Why Students Need a Portfolio Before Graduation | Build Your Career Early

Author: Arpana Jain

With the relentless pace of competition in today’s marketplace, grades alone will no longer allow individuals to achieve their professional and academic goals. Instead, people must provide themselves with a much stronger, more personal and more valuable way to set themselves apart from other people – A Portfolio! Regardless of the major you choose to go into, whether it’s Engineering, Business, Design, Arts, Sciences, Computer Applications, or Humanities, you MUST be ready to be hired when you graduate and your Portfolio greatly affects that preparation.

A portfolio does not contain just your assignments; it includes your skills, development, ability to be creative, and your ability to relate what you learned through your courses to the real world. Portfolios allow prospective employers to view your ability to do something versus the educational accomplishments that are listed in the school’s system. Therefore, students that develop their portfolios from an early point can leverage their portfolios for a competitive advantage when applying for internships, job placements, and further academic positions.

1. A Portfolio Shows Real Skills — Not Just Marks

The skills you show on your resume can be backed up by creating a portfolio to support your resume. Because so many recruiters and universities require tangible proof of your abilities, having a portfolio allows you to demonstrate:

Projects that you were involved with;

Completed assignments;

Practical experiences;

How you applied your skill-set in a real-world context;

Through your portfolio, you communicate that:

"I don’t just state my abilities. I can show you how they work in practice."

This is particularly important during the selection process since the competition is likely to be very similar among many applicants.

2. It Gives You a Head Start for Internships & Jobs

Internships are always fought for long before students finish school; competition is fierce, and those who have a portfolio have the highest chance to be selected quickly.

  • Employers want to see

  • The ability to solve problems

  • The ability to be creative

  • The ability to lead

  • The ability to communicate

  • Technical expertise

  • Initiative

A portfolio is a better way of showcasing these qualities than a resume is. A portfolio helps candidates stand out as better prepared and more likely to succeed compared to other candidates.

3. Helps You Understand Your Own Strengths

The process of creating a portfolio also serves as an excellent way for people to reflect on themselves. By compiling various types of work elements (i.e., certificates, essays, designs, coding samples, reports) together creates a clear view of the individual growth process. This exercise allows the user to identify

  • What the user is best suited to do

  • How the user has progressed with their abilities

  • Which subjects/areas are of the highest interest to the user

  • Where an individual will require additional development

The knowledge gained from the exercise will assist the user with determining future career objectives.

4. Makes You More Confident in Interviews

Rather than showing up to interviews empty-handed, having a portfolio provides candidates with undeniable evidence of their capabilities.

  • Candidates who possess a portfolio, have the ability to confidently:

  • Demonstrate / deliver, or show their portfolio of completed projects,

  • Demonstrate their accomplishments, i.e., demonstrate their ability to produce quality projects,

  • Demonstrate their competencies through examples,

  • Provide answers with tangible evidence,

Instantly create a favourable impression in the eyes of the interviewer and boost self-confidence.

5. A Portfolio Helps You Stand Out for Higher Studies

Plans to enroll in:

  • MBA

  • Master of Arts

  • Schooling for Designers

  • University Outside Your Country

  • Very Careful University Level Studies

Most of these types of universities and colleges want their students who demonstrate how well they applied what they were learning by providing practical experience through a 'portfolio' so they can better judge their ability to be accepted.

6. Builds Digital Presence & Personal Branding

Having an online presence is essential for students in our modern society. A Digital Portfolio serves as your Personal Brand.

You can use the following sites to publish your Digital Portfolio:

  • LinkedIn

  • Behance

  • GitHub

  • Canva Portfolio Site

  • Your Personal Website

Publishing your Digital Portfolio allows recruiters, mentors, and career opportunities to find YOU, rather than you having to hunt for job openings.

7. Portfolios Highlight Soft Skills Too

Many students assume portfolios only apply to designers or tech career fields, however this assumption is inaccurate. Portfolios can be used to highlight a student’s soft skills which include:

  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Research
  • Creativity
  • Problem Solving
  • Organisational Skills

Every field of study, including but not limited to law, journalism, and management, has a high regard for soft skills, and portfolios are an excellent way for students to showcase their soft skills as demonstrated through the student's projects or other activities.

8. It Shows Initiative & Professionalism

A student's proactive creation of a portfolio signifies:

  1. Seriousness for the students' career advancement.
  2. Motivation for continued education.
  3. Willingness to do additional work.
  4. An accountable and professional demeanor.

An employer or university views this type of mentality favorably.

What You Can Include in a Student Portfolio

Here are practical items students can add:

Academic Work

  • Best assignments

  • Essays or articles

  • Lab work

  • Research summaries

  • Academic projects

Technical Skills

  • Coding samples

  • Apps or websites you built

  • Data analysis reports

  • Software you learned

Creative Work

  • Designs

  • Videos

  • Presentations

  • Photography

  • Writing samples

Professional Growth

  • Certificates

  • Workshop insights

  • Internships

  • Project reflections

Personal Projects

  • Hobby-based work

  • Volunteer activities

  • Self-initiated ideas

  • Event participation

This mix creates a complete picture of who you are — beyond just marks

How to Start Building Your Portfolio Today

The traditional method of creating a portfolio by gathering your work into one place is still effective, but it's time to start thinking differently. You don't have to wait until you have a 'big' project or enough pieces of work for an entire portfolio to get going. Take these easy steps to get started:

  1. Gather your past work into one folder.
  2. Pick the top 8-12 projects that you can use to showcase your skills.
  3. Write a description for each project explaining what you did for the project.
  4. Organize your work by type (academic/technical/creative).
  5. Build your portfolio on an online platform (for example, Canva, Google Sites, GitHub, Behance, etc.).
  6. Update your portfolio every 2-3 months.

Consistency is the key to developing a quality portfolio over time.

Conclusion:

Today's students need to develop a portfolio. Your portfolio is your way of demonstrating your skills and growth in addition to your grades. By building a portfolio prior to graduation, you will set yourself apart from other candidates, communicate your strengths and assure your future employers of your capabilities. Platforms like CollegeForms. in assist students in selecting the appropriate colleges and programs to build upon and enhance their portfolios leading to increased opportunities. Start developing your portfolio today!