Presentation by Louellen S. Coker about creating professional portfolios at the April 22, 2010 LSC-STC meeting in Addison, TX.

1. Professional Portfolios;Real Projects = Real Results LSC April 2010 Meeting Louellen S. Coker Content Solutions

2. Real Projects = REAL Results Dissect portfolio options Choose your platform Choose your projects Present your project Pull it all together

3. Goals of your portfolios Intrigue Call to Action Showcase Get a Gig

4. Define your brand Who are you? What qualifications and experience do you have? Do you seem trustworthy and reliable? Are you looking for work? Can I see some examples of previous work?

5. Dissect Portfolio Options

6. Description of a portfolio “…a representative collection of one’s work. As the word’s roots suggests (and as is still the case in the arts), the sample of work is fashioned for a particular objective and carried from place to place for inspection or exhibition.” —Wiggins, quoted by Barrett

7. Forms of portfolios Hard copy Archive Presentation Sample Elevator Virtual .pdf Website/Blog Social media Coffee shop

8. Choose your platform

9. Best practices Keep it simple Keep it organized Keep it succinct Keep it optimized Keep it targeted Keep it consistent

10. Tools Software for capturing/creating pieces Open source Office products Adobe Suite products Wireframing/Organization tools Mindmeister for mind-mapping (www.mindmeister.com) Jumpstart for wireframing (www.jumpstart.com) Toodledo for project management (www.toodledo.com) Basecamp for project management (www.basecamphq.com)

11. Tools, cont. Online services www.elance.com www.qfolio.com www.wordpress.org Social Media LinkedIn.com Facebook.com Slideshare.net YouTube.com Flikr.com Wordpress.org/Blogger

12. Finding the Muscle Elbow grease Blogs and Forums Use help LSC Help Desk Trial and Error Training www.lynda.com Blogs Workshops Hire some help

13. Case Study: .pdf

14. Case Study: HTML & .pdf

15. Case Study: CMS (Joomla!)

16. Case Study: Social Media

17. Choose your projects

18. First steps, FIRST Know thy goal Know thy audience Know thy work Know thy capabilities

19. What projects do I consider? Those created in your day job Those for which you won an award Those created for volunteer organizations Those created specifically for your portfolio Those created for fun EVERYTHING and ANYTHING

20. What projects do I include? Pieces that speak for themselves Pieces that translate across platforms Pieces that show skills Pieces that show interpersonal skills Piece that is the product of a difficult situation

21. Case Study: Content Solutions

22. Self analysis Goal: to showcase Content Solutions’ skills and capabilities in a way that resonates with businesses that need and appreciate our expertise Audience: anyone who needs writing, design, or web services, concentrating on small-medium size businesses

23. Self analysis Work: Leverage proprietary and work done for existing clients Capabilities: CMS plugins (both Joomla! and Wordpress), social media limitations, software, samples, bandwidth, budget

24. Leverage proprietary information GET PERMISSION Limit to outward facing information Redact if necessary Collect as you go

25. Leverage proprietary information

26. Leverage your work Select pieces that are relevant to varied audiences Reflect about process Blog in deeper detail about process Show level of professionalism

27. Leverage your work

28. Present your projects

29. Put your best foot forward Optimize your files Print = CMYK 300 dpi (.tif, .psd, .eps) Web = RGB 72 dpi (.jpg, .png, .bmp, .gif) Error FREE Professional Relevant Appropriate

30. Essential elements Cover Page – must have name; may have your mission statement, short introduction, or bio Table of Contents Navigation – some method to guide a reviewer through your artifacts Artifacts – your best (mostly) Reflection – optional

31. Reflection Metacognition – thinking about your thinking Not always necessary Important For contextual clues To show growth For those in educational settings When being assessed

32. Pull it all together

33. Present your work Determine a presentation theme Organize your works in a logical manner Compile your artifacts in a consistent manner

34. Protect intellectual property Watermark Limit scope Low resolution Remove “copy & paste” ability Put your footprint in the metadata Copyright

35. Protect yourself NEVER leave your portfolio behind Make copies of portions of the artifacts in your presentation portfolio Organize your artifacts in a less expensive presentation folder Consider including a thumb drive with soft copies of included and/or larger works Maintain consistency when possible

36. Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

37. Questions? Writing Design Web Solutions

38. Blogroll www.freelanceswitch.com www.yourcontentnotes.com www.yourcontentportfolio.com www.stc-dfw.org

39. References Barrett, H. Electronicportfolios.org - http://www.electronicportfolios.org/distance/index.html

40. Works consulted Reece, G. & Keeton, L. (2004). Digital Portfolios: How to Market Your Skills! Proceedings of the 51st Annual Conference of the Society for Technical Communication. University of Washington, Educational Partnerships & Learning Technologies/Catalyst Project - http://catalyst.washington.edu/home.html

41. Works consulted Ball State University Career Center, http://www.bsu.edu/students/careers/documents/portfoli/. Baron, Cynthia L. (2004). Designing a Digital Portfolio. New Riders: Boston. Campbell, Dorothy M, et. al. (1997). How to Develop a Professional Portfolio. Allyn and Bacon: Boston, MD.

42. Works consulted Counseling & Career Coaching. The George Brown Toronto City College. (2005) Creating a Professional Portfolio. http://www.gbrownc.on.ca/saffairs/stusucc/portfolio.html. Educational Partnerships & Learning Technologies/ Catalyst Project. http://catalyst.washington.edu/ home.html. Portfolios, Advice and Resources, http://www.coroflot.com/public/portfolio_tips.asp. University of Washington.