Even if you don’t have enough material to create a portfolio, the time to start building yours is now.

Portfolios are for the driven, the go-getters, the people (in any industry) proactively carving their own path to success. They are for the personal branders. They aren’t just for artists anymore. They are for YOU.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, your portfolio is 1,000 times more effective than your resume at getting you hired. Period. If you approach employers with a portfolio in hand, you will always have a leg up on the candidates who only have a resume, no matter what industry you’re in.

Potential employers want to see one thing above all else: proof of your skills. A resume is not proof of your skills. Applicants lie on their resumes so often that employers naturally don’t fully trust resumes. So how do you build their trust? By showing them real examples of work you’ve done. Remember: any project worth doing (in school, in work or in life) will leave you with deliverables. Deliverables of a good project become braggables. Your portfolio is a thoughtful, put-together showcase of your braggables.

You need a portfolio because potential employers only know you based on your projects.

To an employer, you ARE the projects you’ve done.

A portfolio will help you win career opportunities, because it:

· Provides accountability (proof) of your work

· Guides others’ attention to your specific strengths

· Quickly identifies your transferable skills

· Elevates you above your competitors who only have resumes

Remember: potential employers are going to Google you as a pre-screen, even before they call you in for an interview. If you don’t pass their web search pre-screen, you will miss opportunities that could lead to a fulfilling, rewarding career. Just think of your potential employers’ faces when they expect to find dirt on you, and end up at your professional web portfolio. That’s why personal branding online is so powerful – it builds visibility and credibility on the web, winning you opportunities that will positively impact you for the rest of your life.

To start building your own web portfolio today, sign up for a free Brand-Yourself account. Along with your own web space, you’ll get the tools and resources you need to create a compelling online representation of yourself and your skills, including easy file uploads so you can showcase your work. Just head over to our sign-up page now to get started building your online portfolio.

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Graduating from college can be a huge culture shock. You are transitioning to a whole new way of life, which can be extremely overwhelming. Going from high school to college was one thing, but now you’re heading out into the real world to fend for yourself. Remember how scared you were to be a freshman, on the lowest rung of the social ladder? Think of being a college grad as entering the freshman year of life. Without the confines of school to guide you, you’ll probably feel a little lost. But keeping a few things in mind can help you make the transition smoothly and shine in your new role in the world. Just remember to be…

Professional

Gone are the days of skipping those big lectures, and hitting the snooze button through your 8 am psych class. Also in the past is arranging your schedule to have no classes on Fridays, as is enjoying all those 3-day weekends and long vacations during the year. Having a job means being there on time and working through long hours – if you are late even a few times, you are branding yourself as unreliable and setting yourself up to be fired. It is definitely a challenge for some students to adjust from a laid back college schedule to a more demanding work schedule, but it is an essential part of transitioning to the real world.

The actual work you do must also demonstrate professionalism. There are no more extension-giving professors to bail you out; you have to turn out satisfactory work and make deadlines.

Behaving professionally is also a requirement. This means interacting with others in an adult manner, keeping your temper in check, dressing professionally, and treating others with respect.

Learn from your mistakes, learn from your superiors, and your employers and co-workers will begin to view you as reliable and professional – exactly what you want.

Adaptive

Being open and flexible – in several areas – is absolutely key to succeeding after college.

For starters, don’t have tunnel vision: don’t hold too tightly to a preconceived plan or one single career path too soon. Take the new things you learn at your job to adapt to new opportunities. Studies have shown that the vast majority of today’s workers switch jobs multiple times and even make drastic career changes. Be open to this and don’t limit yourself. Being ready for whatever your professional life throws at you could lead you to great success down the road, especially in this fast-changing world.

It is also important to realize that college probably didn’t prepare you for everything you’re going to face out there. Learning as you go is part of life, so being able to adapt to new things and deviate from what you think you know are definitely conducive to success. Applying newly discovered knowledge or technology, learning a new task, learning to work with different kinds of people, balancing your personal finances, and working as a team at your job are all things you might have to adapt to down the road.

Realistic

The number of college graduates grows every year, making the competition for job positions fierce. For any given opening, there could be thousands of applications. Be realistic about your chances at getting certain positions as a recent graduate, and don’t be discouraged if it takes you awhile to work your way up to your dream job. Job hunting is difficult, so play to your strengths and don’t give up. Think of your first job as a launch pad for the rest of your career. Make the most of it and be as successful as possible in order to move on to your higher aspirations.

Balanced

Even though you balanced class, activities, and a social life in college, balancing a 40-hour work week with having a life can be just as daunting. Use effective time management to minimize your exhaustion, get everything done, and still have fun.

Practical

There is no such thing as “book smarts” anymore – school’s over. Practical knowledge and application are on the tests now, and tangible results are the grades. Be ready to put your know-how into practical use and adapt it to fit real-life situations.

Practicality also applies to the job hunt. Don’t expect to be able to rely on the fact that you graduated cum laude, or have a degree from a top-ranked school. This doesn’t make you any better than anyone else, so avoid feeling entitled to certain jobs. Focus more on how your skills, initiative, and personality make you a valuable addition to your potential employer’s company. Show them that you can make a positive contribution

Inquisitive

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is to ask questions. Any job can be a learning experience if you choose to make it one. No one is going to expect you to be an expert when you’re just starting out, so proactively seek out knowledge and skills.

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A presentation is a great way for you to show off what you know and build credibility for your personal brand.

While presenting sounds like a good idea, many people don’t know where to start. But it is actually easier than you think to start giving brand-building presentations and getting your name out there.

First off you need to know what you are talking about. Approaching someone saying that you would like to give a presentation is not going to go anywhere unless you have a topic in mind, this all comes back to your niche. Let’s say that your niche is marketing. You have been doing marketing for a couple years now and you have learned a lot about your field. You are most likely familiar with something much more specific like “b2b marketing for collaboration software” but you realize that a lot of the stuff that you have learned and discovered can be applied to many other fields.

So where do you start? There are a lot of marketing and marketer groups around the country; you should start by getting involved with them. After you have attended a few events then you can make the decision as to approach the head person with your proposal.

When you make the decision to give a presentation you need to be prepared. Don’t walk up fumbling over your words; you want to have a game plan. This all relates back to being well organized. This method can be applied to any specific area you might be involved in. If you are at a college or university, it gets even easier, there are usually hundreds of clubs and organizations that are looking for presenters and material. These are a great place to start.

How should you structure your presentation, you ask? To start off, make sure you are talking about a subject that you are comfortable with. If you get a question from the audience you should be able to field it. That does not mean you will know everything but it does mean that you know more than average.

You will need to practice. If you find yourself falling asleep as you give the presentation, please spare your audience. Make your material alive and vibrant. You will also need a backup plan like note cards in case your presentation decides to bite the dust the day before you get there. If you know your material well, this will not be a problem.

Your presentation from a slide perspective needs to be short. We have all sat through presentations that never see to get to the point through the hundreds of slides. If you don’t spend time trimming down your slide material, you will be another one of those. Keep your slides simple, and the text minimal. People would rather look at a picture that describes what you are talking about rather than the slide having the word for word text of your speech. Even if you are not the next best graphic design artist your slides should look like you have put time into them. Know your audience and know what is acceptable in your field, yes there is etiquette when it comes to slide presentation.

The final task in any presentation is to add value. People will be listening to you because they’ve chosen to sit through your presentation. You wouldn’t want your time to be wasted, so make sure you leave the crowd with something that they can take home with them and actually apply to their lives. Presentations are a great way to build a name for yourself. You start to get a brand for what you have said and it is not long before people are contacting you for speaking opportunities.

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When applying for a job, enclosing a cover letter with your resume is usually a necessity. But what exactly is a cover letter and what do you need to touch on when writing one?

The Basics

A cover letter is your chance to make a first impression on your potential employer before you meet them face-to-face. You can say everything that you can’t on your resume, such as why you want the position and why it would be a perfect fit for you. The letter should be professionally formatted with a business heading including your return address, the address of the business, and the full name and title of the recipient.

The letter should be kept relatively short (3-4 paragraphs), but should be very well written, clear, and error-free. This is your chance to expand upon your resume and really introduce yourself to the company, so present yourself in a favorable, professional light.

What to Cover

In the body of your letter, be sure to do the following or include these subjects:

• State why you are writing: identify the position you are interested in
• Explain how you heard of the position and who you have already been in contact with at the company
• Discuss why you are interested in the position and the company: show that you’ve done your research
• Demonstrate that you understand the requirements of the position and that you are qualified to perform them well
• Expand upon relevant experience or skills that are mentioned in your resume: include specific examples and connect them to the job you’re applying for
• State your career interests and show your enthusiasm for the purported job position

The Different Types

Cover letters can accompany resumes for two main reasons: to inquire and to apply.

Letters of inquiry are used to contact a company that you are interested in working for, but are not sure if there are any current employment opportunities. Still do your research and mention specific positions that you would be qualified for. Stress how much the company appeals to you, how compatible it is with your career goals and strengths, and what you would personally bring to the company.

Letters of application are sent in response to a specific job that you saw advertised or heard about through correspondence. The main goal of this kind of letter is to convince the addressee to schedule an interview with you – get them interested in you and wanting to learn more.

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