With summer internships and job applications beginning to open up, it’s time to finalize your professional portfolio. A professional portfolio is the best way for a company to learn who you are, see the work you’ve accomplished, and observe which skill sets you can bring to the table. It can be difficult to decide which pieces of work you want to show off, what self-characteristics you want to highlight and choose the specific details that have shaped your professional outlook. Job and internship applications can be quite daunting, so having a well-organized and detailed portfolio can make the process less stressful. Here are five tips that will reinvent your professional portfolio and make you stand out amongst the crowd.
1. Introduce Yourself
Start with your story! Companies want to understand the passions and interests that have shaped your professional outlook. Make sure that you include an “about me” section that briefly describes inspiring events and opportunities that have led you to this company. One way you can stand out is to include your professional goals and how you plan to accomplish them. Outlining your goals demonstrates to companies the skills you can contribute and they get a glimpse of your action plan.
2. Showcase Your Skills
Be confident in the skill set you bring to the table. As members of the SOJC, we learn a variety of techniques that make us adaptable to any task a company can throw at us. Although we all learn the same skills, it is what you do with those skills that make you stand out. Include all your best workpieces from previous classes, internships, or passion projects that show your diverse skill level. Talk about your transferable skills that are relevant to the job.
3. Create a Passion Project
Create a passion project that highlights the techniques you’ve learned! Passion projects provide a platform for your skills to speak for themselves. Blogs are great to include in your portfolio because it showcases your voice, writing techniques, and your passion for the topic. You can even find a way to show off your photography abilities by including your own pictures. Companies will be able to tell a lot about your drive, professionalism, goals and evaluate what you can contribute to their brand.
4. Highlight Your Impact
Companies want to know the specific and measurable ways you’ve helped other brands accomplish their objective. Provide numerical values that show your contribution to a brand, for example, if you worked for UO Athletics on the social media team, including how you increased Instagram following by 20%, etc. In addition, highlight the steps you took to accomplish these numbers. Companies want to see specific ways you helped a company reach its goal.
5. Make it Aesthetically Pleasing
Present a visually appealing portfolio! This step may not seem as important as the rest, but this gives companies a sneak peek into the quality of work you will bring to the table. Make sure you don’t overdo it. A simple layout with a few pops of color goes a long way. Use white space effectively and make the design conform to your content. You want viewers to have an easy reading experience.
