J Patrick + Associates Blog

What's in Your Portfolio?

Posted by Elissa Jane Mastel on Mon, Apr 04, 2011 @ 04:36 PM

By Elissa Jane MasteliStock 000013899919XSmall resized 600

As the technology industry continues to evolve, so do the requirements of the needs for Marketing Professionals in the field.  No longer relegated to just one task, marketing executives are expected to be integrated wizards with the hands in a host of activities moving skillfully like a quick moving jaguar who always lands on his feet.

Today’s hiring professionals are looking for candidates who can not only strategize, but can also implement all the tasks needed to propel their company forward.  The best way to exemplify your level of expertise is to present a strong portfolio.

Here are a few things to think about before crafting your portfolio for the hiring manager at the job of your dreams;

 

Brand Yourself

Branding is crucial in today’s market place.  Make sure you are well branded consistently throughout your portfolio.  Create a letterhead and put it on every document with contact information.  Use consistent fonts.  Pick a color scheme and stick with it.   Language is crucial, before crafting your portfolio and descriptions, sit down and do a little messaging workshop for yourself.  Identify keywords that represent you and utilize them strategically throughout the portfolio and your resume for punch.   

 

Quality not Quantity!

Chose each piece of collateral strategically.  Your portfolio will be stronger with a few key examples of your abilities.  Forcing the recipient to go through lots of pages of the same thing will dilute your presentation.  Pick a few examples of each category.  I like to pick pieces that garnered success, such as a press release that got a lot of pick up, or an email promo that generated a ton of buzz.  Be selective.   Show that you know how to get the job done skillfully with a few trophies. 

 

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Variety is the spice of life.  Make sure you incorporate a pastiche of examples of your work that highlights your range and capabilities.  Make sure you save things as PDFs, that way they don’t get altered in the transfer.  Another solution is to create your portfolio using an online client such as Box.com, DropBox, Behance Network or Coroflot for example.  Make sure your portfolio is easy to access and send.  Try to use a client that doesn’t require a login by the human resources professional. 

 

“I’ve seen a growing trend of people using the Box.com platform on LinkedIn, and we really like it!  Candidates can post examples of work,” explains Dan Sullivan, President & CEO of J. Patrick + Associates, “I’ve seen multiple versions of resumes, writing samples, PowerPoint presentations and more.  The feature is free with LinkedIN, people should use it.”

 

Now, what on earth do you put in it?  They want to see what you can do, which includes writing.  Start with strong writing samples such as press releases, blog posts and media kit materials.  If you created a campaign, share key ingredients such as sales sheets and screen shots from the web site.  I recommend that you group your clips by campaign, showing you are a strong strategist who gets results.  Start with a short description of the campaign, and highlight the successes with your included pieces as evidences of your proven results. 

Tags: Resume Optimization