The freelance portfolio is the key to drawing attention and getting your project dream, these will be the way to show your professionalism and talent
We would like to start this text by cutting your imposter syndrome. Yes, you are good and you can show your talent to the recruiters and project managers. But would you like to know how to capture their attention? Today, we will list some tips for boosting your career and drawing people’s attention.
When we are expecting to start a new freelance project, the first thing that the customer will ask is about your previous experience or even something that can show your job. “We want to see your abilities and what you are able of”, that’s what they usually say.
The freelance portfolio is the key to introducing you and your skills, and we can consider it as a tool or an important document, that will help you introduce yourself to the world. The portfolio will build an aspect more professional and transparent about your skills.
You are also a brand, and as new or traditional brands in the market, it is necessary to feed and build your branding. Along with this, the portfolio is the way to introduce your name and the main products (like skills). When a customer is looking for a person for a project, the portfolio will be the key to opening the door and showing all your talent and what you have to offer.
Besides a brand, the freelance portfolio will tell your history from the beginning, even if you are new in the field or it is starting your way as a freelancer. Remember your family and relatives used to have a photography album from you were born until the days when print pictures were popular. Well, interpret the freelance portfolio as an album.
Why build a freelance portfolio?
Until here, we already defined a portfolio as an important document, a historical book, a photograph album, or your brand, and a secret door. But the main point is, the portfolio will bring more emphasis to your career and exhibit what are focused to achieve while you build your professional trajectory.
The customer will navigate each published project, getting to know your brand and storytelling through this portfolio. Moreover, it demonstrates credibility and you are defining your career path and what you expect and building for your future.
In a world where the competition is too high, you should use all available tools to show yourself and sell your brand. You know, the companies will analyze your freelance portfolio and there is the main channel to introduce yourself and which benefits they will have if they hire you. And if in a bid there are a lot of freelancers trying for the same position, you will have an advantage.
The wisdom to show you as differential goes beyond the price and any other bid. If you are talented and you can prove it, easily you get that dream project. But how to mount a freelance portfolio to show your experiences, collections, and projects those you are proud of? We listed 6 tips and you can check them below:
6 tips for creating a creative freelancer portfolio
1 – Include testimonials
Feedback is extremely necessary to your portfolio because it is through its comment that your projects will show credibility, trustworthiness, and value. If one customer is looking for another opinion and also how to work with you, these testimonials will be the spotlight for your skills.
2 – Tell the story about each project you provided
Storytelling is extremely important. Sometimes we just see some pictures, but what about creating content for that project? You can write as you were telling someone and explaining details. It is not necessary a big text, but at least a small one about that product, the process. Imagine a book where the author writes deeply about the scenario to the reader imagine and understand the context. Here is the same situation.
3 – Choose the best projects, accurate
You do not need to add ALL your projects, but at least the most important ones. Accurate and choose that one to show your flagship and talent. Choose the relevant one and add it as a highlight of your brand.
4 – Use your creativity to show yourself
Take screenshots of your projects, pictures, and case studies explaining how the job was created, the challenges, and the benefits for their business; if the project is too long included small parts, videos, and tests; results of your important and proudly projects; and course, use a design to show your character and personality.
5 – Pinpoints the steps and progress
When you post your projects or any other material, even if it is personal, you can detail the progress, how long it took, how it started, how you organized the steps, and your opinion about the experience, which means your testimonial.
6 – Choose your audience
For whom you would like to work and for which kind of projects? It is extremely important to show your job expectations and what you will consider choosing a project. Sometimes you want to focus on a direct niche and improve your skills only on that. So it is important to visibility your audience and explains who you are looking for.
Some extra points for Developers
No, we did not forget of creating some extra tips for Developers, since you need pointless your projects, codes, programs, and all details about your job to increase professionalism. Check below:
1 – Show your personality
Here is the session to introduce yourself, your motivations, and the storytelling about you. Generally, the recruiter will not just choose the skills, but the personality and if it can bring benefits beyond the technicals. The personality will add an image of you and how you are creating products based on it.
2 – Remember UX and UI
Accessibility and good performance are extremely relevant to show your potential. The customer will consider you a thoughtful person since you are creating new programs, solutions, or other tools, and you are also thinking about interface and experience when you develop a product.
3 – Highlight your brand
We mentioned in the beginning that you are a brand, and as a brand, you should always work on how people are going to see you. So here is the moment to highlight the best things that you have to offer to that customer. What skills do you consider essential to show yourself that you can accomplish that project?
4 – Choose your best project to show your main skill
You know when you open a website and generally, there is a huge banner with the flagship, well, it can not be different in a portfolio. When the customer opens your portfolio, it is important to see directly the project you are proud of, even if it is a personal project. The important thing is to show your skill and what you are able of.
Do not forget to add to your portfolio:
1 – Your contact
Write the main information about you since the recruit is going to use these details to reach you such as your e-mail address, LinkedIn account, WhatsApp business, Instagram account (if you think it’s necessary), and any other contact to reach you easily. Remember some of these customers are not from your country, so you should facilitate all the ways and media for contacting you.
2 – Your niche
If you have a niche or if you already defined yours, it is important to mention it. Maybe you would like to focus on one field, so it is important for the recruits knows that you are focused and into only that kind of project.
3 – Your skills
Detail your skills, each program you can use, languages, personal talents, and even something very special about you, like the highlight of your brand (yourself). If you are learning something new, do not forget to mention it and in addition the expected date to accomplish it.
4 – Education
Here all education is valid, such as courses, universities, extra lectures, online learning, and every extracurricular activity. It will help to show your interest to add new knowledge day by day.
5 – Practice project
Not only from paid work are made a professional. If you have tried anything new or personal, why not add it here? It is like a curriculum, but in the portfolio, the recruiter can navigate deeply about your skills. Also if you have been doing voluntary projects or previous ones, it is an opportunity to show on your portfolio.
6 – Your picture
Do not forget your picture. If you do not like to show your face directly, you can use also the space to show your creativity and create a different picture of your personality or some hobby.
7 – Your Experiences
Not less important include your previous experiences and jobs, even if you will not show the product or project, you can mention them with a small description about it.
Some free tools or media to build your freelance portfolio
We are accurate and found some websites or ways to create your free freelance portfolio. Only use your creativity.
Behance
Crevado
Google Drive
Portifoliogen
FolioHD
Flirck
Adobe Portfolio
Journo Portfolio
Wix
Instagram probably blows your mind, but you also can create an Instagram page with your own “brand” to show your skills and the products you have been creating. For example, if it is a personal project, why not create daily videos and routines about your new idea?
We already saw some developers and creators using Google Drive as a tool to archive their projects and show basically what they have been doing.
As soon we will post a new text on our blog about all these tools and how to use them.
What happens if I am a new freelancer and I do not have previous experience
If it will be your first time as a freelancer or if you never worked before, the best way to show your skills is due to education or even another event you have participated in. For example, if you attended a lecture, you can mention details and even maybe write a small report about the knowledge you gain.
Volunteering is a great opportunity to attach new skills and experience. Check some websites or if some company is hiring a volunteer for a position or job which you would like to learn, so you can apply and during a while, you can work on it to achieve some new developments.
Furthermore, if you are at university, you can mention your experiences as a student, such as undergraduate research, exchange programs, professor assistance, projects accomplished during your student journey, and others. As we mentioned, everything you think is important to introduce your brand is valid.
But if you do not have any project, lecture, or student experience, you can prepare some creative art projects to create your portfolio. Perhaps, you can create your website if you are a developer, a small game if you are a game developer, or any other material or product to show yourself.
Hobbies it is also something to consider valid. For example, if you can play some instrument or you are learning, you can create some creative material to introduce yourself in this way. If you like to read books, write, take photos, or travel. Create a plot and scenarios about these hobbies and show your interest to get experience in those next projects.
Another example is creating an Instagram account or a Blog and starting to work on it by creating some content or reviews about subjects that draw your attention. On YouTube, you can also find plenty types of free courses and you can watch and try to do them yourself. Just do not stop waiting for the right moment, because it is now.
However, if you have been thinking to become a freelancer, the freelance portfolio is the first and easiest step to start this way, after registering on Remotify to get better opportunities. In your resume, the freelance portfolio will open doors for you and show the world what you are able of.
Some late pieces of advice
Remember to keep your freelance portfolio always updated, and even if there are terms of privacy about do not mention who create it or if you are the owner of that project, you can mention the creation part. Just add to your portfolio the relevant projects, that you reckon it is can show you the main skills.
As we mentioned in tips for developers, even if you are from another field, pay attention to your organization and interface. All the information should be found easily without excitation. A complicated detail can be misunderstood and the customer might be lost about you.
If you have a niche, you can create all your portfolio to draw their attention of them or even to show that is your expertise and you are following on that. It is never late to start a new project, if you wish to become a freelancer, you can start creating your portfolio.
By the end of this text, we wonder if imposter syndrome still inhabits you. After you finish your portfolio, if you are a freelancer or you would like to become one, you can register here and show your talent to the recruiters.
