By Presley Chambers of our SOJC PR Account Team
Each term, a group of seniors in the public relations sequence begins to panic. That time of the term has arrived for them to present their final portfolios and finish their majors. As exciting as the final step in your college career can be, many students go into portfolio reviews with no clue where to start. As the account team for SOCJ PR, we want to give a few tips and tricks on how to survive portfolio reviews!
Gather your best work in one place
A good first step to take is to keep track of experiences or deliverables you have from the last few years and keep them in one drive or folder. This will make it a lot easier to organize your portfolio when it comes time to create it. Anything you think you could use to showcase your skills, keep it in one place!
Use your classwork – it’s more professional than you think
If you have not had an internship or professional experience yet, no worries! You don’t need internships to present your skills professionally. Your classwork will showcase your writing abilities, organization and comprehension of best practices. For example, you can showcase your personal blog from J 452 or your news releases from J 352. The great thing about the SOJC is that it sets you up with professional skills as part of the curriculum!
Look presentable and professional
If you’re like me, you might be feeling stressed about the little details of the reviews. What is the dress code? What should I bring? Do I shake their hand? The best practice is to overdress rather than underdress. Wear your best button-up shirt and slacks and make sure to bring a great attitude. Remember, this isn’t how you would show up to your 10 a.m. class. You should dress well to feel your best in the review! Below are some good examples for men and women:
Make connections
The review is about showing what you’ve learned and how well prepared you are for the professional world, which means more than just presenting class or internship work. Make your reviewers feel comfortable and have confidence while you’re presenting. At the end of the day, the panel of reviewers just wants you to succeed, and everyone in the room will feel a little better if you connect with each other. Don’t be afraid to show your personality and give it your all!
Take a deep breath
This is one of the most important days of college. You have been working so hard for four years. It’s time to let yourself breathe and enjoy the moment. After all, this day is all about recognizing your skills and abilities! Smile and be proud of yourself! And don’t forget to snap a picture and send it in to @SOJCPR to be featured on our social media.