A good portfolio is crucial for landing on your first job. That is why you need to take the time and effort to create an outstanding portfolio.
Some employers still prefer a physical portfolio that you can carry around and/or leave with the employer. Yet more and more employers in the mass communications field have shifted their preference in favor of an online portfolio. Here are some tips and suggestions on how to create your best online portfolio.
Regardless of the format, online portfolios need to contain the following key elements:
- samples of your best work that showcase your skills in several key areas
- error-free resume with visible contact information
- clean design and easy/simple navigation
- sensible domain name and/or e-mail address; safest choice is to use your name; avoid acronyms or any other suggestive names
There are several popular ways to create an online portfolio:
- Blogs – blogs have become the acceptable way for aspiring writers to showcase their skills. You can create your free blog with Blogger.com, for example. These are now called Blogofolio(s). You can find a good example of a Blogofolio here. In addition, Andrew Roland, a Washburn senior, has invaluable information and examples about online blogs here.
- Web sites – There are two good options for creating free websites. One of the most popular is Weebly.Com. Here you can design a free web space or secure your own domain name. You can personalize your page, add graphics, text, video and use Weebly's design tools to customize your site. Examples from Weebly are listed below. Another good option in this category would be to create your portfolio with the free Googlepages.com. Here is an example of an online resume with portfolio examples created in Googlepages. With Googlepages you can also personalize your portfolio and thus make it stand out.
- Dedicated solutions - this category might include various approaches to sharing your portfolio with prospective employers, but probably the simplest one comes from the free file sharing service that MediaFire. Com offers. You can see a good example of how this file management system works here. This option is not only user-friendly, but allows you to upload various file formats.
Important note about file formats: do NOT e-mail or upload software-specific file formats. Your best bet is to convert Word and InDesign files to PDFs and video to Quicktime, WMV or Flash. The very best way to display video is to use Flash embed code on your pages.
Look at these portfolios
Shalyn Marsh
Travis Perry
Linda Meyer
Jaycie Wiechman
Timothy Traynor
Kevin Dame
Christopher Marshall
