Portfolio Planning
Begin the portfolio development process by planning your strategy. Effective planning in the early stages of development will let you customize the portfolio for a specific job or firm. It will help you collect and organize relevant materials. Planning at the beginning will reduce work and frustration in later stages of assembling a presentation portfolio.
Remember that it is essential to tailor your portfolio to your audience and purpose. Reviewers in business, industry and education will all examine your portfolio differently. Using an identical portfolio will not help you achieve the appropriate results.
Purpose
There are 2 types of portfolios:
- A working portfolio is a complete collection of your work. It is an accumulation - or holding area - for items you may need when you create a presentation portfolio.
You build a working portfolio gradually, adding to it as you produce designs and projects in your academic program or career. It can include planning materials, student-made artifacts, video and audiotapes, multimedia projects, etc.
- A presentation portfolio is a selectively edited display of your abilities and best efforts to impress a particular audience. Its purpose is to demonstrate that your skills meet and/or exceed the needs of that target audience.
You build a presentation portfolio from the evidence of your skills that you have previously stored in your working portfolio. Because a presentation portfolio is customized for a specific audience (such as a potential employer) and purpose (a particular job opening), you will create many different presentation portfolios during your career.
Characteristics
Regardless of the type or purpose, most presentation portfolios:
- Engaging, successfully capturing a reviewer's interest from the start and motivating that person to want to examine the portfolio completely.
- Scannable in 10 minutes or less.
- Self-guided and self-contained.
- Varied in format, giving the reviewer options (written text, visuals, animation, audio, etc.).
- Effectively showcases your best work, your "WOWS".
- Customized to a specific purpose, job, or firm.
Develop A Strategy
Answering the guidelines listed under each of the bullets will help you plan your portfolio strategy:
Identify the purpose of the portfolio
- Will you use it for an employment interview?
- Will it be part of a graduate school or post-graduate study admission packet?
- Will you use it to initiate a career change?
- Will you use it for promotion or job expansion?
Identify the audience
- Who are they
- What do they do? How do they do it?
- What are they likely to learn about you?
Identify relevant characteristics
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Which of your strenths and skills do you want to showcase?
- What are the best ways to highlight your skills?
