How To Make The Perfect Portfolio To Land Any Creative Job

Portfolios are the first impression of your creativity.

Life after graduation can be a bit overwhelming and daunting, especially when it comes to finding a job. You've just spent the last three years studying your passions and interests, so how do you land your dream role as a creative?

The proof is in the portfolio.

Blow the dust off your CV and channel your creative streak into creating the perfect portfolio that will help you land your dream job. And we know you don't want to spend hours trying to nail it down, so we're here to help you with our top tips and how Squarespace can help jumpstart your career.

What is a portfolio?

A portfolio is a visual calling card showcasing your talent. It's a collection of your best work, essentially promoting what you do. It acts similarly to a CV, but is ideal for creative roles to show off your expertise in a dynamic and engaging way.

You'll normally be asked to provide a portfolio of your work and a CV if you apply for creative roles. Jobs that may need a portfolio include:

• Photographer

• Graphic designer

• Writer

• Artist

• Architect

• Makeup artist

• Marketing specialist

• Web designer

You can create a physical portfolio (with good ol' fashioned paper and ink) or create a digital version so that you can send a link to recruiters, future employers and clients.

Why you need a portfolio

The job market is very competitive and you'll need to stand out from the crowd. If you want your prospective employer to take you and your creative talent seriously, you'll need a portfolio to show what you can do.

But, not only do you need a portfolio, you need to make it good. A portfolio that features relevant work, and is visually appealing and creative will capture the attention of your potential employer and can set you apart from the other candidates.

A portfolio can also show your versatility, which translates well with companies looking for someone who can adapt their work to different briefs and clients. A bold and relevant collection of work can leave people excited to work with you.

Digital portfolio vs traditional pen and paper

Back when digital life wasn't really a thing, you know, the olden days? People would have physical copies of their portfolio for potential clients and employers to look through. A bit like handing a copy of your CV into a shop, or a tattoo artist's portfolio of flash designs that sit in the waiting area.

Of course, now in the digital age, things have progressed. Digital portfolios offer several advantages over traditional paper ones, such as:

• Accessibility: a web-based portfolio can be accessed anywhere with internet access. Your portfolio can reach employers anywhere in the world, increasing your visibility and reach.

• Scalability and flexibility: a digital portfolio is super easy to update with new pieces of work; you won't have to reprint and waste paper. It's also quicker to make changes or alter for different roles you apply for. 

• Multimedia integration: a web portfolio can incorporate various features like video and audio, making your work standout more and come to life. It's particularly useful for roles in media or film, where most of your work might be in video format, something you can't replicate on paper.

A digital portfolio is overall better to manage and keep fresh, without too much hassle or stress. And luckily, there are tools like Squarespace to help ensure you have the perfect digital portfolio. 

What is Squarespace?

Squarespace is a website design and building tool. It doesn't require complex coding like some website builders do, so it's great for creating personal portfolios. 

Instead, Squarespace has a huge variety of ready-to-use templates, meaning you won't have to spend hours crafting each element of your page — you can just choose one and go.

But, if you do fancy customising your page or portfolio to make it more 'you', then you absolutely can. You can change the colours, add e-commerce, make it as bold or as minimal as you like. The templates are super easy to customise, and with the body work done for you, creating that all important perfect portfolio is far easier than staying up till 3 am writing your dissertation.

Squarespace is also easy to integrate with other apps and tools. Link your site or portofolio to your socials or even Google maps; all the tools you need, in one place.

How do you start? Luckily, it's as simple as sleeping through your 9am lecture. All you have to do is create an account, choose a template for your portfolio, and start editing and customising to show off your creative talents. It feels like cheating, but it's not.

And don't worry about the cost. Squarespace's pricing is flexible, allowing you to choose between paying monthly or annually. You also have different product plans depending on your needs, including personal and business, as well as e-commerce. You can also start a 14-day free trial if you want a practice run before you buy.

Convinced? Get our Squarespace student discount offering 50% off annual subscriptions.

Tips for making your creative portfolio

Squarespace + Student Beans' tips = the perfect creative portfolio. You're welcome.

Here are some simple tips for creating your portfolio of talent.

Pick a template

Choose from a range of Squarespace templates and customise your portfolio to be representative of you. Bright and bold, subtle and subdued, a harmony of vibrancy and sophistication — whatever you decide, a template will help you set the foundations of your portfolio.

Showcase your best work

Obviously every piece of work you've done is something to be proud of, but a stand-out portfolio will have only the best work showcased. Quality over quantity is ideal for a portfolio.

You want your portfolio to have a cohesive narrative, showing who you are and the work you want/like to produce.

Show versatility and diversity

Creativity isn't linear, so show off your versatility to show the full extent of your capabilities. If your portfolio is full of work that appears to be too similar, future employers may think your creativity is limited.

Show off your personal projects or any experimental work that you're proud of. Employers may appreciate seeing out-of-the-box thinking, and value your strengths in adapting to different briefs/clients and see that you're not afraid to take risks.

Curate for relevance

As a freshly graduated creative, it's normal to have an eclectic mix of work in your portfolio. But if you can, try and curate relevant examples of work for the job you're applying for to show the necessary skills.

For example, if you're looking for work as a writer for a lifestyle magazine, try and display work relevant to that industry, instead of only having examples of work that may not be relevant — like academic essays or financial pieces.

For each job you apply for, tailor the portfolio to suit. If you're going after a graphic design job for a food brand, select relevant work and place it at the front of your portfolio so that employers can see your experience.

Prioritise presentation

While you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, your portfolio will effectively be judged by employers. Make sure the overall appearance of your portfolio is purposeful.

What kind of story does it tell? Is it too busy or too minimal? Are the images you used high-resolution? These are some questions you should keep in mind when creating your portfolio.

With Squarespace, you can make any template yours with ease. Just add features and style it to represent you, but aim to make it accessible, easy to navigate, and grab people's attention. You're a creative afterall, so make it creative!

Keep your portfolio up to date

As you gain more and more experience, it's easy to just throw every piece of your work into your portfolio. Try to keep it concise and reflective of you as an artist. Try not to overload your portfolio with work from years ago, add some recent and fresh pieces too.

As you develop your skills over time, update your portfolio to reflect that. And make sure you update it to match the job you're applying for, or you could risk looking unprofessional or inexperienced.

Expand with Squarespace

Your portfolio doesn't have to be a static page. Creating a portfolio website with Squarespace can help build your online presence and open up more opportunities for you.

Once you've chosen one of the many expertly-designed templates that Squarespace has to offer, you can add extra pages and features to improve your chances of getting noticed.

Key Squarespace features that can expand your horizons include:

• About page – This is a no brainer, but it will really help add a personal touch to the portfolio, a face behind the work. Highlight your work experience and education, any awards you may have received or interesting projects you've worked on.

• Blog — Including a blog on your portfolio can potentially bring more eyes to your work through SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). But it can also be a useful place to write up client case studies or to expand on a particular project — showing the brains behind the magic. 

• CV – Creating a public CV will show off your experience with previous employers and can be helpful for recruiters to find the formal stuff like employment dates, education, experience, etc. 

• Social media — Linking your social media accounts can be an extension of your brand and you. If you have social media relating directly to your work, or successful creative accounts, employers can see how people engage with your work and presence — which may help with attaining more job offers.

Fancy turning your creative streak into a side hustle? Check out the 13+ things you need to include on your side hustle's website.

Don't forget to use our Student Beans Squarespace discount for 50% off annual plans!

This post is a sponsored post in partnership with Squarespace.