Make your skills stand out with an online portfolio

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Improve your chances of HR professionals proceeding with your application by showing off your skills, experience and achievements in an online portfolio.

In South Africa recruiters and employers often sift through hundreds of CV’s and applications, and then conduct on average about five interviews for every job going, so if you’re on the job hunt you need to really stand out.

You may have buckets of talent, but if you don’t show that off clearly (and quickly!), you may be passed over for the position and everyone will miss out.

One way of improving your chances of HR professionals proceeding with your application is by showing off your skills, experience and achievements in a portfolio.

DIY with an online portfolio

While many creative professionals create or print a physical portfolio of their work, it’s not necessary when you have access to online resources.

If you don’t have amazing coding skills, there are many websites that make doing-it-yourself easy.

Whether you choose to use existing platforms like wix.com, behance.net, squarespace.com or yola.com, or to build your own site, or to upload your content to a portfolio site such as journoportfolio.com, wordpress.com/portfolios/ or pressfolios.com, the same principles apply.

Here are a few top tips to create an online portfolio that will capture the attention of hiring managers:

A picture speaks a thousand words

Make the most of the visual aspect of an online portfolio and include examples of your work, videos of yourself talking about your skills or showing what you do at work, and any other appropriate multimedia. This is also a chance to showcase your digital know-how.  

Keep it simple, short and logical

Hiring managers, recruiters and decision makers are inevitably busy. They might not have the time required to browse through a number of tabs and read pages of copy to find out if you are the right candidate to call. Help them to find out exactly what they need to know about you fast, before revealing additional details. Make it easy for them with a concise “About me” section (not unlike a cover letter), as well as your education, qualifications and employment history listed simply. Details can follow once they’ve been convinced that you are a worthy candidate.

Showcase your writing with a blog

If your job doesn’t include writing for the public, but you want to show off your writing and communication skills, then a blog is a great place to do that. You can use the space to show your industry knowledge, your unique area of expertise and any additional or outside-of-work skills you have that enhance your abilities - but keep it professional.  

Here are four free downloadable CV templates for those looking for inspiration, and another four free downloadable CV templates for even more variety. 

- Elizabeth Mamacos