Lauren Weber

Do you know how to build a website? If not that’s okay. Penn State fortunately has Sites at PSU which is a form of WordPress. In my experience, this software takes some time to get used but once you get the hang of it it’s easy to use. If you are an English major or Corporate Communications major chances are you are going to need to create a digital portfolio to showcase your work to employers. Yes, there are other platforms you can use to build your website like Canva, Wix, and Squarespace, but using Sites is free for Penn State Abington students and if you choose to use certain applications these are also free.

Fortunately, you can take classes at Abington where you will have hands-on experience using WordPress and building a website. The first one is ENGL 420 Writing for the Web. If you are an English major or a Corporate Communication major like myself, chances are you will take this class in the near future. Here you will have the opportunity to create a blogging site based on a topic of your choosing. If you want to check out the blog I created please click here. In my experience, this class helped me gain basic web design skills and I was able to transfer these skills in my CC 406 Social Media class I’m currently taking when I designed my digital portfolio for an assignment. Please click on this link if you want to get an idea of how you can set up your portfolio. Please keep in mind you will lose access to your website if you choose to use Sites. However, you can transfer the web design skills you learn in this class to other platforms.

What to include in your portfolio

If you want a more professional look when creating your website check this article by Hootsuite. This is a good guide to how to format your portfolio and which component you can include. According to Hootsuite, you should start with an introduction. In this introduction, you can discuss your education, skills, services, certificates, etc. How you style this section is up to you. You can choose a more visual approach and use images or videos to demonstrate your skills or a more traditional resume-style format. Don’t forget to include a photo of yourself. Following this, you should include a section where you can demonstrate your best content. For example, if you are good at Photoshop or Canva you may want to show any projects or social media posts you created or using the software. If you have skills in writing you will want to provide a writing sample on your website. A writing sample could be a press release, press kit, a news article, blog post, etc. For those of you who have completed internships any work that you have done for an employer, you can add to your portfolio. For example, in my portfolio, I added research projects I did as an intern for the Renfrew Center. Having engaging visuals can help demonstrate your skillset. Please check out the article from Hootsuite to learn more about what you can include in your portfolio.

Alternative Digital portfolio formats

If you choose not to create a website a digital portfolio can be created in any form such as a slide deck or a PDF. Whatever version you pick make sure you post the best content and skills you can offer to potential employers.