If you are interested in standing out when applying to jobs or internships that have to do with the career path you are pursuing, be sure to have a portfolio! Having a resume and a cover letter is a MUST; nevertheless, having a portfolio gives employers a more personable experience with getting to know who you are before interviewing or talking with you. You may be wondering what exactly a portfolio is, the true definition is, “A portfolio is a set of pictures by someone, photographs of their work, or examples of their writing, which they use when entering competitions or applying for work”. With this background, keep reading to find out why it is important for ALL majors to have a portfolio of some kind.

All portfolios are different depending on the major or career being pursued. For example, an art major may have a folder of art that they’ve created, a science major may have documents of the different research they’ve done, or a business sales major may have a website that includes all the awards they’ve won in sales competitions. The main point is, your portfolio won’t look the exact same as someone else’s. To get a better idea of what type of medium you should use when creating a portfolio for yourself check out this website. Click here!

Including a portfolio in your resume or LinkedIn profile can make you stand out because most people have no idea of a potential employee’s skills or past work until the interview. Providing this upfront advertisement of your work helps prove your skills and can lead to employers reaching out to you, instead of you applying for their jobs.

What do you put in a Portfolio?

When creating a website portfolio for yourself, you will definitely want to include background on yourself; your interests, hobbies, what major you are, why you choose your major, etc. Anything that summarizes who you are and why you are the way you are! You will want to have different pages included on your website. Some pages I recommend you have are, a page for your awards, a page for your work, a page for your resume, and how to contact you. These are the basics and if you feel you need more subpages within your website, go for it. I would try not to crowd your portfolio of work, only your BEST work and achievements should be displayed. Some great websites that you can utilize when creating a portfolio would be Wix or WordPress. Both are great platforms, I personally used Wix for mine and I love how Wix has pre-made templates that you can choose from when creating your free website.

Be sure that your website matches your personality and energy, it’s a place where you can express yourself and your work! It is personalized to you and portrayed in a way that you choose so be sure it reflects that. 
If this doesn’t make you want to create a portfolio already, check out this website for more in-depth information on the importance and difference it makes when having a portfolio when applying for jobs vs not having a portfolio. I hope this helps and best of luck in your job search!