A well-made portfolio is like the mirror of your activities and the work that you undertake. A portfolio necessarily has all the details and requirements of a person which an employer needs to know.
Without such a portfolio it is impossible for the employer or the Human Resource department (HR) or any hiring team to go through the person’s/candidate’s achievements. This is the need and the requirement of the job.
However, there is a skill to how you present this portfolio to your employee. Such a portfolio is very necessary as far as how you present yourself to your employee is concerned. People say a resume holds a lot of importance. However, that is not the truth.
The reality is that a resume comes as the first proof of what you know and have done in the past.
A portfolio will necessarily be taken by your employee when he or she is more interested in your profile. It is a one stop for getting calls for an interview. It is a kit that can give you your dream job.
Following are some of the things which you need to put in your mind to build a portfolio for interviews.
Tips to Build a Portfolio for Job Interview:
1. Resume:
A resume is the most required and necessary need of a portfolio. This is the most important and required of the items of the kit. Resume can build your impression to your employers.
They will love you for whatever you have written and acknowledged over here. A resume will actually tell your employers more about you. Resume will actually build more of your impression to others.
There is nothing more interesting piece than a resume where an employer will know your skills, liking’s, hobbies, past qualification and thus make a judgment about your personality through this.
Write it down neatly, you will need nothing else. This is the most required and necessary of the items and it must be put up in the portfolio.
2. Letter of reference:
An absolute must in a portfolio. How is an employer going to know what worth are you of if some person credible does not recommend you?
How are you going to be of any use to the company until some past employer, teacher, mentor or a person who himself has credibility writes things that can give a proof to your employee about the nature of your work.
It is necessary that your portfolio lacks nothing. It is a must that your portfolio contains everything.
This can happen through the means of a letter of reference which will indeed complete your portfolio as your employer will feel no other need to get a guarantee of another proof of your work.
3. Certificate of mastery or completion:
If you have pursued any mastery or higher qualification, do put it. If you have been efficient enough to know much and more about the job you are seeking, show your employer how much you have done. It is required and it is very necessary.
A certificate will build your value over others. Everyone is aware of how important and necessary it is to pursue a qualification, a degree that is better than the others.
It is very important that you give yourself a privilege over others by putting that particular piece of document there. With an extra edge of learning, the employer may want to call you.
4. Social service projects:
Many employers want that their candidates give them more than they can get from others. It is necessary that their employees give them something which any other candidate has not.
For example: If you have to apply for a job that is into the business of Corporate social responsibility. An advantage to an employee will definitely be given if he or she presents that required proof of social service or community service paper. This is so required by the company.
If an employer gets a candidate who is smart, qualified and equally human and emotional at heart for such a job, it is like a pot of luck for him. Thus, these documents become necessary for job interviews.
5. Samples from classes, projects:
This can be a very innovative way of telling your employer that you are qualified enough to take that job. These samples will be the physical proofs of whatever you have done in the past and that would be something which will be related to your particular field.
If you get your samples attached, your employer will know more about you. If you get your projects attached, your employer will know that you are a person who has worked on this field for long.
In such a way, you will be able to convince the employer to hire you better. Also one more thing these samples do is they let your employer judge you on that basis.
6. Feature evaluation/Past work:
This is yet another important instrument through which employers judge you. Imagine you having written an excellent new feature/article for your past work and you tell your employer or show them that.
The level of impression you put on them is amazing. It is going to be one of a kind. It is showing your employer how interested you are in tacking up the job in that company itself.
Moreover, past work like company profits, sales records, machine records, and awards anything can be a testimony of your credibility to your employer. He or she will need no more proof to trust you and your capability.
7. Report cards:
This is a basic common collection any student does from his or her past. You may not necessarily want to put this is in your portfolio but imagine having some good grades or some A++ of yours to be seen by employees.
It is a big boon as far as these report cards hail from IIM’s or IIT’s. They are a big invention for the employer to see some good marks out there.
You need a person who hires you as a Math professor to know you qualified your each exam with flying colors.
To tell the scientists that all of your lab experiments have been positively rated by showing your lab log, it is good entry to get a job. Thus, results, markings and grading help a lot.
8. Language ability certificates/Added competencies:
Do not even do the mistake of skipping this part when you are preparing your portfolio. This must come regardless of the profession you choose. This shows more of you as a person.
Your interest in dance, learning a language, special skills builds your character and the employer knows that you are not just a vegetable who stuff himself at home but does things around.
Don’t you want to come as a good marketing executive who also plays squash in his free time because he was a national level squash player?
Do you not want to tell your future boss that yes you like to children French in your free time because you completed some levels of it and do not desire to waste the knowledge by sitting idle? Sorry but these are the necessary evils.
Your portfolio must be carefully planned and thus choose carefully what is to be put in the portfolio, hence. Tell your employer that you are indeed more than a hard worker.
9. Grants/Scholarships/ Rewards:
Have you been one of the creamiest layer students of your times? If yes, then pursue hard enough to show that in your interview.
You must tell your employer that you were one of those bright students who received grants, scholarships and were the winner of all path-breaking records in school. You were one of those students who teacher chose for all the upcoming competitions.
This in itself will boost your chances to get a job. Your employer will clearly know that you have been a hard worker since the start and will most likely get you in. Your attitude towards your employer must be that of courage and exhibition.
This with the back- up of your past record will in itself add bonus points to your work.
10. Past employer evaluation reviews:
Will the employer be not happy to read about your records in the past? Will you as an employee be not happy to let your employer look at what you have done and achieved so gloriously in the past?
Imagine the level of pride you will feel and the glee you will have you face when your employer will see that you indeed excelled in your performance evaluation and employment markings.
All your past employers and colleagues had good things to say about you. This is going to make your impression go to another level in itself.
11. Photographs:
An absolute need for a model or actor is his or her photographs. As this is a very niche kind of job, not everyone needs a photo.
But if your company demands no rule of not displaying a picture, then do put one. It is a very good way to let your employer know beforehand who you are.
Sometimes how you pose and smile speaks a lot about our confidence. It just adds on to the whole deal of making the interview more happening.
12. Products showing your leadership qualities:
If you are asking a question to yourself-Why, then the answer should be Why not? Everybody comes to get the job so that he or she can be a leader someday.
You need to show your employer that you are at a height. You are just no less than anyone. What you require or need in the job is very much present in me’ should be your concluding statement.
Thus all your past projects, group work some inventions where you would have taken the lead must be shown.
Suppose you directed a small movie in your college days, show it. It can be a big proof of how you are and how you can handle others.
Conclusion:
Thus a portfolio must be the rightful reflection of your work and achievements. All of your work experience proof, performance record proofs are all important details of a portfolio
They are a must in the kit of requirements before going to a job interview. A portfolio kit must include everything and anything you have ever done in your life. There is no specific reason as to why you need them all.
But the reason to carry such a well-made kit is that you want your employer to know more about you in those ten pages which you would not have felt like sharing with others.
Thus, you must make it well so that all your qualification are well highlighted and you are chosen to be part of the team.
