Online portfolios aren’t just for certain fields or industries anymore. The importance of having a professional online presence is more important than ever, and an online portfolio will certainly increase your visibility and presence. Creating your portfolio website allows you to share and showcase your work easily with the employers you’d like to work for.
1. Professional way to showcase your work
Building a website about your brand and experience is a polished way to share your expertise with others. Websites can be more creative and innovative than traditional portfolios and are able to share with anyone in the world.
Suggested resources:
- WordPress
- Weebly
- Wix
- DoYouBuzz
- ZooLoo
- Brand-Yourself
- Webs
- Carbonmade
- Chi.mp
- Flavors.me
2. Great first impression for employers
If an employer sees your website link in your signature or on your resume, they’ll likely click on it to see what you’ve built. Seeing you’ve taken the time to build a website featuring work samples, recommendations, previous presentations and more will be a killer first impression.
3. Increases your visibility and online presence
When an employer Googles your name, your professional portfolio will be one of the first search results that pops up.
4. Shows you’re more than just a resume
Because of the flexibility of an online portfolio, you’re able to show your personality by choosing design, layout and the copy you write.
5. Flexibility
With the click of a button, you can change content, videos, copy and pictures on your online portfolio. You can also constantly create new content to add to your site to show your continuous learning process—whether employed or not.
Do you have an online portfolio? What else would you add?
Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing consultancy for organizations with products that target job seekers and employers. She is also the author of “Lies, Damned Lies & Internships” (2011) and “#ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle” (2010) and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
About Heather Huhman
Developing an online portfolio is one of the best ways to begin showcasing your talents and standing out from the crowd! Will you show some examples?