12 Reasons to Build a Portfolio

Whether you're hustling in the job market, navigating a bumpy career transition, or strategically charging ahead with your current employer, your Executive Portfolio will put you out front and keep you out front in your market. Here's why:

1. The world of employment is moving to the Internet. Type "employment" into any search engine, and you're likely to receive 20,000,000 hits. Pete Hannan, Vice President of Human Resources for global employer CH2M Hill, recently said, "We hired more than 1,000 six-figure executives last year. We track 80,000 job candidates in our database, and I never touch a paper resume." Pete is not alone. The days of using a standard resume as your chief marketing tool are fading fast. The Portfolio is the electronic solution. Build it.
   
   
2. The Portfolio gives you your own personal website with a unique URL (Web address), which will look like this: http://portfolio.intalent.com/williamfrank61
   (Note that there is no "www" in the address.) With so many companies refusing e-mails with attachments because of virus scares, this solves the problem by providing a safe, virus-free method of communication. Build it.
   
   
3. The Portfolio has a customized and professional appearance showing everyone that you are up-to-date as well as Internet savvy and computer literate. Build it.
   
   
4. While the Portfolio appears to have been professionally created, you can build and customize your portfolio yourself using only basic word processing and Internet browsing skills. We designed the tools to be used by non-technical beginners. If you need assistance, there are "Help" icons throughout. Build it.
   
   
5. The Portfolio is just as easy to edit as it was to create. And you can change your portfolio from any computer in the world with Internet access. Want to change the appearance, the "look and feel" of your site? Or add or delete information while at Heathrow Airport in London, in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., or while sunning on Wailea beach in Maui? You can do it fast and effectively from anywhere. Build it.
   
   
6. Building the Portfolio provokes and challenges your thinking. It imposes a discipline on you to do some deep reflection. It gives you clarity about your purpose in life, what you stand for, what lessons you've learned, what you're seeking, and how you're presenting yourself. Build it.
   
   
7. Have you ever felt that your resume, regardless of how well it's done, looks just like everyone else's? Your Portfolio will be different and distinct. Just like your Windows (or Macintosh) desktop, which you can customize to your liking, you can control the "look and feel" of your website. Your resume tells people where you "have been," but the Portfolio goes another step by showing others where you "want to go." You can tell them as much or as little as you like - make it as personal or objective as you wish. The point is, you are in control. Build it.
   
   
8. The Portfolio doesn't replace your resume, but rather enhances it. If you like, you may include your resume as part of the portfolio, along with such things as "Work Samples," "Letters of Recommendation," and "References." You can even include a photo of yourself on the "Welcome" page. Look here to tour some of the examples. Build it.
   
   
9. The Portfolio works on "job boards" too. In addition to inputing your e-mail address with your contact information, you can insert your unique URL (address) into online forms too. Build it.
   
   
10. The Portfolio makes you stand out on those things that matter most: the critical aspects that are key to the hiring decision. Build it.
    
    
11. The Portfolio is cost-effective as well. There is no charge to build your portfolio, or to host it online for thirty days. After that, there will be a small monthly charge: $12 per month; $60 for six months; $99 per year. There are no start-up costs to create your portfolio and no expensive web-designers to pay. Your website can be completed in less than two hours, and updated frequently from any desktop with Internet access. It's as easy as that. Build it.
    
    
12. In short, your Portfolio serves as the launch vehicle for a fast, successful job campaign, or a spectacular rise to the top in your current organization. It gives you local, national--even international exposure--and opens up new markets, new channels, and new visibility. You may market yourself electronically 24/7/365 if you wish. The Internet never stops working for you. Build your portfolio.