Tuesday 15 January 2013

An online portfolio

As a Graduate looking for a career in fashion STANDING OUT is so important. I've been applying for so many jobs recently and eagerly waiting replies , but quite frankly I want to be in a job that I enjoy ASAP! I have a First Class Honours degree and am so passionate about doing well, that I started to think to myself "How can I stand out from the rest?". Most jobs simply only ask for a CV and Covering Letter, and although I apply for jobs I know I can succeed in I think employers need an extra reason to invite me in for an interview. 

I decided that as I am going into a creative industry to think outside the box and create an online portfolio that can be attached to any job application. For anyone in the same position to me it is though extra little things that will make you stand out in amongst those hundreds of applications.

1. My first advice would be to note where your strengths lay and plan 1-2 pages on each one. If you are a stylist then keep your portfolio mainly styling and add a couple of pages of any other interests you may have, eg: writing or photography. My strengths lie in photography, styling, fashion writing and PR so I plan to create a couple of pages on each. I think it is best to put your main interest at the front as this will be the type of jobs you will be applying for most regularly. 

2. Keep it simple, screen shots, images but not a lot of writing. I have included one page at the front that act's as a kind of CV or biography but apart from that it is mostly images. This is designed to make you stand out and not to send your future employer to sleep. 

3. Include a contents page so that if you are applying for a writing role they can go straight to your writing work. This saves time and trust me these people viewing your applications are very busy-they will love this!

4. Be yourself, be honest and show off what you can do. If you have done photography in the past but don't want to do it in the future then don't include this in your portfolio. Otherwise trust me they will see you are an all rounder and plan you do EVERYTHING in your power to benefit them. 

5. Finally save as a PDF so that you can add pages when you get more experience and then send it out to as many people as possible! Remember you can't intern forever. 

I still haven't finished my online portfolio as I only started it last night but I wanted to share with you a bit about what I'm up to. It would be great to see what you think.


Living-in-a-fashion-world



1 comment:

  1. Your advice is really helpful, definitely taking on board for the future :D

    xx
    http://garfunkelatmidnight.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete