Build Your Own Online Portfolio

Taking up hobbies, joining clubs, gaining experience through internships, and completing tough projects can boost your resume when it comes time to graduate and seek employment. But can you prove what you're good at?

Think outside the resume and convince prospective employers of your many talents by showing - not telling. And what better place to show off your skills - in photography, video production, art and design, writing, etc - than on the internet?

Creating an online portfolio is a useful way to gain a leg-up on your peers when it comes time to get hired - and you don't have to be a web design or HTML expert to get it up and running. Like any resume, a portfolio should be well thought out and attractive to those who look at it, so dedicate yourself and it will pay off.

Here's what you do to wow HR:

Gather photos, essays, artwork, and more that you want to display. Categorizing them into groups will make designing your online portfolio easier.

Create and save electronic formats (digital image, movie, sound, and document files) of your work by scanning, digitally photographing, electronically recording, or typing into your computer.

Design a website to display all your work in its electronic form with easy-to-use and powerful design software like Adobe Fireworks or Adobe Photoshop. Hint: You can also buy pre-made website designs at web template stores like TemplateMonster.com, or use a blog site like Blogger.com and customize the template instead.

Code your design in HTML. Don't Panic! Web development software with graphical interfaces like Adobe Dreamweaver and Softpress Freeway can make this part easy, even if you don't know HTML.

Get your own web domain. (You can buy cheap domains from sites like GoDaddy.com.)

Publish your own portfolio site to the web using simple FTP software like Ipswitch WS_FTP.