Discover How to Prove Your Skills With a Powerful Professional Portfolio

Showcase Your Accomplishments

Demonstrate Your Value

Prove Your Skills and Abilities

Social Portfolio Platform Options
LinkedIn is our top recommendation for your social portfolio. However, there are other sites you can also use for social portfolio development. Some of those include:

  • Pinterest – Create an account or board specifically for sharing career highlights and work samples.
  • Facebook – Create a page for you as a professional brand or tailor your personal profile for social portfolio use.
  • YouTube – For a more video-focused social portfolio, you can create a YouTube channel.
  • Jobcase

If your work and experience is more creative focused, the sites mentioned in this article may be worth exploring.

Turn Off Share Profile Updates on LinkedIn
Before you start adding work samples on LinkedIn, you may want to turn off the “share profile updates with your network” setting. This way you can edit your work experience and add or delete work samples until you’re happy with them without anyone knowing you’re making updates.

Here are step-by-step instructions for turning off your profile updates on LinkedIn.

Canva Design Video Tutorial
Here is a quick Canva video tutorial to help you create your cover photo for your social portfolio.

You can find all of the Canva tutorials here: Canva.com/designschool/tutorials/getting-started/

Canva.com/designschool/tutorials/designing/

 

How To Create Personal Branding Statements
I recommend a combination of three words or phrases to create a powerful first impression – your personal branding statements – combined with a career profile summary to highlight your skills and experience. You can use these in the header of your resume and throughout the print, social, and digital versions of your professional portfolio.

In Chapter 14 of my book, The Organized Admin, I suggest an exercise for developing this crucial resume component:

“List the three words or short phrases that best describe the way you work, think, function, or perform professionally.”

What is the first impression you want someone to have of you from the moment they see your name and the top of your resume? Personal branding statements help create that impression. Once you have those things in mind, you can create your personal branding statement.

Examples:

  • Strategic thinker. Problem solver. Administrative professional.
  • Project manager. Event planner. Travel planning pro.
  • Process analyst. Microsoft Office expert. Legal Support Professional.

Julie Perrine, CAP-OM, MBTI Certified                    Chief Executive Officer. Personality Strategist, Administrative Professional. www.julieperrine.wordpress.com

The career profile statement is the first thing that follows your header information on your resume and may look something like this:

A proactive and results-oriented administrative professional with a proven ability to provide comprehensive support for C- and VP-level executives and their management teams, a track record of exceeding expectations, and a knack for developing and maintaining administrative procedures that reduce redundancy, improve accuracy and efficiency, and achieve corporate objectives.

Remember, you’re looking for examples – not just corporate buzzwords –  and your branding statements and career profile summary should be supported by the quantifiable proof you provide in the experience portion of your resume.

Create a Custom URL on LinkedIn
Here are step-by-step instructions for creating a custom URL on LinkedIn.
Request a Recommendation on LinkedIn
Here are step-by-step instructions for requesting a recommendation on LinkedIn.
Create a Free Gmail Account
Here are step-by-step instructions for creating a free Gmail account.
Sharing Files With Dropbox and Google Drive
Here are step-by-step instructions for sharing a Dropbox file or folder.

Here are step-by-step instructions for sharing a Dropbox file from a public folder.

The Public Folder lets you easily share single files in your Dropbox. Any file you put in this folder gets its own link so that you can share it with others – even non-Dropbox users! These links work even if your computer’s turned off.

Here are step-by-step instructions for sharing a file publicly with Google.

Digital Portfolio Website Platform Options
WordPress WordPress.com

Wix – Wix.com

Google Sites – Sites.google.com/new

Weebly – Weebly.com

Blogger – Blogger.com

EduBlogs – Edublogs.org (designed for educators)

Paid Options:

SquareSpace – Squarespace.com/websites/create-a-portfolio

Journo Portfolio – Journoportfolio.com

Web.com – Web.com

Copyfolio – Copyfol.io  (designed for writers)

Portfoliobox – Portfoliobox.net  (no free options)

Format – Format.com (designed for artists)

This list from Hubspot also includes some additional platforms you may want to research.

The Difference Between WordPress.com and WordPress.org
To understand the differences between a WordPress.com and a WordPress.org website, read this article.

This article is also helpful.

How To Create a Separate Home Page and Blog Page
This article explains how to set a homepage (front page) if you do not want to blog.

This article explains how to create a separate page for blog posts if you do want to blog.

How To Set Parent Pages and Create Drop Down Menus
This article explains how to set parent pages and change the order of your pages.

This article explains how to create drop down menus for your site.

How To Insert Images On Your Pages

Learn how to set images on your pages here

Audio Creation/Editing Software and Equipment

Audio Creation and Editing software

  • WavePad audio editing software: com.au/wavepad/index.html
  • Audacity audio editor: org/download/
  • Check your computer for generic sound recorder software, typically located under All Programs – Accessories.
  • OneNote has a built-in recording functionality.
  • Bonus tip: VideoPad video editing software: com/videopad/index.html

Audio Creation Equipment

I strongly recommend a good headset with a boom-type microphone for recording your audio clips. You want the quality of the recording to be clean and free of background noise. You also don’t want the audio to sound like you’re talking into a tin can.

  • I typically prefer a headset with a noise-cancelling, boom style microphone that has a USB and 3.5mm jack connection option like this one. Then I can use it on my laptop or my smartphone with two connection options.
  • If you are recording video and want to avoid wearing a headset, this Fulaim USB Type C Lavalier Lapel Microphone with noise reduction is a personal favorite.
How To Create a Link On Your Web Page
Here’s information on how to create a link on your web page.
What is Blogging?

Here is a great three-minute Common Craft video that explains blogging.

How To Change WordPress Settings to Begin Blogging
Here’s information on how to create a separate page for blog posts if you do want to blog.

This article will help you with creating and publishing your first posts.

Sample Digital Portfolio Sites
Here are a few sample digital portfolio sites for you to preview:

ToddPerrine.com

AGreatDaysWork.com

CindyPfennig.wordpress.com

Monitor Your Web Presence On Google
Do a weekly Google search of your name to monitor your online presence if you are active on social media or have a website or blog. This article explains how to do it in private or incognito mode.

If you want to continue monitoring your name on the web, you can sign up for a free tool called Google Alerts. This feature is attached to your Google account and will send you an email every time your name is mentioned online.

Register a Domain Name

There are a lot of economical sites where you can register a domain name. My personal favorite is ePortfolio Toolbox.

(Note: This site is a GoDaddy reseller account for Julie Perrine International, LLC. If you purchase your domain name through this site, JPI may profit from the transaction.)

  • Go to: ePortfolioToolbox.com
  • Click on “Create Account.” Write down and save your user name and password for this site. I recommend adding this to your master list of logins and passwords in the Appendix of this book.
    • On the account registration screen, you may be asked to answer some questions regarding receiving emails about promotions they run. Make sure you mark YES to receiving non-promotional notices that deal with changes to your domain account or other services.
  • Click on “Create a New Account” at the bottom of the registration page. At this point, your new account should be created and it will take you into your new account. Write down the customer number that has been assigned to you.
  • There will be a box that says you have no domains registered and to click here to register a domain. Click that link to go back to the search box and enter the domain you would like to register.
  • If your domain is available, it will be added to your shopping cart. You can remove that domain, continue shopping, or checkout.
  • They will try to make suggestions on other variations of the domain name that you can reserve. If you aren’t interested, ignore the offers.
  • Here are some of the other things you may need to select:
    • How long you want to reserve your domain name for: one year, two years, etc. One year is fine for getting started.
    • Do you want to pay more for a certified domain? (I don’t recommend this option.)
    • You don’t need website hosting for this project, so don’t worry about changing or setting name servers.
    • Most sites offer auto-renewal. If you don’t want it, you can change it to a manual renewal process.
    • Under “Privacy & Domain Protection,” just go with the standard option. You don’t need any additional features for your domain.
  • You will have the opportunity to register for an email address that goes with your domain name. This typically is an additional cost. It is very professional to have an email address that includes your domain name, but you can skip the email registration process for now and come back to later if you want one.
  • You will not need website hosting for your digital portfolio if you are using a free WordPress.com or a similar site.
  • On the checkout page, be sure to review the domain information. This page may ask if you want to keep your site public or private. Public is fine for your domain name.
  • Fill out the payment method information.
  • Continue to the checkout page.
  • Once you complete these steps, your domain should be reserved!
Forwarding and Masking a Domain Name

Read this article to learn the difference between domain forwarding and masking.

Learn how to forward your ePortfolio Toolbox domain here.

This article explains how to edit domain forwarding if you want to change it.

Here’s how to delete domain forwarding.

Tip: If you have a great LinkedIn profile, you could have your new domain forward to your LinkedIn URL until you create your digital portfolio.

Professional Portfolio Office Supplies
Here is a list of recommended office supplies for assembling the print version of your professional portfolio.

Personality Assessments Tools and Books
Personality assessment and strengths-based tools are fantastic resources for helping you write a compelling bio, and articulating your value in all three versions of your professional portfolio. Here is a list of personality assessment tools and books you may want to consider.

Assessment tools:

Books:

View Julie Perrine's Digital Portfolio Sample
View my sample digital professional portfolio here: JuliePerrine.wordpress.com