A resume or CV is of prime importance for anyone who’s looking for a job, and that is true for traditional career fields. But when it comes to creative careers, there is something else that outranks them both: A portfolio. In other words, only a single page of the good ol’ CV won’t do anymore.
But before we get into how to make a portfolio, let’s understand what it is and why there is so much hype about it. A portfolio is a collection of your best creative work that helps a recruiter or client determine whether or not you actually possess the skills mentioned in your resume. And that is why, for a writer such as yourself, creating a portfolio becomes an integral part of your job hunt.
In this article, we’re going to discuss how you can create a winning writing portfolio that’ll help you stand out from the competition.
Mind Map How You Want Your Writing Portfolio To Look
For creative professionals, the look and feel of the portfolio are just as important as the content inside. Your writing portfolio doesn’t just showcase your work to people but also shapes an image of you as a creative professional that a certain party might want to partner with.
So, before you start building your writing portfolio, take a pen and paper and draw out how you want it to look ﹘ chalk out a blueprint, basically.
Pro tip: Try fusing your personality into your blueprint. That way, your writing portfolio will look more interesting and not like any other website or document.
Choosing The Right Portfolio Website Is Key
There are tons of platforms on the internet that can help you build your online writing portfolio for free.
Here are some popular free portfolio websites for you to choose from:
To learn more about how to create an online portfolio, watch Kool Kanya’s video below.
Start Designing Your Portfolio
Once you have chosen a portfolio website, choose a template you like or create your writing portfolio from scratch based on the rough sketch you drew out earlier. Make it as creative as you’d like, but remember that the contents of the portfolio must be well organised and easy to read/view.
To learn how to create a Wix writing portfolio, you can watch Kool Kanya’s step-by-step video guide below.
Wondering What To Include In A Portfolio? Read On
Pick Your Best Work
As a creative writer, you may have a lot of published blogs, stories, screenplays, or ad copies. More often than not, entry-level writers make the common mistake of showcasing all of their work in their online writing portfolio. Avoid doing that. This will only make it look cluttered.
The best thing to do is to pick out your best pieces, put them into categories if possible, and showcase them in your portfolio. This will make it look more professional and organised. It will also give the recruiter or potential client a clear picture of the quality of your work.
Recommendations And Testimonials
Including testimonials and recommendations from your clients, managers or even professors is a great idea. Instead of putting the entire recommendation letter on display, simply extract a byte that talks about your work and how you can be a valuable addition to an organisation. If you’re a freelancer, you can ask your former or current clients for a short testimonial regarding your work and how it has benefited them.
Pro tip: Video testimonials work great too!
This will increase the credibility of your work as well as your chances of standing out from the crowd.
Write An ‘About Me’ Section That Impresses
Here comes the hardest part of all: Writing the ‘About Me’ section in your portfolio. The saying, “You are your own worst enemy” comes to life dramatically in times like this, because sometimes, we just don’t know how to write about ourselves without seeming overconfident or boastful.
However hard it may seem, you need to get this section right. Don’t shy away from taking your time to work on this, because this is where your potential employer or client will learn about who you are and what you do. This provides you with an opportunity to create a great first impression and promote your personal brand.
Here are a few tips that will help you write an ‘About Me’ segment with ease.
- Before you start, decide if you want to write from a first or a third-person perspective.
- Talk about where you are now and how you got there.
- Add your significant accomplishments.
- Keep it crisp.
- End by stating what you see yourself doing next.
Hyperlink Your Contact Details And Social Media
Don’t forget to link your portfolio with your contact information and social media handles. It makes it easy for them to reach you. You can choose between your phone number or email address. Both will do too.
Linking your social media handles is beneficial especially if you’re a freelancer because it’ll make it easier for the recruiter or client to find your published content and business credentials. Link the profiles you’re most active on. This way you can gain more virality on your content and also increase your followers.
And, that’s it! Now you know every important thing you need to create a writing portfolio.
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