Why You Should Have A Career Portfolio

From a personal experience, having a portfolio has given me the credibility for opportunities I have sought out. It has also granted me my current position and responsibilities – whether it was because I had solid representation of the skills acquired through previous internships or simply the confidence that came with seeing all the work I had done in the past.

One of the best advice I have gotten from a supervisor was that they love the trait “organized.” Being so organized that if I person had to take over my job at any given moment, they could pick up exactly where I left off – assuming they had the same skill set. Bringing a portfolio was living proof of such organization & marketing trait.

For any in-person interactions, such as a networking event, job fair or interview, you should print out your most valuable work. If you build sites or are a marketer with specific ads, you print the pages with the most traffic. If you do graphic design, include examples from the biggest campaigns. And don’t forget to show the range within your work. I have always worked in marketing, but even within that field I have worn many, many hats. From daily blogging, to copy writing and campaign strategy to PR and management – my portfolio would never reflect the wide range of jobs I have trained in if I simply added my most visited articles.

And even if you land your dream job, keep collecting because you never know what could happen. I don’t mean this in a negative way. You might grow out of your position and dive into the interview process again for management positions. You might start a family and need a closer commute or more flexible hours or have to suddenly move. It is always good to aim for stability in your jobs, but also remember that it is also a representation of your own skill set. Treat it well and collect your proudest accomplishments.

 
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2 Comments

  1. February 13, 2020 / 10:37 PM

    Portfolio will surely be a valuable addition to your CV. Because it demonstrates the projects you`ve been working on and the skills you have.

    • Ashley Nicole
      Author
      March 26, 2020 / 6:35 PM

      100% agree! I’ve seen first-hand potential employees getting turned away because they didn’t come in with a portfolio.

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