February 26, 2010 Your online presence: a portfolio
Here in the iMedia program we’ve finally realized something: we only have two and a half months left of school!
The time has clearly flown by and we’ve accomplished so much already. This January we all flew to different locations (Panama, London, or Costa Rica) and did a project for the common good. To showcase all our work, and hopefully get that job (eek!) we’ve all realized we need to make an online portfolio.
Portfolios are great for job applications because it gives the employer an essence of who you are and your work. But as one of my professors pointed out, you can have amazing work, but if the container isn’t amazing, someone else will probably get the job.
I know I’ve been working on my portfolio, and by reading through tips and tricks, here are some items all should consider while making a portfolio.
1. What type of job do you want? Don’t highlight all your narrative features if you really want to go into web development. Realize just as you need to tailor a resume and cover letter to a job, your portfolio should be as well.
2. Make it you. If you’re an outgoing person hoping to do animation, make your resume fun and eye-catching. If you’re hoping to go into business development, keep it strong and professional.
3. Have a point. Sometimes people make their portfolio so design heavy, it takes too much time for the employer to find critical information. Having items zoom in randomly and lots of music can be distracting. Employers want to get in and out, as quickly as possible.
4. Have people look at it before publishing. Get professors, friends, your grandma, colleagues–everyone and anyone to look at your portfolio. Get all sorts of opinions and feedback. Through a group effort, it will be the best it can be.
5. For more tips and examples, Smashing Magazine has a really great article on this topic. They also have plenty of examples once you look around the site.
So get going and start making your own portfolio too. Fingers are crossed that we all nail that job. 
Tags: iMedia
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