For those not in a particularly artistic field, a professional portfolio doesn’t have to be about showing pretty pictures of your work. The real purpose is to provide tangible proof of your value in the workplace, and there’s a whole host of ways to do that. From outlining project descriptions and showcasing work samples to offering up letters of reference and customer reviews, a portfolio can document your professional accomplishments in any way that makes sense for your gig.
The Big Why
Think of it like this: As a professional (regardless of your field), you are a business of one. When a company chooses to employ you, it is “purchasing” your business’ service. You can think of your professional portfolio as a marketing brochure for the services you’re selling. By showcasing your skills, abilities, and achievements, your portfolio helps your customers (your employers) and prospects (your potential future employers) understand what services you provide and why they are special—and worth the purchase price!
A professional portfolio can help in any circ*mstance where you want to make a strong impression, provide proof of your value, and differentiate yourself from your competition. Here are just a few examples:
Job Interviews
Whether you’re a copywriter or a consultant, take your portfolio to a job interview and refer to the items inside while discussing your work experience. Saying “I planned a fundraising event from beginning to end” is one thing—showing the event invitation, program, budget, and volunteer guidelines you put together is completely another.
In addition to acting as a handy reminder of the great things you’ve done in your career, having a portfolio on hand contributes to your professional image. You’ll look prepared and organized, and your interviewers will see that you’re proud of your work and take it seriously.
Performance Reviews
Your performance review is the time of year where you’ll want to recount your specific accomplishments and accolades to your employer—and for many, this type of self-promotion can be uncomfortable. But with a portfolio by your side, you’re able to cite objective, verifiable facts. It’s not just your opinion that you’ve done a great job; you have profit-and-loss reports and client emails that prove it!
As an added bonus, your reviewer will be happy to see that you’ve been tracking these things on your own and that you’re prepared for the discussion. You may even be able to draw your reviewer’s attention to accomplishments he or she overlooked.
Salary Negotiations and Promotions
Getting what you want in a salary negotiation is all about leverage. The person with whom you’re negotiating is doing a mental calculation that boils down to this: Are you worth it? Does your request make sense given your current and future value? A portfolio full of work samples and lists of accomplishments provides the necessary leverage to help you get what you want, whether negotiating a starting salary or a raise in your current pay.
Likewise, promotion requests are bolstered by the presence of a portfolio. Your employer wants to know you’re both capable of performing in the new role and deserving of the increased responsibility (and pay, and visibility, and so on). And a portfolio featuring the work you’ve accomplished over the years will provide evidence of your past performance (widely considered the best predictor of future performance) and your potential contribution in the new role.
What to Include
While the items included in a professional portfolio can vary depending on your experience, profession, and industry, there are a few things that anyone can include:
Your resume or professional bio
Letters of recommendation
Client feedback, letters, or emails
Awards and recognitions
List of trainings and courses completed
Work samples
Project outlines or write-ups
A list of key accomplishments
Pull together the items that make sense for you—either by compiling hard copies or by putting everything online. No matter what you choose, I promise, it’s a worthwhile investment of your time.
Portfolios are a great way to demonstrate the competencies and accomplishments you would list on a resume or talk about in an interview – they allow you to show, not just tell. Your portfolio helps you showcase your proven work to potential employers. It presents evidence of your relevant skills and abilities.
A career portfolio can help illustrate your professional accomplishments, talents, abilities, activities, and attitudes to prospective employers. The career portfolio also serves as a marketing tool, offering employers a preview of your performance as a potential employee.
By having a portfolio, you'll be able to outline your career highlights, notable achievements, unique skills, as well as endorsem*nts. Images, videos, and graphics get people's attention. Hiring managers or HR would probably appreciate visuals especially if you're applying for a job that is art or media related.
A portfolio can help you tailor your application to the specific role and organization you are applying for, by highlighting the skills and achievements that are most relevant and aligned with their mission and values. A portfolio can also help you create a positive impression and a memorable brand for yourself.
A portfolio full of work samples and lists of accomplishments provides the necessary leverage to help you get what you want, whether negotiating a starting salary or a raise in your current pay. What is this? Likewise, promotion requests are bolstered by the presence of a portfolio.
Additional purposes of portfolios include: Demonstration of student growth over time. Identify specific skills to show improvement. Creation of a tangible body of evidence to show to parents.
In this day and age, having a career portfolio is more important than ever. Not only is it an excellent way to show off your skills and experience, but it also allows you to build your brand. A career portfolio enables you to showcase your 21st Century skills and demonstrate why you are the best candidate for the job.
A work portfolio is a collection of your work used to showcase your abilities and experience to recruiters, clients, or potential employers. It may also be referred to as a career portfolio, professional portfolio, or job portfolio.
Portfolios serve as visual aids that add credibility and helps set you apart from other candidates, containing your resume, references, transcripts, samples of your work and accomplishments, as well as other career-related information. A portfolio organizes your academic and professional documentation and credentials.
A portfolio can be a powerful work search tool. Gathering documents and information for your portfolio reminds you of the great things you have done and the skills you have learned. This helps you understand the work you're qualified for and the work you would like to do.
It presents evidence of your relevant skills and abilities. Archiving samples of your work to a portfolio is a great way to keep track of your accomplishments and document when you acquired key competencies.
A portfolio is a compilation of academic and professional materials that exemplifies your beliefs, skills, qualifications, education, training, and experiences. It provides insight into your personality and work ethic.
Portfolios are used to showcase your work and to help to demonstrate your skills to prospective employers. Nothing impresses more than a beautifully presented portfolio at an interview, or makes an employer want to get in contact by viewing a professional online version.
A Professional Portfolio will provide a framework in which to plan and demonstrate your professional development. The information in this page may assist you in creating and maintaining your portfolio and has been included as a guide only.
As a designer, sharing your work not only demonstrates your expertise and skills but also shows who you are as a creative. Building a design portfolio that accurately reflects your experiences and abilities is critical to landing a role that fits your skillset.
A professional portfolio is a record of goals, growth, achievement and professional attributes developed over time and in collaboration with others. A portfolio illustrates goals and development over time, and not simply the highest level of achievement.
The portfolio thus provides evidence of strengths and weaknesses and serves to define the next steps in learning. The Second form of portfolio is Display, Showcase, or Best Works Portfolios. It is used to demonstrate the highest level of achievement attained by the student.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
