Making it Big Monday

Building a Personal Business Portfolio to Help Market You!

A portfolio is an excellent way to package a product, and you are the product! It will give future or current employers proof of you, your skills and abilities (what you bring to the table). Your portfolio will be made up of a sampling of artifacts which may be included on the list below:

Mandatory Entries

·        Table of Contents/Organization scheme - this will allow you to be organized during an interview. If you need a letter of reference for your interviewer, it's easy to access and will make you look much more organized
·         Résumé and Cover Letter and a Business Card - even if you have sent your résumé and cover letter via email, always bring a spare copy along for your interviewer. You can never be too prepared and you don't know if the interviewer misplaced or couldn't print off your information

Optional Entries

·         Degrees/Diplomas/Awards
·         Letters of Recommendation/References
·         Transcripts
·         Projects
·         Professional memberships
·         Community Service/Volunteer

Showcase Guidelines
·         Include an introduction and table of contents
·        Use a professional binder/ portfolio that is clean and well maintained
·         Be creative
·         Don’t punch holes in your documents
·        Have photocopies of your documents to leave with the employer
·         Use quality paper and captions to enhance the contents
·         Create all text on computer - don’t use too many font styles
·         Tailor your portfolio so it includes only relevant information to the opportunity you are seeking

Choose samples that show you in the best light. A portfolio is always a work in progress so the more you know about how to grow and maintain your portfolio the better off you will be.