How to Create A Digital Portfolio

How to Create A Digital Portfolio
     

When creating your digital portfolio, it is important to keep it focused, visually engaging, and easy to navigate. This way you can impress employers quickly and with impact. Learn more tips for creating an impressive digital portfolio.  Not sure how to get started? Read The Fun, One-Hour Activity That Will Help You Land Your Dream Job.

1.) Consider your audience

Determine what kind of digital portfolio you would like to create based upon who will be reading it. Ultimately, your portfolio should answer the question, "Why should I hire you?" for employers. Think about what skills, career aspirations, and goals align with your preferred industry and structure your portfolio accordingly.

Read more about what employers are looking for in a digital portfolio.  

2.) Choose a building resource

There are many free resources for creating your digital portfolio. However, be sure to select a resource that provides a format most appropriate for your preferred industry.

• Journalism/Media, English/Writing, and Public Relations
  • Pressfolios
  • Clippings.me
• Arts/Design and creative career interests
  • Crevado
  • Behance
  • Carbonmade
• Any Career Interest

Below lists resources that accommodate any career interest, and you may also choose to build your own website using programs such as WordPress, GoogleSites, or Webs.

• Wix
  • build your personal website using portfolio and resume & CV template
  • includes helpful features like site analytics and traffic generating tools
• Seelio
  • designed for "the everyday college student" to accommodate any career interest
  • includes a network that connects employers with the students directly
• VisualCV
  • create and manage one or multiple online resumes to target specific job interests
  • set up as a traditional resume format but you can add videos, links, references, and other information you would like to highlight on the right side of the page
  • users may also access company VisualCV pages to learn more about advantages for working for a particular company and opportunities it may be offering

Suggested: Purchase a custom domain name

You want to make it really easy for potential employers to find you and remember your site. The best way to do this is to purchase a domain with your name in it. It's more powerful to have "yourname.com" as the URL instead of your name after a slash or period.

Purchasing a custom domain can only cost you less than $10 per year if you use a site like GoDaddy.com or DomainsMadeSimple.com.

3.) Generate your content

Your digital portfolio will usually consist of the following pages/sections, however, their organization may depend on the building resource format you choose.

Homepage

• Make it clean and simple
• Include name, school, and major
• Think of this as your pitch to employers- a short paragraph on how your passions, skills, major, and/or experience make you a valuable asset to employers
• It may be helpful to mention (depending on your portfolio's design) how to navigate the page
  • For example, "You can find my resume and recent work at the bottom of the page."

About Me

• A more personal and detailed version of your homepage section and can include:
  • Photo of you - avoid awkward profile pics
  • Where you're from
  • School
  • Major/Minor
  • Relevant work/internship experience and briefly what you did
  • Relevant involvements on/off campus
  • Contact info
  • Any other information you feel it is important for employers to know about you

Selected Works

• Include your best and most relevant work
• Average is 10-20 works
• Organize NOT chronologically, but by theme
• Always put your best examples FIRST
• Add subheadings in addition to the title of the work
• May include:
  • projects
  • written articles/papers
  • videos
  • websites
  • presentations
  • Any other work you would like a potential employer to see

Resumes

• Include a PDF version of your resume
• Adjust your resume to fit the particular portfolio theme your are developing
• If you choose to use a CV, make sure it is formatted correctly

Other

• Quotes or testimonials from professors or other recommendation figures
• Articles or other write-ups you are featured in
• List of skills/programs/languages