A professional skills portfolio can also help you reflect on your experience and skills, and document your achievements. A good portfolio can also be a great asset when presenting yourself to potential employers. 

A professional portfolio is an evidence-based record of your professional development, including your achievements, qualifications and skills. It can be a very useful addition to your CV, and help you plan your career and make you stand out in the graduate recruitment market.

Third Year Portfolio Competition

If you wish to take the opportunity to build a portfolio, you can find details and examples below. Students can choose to submit their portfolios to receive feedback in the spring term, and the best submissions will receive a prize sponsored by Imagination Technologies.

This exercise is voluntary, but the Department hopes that by the end of your third year, you'll have created your own portfolio ready to help you find a job in the months ahead.

Why make a portfolio

• It helps you reflect on what you have learned/achieved
• It charts your development and experience
• You can take to interviews as a basis for demonstration and discussion
• It gives evidence to support statements in your CV.
• It can help make you stand out and provide an insight into your personal qualities
• It can help demonstrate your professionalism

Assembling a portfolio

• During tutorials, your tutor asks you to reflect on your coursework, project work, planning, problem-solving etc as well as your results - these are all exercises to help you find “evidence”
• Design and structure your portfolio so that it works as both hard copy and consider making an internet version ( an 'e-portfolio')
• Use an organised document folder so that pages can be added and removed
• Be creative, use your portfolio to demonstrate your own personality