Erin Berthon

Erin Berthon, MA Career Manager, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, at Chapman University

A professional digital portfolio is a great way to showcase your accomplishments and college projects to prospective employers.

A digital portfolio is an electronic collection of material that allows you to demonstrate critical thinking, problem-solving, articulate thoughts and ideas, and creativity-skills that are hard to show on a standard resume. Typically known for being a place for creatives to display their work, multiple industries are realizing the benefits of having job candidates submit an electronic portfolio. A portfolio differs from a resume in that it focuses less on where we gained our experiences, such as school information, and instead highlights our thought processes and capabilities.

Here are a few top reasons why everyone needs a digital portfolio in today’s workforce.

Tell Your Story

Though a digital portfolio requires effort and creativity, creating one invites more career opportunities throughout your search for years to come. Your portfolio becomes your professional story. Telling your story in interviews becomes more meaningful and helps you stand out with those typical interview questions. This can also help you in performance reviews, as it keeps track of your completed tasks and projects and can eventually lead to promotions, which share the story of your work ethic. When it is time for recruiters or companies to find the best candidate, your portfolio will be an opportunity to capture your full story in a dynamic and memorable way. You will stand out above other applicants.

When curating your digital portfolio,  here are a few things to keep in mind. Remember your target audience, and remind yourself why they should keep reading. Document and demonstrate your critical thinking and learning skills. You can accomplish this by showing writing samples, video documents, images, data, or anything else tailored to your industry. Your goal is to have people fully understand what they are viewing and that it matters. Lastly, ask for feedback! Seeking opinions from professors, people in your industry, recruiters, and friends will be most beneficial.

The skills gained from creating a digital portfolio benefit someone in all areas, not just creative industries. These are the skills employers are looking for today.

Interpersonal Skills 

Digital portfolios help demonstrate interpersonal skills. Some of these skills include communication, working in teams, leading, problem-solving, self-organizing, and critical thinking. Wilkinson students will leave college being able to implement these skills in any industry, but a digital portfolio will help you articulate your abilities in a way that is easy for others to digest.  An electronic portfolio allows you  to reflect on your projects and goals and to talk about your  accomplishments.

Reflection

Digital portfolios encourage you to reflect, and with reflection comes growth! Think of your portfolio as a living document that needs routine care. Review, edit, and update the content often. You can also link documents to your resume, which will also keep your resume up-to-date.

If you are interested in making a digital portfolio, please join me at the Wilkinson College Portfolio Workshop Week. Visit Handshake to reserve your spot!

  • Adobe Portfolio: Tuesday, February 20, 12-1 p.m.
  • Squarespace Workshop: Wednesday, February 21, 5 -6 p.m.
  • WIX Workshop: Thursday, February 22, 12-1 p.m.