Portfolio

A portfolio presents evidence of the professional capabilities and accomplishments of a student or professional practitioner. Portfolios are especially valuable during a job interview; they present evidence of the candidate's professional proficiency. A portfolio consists of samples of the person's work that reveal their knowledge, work ethic, skill, and creative talent.

Students who are studying public relations with that career goal in mind need to carefully and strategically develop a portfolio. Thus, they might write for their campus newspaper or get stories aired on the campus radio or television stations. Students’ portfolios should contain materials produced as class projects; such projects demonstrate the skills they are honing to qualify as an intern or entry-level employee. They are wise to carefully participate in class projects and extracurricular activities with the intent of producing work that can augment their portfolios. They might plan and help execute a fundraiser. They can submit their work for various contests.

To gain proficiency, they might write stories for the newsletter (today, often presented online) of their Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter. They might manage and refine its website or otherwise contribute in some meaningful and identifiable way to that site. Increasingly, new media are challenging public relations practitioners’ skill development. Students have real advantages to know and demonstrate their social media skills.

PRSSA chapters often set aside days when students can meet with professionals to discuss what materials should be in portfolios and get a critique of materials they already are using. Professionals can offer advice on how to augment the portfolio with materials that they find most useful when they make hiring and promotion decisions.

Similar to the students, professionals should develop and carefully groom a portfolio and introduce samples of their work, including earned awards. Organizations like the Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators hold annual contests where a wide array of public relations campaign strategies and tools are peer judged.

Internships are a vital part of a student's academic and professional preparation. They not only help the student learn the ropes of the profession by seeing what professionals do, but they also offer the student opportunities to produce work that can be added to a portfolio. Any student who takes an internship is wise to negotiate the opportunities to perform work that can add to their portfolio.

A portfolio fleshes out the student's or practitioner's professional life story and demonstrates that person's skills; what used to be a packet of paper samples today often is packaged and presented online. The portfolio might even exist on a CD, a flash drive, or a personal website. A well-developed portfolio can mean the difference between getting a job and merely being a candidate.