DIY Guide - How to Create a Work Portfolio

Having a great work portfolio is important for landing a job in many fields. Here is your DIY Guide on how to create a work portfolio that accurately represents you  

What to Include:

Your portfolio should always include your resume; it should be as current and recent as possible. There are thousands of tutorials online covering how to create a great resume. However, some of the most basic rules for resumes includes keeping only the most important information and never exceeding two pages. Naturally, the next things you'll want in your portfolio are examples of your work. You may either have precious little or quite a lot of work to choose from, depending on the career stage you're in. If you're beginning, you may include school projects, or if you're getting started in the professional world, you and other folks can get together and create mock-ups that can be included in the portfolios of all who participate. The key is to show your strengths and diversity when gathering your samples. Have a fairly fluid and flexible portfolio, and don't be shy about tooting your own horn if a particular item or campaign was very successful. Ensure that you have several color copies of all the items in your portfolio so you can display them at any interview.  

Putting it Together

In your portfolio, you may have various materials, and not every item has to be included for each interview. If you do both graphics and photography and are interviewing for a job in the former category, go heavy on the graphics work you've done. As previously mentioned, it is great to demonstrate your diverse skills, but you will always want to lean heavily on the skills you possess that pertain to the job you are interviewing. Regardless of the amount of work you have done, you should probably only include about 15 examples of your work at most. You can have a tabbed section after your "fabulous fifteen" if you find that restrictive, which examines your work deeper or be prepared to discuss your experience while being interviewed.  

Binding and Presenting It:

When presenting your portfolio, you want something more professional than a staple or paper clip. You will also want it to be flexible and changeable for each interview and job application. Some great binding methods that fulfill these requirements and also don’t involve any binding equipment would be 3 Ring Binders, Pinchbooks, and Chicago Screws.