Showing up to a job interview with a copy of your resume is a good start, but bringing along an interview portfolio lets you stand out from all other candidates vying for the job. While some job seekers believe that portfolios are best suited for graphic designers or marketing managers, these documents are actually well-suited for all industries. By highlighting your abilities with visual aids, you give yourself a concrete edge over the competition.
Create a Personal Brand
Get creative with a portfolio cover and theme page. Consider adding a photo of yourself, or create an attention-grabbing graphic that relates to your industry. This helps you establish your personal brand and sets you apart from other candidates. Include a page that describes your top skills, or work them into a clever graphic.
Illustrate Your Professional Background
Similar to an infographic resume, the professional background section of your interview portfolio displays your prior work experience, education and certifications. This visual timeline lets the hiring manager quickly recognize the knowledge you've accumulated on your career path.
Show Off Your Skills
Create a behavioral examples section in your portfolio to illustrate a time in your career when you really made a difference. Describe the situation, summarize the task you faced, identify what action you took, and explain the end result. This gives the potential employer a glimpse of your skills in action.
Brag About Your Achievements
Include a page or two that mentions significant career accomplishments that make you proud, or list any awards you've won. Include third-party recommendations from satisfied clients or glowing references from a previous supervisor.
Demonstrate Your Problem-Solving Abilities
Similar to the behavioral examples section, the sample solutions portion of your interview portfolio lets you show your skills in a way that relates to the potential employer. Research the company to find out what problem it currently faces, or choose an issue that's big in the industry. Use this section to demonstrate how you plan to solve that problem in your first 30, 60 or 90 days on the job.
Learn About Yourself
Your portfolio gives you the opportunity to reflect on your career. By assembling your accomplishments, skills and background in a creative bundle, you gain confidence in your abilities. Use the process to explore and establish future career goals.
Prepare for the Interview
Bringing your portfolio to an interview shows the hiring manager that you put extra effort into preparing. If the interviewer asks why he should hire you, pull inspiration from your portfolio to describe why you're the best candidate for the job.
Make a positive impression at your next interview by presenting the hiring manager with your interview portfolio. Just like a resume, each interview portfolio you present should be tailored to the position. Start with a general portfolio, and customize the information as needed for each new job posting.
Photo courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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