If you work in a creative industry, having a portfolio can be extremely beneficial to your career. A portfolio can showcase any previous work or projects that you have contributed to. This could be a website design, graphic design or video editing, pretty much anything that you can provide physical evidence for. Here are some of the advantages of having a portfolio.
Professional
A portfolio shows potential employers that you are professional and take pride in the work you create. Traditional portfolios would have been a folder or a book containing work but with everything on the internet nowadays it is now easier than ever before to create your own online portfolio. This can allow potential employers to easily access your work and you won’t need to worry about your work getting lost or damaged in the process.
Great First Impressions
A strong portfolio gives a great first impression to a potential employer. If you opt for the online method, you can include a link to your website in your CV. If you go one step further and design your own website (such as on WordPress) to showcase your work, you can show them all of your skills in one bundle.
Shows You’re Not Just All Talk
Reading hundreds of CVs, employers get bored about hearing why people would be good for the job, especially as much of it is written in a way of what they think employers want to hear. Having a portfolio is physical evidence that you possess the skills that you say you have.
Personal Reflection
A portfolio isn’t just good for employers, it’s also good for you. Putting together and having a portfolio around allows you to reflect on the work that you’ve previously done and may also give you new ideas for improvements or new projects altogether. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses is the only way that you’re going to get better.
Inexpensive and Easy
Portfolios can be time-consuming to put together but they are inexpensive and easy once you have all the material you need. When it comes to portfolios, you don’t need to do everything from scratch, old school work and projects from work can be used. This will narrow down the time it will take to complete significantly. Once you have your portfolio you can easily add to it or modify it to suit a specific role that you may be applying for.