Revamp Your Image #3: Creative Ways to Improve Your Career Portfolio

Do you have creative works to show off to employers? Maybe you just need an impressive way to stand out among all the other applicants. Taking your portfolio to the next level may be just the thing you need to do that. In part three of our “Revamp Your Image” series, we talk about creative ways improve the image you send potential employers by recreating your portfolio in a unique way.

Create an Infographic Fact Sheet If you have lots of facts that you can use to prove your expertise, then it’s worth putting into an infographic. This can be a simple one-page image that you can give to employers with your cv or portfolio, but it should have useful information that shows why you’re the person for the job. For instance, let’s say you’re a sports coach looking for a job. You infographic might include statistics such as how many hours of training time you have and the amount of sports men and women you’ve trained (if you have access to these stats). You could even create a chart showing how much of your training time has been spent using different training practices or within certain sports.

Let’s take another example. If you’re a massage therapist, your infographic can include things like the amount of massage sessions you’ve done and the percent of satisfied customers. A chart showing how many sessions you’ve sold using each technique (Swedish, deep tissue, sports etc.) could be a useful tool in showing where your expertise lies.

The key to a good infographic is that each piece of information has an image next to it that accurately represents the statistic or information given. It’s also important to have enough information without overwhelming an audience, so try to find a happy medium that’s easy on the eyes. You can start creating your own infographic at Piktochart.com.

Turn it Into a Website Lots of creative professionals have already set up a website highlighting their previous work experience and education. This is especially common among photographers, writers, designers, and other people who work with clients world-wide via the Internet. But it’s not just for those types of people. If you haven’t created an online portfolio, now is the time to do it. You can start by getting a free website with options like WordPress, Wix or Tumblr.

Now that you’ve created a website, it makes it easy for potential employers to access your cv and accompanying files at any time, which isn’t always possible if you only have a hard copy binder portfolio.

In some industries, just the fact that you have a website portfolio will help you stand out. You can add an “About” section and pages with photos or videos on them. For instance, if you’re looking for a job with a hotel, an online video or pictures showcasing your prior experience will be much more effective than simply listing it on a potential employers to find their clips by grouping them together in a personal website.

The key to creating a quality online portfolio, however, is to keep things brief and to-the-point. You’ll want to make sure you choose a clean web theme and that any images and text are aligned properly. But what if lots of people in your industry already have a portfolio website, like, for example, if you’re a photographer? Here are a few creative ways to make yours stand out aside from your website theme and copy:

• Create 1-3 high quality videos of you interviewing past clients about your work. Be sure to link to the finished product or the person’s contact details.
• Keep a helpful, updated blog on your site that showcases your knowledge in the industry. The key here is to keep the blog updated regularly and create quality content. Social shares are always a plus.
• Create interactive media where you can. For instance, if you’re creating a section that talks about your past experience and includes an image for each, make it into a slideshow. Or, create a Prezi to complement your cv.

Create a Timeline When you want to show employers your work experience in a unique way, turn to Tiki-Toki. This is a free online program that allows you to create interactive timelines that you can share with anyone. You can even embed images and video into your timeline to add a personal touch. If you use this in conjunction with a personal website, you can embed your Tiki-Toki timeline onto your web page.

By using creative media like this, standing out among the sea of applicants just got a whole lot easier. We hope you’ve enjoyed our three-part series! Tell us how you’ll revamp your image to impress employers.