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Digital Portfolios

Organize and showcase your best work using a Digital Portfolio. Also referred to as a eportfolio, eFolio, or portfolio website, this digital selection of work serves to highlight your digital literacy and provide evidence of your acquired skillsets. 

Why Create a Digital Portfolio

In today's digital age, employers and universities often seek tangible evidence of qualifications beyond grades or written experience. A well-curated digital portfolio not only highlights academic and industry-related accomplishments but also demonstrates creativity, adaptable technical skills, and a proactive approach to learning. Moreover, it provides a platform for you to reflect on your work, showcase your personal brand, and advocate for your skills in a visual capacity.

Digital Portfolio Must-Haves

 About Section

Similar to an Elevator Pitch, this section showcases one's unique story and aspirations, making a lasting impression while facilitating meaningful connections. Be sure to include your contact information on this page:

  • Professional email address (Seniors: Use a personal professional email, your Pepperdine email will expire).
  • A link or button to your Resume.
  • A link or button to your LinkedIn.

 Work Samples

Links or embedded samples of projects demonstrate concrete evidence of your skills and capabilities. Select samples based on quality rather than quantity.

For each sample, include a brief project description (2-3 sentences or bullet points). This may include information such as:

  • Audience: The client, organization, or course this project was for.
  • Goals and metric of the project's outcome.
  • Your role in the project, especially for collaborative projects and group work.
  • Completion date (Month, Year).
  • Technology and skills used.

Organizing Your Work

Consider your audience when deciding which projects to showcase on your Digital Portfolio, and how to best present them within your site.

 Sort by Project

Individual Project sections may be the best format to organize your digital portfolio if:

  • You are new to your industry or early in your career journey, and are limited to few work samples (2-3).
  • You want to showcase your work process from idea to execution.
  • You were involved in multiple capacities and held various roles in each project.  
  • You want to showcase project management skills (organization, leadership, problem solving).

 Sort by Skills

Sorting your work samples into differing Skill sections may be the best format to organize your digital portfolio if:

  • You specialize in technical skills that a recruiter or hiring manager is specifically looking for.
  • You want to showcase a diversity in skillsets across your industry.
  • You have multiple projects that each showcase different strengths.

Choosing the Right Platform

There are a variety of platforms available on which to host your digital portfolio. Consider the qualities of each before committing to hosting your digital portfolio on the website builder. Once you have created your site on a platform, it will be difficult to transfer your content form one platform to another.  It is best practice then, to save the original copies of all of the content you embed on or into your website for future use. 

While Canva is a popular graphic design tool, it now offers users the ability to host websites. You can add text, photos, videos, graphics, charts, and embed documents in addition to animating your page, text, and other elements in your design.

PROS
  • Five (5) free sites. No monthly payments.
  • Limited learning curve for experienced Canva users.
  • Embedded project integration. Easily embed documents and presentation slides without knowledge of coding.
  • Ease of editing content to be viewed on mobile (phone/tablet) device.
  • Pre-built sample Canva Template created by the Career Center. View the published sample site here. 
CONS
  • Websites are limited to a single-page (long scroll).
  • Long custom domain: firstnamelastname.my.canva.site

Wix is a widely popular website builder with various pre-built templates for users to explore.

PROS
  • Versatility: Create multiple tabs and pages per site.
  • Pre-built design templates to customize site layout.
  • Widget and app integration (Blogs, galleries).
  • Drag and drop editing capabilities.
CONS
  • Steeper learning curve than Canva.
  • Free sites have Wix branding at the top. 
  • No ability to embed PDF and slide presentations
Resources

Wix has partnered with the Seaver College Career Center to host a digital portfolio workshop. Watch the The Build Your Portfolio with Wix Workshop recording here (Passcode: L22PH*K1). Review the individual slides here.

 

If you are experienced with the Adobe Suite, you may be inclined to explore Adobe Portfolio for ease of integration with your creative projects. 

PROS
  • Clean and professional website templates. 
  • Adobe Creative Cloud Integration: Easy project uploads and automatic project updates.
  • Automated mobile view. 
CONS
  • Steep learning curve if you are not an experienced Adobe user.
  • Adobe subscription required (monthly or annual payments). 

Alternative Platforms

Be open to exploring different web hosting sites to find the digital portfolio format that works best for you. 

  • Squarespace (Costs affiliated, free version available with passcode access only)
  • Wordpress (Costs affiliated, free version available)
  • Cargo (Contact the Career Center for the student code) 

Purchasing a Domain

When crafting your digital portfolio, you may consider investing in a custom domain. However, this requires a recurring financial investment and technical knowledge for setup and maintenance. To purchase one, research domain registrars and follow the registrar's instructions for registration and configuration.

Job Applications

Once you have published your digital portfolio, you are welcome to share the link to your site on your Resume, LinkedIn profile, and in your job or internship applications. 

  • Resume: Add the link to your portfolio at the top of the page, near your contact information.
  • LinkedIn: Highlight your portfolio on the Featured section of your LinkedIn page. Add a clickable link to your profile intro. 
  • Job and Internship Applications: Some application portals may have a dedicated text box on which to share links to your portfolio. You may also consider referencing your portfolio in your Cover Letter, and sharing the link to your work while networking.