{"id":3428,"date":"2013-02-15T10:30:07","date_gmt":"2013-02-15T15:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=3428"},"modified":"2018-08-16T12:57:34","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T16:57:34","slug":"five-steps-to-a-professional-online-portfolio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2013\/02\/15\/five-steps-to-a-professional-online-portfolio\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Steps to a Professional Online Portfolio"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"http:\/\/emista.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/portfolio-icon.gif\"<\/a>In the past, a hard copy of your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 may have been enough to get your dream position; now, employers want more.<\/p>\n

With all of today\u2019s advances in technology, students are able to not only provide a detailed r\u00e9sum\u00e9 of their achievements, but also an online portfolio that can showcase some of their finest work. Online portfolios allow future employees to see your writing skills and view samples of your publications. Creating an online portfolio is very simple and can prove to be very beneficial in distinguishing you from other applicants.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve listed five easy steps to begin your personalized online portfolio.<\/p>\n

1. Choose a website<\/strong>
\nBefore you get started, research free websites that allow you to showcase your work. Websites such as Weebly<\/a>, WordPress<\/a> or Wix<\/a> offer free portfolios along with easy step-by-step instructions on how to set up an account.<\/p>\n

2. Create a template<\/strong>
\nOnce you\u2019ve decided what website you will use, choose a template that will set the tone of your work. Choose colors, graphics, borders, photos and fonts that convey your message while remaining professional. Color palettes and photos used on your personal social media sites should not be included on a professional website. Likewise, \u201cfun\u201d fonts do not convey professionalism.<\/p>\n

3. Refine portfolio materials<\/strong>
\nChoosing the material you want to include in your portfolio is the most important step. The best sites include a minimum of four or five top-notch work samples. You may have more samples to choose from, but only the best should be included in your portfolio. Write a summary for each item, making sure to address who the sample was written\/created for, when, and what part(s) you completed. Don\u2019t forget, after editing, to save your final copy as a PDF file so that anyone visiting your site will be able to read it. There is nothing more frustrating than clicking a link that doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

4. Organize<\/strong>
\nThe website that you choose will allow you to determine how the public views and navigates your website; therefore you must choose headings that are simple to read and easy to understand. Basically, make sure that it is easy to follow. Headers such as \u201cR\u00e9sum\u00e9,\u201d \u201cProfile,\u201d \u201cWriting Samples\u201d and \u201cContact Information\u201d are simple yet effective. The key is to keep it simple.<\/p>\n

5. Personalize<\/strong>
\nThis is the site that potential employers will see, possibly many times before meeting you, so your personality should shine through. Make your profile memorable.<\/p>\n

Creating an online portfolio can be an excellent tool to showcase your hard work and communication abilities. Although it may seem a bit intimidating, following these simple steps will guide you to your personalized key to post-graduate success. For more information and examples, visit Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge\u2019s Communication Across the Curriculum<\/a> guide.<\/p>\n

Cyone Batiste is a junior mass communication major at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, concentrating in public relations. She enjoys writing for PRSSA and the advantages she gets from meeting with public relations professionals and hearing their stories. She plans to work in sports and entertainment public relations upon graduation.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the past, a hard copy of your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 may have been enough to get your dream position; now, employers want more. With all of today\u2019s advances in technology, students are able to not only provide a detailed r\u00e9sum\u00e9 of their achievements, but also an online portfolio that can showcase some of their finest work. Online portfolios allow future employees […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":3448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2892,13,2897],"tags":[76,45,2217,15,40,755,762,778,50,2224,121],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3428"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3428"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3447,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3428\/revisions\/3447"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}