Importance of Having a Portfolio and How to Create One!
Tags: Self-awareness, Career Advice, Portfolio Management, Portfolio, Career Development

What Is A Portfolio?

A portfolio is an exhibition of revealing what you decide to write on your resume and talk about in an interview. It works on the “show and not just tell” policy, which promotes your expertise to speak for itself.

And when you are in a creative field, it is a must! However, no matter what profession you might be in today’s time, it’s always a great idea to have a portfolio.

What’s Inside A Portfolio?

A portfolio helps your potential employer/client/prospect decide if you are the right person for the job or not. Your portfolio needs to have a detailed introduction of who you are, what are your skills, and what services you can offer. It is exactly like a folder of all your original work, referrals, certificates or diplomas, and even feedback and testimonials. It backs you up with proof of great prior exposure and increases the chances of attracting quality work your way.

What Are The Professions That Demand Portfolios?

A portfolio is a great marketing tool that can help you land your dream job! So if you happen to be in any of these below-mentioned specializations, it’s only your portfolio that can make a deal or simply break it!

- Graphic Designing

— UI/UX Designing

— Animations and VFX

— Video Editing

— Content Writing

— Copywriting

— Architecture

— Modelling

— Make-up Artist

— Art

— Photography

— Coder/Programmer

— Cooking/Baking

Wh at Is The Importance Of Having A Portfolio?

Remember, a portfolio is an extension to your resume or CV which means it isn’t a replacement of those documents. A CV/resume and a cover letter are as crucial as your professional portfolio.

But a portfolio helps showcase your skills in real-time. It instantly proves as evidence of the work you have previously done and the clients you have worked with. It not only is to impress your clients but it helps you keep a track of your achievements. You can keep adding your accomplishments into the folder and make it look more appealing.

How To Create A Portfolio?

It does not matter if you wish to have a physical portfolio or an online portfolio. However, in the era of digitization when everything is easily accessible and digital, it’s always better to have an online presence out there.

It not only makes it transparent for others to have a look at your work instantly at the click of a button. You also do not have to worry about carrying a physical portfolio everytime you appear for an interview.

And to get started there are a lot of websites that provide great free templates for portfolios. These are extremely user friendly and highly customizable. You can choose every major and minor element as per your likes. To name a few we have- wordpress.com, wix.com, canva.com, weebly.com which offers a variety of options to choose from.

Now let’s look at three simple steps to creating your very first professional portfolio!

Step-1: Create A Folder

Have a folder ready on your laptop with all the necessary content you need your portfolio to consist of. It can be your resume/cv, logo, testimonials, samples of your work, about me write-up, contact details, etc. This exercise can be helpful because once you actually get started with building your portfolio, you can have access to all these documents without wasting much time looking for them.

Step-2: Select A Uniform Design

While creating your portfolio make sure the user experience remains uniform throughout. Follow the same colour palettes, text, fonts to make it look related and connected. Keep the consistency alive. If you wish to use a picture of your own as a logo, make sure it’s professional enough. Also, stick to the same picture for a long time as it’s equivalent to a logo of a brand which cannot be changed often.

Step-3: Finalize Everything

Try making your own gifs, posters, and every piece of content that goes in the document. It will reflect your authenticity and will give the clients the confidence to work with you. Go hit that upload button when you place the elements exactly where it belongs!

So there you go, now you have a purpose and the steps to finally have a professional portfolio in place.

Don’t delay it further, go ahead and get started!

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