How to Create a College Writing Portfolio
While your resume and references may speak volumes about your experience and character, every aspiring journalism students needs a portfolio. Follow these tips to learn how to create one.
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Instructions
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Get the right materials. Getting an "artist presentation book or binder" is usually the best bet as it has the usual characteristics of a writing portfolio already--black on the outside with clear page-protectors and black backgrounds for each page. Check the resources of this page for already-made portfolios.
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Create your own if you cannot get a ready-made one handy. A heavy-duty black folder with sheet protectors and black construction paper covers the material base, although you may also need double-sided tape and scissors to tidy-up.
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Collect your samples and clips as this is the most important step. Gathering a variety of samples is a good idea if you're interested in different genres. This could include press releases, articles, design or photography work. Samples could be from class or personal projects, hobby work, internships or actual published pieces.
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Organize samples by date, with the most recent first and the oldest last. If you've decided to incorporate different genres, perhaps create a section for each one. For example, separate your press releases from your articles. Creating different portfolios for each genre is usually best unless you plan to apply for a multi-facet job.
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Photocopy your samples and put the originals in a safe place. Using the copy in your portfolio instead of the original will enable you to crop and fit it in the portfolio properly without damaging the original.
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Build your portfolio by replacing less important or relevant pieces or those which are class projects with published pieces as time goes on and you collect more samples. However, feel free to keep some projects if you feel it highlights your work or skills.
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Tips & Warnings
Always keep scans of samples on your personal computer and the photocopied originals, even if you've removed them from the current portfolio. You never know when you may need an old article or sample.
