What is a portfolio?
A portfolio is a visual collection of your best work, often used in creative industries, showcasing your skills, experience and creative process, demonstrating your capabilities to potential employers. Portfolios can come in various formats depending on the industry, including music playlists, websites, a physical collection of work, a video showreel and 3D work. If a job requires a portfolio, it will state it in the job description.
How to make a portfolio
- Define your purpose – tailor your portfolio to whether you are applying for jobs, attracting clients, or building an online presence.
- Choose the correct format – you can have an online portfolio via a website, a PDF (better for direct sharing and job applications) or a physical portfolio.
- Choose your best work – select high-quality pieces that show off your strongest skills, and prioritise recent, relevant and diverse samples.
- Provide context – for each project, include a title, description, your role and responsibilities, tools and techniques used, challenges and solutions, and the results.
- Make it visually appealing – keep it clean and easy to navigate, and use a consistent design and professional layout.
- Include personal details – add your contact information, links to your LinkedIn, GitHub and any business social media and consider adding an ‘about me’ section if appropriate.
Update regularly – keep your portfolio relevant with new projects and achievements.
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