As an e-learning professional, a good portfolio is imperative for your success, irrespective of the fact that you freelance or not.  To potential clients or employers, your portfolio is the mirror to all the achievements, expertise, skills and knowledge you have acquired over the years, helping them decide if you are a perfect match for their requirement.   Although a portfolio is often associated with freelancers, certain e learning companies in India or abroad might expect you to have one or even make it a mandatory condition for the job.

So, how do you create a winning portfolio that lands you the best projects in the market? Here are some tips that will surely help you.

Include diverse examples

Your profile should comprise of a range of examples that reflect your diverse skills. You might want to include projects that showcase important skills like instructional designing, elearning development or know-how of authoring and elearning software. To start with, create a list of all your past work examples and evaluate its value addition to your portfolio. You might find that many of these projects required the same skills. If so, you need not add all the examples – select the one that best reflects your talents.  Remember: Each new project that you add to the portfolio enhances the prospect of a new one.

Justify your examples

Complement each example with a brief explanation for the examples included. You would want to talk about the learning objectives, scope, design and development approach, challenges faced and how you overcame them. Essentially, you are trying to convey how successfully you filled the gaps to address a need. You might also like to include any special considerations that contribute to the effectiveness of your professional accomplishments.

Keep more than one portfolio

Have you created different portfolios for different niches? You’re on the right track! It’s perfectly OK to have separate portfolios as long as you’re able to strongly convey that you are a pro at developing meaningful content, designing effective elearning courses and managing projects. This helps showcase your diverse talents so that prospective clients can relate your experience to their specific requirements.

Keep your portfolio updated

An updated portfolio will guarantee that your most recent achievements are visible to clients and employers.  Ensure that you evaluate and update it often. After all, it is a reflection of your achievements and talents.

 Include a mix of multimedia and tools

Technology is evolving, so is learning. Clients prefer portfolios that showcase the right mix of emerging elearning technologies like podcasts, videos, multimedia elements, and so on in the examples. This is an excellent opportunity to show that you are an expert in designing learning games or developing videos.  Work on this aspect and you’ll surely impress them.

 Building on your online presence

It is important to meticulously select the right platform to showcase your work. You can share your elearning expertise by posting blogs and articles to improve your online presence. You might even consider sharing links or creating thumbnails to your projects on these sites, if they permit. And remember, how will a client contact you without your contact details?