Creating a Writing Portfolio

If you’ve applied for any job that requires a lot of writing, then you’ve probably been asked to submit a writing portfolio as part of your job application. I know that when I began applying for writing jobs as an overeager undergraduate student, I had no clue what recruiters were even looking for when they asked for a writing portfolio. Reading blog posts and articles about how to create a writing portfolio helped, but even then they seemed pretty vague. Never fear: here, we’ll detail the steps to creating the perfect writing portfolio for your job search.

Know your audience

The first thing you’ll want to do is figure out who your audience is. When you’re using a writing portfolio to apply for a job, the audience is usually a group of professionals who want to see your abilities shine through your writing. This is important because it will shape your tone and voice, two elements of writing that are incredibly important to recruiters.

However, the articles you write or compile for the portfolio won’t be about job interviews or the hiring process (most likely). Keep in mind the audience of the topic you choose to write about as well. For example, some of the pieces in my portfolio are articles I wrote for a home security company. While I want them to look and sound professional so that I can use them in my portfolio consistently, it’s also important that I focus on my true audience--people who are interested in learning about home security systems. Not professionals, but normal, everyday people with questions about how they can benefit from this technology.

Those who view your application will be less concerned with how you market your writing to them and more concerned about how you relate to your intended audience. When you’re writing, keep both the professional and colloquial audiences in mind to balance your portfolio adequately.

Choose a variety of topics and formats

From there, you’ll want to decide what you’re going to include in your portfolio. Recruiters and hiring managers want to see a range of abilities from you, so include samples with different topics and formats to show that you can change your writing voice to fit the scenario they need.

So where should you start looking for ideas?

1. A company that is similar to the one you want to work for (not necessarily with product, but with size, website, marketing campaigns, etc.). This will give you a solid idea of what your potential employers are looking for.
2. Check the website of a company you admire whose products you buy on a frequent basis. If it’s one you would love to work for, even better! See what kind of blog and website content they are putting out. How are they keeping their audience involved? 
3. Find a writer whose work you admire and see what content they are publishing on different websites. What voice and technique do they have? 

Then, take what you learn from those three sources and choose what you want to include in your portfolio.

It’s important to vary what kind of writing you include. My personal portfolio includes a biography about a person who came to speak at BYU, a “listicle” about what makes a good security system, and a journalistic-style news article about international students at Utah Valley University. This shows my employers that I’m capable of writing with a variety of different styles and formats and can do my research to look for the information I need, even if I’m not a previous expert.

Choose your three topics and three formats. Then, you’re ready to get writing.

Do your research

If you’re writing on a topic that you aren’t an expert on, do a good amount of research on it before you write. You don’t have to know enough to teach a college class, but make sure you have your facts straight before you write an article. Don’t just regurgitate the same information on every other article--look for something unique you can add to your writing that makes your article stand out.

Review

Don’t be afraid to ask a trusted friend or associate to read over your portfolio and make suggestions for how to improve. It could even help to find a connection you have who is similar to your potential employer or the person who will be reviewing your portfolio. Asking questions is a great way to practice receiving feedback and adjusting your writing accordingly.