Why a Freelancer needs a Portfolio

One of the things that a freelancer hears a lot when applying for a freelance job or when talking to a prospective client is this – “send me samples of your work”.

A freelancer or even someone who isn’t a freelancer ought to have a well-kept record of his or her works. And one of the ways you can professionally document or store your work samples is by having a portfolio.

Clients and employers want to know what you have done before and also see samples of the works.

Benefits of having a portfolio as a freelancer:

• It makes you look more professional: your portfolio can make you look more professional because you took out the time to store samples of your work in a coordinated and well-organized way.
• It shows that you take your freelance career seriously: sometimes when clients or employers see that a freelancer has a portfolio, they might try to pay more attention to the freelancer’s application for the job or his/her negotiation.
• It grabs attention: portfolios can also be attention-grabbing.
• Portfolios also give people details about you and your work: in most portfolios, people include their bio and their work specialty.

Types of portfolio

There are 3 types of portfolio, namely:

• Physical Portfolio: your portfolio can be a physical one like physical copies of samples of your work. For instance, a freelancer can add clippings or cuttings of his or her work that appeared in a magazine in a folder.
• Digital Portfolio: we also have digital portfolios, where you store samples of your work online. There are so many online portfolio websites a freelancer or one who isn’t a freelancer can store samples of his/her online. We have Clippings.me, Writer Folio, Press Folios, Journo Portfolio, etc
• Freelance Portfolio Website: in place of using a portfolio website, some freelancers have a freelance portfolio website they maintain. You can start your freelance portfolio website on WordPress.com, Blogger, etc.

Thing to note about portfolios

• Have a form of contact: have a form of contact included in your portfolio, so that clients can easily contact you through your portfolio or after looking through your portfolio.
• Include your bio: don’t forget to include details about you and what you do in your bio. This will also help people understand more about you and your freelance career.
• Include your skills: in addition, endeavour to include your skills, so that people will have an idea of what they are and what you can help them with.
• You can include your specialty: also include areas you work and would like to work in.
• Update it regularly: endeavour to update your portfolio regularly with new relevant information.
• Include a link to your portfolio when applying for jobs: don’t forget to include a link to your portfolio when applying for jobs.

Do you know other reasons why a freelance needs a portfolio? Please share with us in the comment box below.

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