A presentation on how journalists can create the best online portfolio to show off their work.

1. ONLINE PORTFOLIO AGENDA
• Tips for creating a portfolio
• Examples of good portfolios
• Q&A
• Build your portfolio

2. Photo by michaeln3 - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035599008@N01 Created with Haiku Deck

4. Spell check does NOT catch all words and
grammar errors
• Write vs. Right
• Everyday vs. Every Day
• Pour vs. Pore
• Their, There, They’re
• Its, Its’, It’s
• Your vs. You’re
• Affect vs. Effect

6. McGraw-Hill Companies, Washington, D.C.
Online Managing Editor, Business Aviation 12/2008-11/2011
• Write The Weekly of Business Aviation, covering the
industry worldwide.
• Manage content for business aviation channel on paid
Aviation Week Intelligence Network and free
AviationWeek.com website.
• Coordinate writers worldwide to feed copy to business
aviation online and print publications.
• Contribute stories to Aviation Daily and Aviation Week &
Space Technology on airports and transportation security
issues.
• Attend and cover industry conferences, events and
seminars worldwide.

8. EXAMPLES
• I am an honest and ambitious person, understanding the words as
deadline, professional skills, communication with people.
• Skills: Strong Work Ethic, Attention to Detail, Team Player, Self
Motivated.
• My objective is to obtain a challenging position with a high growth
company where I can grow my skills and career
• Excellent team player with demonstrated experience of working
diplomatically and collaboratively with all levels of staff to ensure
successful implementation of projects
• While I am open to the initial nature of an assignment, I am
decidedly disposed that it be so oriented as to at least partially
incorporate the experience enjoyed heretofore and that it be
configured so as to ultimately lead to the application of more
rarefied facets of financial management as the major sphere of
responsibility.

10. ACTION VERBS
• WRITE
• REPORT
• OVERSEE
• MANAGE
• ORGANIZE
• PRODUCE
• COORDINATE
• DEVELOP
• IMPLEMENT
• MANAGE
• EDIT
• ACCOMPLISH
• IMPROVE
• BUDGET
• CONCEPTUALIZE
• DESIGN
• ESTABLISH
• GENERATE

12. Contact Information On Your Portfolio
• Name
• Email address (professional, not
foxylady69@yahoo.com – this was real!)
• Cell phone number
This shows employers you are flexible and
willing to move

14. Employers Want To See This!!
• Audacity
• Final Cut Pro
• AVID
• Photoshop
• InDesign
• Video/Still Cameras
• Social Media
• HTML/Web Design
• CMS (Content Management Software)

16. You Have Mere Seconds To Sell Yourself
• Have a compelling, eye-catching design;
• Showcase skills you have that employers want;
• Show actual – and relevant – work experience;
• Let the page breathe with white space; and
• Get professional headshots or action shots in
the field.

18. NO CRAZY FONTS!
• Crazy fonts
• Crazy fonts
• Crazy fonts
• Crazy fonts
• Crazy fonts
Stick with a classic sans-serif fonts like Arial,
Tahoma or Verdana

20. Employers can do a simple Google search to
check your background.
• Former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson
(education)
• Former Notre Dame Football coach George
O’Leary (education, football experience)
• Former Harvard student Adam Wheeler
(fabricated SAT scores, recommendations)
• Former Lotus CEO Jeff Papows (military
record, education, orphan!)

22. • Have an interesting item you can put on your
portfolio, resume or cover letter
• Mine is I auditioned for “Jeopardy”
• It’s at the bottom of my resume
• I always get asked about it in interviews
• I include a funny story about my audition that
employers remember
• You stand out

23. Photo by ZERGE_VIOLATOR - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/47257185@N03 Created with Haiku Deck

24. WEBSITE/PLATFORM OPTIONS
• WordPress.com or WordPress.org;
• LinkedIn;
• Wix;
• Weebly;
• SquareSpace;
• Pressfolios;
• About.me; and
• Clippings.me.

25. Photo by London Permaculture - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/7371031@N08 Created with Haiku Deck

26. PORTFOLIO RESOURCES
• Writing Portfolios: A How-To Guide;
• Create a Top-notch Journalist Portfolio;
• How to Build a Distinctive Portfolio Website;
• WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org;
• Digital Portfolios for Journalists: What Are
Your Options?

27. Contact Information
Benét J. Wilson
benet@aviationqueen.com
Twitter: @benetwilson OR @NABJDigital
Facebook.com/benet.wilson
LinkedIn.com/benetwilson
Skype: RegAvQueen
Cell: 443/838-7033