Showing employers and recruiters what you have done can be a powerful way to present your skills and experience. How you achieve that might depend on the type of work you do, but finding a way to bring your experience to life can be very effective. Here are three options you might like to consider.
Use a portfolio
Depending on the nature of your work, it could be a good idea to put together a portfolio. This can be a great way to visually capture your experience, particularly for marketing, social media or communication type roles. Even outside of these fields, if it is possible to show something relevant that you have produced, it can go a long way to demonstrating your skills and experience. If you use an online portfolio, provide a link to it in your cover letter and resume. Also consider bringing your portfolio to your interviews. If you are not sure whether this would be appropriate for a particular role, ask the person managing the recruitment process. Of course, if confidentiality or other reasons prevent you from using a portfolio to show what you’ve done, developing a bank of examples that you can talk about instead could be a good alternative.
Always give examples
Examples provide context for your skills and experience. They can also be a good way of illustrating soft skills as well as technical capability. Anyone can list qualifications and job titles, but examples let you show your skills and experience with more depth. A good example can therefore support your application by helping employers and recruiters to better understand both what you have done and what you could do.
So what makes a good example? Think about who you are talking or writing to and what would make them choose you. Find examples from your work that will be relevant and meaningful to them. If you’re not sure how familiar they are with your work context, provide a little extra detail. Most importantly, make it clear how each example relates to the requirements of the role you are applying for.
Leverage your social media
Regardless of whether you are actively seeking a new role, you can always document your skills and experience on relevant social media. Attending a training event or conference? Perhaps you could post about what you learnt. Giving a presentation? Make sure people know about it. Been promoted or taken on a new role? Share that with your network. These small efforts add up and over time can build a picture of your skills and experience. This can be a valuable asset when you are next seeking a new opportunity and might even encourage opportunities to come to you.
Whatever industry you are in, finding ways to show your experience rather than just telling it can make a positive impression on employers and recruiters. So consider whether developing a portfolio could work for you. Bring illustrations of your work, either as a portfolio or as examples you can talk about, to show your skills and experience at interviews. Take a little time to develop your social media as an asset that demonstrates what you have done. Together, these tools can help you communicate your skills and experience in an engaging and meaningful way.
