There have been several changes in technology and strategies focused on attracting top talent over the years. It's a good practice to create a professional portfolio of your work to demonstrate your skills, experience, growth, and drive to potential employers.

Having an online portfolio with successful case studies or examples of your work can help you make all the difference when applying for jobs in different industries. You can improve your chances of gaining a job by following these helpful steps to showcase your online portfolio to employers.

1. Craft a Strong Personal Brand Statement

A personal brand statement or a strong bio is a great way to introduce yourself, build credibility, and make yourself stand out from the rest of the competition. Use it to show off your unique voice and personality, and let prospective clients or employers know what you have to offer.

We suggest starting with a dedicated "About Me" page that tells a personal story of how you got started on your journey. This gives them a better insight into getting to know who you are and what motivates you.

It's always a good idea to let employers know what makes you unique from your competition. Whether it's something about your background, work history, or a special skill or experience, make sure that these aspects of your career or persona shine through in your bio.

2. Showcase Your Creative Approach to Problem-Solving

Employers are looking for creative thinkers who can bring something unique to their organizations. Make sure you project the best of your creative skills by including a variety of projects in your portfolio—a few ones that are relevant to the job you're applying for, and others that show off how you can solve problems with unconventional approaches.

A potential employer might wish to know what went into creating each piece of work—what kind of challenge(s) it was designed to solve, inputs from other stakeholders, how well you overcame problems that crept up, lessons learned, and more.

It's a good idea to provide context around each project. Include case studies, if necessary, so that employers see what the finished product looks like and get a sense of how it came together and why.

3. Create a Visual and Interactive Portfolio

After all, you want your work to get noticed! Try to put together a portfolio that looks visually appealing. Make sure your website matches your resume and other professional materials.

Choose a subtle color scheme and layout that will make your work stand out without detracting attention from the content itself. Consider incorporating design elements that are consistent with your portfolio's overall look and feel, and make sure it's easy to navigate, even on mobile and tablet devices.

You can add features like shapes, icons, presentations, animation, and video to bring your work to life. You can take a look at some of these website creators to build a good-looking portfolio.

4. Keep Your Portfolio Up-to-Date

It’s tempting to think that your portfolio is done and dusted when you’re finished creating it.

You should update your portfolio regularly with new, relevant projects that you have completed, and make sure the content is up-to-date. You should also check regularly to see if all your links are working and ensure that your copy is error-free.

Similarly, if any of your contact information has changed since you started creating your portfolio, make sure this is updated as well, so it’s easy for employers to get in touch with you.

5. Highlight Relevant Affiliations and Successes

Whether you're just starting out or have already made a name for yourself, employers want to know that you're serious about your work. It can be helpful to include awards or recognitions on your portfolio site to show them how much you've fine-tuned your skills over time. Pick the ones that best show off your strengths.

If you're applying for a marketing position and have relevant Google certifications and industry accreditations, you can highlight them in your portfolio. Similarly, if you've won awards or have industry affiliations, include those to show that others value your work and expertise as well.

6. Personalize Your Portfolio For Employers/Clients

You could be the perfect candidate for the job, but if your portfolio isn't up to snuff, it can sink your chances of landing the gig before you even get started.

When you're sending out your portfolio to clients and employers, personalization is key. In other words, it is important to tailor your portfolio to the kind of projects you want to do or the job you're interested in.

If you're applying to be a copywriter, try to include links to website copy, ad copy, or blog posts you've written for clients. For graphic designer roles, include web pages, logos, and other illustrations that can showcase your visual design skills. For social media marketing gigs, add links to any accounts you manage or moderate, and sample posts you've created in the past.

7. Optimize Your Portfolio With Keywords For Search Engines

Your portfolio page's titles, headings, and descriptions should be clear, concise, and include relevant keywords specific to your skills and experience.

You should make it a point to include the top keywords for your industry (such as “website copywriter” and “web developer”) in there. By doing so, Google and other search engines will be more likely to serve up your portfolio website higher in search result pages. Adding keywords will also help employers find you more easily when searching for candidates.

8. Add Testimonials From Clients and Industry Experts

One of the best ways to prove your skills is to include testimonials from clients, employers, and colleagues.

In addition to including LinkedIn recommendations and client feedback, you can also emphasize testimonials from industry experts whose opinions are relevant to what you're applying for.

You can ask for testimonials and feedback from clients to help build social proof and trust with prospective employers. For example, if you're a designer applying for a job at an agency, include design feedback from art directors or other designers in your portfolio along with client testimonials.

If you're applying for a UX position, make sure that what you've created has been thoroughly tested by users so that you can share their feedback in your portfolio

9. Link Your Portfolio to Resumes, LinkedIn, and Social Channels

You've probably spent several hours updating your professional profiles and tweaking and polishing your resume. To stand out among the millions of others looking for jobs, you need to find a way to get noticed.

You need to tailor your resume and cover letter for employers, while also trying to work on building a career-boosting online presence by adding examples of your work so that it gives hiring managers a reason to contact you.

The best way you can do this is to add links to your portfolio in your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other professional freelancing sites.

Make Your Portfolio Stand Out

As you plan your next career move, remember that showcasing your work online should be a key component of your strategy. Remember these steps, and you will be well on your way to leapfrogging the competition.

It's more important than ever to create a portfolio that captures your sincerity, skills, personality, and vision for yourself as a professional. We hope that the tips above will help you put your best foot forward in your next job search, and help you land that dream job!