“Show, don’t tell” is a tired phrase that many creative writing teachers harp on. The phrase, however, rings true in writing as well as with job interviews. If you can master “the show” during your interview, you will stand out and, hopefully, land the job. The best way to show a potential employer what you can accomplish is to produce an online portfolio. It’s not as hard as it sounds and you don’t need to be an artist.
An online portfolio might not be the best tool for everyone, but it certainly won’t hurt your career — just don’t include any controversial material. It doesn’t take a tech savvy person to know what is appropriate. Use a little common sense and get a second opinion from a trusted source.
Portfolio Basics
After choosing a site, think about the content you want to include in your portfolio. This process will be much easier for creative types (writers, artists, photographer) as they have a body of work to display. For everybody else, the portfolio will be more like a personal website, something your employer finds when they do their pre-interview online search.
Online Portfolio Sites
Numerous sites specialize in online portfolios, and prices vary. Also consider website builders that can be customized. Here are a few sites to help start your search:
Portfolio Box is geared towards creative people. There are two plans to choose from: free and Pro. The Pro account, which allows users create unlimited pages and to upload as many as 1,000 photos, costs $6.90 per month.
Carbon Made has been around for 10 years and hosts 950,000 portfolios. It is an easy to use platform with three plans to choose from: Okay ($6/month), Whoo! ($12/month) and Laser Whale ($24/month).
Coroflot, established in 1997, is one of the oldest portfolio sites on the web. It is really more of a community for design professionals rather than a portfolio builder. Coroflot also hosts a job board. The site is free.
Wix, which is headquartered in Tel Aviv, is one of the easiest platforms out there. Plans range from free to $24.89 per month. Ads are displayed on the free and Connect Domain ($4.08/month) plans. If that is an issue, and it should be if this is your professional profile, you will want to upgrade to one of the better plans. Google recently de-indexed Wix websites, which is something you’ll want to investigate before signing up.
Square Space, which launched 11 years ago, is, like Wix, extremely easy to use. They offer plenty of templates to choose from, too. The personal plan is $8 per month.
Bring the Tech
Don’t assume the interviewer is going to have tech available for you to use. Plus, showing that you are technologically self-sufficient may get you bonus points. Here is the scene: you are at a job interview and it is time to show your online portfolio. You reach in your briefcase and pull out a Lenovo ThinkPad Helix, which is a business grade tablet/laptop combo. Then, pull up your portfolio (it should be bookmarked or already ready to go) and show why you are the best candidate. In this competitive job market, this just might be the edge you need.
Among the websites mentioned in the article I prefer to use the Squarespace, because its interface is easy, and the monthly price isn’t high. I also really like Virb (I read about it here http://www.beautifullife.info/web-design/top-10-best-website-builders-creating-online-portfolio/ and decided to try, wasn’t disappointed).