What Goes In My Portfolio?

By: Maureen Corbett

The simple answer would be: your best work. But what does that mean? As a Public Relations student, I've struggled with the idea of a portfolio for most of my college experience. Portfolios have become an expected artifact when attending interviews, but I don’t necessarily have fancy and flashy design projects to show off like an interior design or graphic design student would have. This puts me in a difficult dilemma, but luckily, there is an easy way to overcome this challenge. 

If you’re building a portfolio for the corporate world, here are few items that would serve as good items to include:

1.       Writing samples

Include blogs you've written, class papers you’re proud of, or even sample emails written to a professional. Written communication skills are an essential task employers want to know students can accomplish, so make sure to show off your best work.

2.       Photographs

Sometimes the work students do doesn't produce a tangible product. If that is the case, have a friend document you performing a task and make sure to include it in your portfolio with a brief description. Examples would be photos of you public speaking, interacting with professionals, or working a large campus event.

3.       Budgets

Did you work on a project that required you to keep track of funds? If so make sure you include a copy of your budget in your portfolio. This will show employers that you know how to manage details and stay within your budget, which is a great skill to be able to master in the professional world.

4.       Website Screenshots

Do you manage a social media account? Have you reorganized content on a company’s website during your last summer internship? If so, this information belongs in your portfolio. Take a screen shot of the page you helped create, and make sure to include important information such as when you worked on it, who you were targeting, how many viewers it reached, etc. Data points such as this will stand out to employers.