The Power of a Strong Portfolio in Creative Job Applications

Creating a project portfolio in your resume is not just beneficial for creative job applications – it’s often a requirement. How to prepare it? Start by researching the company you’re applying to and selecting relevant works. Then, list them – you can place projects under each job experience or create a separate “portfolio” section. Remember to keep it brief – you can, for example, add a link to your full online portfolio instead of listing tens of projects. Do you want to learn more? Then keep reading!

What Is a Portfolio Resume?

A portfolio resume is simply a CV that, rather than focusing on your skills and experience, showcases your previous projects. Why is it important?

In creative jobs, such as graphic design or copywriting, it’s your skills that matter the most, rather than the experience. And these skills often cannot be evaluated purely by putting certifications in a CV or showing who you’ve worked for. Instead, it’s your works that speak volumes. Hence, you have to add a portfolio of your projects to your resume if you really want to showcase your proficiency.

How to Add a Portfolio in a CV?

Your resume should be brief, even if you apply for creative jobs. Therefore, you need to plan how you will put your portfolio on it carefully. What are the best ways to do this? Here are a few examples:

Next to Experience

The first option is to showcase your works in your “Experience” section next to each position. It’s a good option if you can squeeze your work in naturally. For instance, if you are a graphic designer. You can, additionally, write about any achievements with such works. Let’s say you created a website visual design for a company – you can list how much their brand awareness or conversions increased after they’ve implemented your design.

Separate “Projects” Section

It’s also possible to list your projects in a separate section of your resume. This, again, is especially useful for graphic designers, as it will not only prove your skills for particular graphics but also your general aesthetic taste and the ability to create a captivating layout.

Online Portfolio

You may also include a link to your online portfolio in the resume. This way, you can showcase more of your work, and the employer can scroll through it to find the most relevant ones. It’s the best strategy for creative copywriters, actors, or other professions where projects wouldn’t fit into a one-page CV format.

If you decide on this approach, you should design your portfolio carefully. In general, you have two options here:

• Tailor the portfolio to the job application – include only relevant works that are in line with the job description so that the recruiter won’t have to navigate through tens of works.
• Create an easy-to-navigate portfolio – this could be, for example, a website. Section your works into different categories to make it easier for the recruiter to find the works they are interested in (you can also link directly to the relevant category).

The Takeaway

Is it easy to create a good portfolio resume? No, but it’s definitely necessary if you’re applying for creative positions. But don’t worry – you’ll manage. You can always check out our resume packages – Maria will help you include all your projects in the resume so that they would attract the attention of the recruiters.

Did you like this article? You might also be interested in: Understanding the Role of Social Media in Job Applications.