An online portfolio offers potential employers the opportunity to view examples of past work

-- Craig Johnson, Metropolitan Webguy

At the end of spring semester in May, I greeted the break with a head full of ideas, and three months of summer to get things done. Apart from mundane household duties and planned family outings, I had created ‘The Short List’: all those things I had been threatening to do since January, but just couldn’t seem to work into my busy ‘adult learner’s schedule. I printed the list and posted it near my computer, so that in the event I would find myself wasting time, it would serve as a passive reminder of all that I wanted to accomplish. The list read, in order:

1. Assemble all writings, and catalog for my job search.
2. Assemble and format all Web design files—images, artwork and photography.
3. Complete my online portfolio — showcasing my artwork, Web design and writings.

The idea was simple: create an online portfolio site for presentation to potential employers. I am currently searching for a career, and a polished online portfolio is an excellent way for employers to view solid examples of your work. Whether it’s a catalog of your writing, examples of your graphics design work, or function Websites you’ve created, an electronic portfolio of your work can be an excellent compliment to a well-crafted résumé.

Three months, 17 job interviews, 12 call backs and 27 blank CD-ROMs later...well, while I haven’t been hired, I have learned a lot about how valuable your university experiences can be in today’s job market.

Save EVERYTHING.
Yes, it’s true that college assignments are not equivalent to “real world” experiences—but they CAN be more valuable than you would expect. Higher-division coursework can be especially relevant in today’s job market, no matter what course or field you are in. Many of the skills necessary to obtain high grades in class—group collaboration, communication, thorough design, and (especially) good, detailed documentation— are necessary in every aspect of today’s business world, not just information technology. The ability to clearly communicate, both verbally and in writing, is especially important, given the global nature of most IT departments. Emails, group reports, design documentation, and collaboration notes are great examples of your ability to effectively communicate, translate specifications, and follow tasks through to completion.

Organize and archive.
Good organizational skills are always in demand, whether it’s IT, nursing, or remedial basket-weaving. Maintaining an organized archive of your coursework is a great way to maintain a personal reference library for upper-division coursework, as well as make it easier for you to customize your portfolio to a specific industry or potential employer.

Learn as much about the job BEFORE the interview.
This will not only help you with the interview, but it can help you tailor your résumé and portfolio to highlight experiences that are relevant to the job itself. Most companies will perform a telephone interview as part of the pre-screening process, and this is an excellent opportunity to learn about the specific details of the position. This will ensure that when you customize your portfolio, you can highlight specific instances of your academic experience and relate to the job you will hopefully be doing.

Customize your portfolio.
As I mentioned above, in most cases you’ll tailor your résumé to the specific job opportunity— highlighting experiences relevant to the position at hand. So why not tailor your portfolio? For example: if you apply for a business analyst position, which relies heavily on communication, documentation, and requirements gathering, your portfolio could highlight your group project experiences—documentation revisions, email collaborations, meeting minutes, etc. For a position in Web design, your portfolio could highlight both your Web programming skills, as well as your graphic design capabilities. Providing solid examples of your work that is relevant to the job you’re applying for can give a hiring manager solid proof that you’re capable of doing the job, not just talking about it.

Follow-up with the company.
If you don’t get the job, a follow-up interview is an excellent opportunity to get feedback— about your interview, your performance, and how your skills compared with the company’s needs (or other candidates). It can also be great opportunity to get a more detailed critique of your work. Did you highlight the relevant experience? What information were they looking for that you may not have provided? What did they really think of your portfolio? It’s also a great way to keep your name— and face—in the hiring manager’s mind for future consideration.

Then, it’s just a matter of waiting for the phone to ring...

Got a tech issue or question? Need a l33t sp34k translation? Contact Craig at metropolitan_webguy@comcast.net. He'll do his best to help j00.

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