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Photo by Jessica Contrera

Longtime public relations professional Bruce Hetrick tells students about the importance of creating an online portfolio. He spoke to the IU chapter of PRSSA Wednesday evening.

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Often, a portfolio is a one-stop shop for a potential employer to learn all about what you have to offer. So why not make it available in a few quick clicks?

That’s where online portfolios come in.

Public relations professional Bruce Hetrick advised the students Wednesday evening during a meeting of the IU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America on the best ways to create portfolios.

Hetrick is the former CEO of Hetrick Communications, which closed its doors in September after 18 years of business. Today, he is a columnist for the Indianapolis Business Journal and will teach a public relations course at the School of Journalism in the spring semester.

As a 30-year veteran of the public relations and communications industries, Hetrick understands the challenges of seeking a job or internship. He’s seen his share of resumes, applications and cover letters.

“Your job when you’re looking for a job is to stand out,” he told students.

These days, job or internship seekers should have portfolios in both print and online form, Hetrick said.

“It shows you’re tech savvy,” he said. “Some of your prospective employers may not be tech savvy, so they want to hire people who are.”

Online portfolios also allow students to showcase more of their work and personality, Hetrick said.

“You can have your resume, contact information and samples of work in print, design, broadcast or social media all in one place,” he said.

So what makes an online portfolio stand out? Here are a few of Hetrick’s tips:

• Be creative. Your portfolio doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s. Make it your own.
• Add variety. Show different tools for different audiences through different media.
• Think quality over quantity. Include only the clips of your best work.
• Show results. Prove what your work achieved by including event attendance, news stories about your press releases and other documents.
• Play to your strengths. “If you’re not looking for a design job, don’t throw a bunch of stuff in there to show you know how to use a Mac,” Hetrick said. “Keep it simple and showcase what you’re best at.”
• No mistakes. Ever. Your spelling, punctuation and grammar should be pristine. If you can’t accurately sell yourself, an employer will think you won’t do your job accurately.

Photo by Jessica Contrera

Hetrick sees online portfolios as another way to market yourself, he told students.

After Hetrick spoke, junior Sarah Thacker presented information on free websites that students can use to gain an online presence and create virtual portfolios.

“Even though you’re trying to be a student, it’s important to invest time in making yourself marketable,” Thacker said.

Thacker used Wix.com to create her online portfolio. Other popular sites are WordPress.com, Weebly.com and Carbonmade.com. Thacker also recommends creating profiles on Linkedin.com and About.me.

Hetrick said anything you can do to “get yourself out there” is useful.

“When you’re sick of saying something about yourself,” he said, “that’s when people are seeing it for the first time.”

For information about future PRSSA meetings and events, visit the group’s blog.

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