Determining What Information to Include on Each Page

Each page of your electronic portfolio should serve a particular purpose. The following sections will help you craft the text necessary in creating an effective and comprehensive portfolio.

Composing the Home Page Text

The home page is an entry point into a Web site. Because your portfolio is also in Web format, your home page should serve, therefore, as the entry point to your electronic portfolio, helping orient your audience to the format. In creating the home page, you should consider including the following information:

Your name, address, phone number, and active e-mail link. Be sure to use an e-mail address that will be valid for a while. If you're graduating soon or may move and switch ISPs, use a Gmail or similar address. Also use an address that sounds professional. If you have your own Web site or blog that contains content in good taste, consider providing a URL to it.
A short discussion of what your electronic portfolio is. An electronic portfolio will be new to many people, so they may not understand what they're viewing, especially since the portfolio will resemble a Web site.
A short discussion of what you want the employer to take from your portfolio. You could list your career objectives, for example, and provide some of the same information you would in a cover letter, yet in a slightly more general form.
A list of computer requirements and a link to the Adobe Reader. You should give your users fair warning about what types of file formats the portfolio contains, such as PDF files. On a related note, while most computer systems should have Adobe Reader installed, some may not. Linking to the Adobe Reader will allow the reviewer to download a copy in case it's necessary. This simple link also establishes some courtesy on your part.
Navigation to each description page. Ideally, your navigation will appear on the side or top and will take the form of a styled unordered list.

Composing the Description Page Text

The description page is necessary in an electronic portfolio, which speaks in your absence. If you just link to projects without giving them any context, reviewers won't know what they're looking at or why you're including that material. These description pages should provide such information. The following is a list of information to consider including:

A description of the project and perhaps a brief summary.
An explanation of why the project is representative of your skills.
The audience and purpose of the project.
The situation for which you created the project.
Requirements for completing the task.
Strategies you used in planning and completing the project.
Special software or other skills you used or learned in creating the project.
Any collaboration that occurred within the project.

Just as important as the information you include is the information you omit. Don't make the following common mistakes when creating an your description pages:

Don't describe what a document type is. If you're applying for technical writing jobs, chances are the people who will review your portfolio already know what a manual, proposal, Web site, Help system, etc. are. Only describe what a document type is when it's an usual format.
Don't describe what all the students did on a project. Sometimes, writers will look back to an assignment sheet and will tell what the class did. Employers don't care what the class did; they care what you did. Feel free to mention the course and some of the project requirements, but don't list them verbatim and focus on discussing the work you did on the project.

Keep in mind that you'll use the "I" pronoun often because you're writing about yourself. In your portfolio description pages, writing about yourself is important and necessary and not egotistical.

Finally, try to make the description pages concise. On the screen, make every word count, and delete those that serve as filler.