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Here are 9 things you should include in your marketing portfolio... 🧵

1) An Effective Tagline Make your tagline clear and catchy. Keep in mind that this is something that people will only glance at.

2) One Title You probably aren’t an expert/ninja/guru in every area of your field. Just like a movie, you should only have one title and your title will be the theme of your portfolio. It sets an expectation for the viewer so they have an idea of what they’re about to read.

3) A Professional Headshot This is mandatory. When you don’t have a picture of yourself on your website readers will wonder why. If they can’t see you they could get the impression that you’re hiding (which is the opposite of what you’re trying to do).

4) A Strong Elevator Pitch Write out who you are and what you do in two paragraphs (max). Start with introducing yourself, talk about projects you’ve worked on, and then highlight what you’ve learned or what you value in your work.

5) What You Offer When a recruiter or potential clients visits your online portfolio, there should be no confusion over what it is you offer. This is also your opportunity to highlight what kind of projects you enjoy.

6) Tools You’ve Worked With You never know what technology stacks companies are using. Keep a list of platforms and programs you’ve worked with on hand. They provide hiring managers with a quick way to see what you’ve been up to.

7) Testimonials There’s no excuse not to have these, even if you’re just starting out. Make a list of clients (old and new), colleagues, teachers, and employers that could help you out with this. Try to find at least 2-3 to include.

8) What Value Do You Bring Write out a few bullet points that clearly define how you’re going to help make someone’s life easier. Lean away from jargony language and make it as direct as possible.

9) Clear Way(s) To Contact You The whole point of your portfolio is to help you connect with potential employers; make it easy for them to do that. This can be a simple form or an emailto link.

When you put it all together, it should start to tell a story about your career, interests, and ambitions.

Use compelling language that makes it clear (to anyone) how your skills will help a client or company fix a problem.

Keep in mind this is the first time someone is learning about you!

Bonus points if you use professional photos that are unique.

The goal of your marketing portfolio should be to keep the user’s focus. Adding too much is distracting. Less is more.

You could be highly skilled in your field, but if you can’t demonstrate what you’re capable of then nobody will understand how good you are. You need to take initiative to build a powerful portfolio that speaks to how you are different and what kind of value you bring.

It’s easy to find a portfolio template and start filling in the blanks without giving it much thought. When you do that, a few key elements are often overlooked. Here’s what most people flat out forget:

1. People hire to fix a problem. Make sure you clearly understand what that is and speak to it. For example, no one hires a content writer just to have blogs populated on their website. They hire writers to attract targeted traffic and generate more business.

2. You control what the user sees. Instead of dumping all of your samples of work onto a website, handpick your best pieces. That blog post you wrote in 2014 probably shouldn’t make the cut.

3. Communication is essential for any role. It doesn’t matter what your field is, having strong communication applies to everyone. Your portfolio should reflect this.

The main takeaway here is that your portfolio isn’t just a recap of what you’ve done. When evaluating an online portfolio, employers need to see that your skills are the solution to their problem. Make sure that’s communicated throughout the content and show your best work.

Pro Tip 1: Don’t make people Google you. Add links where they can find you online. What you choose to add will depend on your field, but this might include your Linkedin profile, guest blog posts, & pieces of work on GitHub or Bitbucket.

Pro Tip 2: Don’t set it and forget it. Keep it fresh. Set a reminder in your calendar to update your portfolio regularly. It’s easy to forget different projects over the years. Take time to update your testimonials and make sure that your portfolio is reflective of your growth.

Pro Tip 3: Don’t copy people. Do get inspired. It is challenging to showcase your work in a way that’s effective. If you stumble across a portfolio that’s conveyed a message really well, you might want to mimic something similar down the line. Keep a bookmark folder for later.

In 2015, I was offered a full-time marketing contract from a guy I’d met in an airport bar because I had a portfolio ready when I wasn't job hunting. Here's the story & what I learned about finding remote marketing jobs:

Christine Johnson ☀️ @CJ_250marketingHere are 6 things you need to know before applying for a remote marketing job...🧵 twitter.com

Your portfolio is a reflection of what you've done in the past, but its intent is to act as an indicator of what you can do in the future. It needs to evolve as you evolve.

If you're keen to find a new marketing career this year, I've also put together strategies & templates on how to make a cover letter: Happy to answer questions.

Christine Johnson ☀️ @CJ_250marketingHere are 7 cover letter strategies you need to land an interview for a marketing job... 🧵 (this can also be applied to a lot of industries) twitter.com

Once you've set up your portfolio the next step is to prep for an interview. Here are my top tips.👇

Christine Johnson ☀️ @CJ_250marketingHere are the 11 most asked interview questions for a marketing job and how to answer them... 🧵 twitter.com

To keep myself honest, please feel free to take a look at the evolution of my own portfolio site. You can throw it into the way back machine if you're curious to see how I've pivoted over the years! http://250marketing.ca/