Your Freelance Portfolio

While a resume is an important first step in marketing yourself as a freelancer, the part employers are probably going to value most is your portfolio. Potential employers want to see what you can do, and whether you can do their job. How do you convince them you can? By showing them your best work. Many beginners in freelance design make the mistake of trying to pad their portfolios with as much as work as possible, even though it may not be their best work. Some show off their high-tech skills with DVDs and Web slide shows. But remember that employers don't have a great deal of time, and they'd much rather see a few well-chosen pieces in an easy-to-read format, displaying skills that are relevant to the job in hand.