Stick to a neutral color, and label it Portfolio with your name underneath. Make the font large enough to read, but not overpowering. You can decide which fonts to use, but make it looks as professional as possible.
2. Table of contents
A table of contents will direct the employer to the areas of interest. Keep in mind, you will need to update your table of contents depending on what and how many documents you choose to include, per interview. For example: One interview you may include all nine key documents, as well as additional ones, but eliminate the additional documents for another interview. By eliminating documents, your page numbers will change. To avoid confusion, you could eliminate the page numbers, and just include the titles in order of appearance.
3. Personal Profile
4. Resume
5. Cover letter
What Do Employers Look Out For In Portfolios For Interviews
Most hiring managers demand a portfolio during an interview session, rather than watching you present it to them. This saves them time and also gives you a better opportunity to sell yourself to the best of your ability.
Building an interview portfolio shows the employee how serious you are, the nature of the previous jobs completed, and work experiences. It goes further to show enthusiasm for the position.
A Logical Order To The Images
Try to arrange your photos so that there is a “flow,” or a logical sequence to the photographs. One way to do that is to group similarly-themed photos together.
That can be a confusing idea, but here’s an example. Say you have:
- two black and white photos
- one photo from a small editorial shoot,
- another photo from a photo shoot of a well-known fashion brand, and
- four images close-up images of clean makeup: two of a model’s eyes, one of the lips, and one of the entire face.
Heres how you might arrange them, from first to last:
- You would put the well-known brand first, as it shows you’ve worked on some big projects.
- To keep things “grouped” together, you would include the small editorial shoot second.
- You could then include the close-ups, one after the other, because having those interspersed throughout the portfolio would seem disjointed.
- Then you could include the black-and-whites, to show that you’ve learned different styles of application.
The order of photographs is obviously very subjective, and there’s no “correct” way to order the images in your portfolio. Absolutely everyone will order things differently. Just remember that having a “flow” to your portfolio, where similar photos are grouped together, makes you seem much more professional.
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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.
Blogs And Templated Sites
Site such as WordPress allow you to have more control over your digital portfolio. Simple to use, they provide a website building toolkit, known as a dashboard. Many individuals and organisations build their website using WordPress and with a range of features, you can add tabs, links, have a comments box, upload images and choose from a wide selection of templates. If you opt to have a personal domain name that is not provided with the toolkit, youll have to pay extra for this, but the website address will look more professional. As with other similar sites, you’re required to market and promote your portfolio.
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What Makes A Great Portfolio
The best portfolios do two things at once: they present the artist’s unique style, while also displaying the technical skills and techniques that any capable MUA should have.
So how do you do those two things at once? Here are some “best practices” that you can use in both your print portfolio and your online portfolio, to show others that you’re the best there is.
Email Invitation To Interview Example
Heres an example of an email invitation to interview, so you know what to look out for when a recruiter reaches out to you:
Dear Samantha,
Thank you for applying for our Account Manager position here at ABC Company. Wed like to invite you to a phone interview with our hiring team. Please send over a few times that youre free this week or next, and well find a time that works for everyone. Wed like you to talk to our Account Director, Bill Smith, and one of our current Account Managers so you can get a feel for the position.
Wed also like for you to send over any references you may have and resend your resume. Sometimes the documents get lost in the transition from our job board to the interview.
If you have any questions, dont hesitate to contact me over email or give me a call. My phone number is in my signature.
Many thanks.
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Tips On How To Organize A Nursing Portfolio
Once you have compiled all of the proper paperwork you need for your nursing portfolio you need to place it into a three ring binder. It is good practice to place the resume at the beginning of the portfolio because this has your name and contact information on it.
Try to organize your documentation in chronological order, if possible. For example, organize in-services based on the date they were completed and so on. However, there is no correct way on how to organize your documentation. Try to organize it in a way that will make sense to the reader.
To help your portfolio look professional be sure to label each section with binder tabs that can be purchased at Walmart. In addition, a table of contents needs to be created and placed in the front of the portfolio.
Your nursing portfolio is yours and should reflect who you are so have fun with it!
Include Photos Of Yourself Working
Including photos of yourself working on specific academic projects or in previous internships or community service work will help the employer to see you in action. Sometimes these visual pictures can say a thousand words and dont often need any explanation. If you are currently completing an internship or volunteering for a company, be sure to take some photos to keep your portfolio current and to show employers what you’re doing right now.
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Make Sure You Have The Correct Documentation Included
Knowing what to include in your portfolio can be particularly difficult. You may not be going for a creative job, but having a portfolio of your previous work will help to support your argument that you are the right person for the job, and it may also help recruiters to remember you.
Irrespective of whether you are going for accountancy, creative or retail jobs, a portfolio may be just what you need to get noticed. Here are some useful examples of what you can include in a job interview portfolio:
- CV and personal statement
- Certificates of professional qualifications and memberships
- Licenses
- Emails or letters of compliment from clients and customers you helped
- References from previous employers
Check the spelling and grammar throughout your portfolio. Also, ask family and friends to review your portfolio and provide you with feedback, even if it is negative! It is better that you get negative feedback from people you know and have time to correct any mistakes than waiting for the interviewer to correct you.
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?
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Let Your Goals Shape Your Portfolio
When you start building your photography portfolio, you need to ask yourself some questions about your .
You need to ask yourself why youre building a portfolio. What are you trying to achieve? And what is your end goal?
You could be building a general portfolio to display your work. Or maybe youre making a photography portfolio for a specific job youre applying for.
Setting out your goals will help you construct your portfolio. The direction you take will determine the content and style of your portfolio.
So before you do anything, set out your objections. Itll give you the clarity to make a perfect photography portfolio to meet your needs.
Presents Your Creative Skills
A portfolio allows you to demonstrate your creativity. For example, you can build a portfolio website that reflects your excellent branding techniques or you can create a PowerPoint portfolio to show your presentation skills. Think of your portfolio as your branding material. Its aesthetic should reflect your personality, taste and work.
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What Is A Makeup Artist Portfolio
A makeup artist portfolio is a collection of photographs that display a makeup artist’s best work. The artist then uses those photographs market herself to others, attract new clients, and get more work.
The photos usually focus on the makeup work the artist has done on a client or series of clients. That could mean headshots or close-ups of eyes, lips, noses, and so on, but it also could be full-body editorial photos from a photo shoot, pictures of a bride and groom, etc.
Here’s an easy way to think of it: in the business world, if you want to find a new job, you’d show an employer your resume. In the world of makeup artistry, you show them your portfolio.
How To Create A Career Portfolio
This article was co-authored by Amber Rosenberg, PCC and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Amber Rosenberg is a Professional Life Coach, Career Coach, and Executive Coach based in the San Francisco Bay Area. As the owner of Pacific Life Coach, she has 20+ years of coaching experience and a background in corporations, tech companies, and nonprofits. Amber trained with the Coaches Training Institute and is a member of the International Coaching Federation .wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 564,526 times.
Your résumé may have gotten you an interview, but once in the interview, you want to make sure you really stand out. A career portfolio provides you an opportunity to showcase your achievements and samples of your work product to give potential employers a better idea of what you bring to the table. While it may take you a little time and effort to prepare your portfolio, that work could pay off if your portfolio helps you land the job of your dreams.XResearch source
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How Do I Find Photographs If I’m Just Starting Out
Ok! This is the first question on everyone’s mind. “If I’m just starting out, how do I fill up a portfolio with photos of my work, when I haven’t ever been hired for a job?”
There are two different ways to go about it. You can set up your own photo shoot, or you can become an assistant for an already-established makeup artist and get prints from your work with her.
Let’s take a look at both options, and find out which one is right for you.
Keep Your Portfolio Up To Date
Creating a portfolio is an ongoing process. Get into the habit of documenting and collecting work youre proud of once its completed. If you have a regular performance review with your employer, that would also be a good time to update your portfolio and master resumé.
As you update your achievements, youll review the skills youre building. Youll also be ready for a lastminute interview or any other opportunity where you want to show your skills or accomplishments.
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Things You Should Consider When Creating Your Portfolio
- Pay special attention to the quality of paper and to the design. Portfolio demonstrates not only your working experience and achievements. It also shows us your sense for detail, your. It tells us a lot about you.
- Do not leave your portfolio to the interviewers, unless you plan to collect it back. Show it to them and then take it with you. The best portfolios are pieces of art, and in an ideal case you will have an online version of your portfolio, one you can refer to if they want to check your best works later.
- Try to make it simple, not more than 15 pages. Try to avoid having too much text, rather include more pictures. It is the visualization that matters. If your portfolio has 100 pages , nobody will remember the first page once they look at the last one. An excessively long portfolio is acceptable only when you apply for a position in top managementin such a case they will pay attention to every detail.
- Try to make it unique. Do you have any special ideas for creating your portfolio? What about including one page that declares your future professional goals? And what if these goals do accidentally relate to the job you try to get, or to the goals of your future employer? This was just one idea. Do not hesitate to come up with more ideas!
How To Create A Digital Portfolio For Your Job Interview
Resumes used to be the only tool you had to showcase your academic and professional achievements when you were looking for a new job. Today you have so many more options, one of which is to create a Digital Portfolio. This visual representation of your history and greatest achievements provides employers with proof of what you can do and helps them see why they should consider hiring you. It also sets you apart from all the other candidates who simply send in a resume and cover letter.
7 Day Interview Preparation
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Correct Spelling And Grammar
A lot of fantastic makeup artists do great work, but their portfolios look sloppy because they’re full of spelling and grammar errors.
A portfolio is basically a resume that’s in the form of a photo bookbut it’s still a resume, and you want to look like you are an absolutely professional. And an absolute professional does not have spelling and grammar mistakes on her resume.
That may seem odd, because grammar and spelling have nothing to do with makeup. A person could be AMAZING at makeup but lousy at spelling, right?
But it does matter, and it matters a lot. The people who will hire you want to know that you pay attention to detail, and in the field of makeup artistry, detail matters very, very much. And not only that, but having a spotless portfolio proves that you are a professional, and that you will allow no errors of any kind in your work.
So how do you make sure your portfolio has no spelling or grammar errors? The easiest way is to get a friend who is a good writer and have them take a look at it. If you don’t have anyone in your life who could help you, you could always check out Fiverr.com or Craigslist.com or another online site.
What Not To Do When Designing A Portfolio
While this article goes through all of the Dos, there are some Donts as well which need to be taken into consideration. Lets sum them up.
Do not let your portfolio become cluttered.
Curation is central to making your work appear organised and streamlined. Maintain an index on an excel sheet to keep track of all your work to make sure you dont lose your way.
Your digital portfolio is not a high school PPT.
No one can have a comfortable experience viewing your work history if it comes in a mishmash of colours and fonts. Its mentioned in this article but it is worth mentioning again: keep a colour scheme and a font plate.
Your portfolio is an extension of you, your talents, and your work ethic.
Make sure that all of them come off positively to a potential employer. Spelling errors, broken links, slow-loading visuals all of these make an impact on your application, and it is not a good impact.
Do not be afraid to learn how to make your portfolio better.
Ask for feedback on your work. Let the interviewer know that you are open to questions and comments.
Keep upskilling to expand your portfolio, and make it better. Want to add a custom HTML? Watch a YouTube video. Wanna make an introduction video? Take a short course on camera set up, editing, and videography.
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