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I have found this thread to be fascinating. I also realized that I do not
have an updated portfolio. The software I documented at my previous (and
first) job turned into vaporware, and the manual was never finished, let
alone printed. At my current (second) job, I don't write print
documentation at all. So, with two years experience under my belt, I don't
actually have a professional portfolio.
I have some thoughts and questions for the more experienced people on
portfolio building. While you're working at your current job, do you think
about and plan your portfolio for the future? Also, the writing that
appears in our final documentation is edited work. I'm assuming this is
true for many of us. So, do I display the final work and explain that it
has been edited (sometimes I don't like the editing)? Do I "reedit" it and
display that? If an interviewer questioned me on phrasing, the answer very
well could be "My boss wanted it that way." Not a very good answer.