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>I am beginning to put my first professional portfolio together. Any suggestions on content and format? What is good >and what is bad?
The contents depends on your experience.
If you're new, include anything you can: classroom exercises,
makeovers--anything that might show your abilities.
If you're more experienced, you can be more selective. Put in pieces
that illustrate your various skills, rather than everything.
No matter what your experience, try to make the portfolio visually
interesting. For example, you might consider using company advertising
as background, or using pockets for small samples. But avoid gaudiness,
especially if your skills are supposed to include layout or design.
Also, don't consider your portfolio a finished thing. Keep it up to
date, so that it reflects your experience and expertise.
Finally, keep the contents flexible. Avoid fixed ToCs, for example,
because you may want to customize your portfolio for a particular job.
--
Bruce Byfield (bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com)
Technical Writer
Burnaby, BC, Canada
(604) 421-7189
"You can go home again, so long as you understand that home
is a place you have never been." --Ursula K. Le Guin
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