Employment & Career Assistant

How to Create a Professional Portfolio

What is a Professional Portfolio?

A professional portfolio is more in-depth then a resume which is only one to two pages. A career portfolio is a visual representation of your skills, capabilities, experiences, and work examples that are put together in a simple but professional manner in order to help highlight your potential or value to a company if hired. Portfolios can be created as a physical copy in a binder, or online through a website.

A professional Portfolio should be organized in a way that it is easy for a potential employer to navigate. It should have a clean and professional design and should be formatted the same throughout by using the same font and style. Organize the portfolio by importance and by categories so it showcases you as a professional. Make sure you have cover page for each new section of the portfolio and a table of contents at the beginning. 

The following items are important to include in a career portfolio:

• Contact information (make sure information is accurate and current)

• Resume and cover letter 

• Career summary and Goals

• Professional Philosophy/Mission Statement

• List of Skills 

• Biographical information (About me page)

• Documentation of Education, degrees, certifications, and licenses

• Documentation of Letters of recommendations, references, testimonials, and work reviews

• Samples of past or current work ( include a variety of examples to showcase all your range of skills) provide feedback or reviews of the work or a short summary of grades or awards you received. Include examples that highlight the skills needed for the job you are applying to.

• Military service documentation, awards, and badges if applicable

• Awards and certificates or accomplishments

• Professional development or trainings

• Community service or Volunteer work

When putting your portfolio together always remember to include things that are relevant to the job you are applying to. Keep in mind quality is better than quantity when putting a career portfolio together. Tip: Use photocopies of documents such as certificates, transcripts etc. don't use your original copies.