Building Your Professional Portfolio: It's Easier Than You Think

Standard resumes and cover letters are no longer sufficient if you want to stand out from the crowd. Having a good portfolio has always been important for freelancers, but it’s quickly becoming a must-have for anyone in e-learning who hopes to snag the best opportunities that come along, inside your organization or out. Having a portfolio is a great way to showcase your accomplishments, skills, experiences, and personality.

Creating a great looking e-learning portfolio is easier than you think. With more options than ever before, anyone can build an e-learning portfolio that looks like a million bucks.

Access supporting links & resources at: https://gettalk.at/portfolio

Visit my website at https://mike-taylor.org

Transcript

1. Building Your
   Professional
   Portfolio
   It’s Easier Than You Think!
   Mike Taylor
   

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2. Mike Taylor
   Eternally curious | Honorary Canadian
   Exploring the intersection of learning,
   technology & social media
   mike-taylor.org
   

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3. mike-taylor.org
   

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4. gettalk.at/portfolio
   https://gettalk.at/portfolio
   

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5. HOUSE
   

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6. Minute of
   Minutiae
   Follow your natural genuine curiosity
   

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7. Chat
   

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8. Where do you send
   people to show them
   your best work?
   

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9. Building Your Portfolio
   WHY?
   you need one
   WHAT?
   to include
   HOW?
   to build one
   

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10. you need one
    

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11. Highlight your best
    work and achievements
    Not everything you’ve done nor anything you
    don’t want to do anymore
    

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12. Standard resumes aren’t
    sufficient if you want to
    stand out from the crowd.
    Prove you can do what your resume says
    

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13. Be Prepared!
    Waiting until you need it could be too late.
    

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14. Attract
    Opportunities
    An online portfolio helps people FIND YOU!
    

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15. Show vs Tell
    

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16. Who Would You Choose?
    Dave or Olivier?
    

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17. Building Your Portfolio
    WHY?
    you need one
    WHAT?
    to include
    

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18. to include
    

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19. TARGET
    AUDIENCE?
    THINK LIKE A
    MARKETER
    Who Is Your Audience?
    GREAT FIRST
    IMPRESSION
    SUPER EASY
    TO USE
    

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20. TARGET
    AUDIENCE?
    THINK LIKE
    A MARKETER
    Think Like a Marketer
    GREAT FIRST
    IMPRESSION
    SUPER EASY
    TO USE
    

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21. TARGET
    AUDIENCE?
    THINK LIKE A
    MARKETER
    Great First Impression
    GREAT FIRST
    IMPRESSION
    SUPER EASY
    TO USE
    minutes
    

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22. TARGET
    AUDIENCE?
    THINK LIKE A
    MARKETER
    Make It User Friendly!
    GREAT FIRST
    IMPRESSION
    SUPER EASY
    TO USE
    

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23. Portfolios come in
    all shapes & sizes
    

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25. It’s never
    been easier!
    

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26. 1 2 3 4 5
    Elements of a Good Portfolio
    Project Samples
    Your projects should
    be front and center.
    Contact Info
    Make is SUPER easy
    for people to contact
    About page
    A little bit about you
    & your background
    Testimonials
    Ask for these.
    They are valuable.
    Your Photo
    Optional but
    recommended
    

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27. How much
    work to show?
    

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28. Three projects feels like the
    perfect amount…because it
    enables the designer to express
    some range whilst not demanding
    too much from a reviewer.
    José Torre
    Shopify
    

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29. Tell Your Story About Each Project
    Project Description
    What the project was about? What was your
    involvement? What was the outcome?
    Project Details
    Who was the client? When did the project happen?
    What skills & tools did you use and why?
    Images & Multimedia
    Screenshots, video, link to actual course or content
    

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30. Tim Slade
    

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31. Chat
    

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32. If you don’t have a
    portfolio, why not?
    

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33. Common Roadblocks
    Proprietary Content
    Work that you are not able to
    share publicly.
    Not Enough Work
    Whether you’re new or you’re
    unable to share your work.
    Time/Technical Skills
    Don’t know how or where to
    create a portfolio site.
    

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34. Proprietary Content
    Work that you are not able to share publicly.
    Ask!
    Select Excerpts
    Scrub it
    Show the process
    

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35. Not Enough Sharable Work
    Articulate Weekly Challenge
    Volunteer Projects
    Create Your Own
    Do a makeover
    

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36. Time/Technical Skills
    Quick & Easy Options
    For Any Skill Level
    

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37. Building Your Portfolio
    WHY?
    you need one
    WHAT?
    to include
    HOW?
    to build one
    

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38. to build one
    

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39. Start Offline
    

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40. Take Inventory & Write Copy
    

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41. 3 Questions to Answer
    Need Course Hosting?
    Will you share any published courses? If so,
    you’ll need a web server so they function
    properly. Don’t worry, it isn’t difficult!
    

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42. Want to Share
    Published Courses?
    Requires web hosting to function properly.
    

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43. cloud.google.com
    Google Cloud
    ~30 minute setup
    Free *
    

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44. tiinyhost.com
    Tiiny Host
    No Setup
    Password Protect
    Free *
    

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45. Web Hosting
    

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46. 3 Questions to Answer
    Course Hosting
    Getting your own personal domain name is
    the best way for people to find your
    portfolio. It is inexpensive, fast & easy!
    Where will it live?
    There are many options for creating an
    online portfolio.
    

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47. Choice often driven
    by time available
    

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48. It’sbetter to share a well
    crafted slide deck than a
    janky website.
    José Torre
    Shopify
    

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49. Questions to Answer
    Domain Name
    Getting your own personal domain name is
    the best way for people to find your
    portfolio. It is inexpensive, fast & easy!
    Web Server
    Will you share any published courses? If so,
    you’ll need a web server so they function
    properly. Don’t worry, it isn’t difficult!
    How will they find it?
    Getting your own personal domain name is
    the best way for people to find your
    portfolio. It is inexpensive, fast & easy!
    

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50. Everyone should
    get a domain name
    Gives you instant credibility & visibility
    

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51. domains.google
    Google Domains
    Point Anywhere
    Email Forwarding
    $1/mo
    

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52. Domain Names
    Many tools offer domain name services
    

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53. Types of
    Portfolio Tools
    Something
    from Nothing
    Fast
    & Easy
    Portfolio
    Specific
    Website
    Builders
    DIY &
    Misc
    

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54. Something From Nothing
    

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56. Make It Visual!
    

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58. Link or upload
    images, docs & presentations
    

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59. Header image
    Contact info
    Portfolio
    Items
    

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60. Visual content
    Visual content
    Visual content
    

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61. Recommendations
    Endorsements
    

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62. What does this
    tell you? Michael Scott
    

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63. What does this
    tell you?
    

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64. Who has the advantage?
    

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65. Point your domain name to
    your LinkedIn Profile
    

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66. BE ACTIVE!
    

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67. x
    

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68. Get active. Stay active!
    Try the 3-2-1 strategy
    3 LIKES
    Like at least three updates.
    2 COMMENTS
    Add a comment to at least two
    items in your news feed.
    1 SHARE
    Share at least one
    article or update.
    

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69. Super Fast & Easy
    

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70. You need it
    WHEN?!
    

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71. HeyWith
    Fast & Easy
    

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72. Consolidate Links
    solo.to
    solo.to
    Best for creating an online home when you
    already have things online in various places.
    

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73. Collect Testimonials
    heywith.com
    HeyWith
    Great if you only have images or
    screenshots to illustrate your projects.
    

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74. Customizable by Audience
    muralapp.io
    MuralApp
    Best for customizing unique views for
    different audiences.
    

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75. Portfolio-specific
    

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76. Portfolio Sites
    Predefined
    Layouts
    Watch for
    limitations
    & ads
    

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77. Portfolio-specific
    

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78. Contact Form
    devfolio.io
    devfolio
    Great option for your first try or if you
    need something quickly.
    

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79. Dropbox Sync, Analytics & SEO
    krop.com
    Krop
    Good for Dropbox users and if you’re
    interested in analytics & SEO.
    

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80. Nice Designs & Easy to Use
    journoportfolio.com
    JournoPortfolio
    Nice balance of professional design
    options and ease of use.
    

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81. Website Builders
    

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82. Website Builders
    

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83. Could not be any easier!
    Surprisingly, professional single page
    website given how easy it is.
    canva.com
    Canva
    

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84. Flexible Layout Options
    strikingly.com
    Strikingly
    Great looking single page site with lots of
    content flexibility.
    

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85. Lots of features even in free version
    wordpress.com
    WordPress
    My favorite. Allows you to start small and
    grow without changing platforms.
    

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86. DIY & Misc
    

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87. DIY & Misc
    

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88. Like a Google Doc on steriods
    notion.so
    Notion
    Lots of free and paid templates that are
    fast and easy to customize.
    

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89. Use existing content
    glideapps.com
    Glide
    Generate a website and/or mobile app
    from spreadsheet content.
    

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90. Interactive sort & filter feature
    Great option if you have a number of
    portfolio items and you’d like the ability
    to sort and filter them by type/category.
    spreadsimple.com
    SpreadSimple
    

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91. Use existing content
    articulate.com
    Articulate Rise
    Easy to use but be aware if your license ever
    exprires you’ll love the ability to update/edit.
    

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92. Top Tips
    

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93. Get a domain name
    Use it for your email too!
    Collect Your Content
    Write your copy first! Save as you go, going forward
    Be Social & Share
    Stay active on LinkedIn and a good community
    First Things First
    

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94. Start
    Now!
    

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95. Done is better
    than perfect!
    

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96. A portfolio is like an elevator
    pitch. The goal is to generate
    a spark and to create a good
    first impression.
    Jose Torre
    Shopify
    

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97. Ready to launch!
    

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98. Create a site on
    Wordpress.com
    (Consider adding
    future blog post)
    1-2 days
    Use HeyWith or
    Strikingly to
    showcase your
    best work
    1-2 Hours
    Point your
    domain to your
    LinkedIn profile
    (Stay Active)
    15 minutes
    1 2 3
    Instant Favorite
    Fast
    

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99. Minute of
    Minutiae
    

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100. 1. Do good work
     2. Share it with people
     TL:DR
     

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101. Chat
     

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102. What will you
     do first?
     

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103. Mike
     Taylor
     mike-taylor.org
     gettalk.at/portfolio
     

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