Creating A Career Portfolio

To say the least, many Nigerian youths encounter a roadblock in their job search whenever they get to ‘work experience’. That is to say, although they have scaled through all the relevant interview stages and have the work experience required, they have nothing other than their reference letters to show that they are giving quality services for the salary they demand to be paid. A career portfolio used to be in hardcover and carried in heavy files, but thanks to the internet, one does not need so much to create a career portfolio.

DISCOVER YOUR GOAL

The first step in creating a career portfolio is to discover your goal. Ask yourself(and answer honestly) the reasons why you would want to create the portfolio. Is it to expand your business network beyond borders, is it to get a new job or is it to simply display your understanding of the job? This is important as it would help sieve the nature of words and design and even links that would be inserted in the portfolio.

FIND MENTORS

Some people have already achieved the level of success that you desire. More often than not, they have portfolios attached to their online handles. Do a comparison between all their profiles and note down which sticks the most to you. That central idea would be instrumental to building your portfolio, as you might find that they have some certifications, awards and training that are necessary to undertake.

BUILD A WEBSITE

For a start, you might be able to pull a portfolio off on free sites. However, the free advertisements and various other inconveniences would work to destroy your every effort. What you should do is pay to build a professional website where you can begin to upload all the work you have done or learn to build a website for yourself. This reduces cost if it is something you are concerned about.

BE CONSISTENT

There is nothing that can grow without consistency. The portfolio needs to be consistently updated and refurbished to the latest standards and should also be a reflection of a consistent user.

Creating a career portfolio can indeed be hard work but at the end of the day, this always plays out to the advantage of the job applicant or a promotion seeker. On a first visit to the portfolio, a visitor should be able to tell at first glance what the portfolio is all about and should feel the professionalism that is in it.

This portfolio should also contain an action button that prompts visitors to call, book an appointment or make a quote. It should have an evident purpose. A good portfolio benefits longer than one can imagine and helps set a track record of one’s achievements. Feel free to share the links to your portfolio in the comment section!