We have all had interviews. In these interviews you discuss your past employment and your abilities. The next candidate goes to their interview and discusses their past employment and their abilities. Both you and the second candidate have Excel skills, PowerPoint skills and can handle calendars etc. How do you gain an edge over the other candidate? Well, one way is to present a resume/CV portfolio your interviewer. It is easy to say you have worked on a spreadsheet or a creative flyer but putting a portfolio together will give a prospective employer a better understanding and visual of your abilities.

How do you create a portfolio? First get a nice small presentation folder and some sheet protectors. Go through some of your projects and make copies of some of your projects that will illustrate your talents. Use different projects to demonstrate your different abilities. (Please make sure you don't include company confidential documents, or get permission from a manager if there is any doubt).

Let me describe my portfolio:

• First page, my resume/CV on nice high-quality paper stock;
• A generic org chart (without names – the confidentiality issue);
• Two job duty descriptions, to prove I can write documents;
• A Harvard Graphic slide that was creative and a bit different;
• Copy of photos of a meeting/formal sit down dinner I planned (this on an intranet page so I point out that I’ve planned large meetings as well as maintain intranets sites to the person interviewing);
• Copy of a form I created (I explain I did the layout and design and created a database on it);
• Certificates of achievements (classes, recognition certificates, awards etc.) put in a sheet protector to be pulled out;
• Meeting outline and budget (I explain about the meeting, the Excel spreadsheet, and the planning);
• Two Excel spreadsheets showing different types of formulas (to point out ability);
• Excel chart;
• Two presentations (six slides to a page is fine);
• Screenshots of websites I have done.

Find what you do well or a project you were proud of, make a copy and show it off! Prove you know how to do something. It also shows you took the time to put together a comprehensive project, marketing your skills; it may be that element that gets you the job.