A digital portfolio goes above and beyond what your resume can do for you. It’s a powerful way to show off your work and skills to prospective employers in a way that allows them to see exactly what you can do. If you’re an artist, writer, developer, or marketer, knowing how to make a digital portfolio can open doors you hadn’t thought of being able to get through in the past. 

• But how do you make a digital portfolio? 

• What should a digital portfolio include?

• What is the best format for a digital portfolio?

Buckle up because those questions are about to be answered.

What is a digital portfolio?

Think of your digital portfolio as an online showcase or collection of your best work presented in a way that’s easy to share and explore. It isn’t just a gallery, though. It’s proof of what you’re capable of and should include descriptive language and context that shines a bright light on type: entry-hyperlink id: 3zk7EfdDRVLEiNPPmKMBgc, accomplishments, and qualifications in a professional way. It should also be tailored to your audience. 

Think about who you’re trying to impress. 

• Are you trying to wow the socks off a hiring manager?

• Is your goal to land a new freelancing client? 

• Are you applying for agency work?

The content of your portfolio needs to meet the expectations of whoever will be looking at it. When thinking about how to make a digital portfolio, focus on curating pieces that align with your specific goals.

Who needs a digital portfolio?

For the most part, you’ll need to create a digital portfolio if you’re in a creative or technical field. Think graphic designer, architect, photographer, writer, web developer, and marketer. However, there are some other fields that could benefit from making a digital portfolio, including educators, sales professionals, and project managers. 

The bottom line is that if you have something you’re proud of or want to show off, learning how to make a digital portfolio can benefit your job search and, in the long run, your career. 

Not a resume replacement

Your job search toolbox contains quite a few items designed to help you succeed in your career – a resume, type: entry-hyperlink id: 29TaQZsmAAUqH1SqC2Vosk, biography, digital portfolio, and referral letters, just to name a few. No one item can replace another. Instead, each item should complement the others. 

Your resume is a summary of your career accomplishments and provides a quick overview of your skills, experience, and qualifications in a way that speaks specifically to a particular job. Your digital portfolio provides a deeper dive into what you’ve done by providing examples of your work. 

How to make a digital portfolio

The really great thing about having a digital portfolio that complements your resume is that it’s super easy to do. That’s not to say it’ll be something you can throw together quickly. You have to take the time to make it look polished and professional. So, before you get into making your digital portfolio, plant the seed in your brain that easy doesn’t mean fast. 

What should a digital portfolio include?

As you know, your resume isn’t meant to be a type: entry-hyperlink id: 6A6Q4Y1jKRJj2Sid9NhpWC you’ve ever accomplished in your career. Similarly, your digital portfolio should only contain examples of your best work. As you begin to think about how to make a digital portfolio, here are the pieces of information you’ll want to include:

• Your bio: A short, engaging introduction about who you are and what you do. Mention your skills, experience, and career goals.

• Your BEST work: Remember, quality over quantity. Include only those projects that highlight your skills and align with the type of job or client you’re targeting.

• Case studies: If you can, explain the story behind your work. Write about each project’s goals, processes, and outcomes to show the impact of what you do.

• Contact information: Make it easy for people to reach out by including your email, LinkedIn profile, or contact form.

What is the best format for a digital portfolio?

The main considerations in deciding how to make a digital portfolio center around your field, audience, and personal preferences. The format you choose should not only highlight your work but also be easy for your readers to navigate. There are some really popular options that are historically well-received by hiring managers.

• A personal website: If you want versatility over your type: entry-hyperlink id: 2TepxpsfsArU9vJRyFYffy, creating a digital portfolio on a platform like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress gives you complete control over the outcome. What’s really great is that each of these has user-friendly drag-and-drop interfaces, or you can flex your tech-savviness by customizing the design code.

• Portfolio platforms: Yes, there are sites specifically designed for creating online portfolios. Behance and Dribble are among the most popular. They allow you to upload your work into galleries that are easy to browse and even have built-in communities that help your portfolio gain exposure through likes, shares, and follows.

• GitHub: If you’re techy, GitHub should be your go-to platform for showing off coding projects and technical skills. You can build repositories, collaborate on projects, and demonstrate problem-solving skills through version histories. 

• Slide decks: If you’re in one of the fields that don’t often have a digital portfolio, you can still create a showcase of your work that’s easy to share. 

Step-by-step process

As with anything, breaking down the creation of your digital portfolio into manageable steps will guarantee you end up with something you can be proud of – something that sings your praises and impresses the people you send it to. 

1. Pick a platform: Stick to what you know, keep it simple, and choose the platform for your portfolio that you can manage with ease.

2. Gather your work: Comb through your projects and decide which ones make the cut.

3. Create the layout: Learning how to make a digital portfolio doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel – use a drag-and-drop option if you need to and keep it simple. 

4. Write descriptions: Each project you include in your portfolio should have a blurb that says what it is. You never want to throw something on your portfolio that makes your reader wonder what’s going on.

5. Optimize for your audience: type: entry-hyperlink id: 1h3yXWFNf3YfoegprtfoM7 to the job you want or the client you’re trying to land is critical. They all want to know what you can do for them. 

6. Test responsiveness: Don’t forget to make sure your portfolio looks good on a computer and mobile device. 

What to avoid when making an online portfolio

Your best-laid plans can be for naught, and your digital portfolio can fall short if you’re not careful. While it is your portfolio, and you can do what you want with it, there are some best practices you should adhere to for the best results. Here are some things to keep in mind.

• Less is more! Too much info can overwhelm visitors.

• Aesthetics is important. Your goal isn’t to get things into your portfolio; your goal is to build something people want to look at.

• Can they reach you? The number of portfolios that leave out contact info is staggering – don’t be that person.

• Update it frequently! Your portfolio isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it thing. It needs to have new projects added. When your reader sees projects that are a year or more old, they’ll think you’ve been out of the loop and are not up-to-date on trends.

Tell your professional story

The thing you should take away from learning how to make a digital portfolio is that it’s a living entity that leverages your most impressive projects and complements your resume in a way that proves to prospective employers you have what it takes to succeed. When done right, it will open doors when opportunity knocks. 

Since your digital portfolio and resume work hand-in-hand to show off your skills, it’s critical that you make sure your resume is just as polished as your portfolio. Take advantage of our free resume review to give you a professional edge.

Recommended reading:

• type: entry-hyperlink id: 5ErwsutP3tqE9yVRQi1LI1

• type: entry-hyperlink id: 5Ql5U5lEwxHOes2ZgABh4J

• type: entry-hyperlink id: 4EIJpnVMUJneb7vqR9QxHC