Portfolios Show them what you’ve got © 2008 Marrietta Reber 8/5/2015

2008 © M. Reber Overview - Portfolio About Portfolios Building Your Portfolio Presenting Your Portfolio Maintaining Your Portfolio

2008 © M. Reber About Portfolios – What Is a Portfolio A collection of your best work Organized and annotated for presentation Used to showcase your writing and other skills to potential employers

2008 © M. Reber About Portfolios – Types of Portfolios Hardcopy portfolio Digital/Online portfolio

2008 © M. Reber About Portfolios – Hardcopy Portfolio An attractively packaged collection of printed writing samples  3-ring presentation binder  Leather attaché case  Leather portfolio case Printed on heavy, high-quality paper

2008 © M. Reber About Portfolios – Advantages of Hardcopy Portfolios Portable – easily carried to interviews Tangible – a physical representation of your work Traditional – expected by potential employers

2008 © M. Reber About Portfolios – Disadvantages of Hardcopy Portfolios Individuals in remote locations can not browse through it Portfolio can be damaged or lost

2008 © M. Reber About Portfolios – Digital/Online Portfolio A non-traditional, web-based format Easily copied to CD Ideal for free-lance writers

2008 © M. Reber About Portfolios – Advantages of Online Portfolios Convenient for a potential employer to view prior to or after an interview Showcases your website development skills Capacity for more writing and other samples than a hardcopy portfolio

2008 © M. Reber About Portfolios – Disadvantages of Online Portfolios You may not have digital copies of some of your best work to include You are not there to provide context You must be conscious of the potential impact of other information available on your website besides the portfolio Once your documents are publicly available, you lose control over them

2008 © M. Reber Overview - Portfolio About Portfolios Building Your Portfolio Presenting Your Portfolio Maintaining Your Portfolio

2008 © M. Reber Building Your Portfolio – Portfolio Supplies 3-ring presentation binder or leather case Dividers and labels Page protectors Pockets High-quality paper (at least 28 lb.) Business cards

2008 © M. Reber Building Your Portfolio – Portfolio Contents Cover Sheet Table of Contents Resume Writing Samples Extra copies of resume Personal business cards Extra copies of 1 or 2 writing samples

2008 © M. Reber Building Your Portfolio – Selecting Writing Samples Choose your best quality pieces only Tailor your portfolio to the job Include a variety of document types

2008 © M. Reber Building Your Portfolio – Handling Long Samples You don’t have to include the entire document Limit the sample to just a few of the best pages

2008 © M. Reber Overview - Portfolio About Portfolios Building Your Portfolio Presenting Your Portfolio Maintaining Your Portfolio

2008 © M. Reber Presenting Your Portfolio – Planning Your Presentation Review your portfolio and decide which samples to highlight during your interview Prepare some presentation comments Rehearse with a partner

2008 © M. Reber Presenting Your Portfolio – At the Interview Don’t just hand the portfolio to the interviewer and let them flip through it Walk the interviewer through your portfolio Point out specific items in your portfolio to show you have skills of interest to the interviewer

2008 © M. Reber Presenting Your Portfolio – Don’t Leave Your Portfolio Behind Your portfolio might get lost or damaged Pages might be removed Be prepared with alternatives  Hand them copies of one or two samples  Hand them a CD containing your online portfolio  Give them the URL for your online portfolio

2008 © M. Reber Overview - Portfolio About Portfolios Building Your Portfolio Presenting Your Portfolio Maintaining Your Portfolio

2008 © M. Reber Maintaining your Portfolio – Updating Your Portfolio Keep your portfolio fresh by adding up-to-date writing samples Whenever possible, retain copies of your best on-the-job work Obtain permission to include on-the-job writing samples in your portfolio Do not include documents that contain proprietary or confidential information

2008 © M. Reber Maintaining your Portfolio – Expanding Your Portfolio You may need to write additional pieces to fill out your first portfolio or to target your portfolio to a new industry Consider writing  Manuals for open source software  Instructions for operating a TiVo, a digital camera, an iPod, or other gadgets  Articles related to your field of interest

2008 © M. Reber Technical Writing At De Anza College The purpose of De Anza’s Technical Writing Program is to help you build your portfolio and reach your career goals! For in-depth information, go to

2008 © M. Reber Technical Writing Program at De Anza College Receive comprehensive instruction in resume writing, interviewing, and job hunting Build a professional portfolio that will blow away your competition in an interview Explore career and professional opportunities through research and interaction with industry professionals Receive job postings through the Technical Writing Department listserv Develop planning, analysis, organization, project management, and business communication skills relevant to a variety of fields to achieve your personal career goals Learn from professionals with years of industry experience Gain experience creating documents from proposals and progress reports to a 50 page camera-ready instructional manual Earn either an AA Degree or a Certificate of Achievement in Technical Writing from De Anza’s acclaimed and respected program

2008 © M. Reber Technical Writing Program at De Anza College: Core Courses TWRT 61 Introduction to Technical Writing: Introduces basic writing techniques for technical communications. Topics include functional description, process writing, technical vocabulary, resumes, and technical editing TWRT 62 Survey of Technical Writing: Focuses on technical and business writing assignments such as feasibility reports, progress reports, and proposals TWRT 63 Technical Publications: Expands on the planning, writing, and editing skills learned in previous classes to design and write a camera-ready technical manual TWRT 64 Technical Writing Seminar: Applies acquired skills to create specialized technical projects, such as web pages and newsletters, within a team environment

2008 © M. Reber De Anza College Marrietta Reber Department Chair of Technical Writing (408) 864 – faculty.deanza.edu/reberm

2008 © M. Reber No Time for a De Anza Course? Want One-on-One Coaching? Marrietta Reber Executive Upgrade Consulting