- Assess First Impressions
Sit down at a table or desk and flip through your completed portfolio quickly as if you were a potential client or employer thumbing through it in a hurry. Write down your initial impressions. Enlist the aid of a friend or family member. Have them do the same thing, without any input from you. Have that person write down or tell you their initial thoughts and impressions.
- Take a Closer Look
Repeat step one but go through the portfolio more slowly, studying the pages a bit longer. Have a friend do the same thing. Again, do this without any explanation or commentary.
- Do Some Role-Playing
Get a friend or family member to play the role of the prospective client or employer and let you present your portfolio in connection with conducting a mock interview.
- Mix Up Your Presentation Methods
Try out different scenerios for presenting your portfolio and discussing its contents and your work. If you want, just role-play only the portfolio presentation portion of a meeting to help gain confidence with discussing the different projects, turning the pages, and quickly finding examples based on questions from the client. Ask your helper to take on different personalities -- talkative, disinterested, in a hurry, inquisitive -- or enlist the aid of different people for your role-playing.
- Fine-Tune the Portfolio and Presentation
Based on initial impressions and role-playing, fine-tune the organization and layout of your portfolio as well as your own presentation/interview. If possible, do a quick run-through of your portfolio presentation the day before you have a scheduled interview or client meeting -- especially if it's the first in a while.
Remember, a portfolio can and should change over time. As you acquire new samples, improve your skills, change the focus of your work, or when switching from seeking employment to seeking freelance clients you should keep working on your portfolio. Keep it fresh, up-to-date, and representative of your best work.
If you arrived at this page via search you've landed in the middle of a free class offered by email. This lesson is part of the Create a Portfolio in 6 Days email class offered by About Desktop Publishing. Sign up for the 6-lesson class.
