Building Your Portfolio
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The document provides guidance on building an effective portfolio for technical communicators. It recommends including only your best work and focusing on how you solved problems and what you learned rather than just describing projects. Suggested portfolio formats include websites, blogs, CDs and paper versions. Personal projects and hobbies can showcase relevant skills if you lack professional experience. Questions are welcomed.
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Building Your Portfolio
- 1. Building Your Portfolio STC Atlanta Employment Workshop | January 23, 2010
- 2. A little about me… Technical communicator since 2002 2009/2010 Second VP for STC Atlanta Loves scrapbooking, travelling, and reading
- 3. Why do you need a portfolio? Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/devoinregress/3505849421/
- 4. What goes in a portfolio?
- 5. Only your BEST work! Yes! Uh, no. Good cake: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9329630@N03/4102372852/ Bad cake: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/love-is-in-air.html
- 6. Tell “how” not “what” What was the problem? How did you solve it? What was your role in the project? What tools did you use? What did you learn? Where did you fail/succeed?
- 7. A simple page layout
- 8. How do you present a portfolio?
- 9. Presenting your portfolio Can it speak for itself? Website Blog CD Paper Be ready to talk about it. Match the format to the work.
- 10. My presented portfolio Created in Evernote (www.evernote.com) Is meant to be presented in person Can access from anywhere with Internet connection Requires no coding
- 11. My website Good for personal projects Book reviews Articles Anything you write, read, or think about that’s related to your field Uses Wordpress with a “portfolio” category
- 12. Online portfolios made easy http://www.carbonmade.com/
- 13. But what if I have no experience?
- 14. But what if I have no experience? Borrow from your personal life: Presentations (like this one!) Hobbies Community work Show off school projects
- 15. Personal websites Writing Layout Content strategy Information architecture Wordpress Design
- 16. School projects
- 17. Hobbies: Scrapbooks are like help systems… Brainstorming Content strategy Page layout Organization Writing Design Scrapbook image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/obd-design/2374177769/
- 18. Remember… Tell “how” not “what” Only include your best work Pick a format that works for you Don’t be afraid to show personal work
- 19. Questions? Email: rachelhpeters@gmail.com Twitter: @rachelhpeters Web: http://www.rachelhpeters.com
Editor's Notes
- Ask the crowd: Why do you think you need a portfolio? What’s the value in it?Complements your resumeShows your process and how you think about projectsProves you can (and have done) the work
- Ask the crowd what they think…
- Good cake: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9329630@N03/4102372852/Bad cake: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/07/love-is-in-air.htmlBut showing the end result of your work is not enough. You have to show how you got there.
- Here’s a simple example of a layout that will help you tell the “how.” This could work for an online or printed portfolio. Which brings us too…
- Be ready to hand it over without your commentary or to present it yourself.I chose not to have a printed portfolio, because I do very little print work.Some examples of my portfolios…
- Show my portfolio (Evernote) – currency job aid.
- It’s just a blog with posts marked with a category. (Show the website.) But in a way, the whole site is my portfolio.
- If you want an online portfolio, there are services to help you build one.Carbonmade - http://www.carbonmade.com/You could also use blogging services, Wordpress themes.
- Or no work to show?