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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.