Robin Mordini graduated in May 2008 with a degree in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management. When she arrived at the Portfolio Center last spring to build her portfolio she soon found out that although she had tons of work samples to choose from, editing her work and ideas down would be the real challenge. With little to no examples to use as a reference for how to build a management portfolio, Robin attacked the task head on and learned to focus the work in her presentation package so that her skills would shine in front of potential employers.
PC: What industry do you want to work in or what type of work are you currently doing?
RM: Fashion Industry...any part but especially retail buying. Currently, I have just completed a visual merchandising internship at Akira Boutique in Bucktown, and I have just started at a tennis and sportswear manufacturing company.
Because of the state of the economy, I had to apply to literally hundreds of jobs before getting my current job and my portfolio gave me the edge or at least an interview each time. It especially sets me apart through e-mails because it shows more about myself than just a resume.
PC: How are you showcasing or promoting your work?
RM: I am using my matching business card made by the Portfolio Center graphic designers when I'm at networking events. Then when I receive a business card, I can e-mail my portfolio along with my resume.
PC: What type of information or samples are in your portfolio?
RM: I chose to do a portfolio that leaned towards retail buying, but I also included pages that showed that my skills were more broad in the fashion industry. For example, I included the highlights of what I thought was my best project in school from my merchandise management class and then I added in my original fashion designs to show that I could sew plus I took pictures at events that I did and I used some of my weekly fashion reporting articles and bullet pointed them and added pictures. The biggest thing I did to my final portfolio was add visuals because in AEMM, there is mostly just text. Try to use lots of visuals that are easy to flip through with limited text captions to explain. I included scholarship letters, awards, dean's list, and letters of recommendation which are really important to have.
Basically, never put a page into your portfolio unless you have a reason to put it in and know what it is demonstrates about you professionally.Also, make sure you have enough variety.
PC: How did you decide which work to put into your portfolio and how did the Portfolio Center help?
RM: I did not have an example to go off of, so what I did was save all my work from my years at Columbia and then I set up a professional meeting through the Portfolio Center to get some advice. Then I had to wait until I was a second semester senior before I could fully edit and format my best work.
To summarize (what the Portfolio Center helped with), graphic design service, meeting with a professional, looking through examples in the room, going to Portfolio Center events, and learning how to set up the website.
PC: If you have a print portfolio and an online portfolio, what are the different ways you use those tools and why do you feel having both is important?
RM: You need both. The online is great to have your resume chosen and to let prospective employers view it on their own time. The hard copy is necessary to bring into the interview and it looks super professional when your portfolio matches your business card and resume.
PC: Anything else you think students should know before putting their portfolio together?
RM: Save everything! It's easy to edit down, but it's hard to dig up old or lost work, and back up your computer files. Use (Portfolio Center) resources before you graduate because they're free.
