Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an English Skills Portfolio
You will not be able to create a portfolio in a single session – the main purpose of your first visit to this screen is to start thinking about how you can make your portfolio most effective. What documents should you attach? How should you script your video resumes? The video resumes are what enable you to distinguish yourself from other candidates and are the most high-value components of your portfolio.
As you add detail to your portfolio, keep in mind that it does not save automatically. You must click on either the ‘Save’ button or the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of the screen. The ‘Save’ option is best when the portfolio is still a work-in-progress, the ’Submit’ option is necessary if you want to activate the portfolio to share the portfolio by URL.
Once you activate your portfolio by clicking on the “Submit” button or “Run” icon becomes a public web page – any information you include can be viewed or shared by anyone. However, we do offer options to hide your name and contact information. Also, you can easily turn off the display of the portfolio temporarily or delete it permanently.
We strongly recommend linking the URL of your portfolio in your resume. By doing this, you indirectly prove your English skills, show your personality, and demonstrate your ability to communicate in every job that you apply for. By linking a portfolio in your resume you can leave a far more personal impression on the recruiter.
Consider hiring an English Coach with job search expertise or a Career Coach to help you optimize your portfolio. If you don't already have a coach in mind, please check out our coaches directory.
Finally, it might be helpful to look at an example of an English Skills Portfolio so that you can have a better idea of the end-product that you are trying to build.
Isabela-Passinha Application Technician
1). Create an account or log in. Click on 'My Account'
You should be redirected to a “My Account” page:
2). Optional: Update Profile
You may create as many portfolios as you want. You might create a generic portfolio but also create portfolios targeted to a specific industry or even a specific role. Your first portfolio should be generic – you can use this as a baseline and make copies of it that you edit for a more targeted audience.
The Profile section allows you to fill out certain common fields so that they are automatically filled out when you create a new portfolio. The rules for filling out these fields are the same as in the portfolio, so we will not discuss this section.
Click on the ‘Create Portfolio’ button and select a plan.
Free Plan – shareable public portfolio
The free plan is the only plan currently available.
When your portfolio is active (“running”) it is a public webpage and any information on it is visible to whoever has the URL. Please make sure your portfolio does not contain any information, including contact information, that you would prefer to keep private.
The main value of the portfolio is as a complement to your resume; you simply include the portfolio URL in a clickable link in your resume summary of in the language section.
Premium Plan – coming in the future - searchable by employers in portfolio database
We expect our database will include many incomplete portfolios.
Employers are interested in viewing complete, high-quality portfolios of active job seekers. To assure a high quality of portfolios in the searchable database, we will offer premium membership once we have a critical mass of quality portfolios. Early-adopter job seekers will be upgraded for free.
Currently no employer can view your portfolio unless you provide the URL.
4). Fill in the details of your portfolio
Portfolio Title: The portfolio title will be displayed at the top of the portfolio, and also embedded in the URL.
This section could be a copy-paste of your LinkedIn profile ‘About’ section, or the overview at the top of your resume. We recommend that you include summaries in each of the languages you mention on your resume, with English on the top and other languages in descending order of fluency. Separate each summary with a few spaces.
This section is particularly important if you are a Premium member because recruiters can search on keywords in the summary, but not in your attached pdf resumes. Note that it is not possible to use formatting in this section.
You may attach zero, one or two resumes to your portfolio.
Why zero? The most common use case of your portfolio is as a linked URL on your resume – the recruiter looking at your portfolio would already have the resume you used to apply for the job. This can be part of a strategy to avoid putting your personal data on a public web page. Of course, you could also include copies of your resume without the contact information.
Attaching both a local language and an English resume can be advantageous. Early in the hiring process you might encounter recruiters who must recruit English speakers but do not speak (or read) English all that well themselves. It also possible that in a later stage of the interview process you will be interviewed by people who only speak English. Of course, both resumes should be impeccable. If you need help with your English resume, hire an English Coach or a Career Coach to make sure you get it right.
Your resume and all attached documents must be in pdf format. If you are using MS Word to edit your document, make sure you save it as a pdf file. If you generate the pdf by printing the file you may lose the clickable links.
You may attach up to four documents – the choice of documents is completely up to you – the idea is to provide evidence of your English and/or professional skills. Label each attachment accordingly in the provided fields.
Score results from English tests (TOEFL, Cambridge, IELTS, etc.)
Technical certification certificates
Letters of recommendation or references
Work samples
Journal articles or blog posts
Course completion certificates
Again, pdf format is required.
About You - Your Contact Information and Preferences
Country, State and City are “required” fields – prospective employers want to know where you currently live. You must fill out these fields, but you can opt to hide name, address and phone number on your public portfolio.
The other address fields are optional.
There are two fields for phone number, both are optional.
The first field allows recruiters (actually, anyone) to click on a link and initiate a WhatsApp chat session. For the link to work, you must include the country code and omit any spaces or hyphens. If you do not follow the expected format, the WhatsApp link will be visible on your portfolio but the attempt to chat will fail.
If you do not use WhatsApp (or do not want to be contacted by WhatsApp chat), leave the first phone number field blank; you may include your phone number in the second field. You may also use the second field for a second phone number.
Email address
For most candidates this will be the same email address you used to create your account.
The email address you populate into this field will not appear on your portfolio.
Filling out this field allows you to be contacted using the ‘Contact’ button display on your portfolio. (If you leave the email field blank, this button will not appear).
Website
Share your personal website or other relevant URL here.
For example, software developers can include their GitHub profile, while creatives might link to portfolios on platforms like Behance or Dribble. Writers can showcase their work by linking to their Medium or Substack pages.
Your name, address and phone number will appear on your portfolio unless you choose to hide them.
This is how contact information appears when the default ‘No’ option is selected.
When the ‘Yes’ option is chosen, the contact information is hidden.
This setting only applies to the section of the portfolio. It does not suppress any information on your attached documents or in the summary section, for example.
Including a link to your LinkedIn profile in your English Skills Portfolio is crucial for most professionals. LinkedIn is widely regarded as the go-to platform for showcasing your professional experience, skills, and network. A well-crafted LinkedIn profile not only provides recruiters and potential employers with a comprehensive view of your career journey but also reinforces your ability to communicate effectively in English. It can serve as an extended resume, highlighting your achievements, endorsements, and professional connections in a format that employers trust.
As for other social media links like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, include these only if they contribute positively to your professional image.
If you fill out these fields, the corresponding icons will appear on your portfolio. What Type of Job are You Looking F What Type of Job are You
What type of job are you looking for?
Your answers in this section will not appear on your public portfolio. They are only relevant to premium members – recruiters will be able to use this information when they search candidate portfolios (future feature).
The video resume section is one of the most crucial parts of your English Skills Portfolio (ESP). A well-crafted video resume serves multiple purposes: it showcases your language skills, demonstrates your ability to communicate effectively, and gives potential employers a glimpse of your personality. In general, these videos should be 30 to 90 seconds long, with shorter durations recommended for university students or recent graduates. Each video should provide a brief overview of your education and professional background, highlight your special skills and accomplishments, and convey why you are an attractive candidate.
An English Skills Portfolio can be your job search secret weapon, and the video resumes can make the difference between that weapon being a rock and a rocket. Creating a compelling video resume for each language you can communicate in—especially in English and your native language—can set you apart. This allows you to display your versatility and ability to adapt to different linguistic environments.
Preparing these videos requires careful scripting and practice. Once you're satisfied with the recording, upload the video to YouTube. While some may prefer to edit the videos for a more polished presentation, this is entirely optional. Make sure to title your video appropriately on YouTube and use the 'Share' button to copy the URL into the corresponding field in your ESP.
Remember, many resources are available online to help you craft your job seeker "elevator pitch." Searching for examples and tips on YouTube can provide you with valuable insights and inspiration.
Your portfolio photo is the first impression you make, so it's important to choose a professional and approachable image. Use a high-quality, well-lit photo where you are the main focus. Dress appropriately for your industry and opt for neutral or professional attire. Ensure that your face is clearly visible, with a friendly, natural expression. Avoid selfies, group photos, and overly casual backgrounds. A simple, uncluttered background works best to keep the focus on you.
Edit-Run-Disable-Copy-Delete
Once you have saved or submitted your photo you will see it in the portfolio listings. If the second case the portfolio will be running and externally visible via URL.
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You may edit it by clicking on the pencil icon.
The square icon will display on the portfolios that are currently running. If you click the on it the system will ask you to confirm if you want to disable the portfolio, and after doing so the status will change to ‘inactive’. Once this occurs, the square icon will be replaced by an arrow which you can click to rerun the portfolio.
The plus icon enables you to make copies of an existing portfolio. This is handy because it enables you to create portfolios targeted towards a specific industry or role using the original as the baseline.
Note that active portfolios have two URL’s -- the first is a generic URL with a number whereas the second also embeds the portfolio title in the URL.
Finally, the button with the trash-can icon allows you to completely delete your portfolio from the site.
Link the portfolio in your resume
You should use your portfolio for every job application—whether it's on this site or elsewhere. To do this, include the URL of your portfolio in your resume. You can add it to the summary section or in a dedicated section for your language skills. Make sure the hyperlink is clickable and appears in blue so that it easily stands out. When clicked, it should open your portfolio in a new tab on the browser, providing a seamless way for employers to learn more about your skills.
Make sure you save your resume as a pdf – if you print it instead you may lose the hyperlink.
As you would with your resume, proofread the contents of your portfolio. Make sure that the videos are rendering properly and that the clickable links are giving the expected results.
All the best with your job search.