Ask these when comparing your portfolio to someone else's (Freebie alert - Portfolio Checklist)

Let's spend the next few issues focusing on polishing your job application assets, namely your portfolio. A portfolio is a showcase of your work. It allows potential employers or clients to experience your skills. As such, it's your showcase of your current skills. And it's meant to be individualized.

Because it’s a living document of your progress, it is never “complete” or “perfect,” which is why you should publish it. (If you’re looking for a sign, here it is. Publish it and send me the link so I can see! 😍) Oh, and also, I recommend linking to your portfolio in your email signatures, especially during the job hunt.

As you create/revise your portfolio, you're going to be tempted to compare yourself with other portfolios.

Some things to keep in mind:

How many years of experience are you comparing yourself with?

If you're looking at my portfolio current and you're just starting out, you're comparing your year 0 portfolio to my year not-0 portfolio. That's not fair to you at all. Here's my year 0 portfolio. When I look at this year 0 portfolio, I get a case of the "oh, honey" cringe. But that means I've grown a lot since then. I'm sure my future self will feel similarly about current portfolio if I don't iterate.

Do y'all share the same goals?

If one person is freelancing while another is searching for full-time work, their portfolios are likely going to look different. There may be similarities, but if you don't share the same goal, you may not find comparing helpful. (Also a lot of portfolios lack a clear statement of what their goal is so you may be assuming.)

Is their niche your niche?

Do you even know your niche? I didn't when I started. And sometimes I still don't feel like I really have one.😅 When I was making my first transition into a remote ID role, I focused on spinning my ESL background into designing for diverse cultures with diverse skillsets (with a gamification spin). I have a mentee with a legal background who's embracing the Legal ID niche. If past Mandy compared myself to her or vice versa, it's a recipe for disaster.

Are y'all even using the same tools?

Some IDs only write storyboards. If that's the case, they may have one eLearning, one video, and then four really solid storyboards. If an ID just wants to build vILTs, they're more likely to have multiple examples of those on their portfolio than multiples of other tools.

I recommend showcasing a few tools on your portfolio especially if you're just starting out. Right now, industry standard tools tend to be Articulate (Storyline & Rise) or Captivate; Camtasia & Vyond; PowerPoint or Adobe Illustrator; and a few other ones.

If you're being strategic about targeting specific companies and already know what tools that company uses, you might not have other tools on your portfolio. That makes sense to me.

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Ultimately, if you're comparing your portfolio to others out of a competitive mindset, you're setting yourself up for misery. Look at other people's portfolio to see what you can learn from their choices. How they presented a project might be clever or maybe the way they present themselves appeals to you.

We were taught in writing class to use mentor texts to create our own writing until we found our voice. There's no harm in doing similar with a portfolio unless you're flat out copying (and yes, copiers are caught). But use what you see as an inspiration.

Let it build your light, not diminish it.

Now I'm curious, what other questions would you ask when comparing your portfolio to someone else's.

This article was one of four in the newsletter Experience Points. At the end of that series, I shared a free portfolio checklist with my readers.

If you'd like that free resource and the articles I wrote, you can use the sign up form below: