Time to shine: How To Create A Powerful DIY Portfolio Website

I was 15 when I did my first course outside school hours. It focused on basic HTML skills for building websites. Today, creating a new website is a lot easier than it used to be. Instead of signing up for an HTML and CSS course or hiring a web developer, using a website builder you can just click and drag with your mouse and have something very professional-looking in a couple of hours.

First Things First: Your Brand

Before rolling up your sleeves and building your portfolio, take a step back and think about:

• What do you aim to get from having your portfolio?

• What's the message you want people to get from it?

• Is this portfolio branding yourself for the kind of work you want?

After answering those questions, it's time to get practical!

Things to include in your portfolio

Even if you don't have tons of experience you still can make a powerful portfolio. More than just a copy of your CV or LinkedIn page, you can use your portfolio to tell your story. Are you stuck trying to think of things to add? Information such as your previous projects from college/ work, real-life examples or an explanation of your process and work style are a few to consider. Here are some of the important things to include in your portfolio to stand out from the crowd:

• Relevant Skills or Your Speciality: The more relevant the better. Only include courses or skills you developed in previous positions if they are relevant to the kind of work you want.

• Past projects: Talk about your past projects using the STAR technique, describing the situation you tried to solve, the idea (task) to solve it, the actions and results.

• Bio: This is the opportunity to let your personality shine. Write about your overall experience, passions and what you do outside work. After all, you do have a life outside the office.

• Visible contact information: Make it easy for people seeking to reach you by displaying your contact details on every page. Also, ensure you're including the best channel to reach you (e.g. email, phone, etc).

• Recommendation: A recommendation from a peer is the easiest way to validate your experience and build up trust. Ask for a small quote from a former employer, manager, work/college colleague or teacher. (Please leave family members out!)

Choosing your website builder

There is a great variety of tools to build your own website and it's brilliant! However, it can be difficult to pick out the one that suits you best from such a large selection. To help you overcome choice paralysis I've picked five website builders for you to choose from.

1. Wix – Free tool with the option to upgrade. It's very easy to use, I created my portfolio with Wix check it here.

2. Squarespace – Paid tool, but a great option for creative portfolio designs.

3. Weebly – Free tool with the option to upgrade. Very similar to Wix and easy to use.

4. Fabrik – Ideal for professional portfolios with loads of backend support.

5. Behance – Owned by Adobe, it's a very popular choice for professionals in the creative field.

I had lots of fun building my portfolio and personalising with some tricks that I learned a lifetime ago. Hope these tips help you to nail your own!

***

Have you enjoyed this article? Leave your comment or connect with me.