Employers want digitally savvy graduates. You can use your internet presence to not only show the responsible management of your online identity but also to showcase your achievements. This page introduces a range of specialist websites and social networks that can be used to develop a portfolio of your work. These sites can be particularly useful for applications that require you to submit a portfolio or to demonstrate a long-term commitment and competency with a skill.
PebblePad is the university’s electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) tool. It enables you to create an online, digital collection of your work including text, files, multimedia and links. This allows you to evidence competencies, skills and knowledge to potential employers. The University of Hull provides all students with access to PebblePad. When you graduate, you can take your portfolio with you with the free alumni account. Any portfolio you create is private to you, but you have the option to share it with others.
SlideShare is a slide hosting service that lets users upload PowerPoint, PDF, Keynote and OpenDocument presentations. Uploaded presentations can be kept private or shared publically to allow users to view, rate, comment and share the uploaded presentation. Slideshare is a great way to showcase your presentations to future employers and it is a particularly useful platform for sharing conference presentations.
DeviantArt is an online community focused on sharing any kind of artwork such as photography, digital art, traditional art, literature and video/film. The site allows users to build portfolios of their work, maintain a journal, initiate polls, request/give critique and take part in groups. It is a useful platform for sharing creative work and allows users to sell prints of their work.
LinkedIn is a social networking website focused on professional and business-oriented networking. It allows users to maintain an online profile containing features similar to a résumé or curriculum vitae (CV). As part of the profile, users can list their skills and can gain endorsements and recommendations from peers. This makes LinkedIn a useful website for showcasing your work, qualifications and experience. It also allows you to share details of projects you have taken part in, publications and other forms of portfolio. Aside from showcasing your own achievements, a large number of companies and recruiters use LinkedIn as a platform for sharing job advertisements, managing part of the recruitment process and for approaching individuals about a specific job role. Check out the other pages of this website for more information.
ResearchGate is a social networking site that enables researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators. As well as the regular profile and messaging tools, it offers researchers the ability to follow research interests, share their data, comment and view access stats. The website features a proprietary metric to measure scientific reputation. It is called the RG Score and it works by analysing how "your research is received by your peers" (ResearchGate, 2016)
Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers. The company's mission is to accelerate the world's research. As well as the regular profile and messaging tools, it offers researchers the ability to create sessions asking for comment and critique of their work, follow research interests, comment and access analytics.
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform that enables its users to upload, record, promote, and share their originally-created sounds. This makes SoundCloud a great platform for sharing any audio-based creative work, particularly useful for drama and music students to share their work. It accepts most common audio file forms and also lets users record directly via the website. Anything you upload can be made available for streaming, sharing, embedding and download, giving creators multiple ways to share their content.
Figshare is an online digital repository where researchers can preserve and share their research outputs, including figures, datasets, images, and videos. It is designed to allow researchers to gain citations for all parts of the research process.
Is a network of websites that help to self-promote artists. It enables you to build a profile and showcase your work across a number of platforms. It accepts a range of digital formats, also including video alongside traditional formats. Bēhance integrates with Adobe Portfolio allowing creatives to share their portfolio across both websites. Bēhance is a useful tool for you to build an artistic profile and showcase work to potential clients.
GitHub is the largest open source community in the world. If you're technically minded, it lets you contribute to software and technology projects. GitHub will track your contributions making it a great way to not only build a profile in the open source community, but to also demonstrate technical capabilities. The site has several communication tools to let developers collaborate, making it a perfect place to host your own projects too.
For current students, check out their Student Developer Pack, designed to “give students free access to the best developer tools in one place so they can learn by doing”.
Medium was created as a way to share longer posts than the 140 Twitter character limit. It is similar to blogging platforms in that it allows users to write substantial posts and follow the work of others. It is a great place to build a presence if you are interested in topical writing and journalism.
Ello is a social network for artists, designers, musicians, illustrators, photographers, architects, GIF makers and other creators. It provides a clean and minimalist interface to help creators share and showcase their work. It allows users to comment, share, repost and like the work of others, helping others appreciate your work.
Vimeo is a video sharing platform that pivots towards professional videos and corporations. They offer the service for free, but with subscription options that give you greater control, file sizes, and features. They own a video on demand service “Vimeo on Demand” which allows users to view a select group of 'premium' videos.
YouTube is the oldest, and largest, network on this list. It hosts videos which are largely unregulated and incredibly varied. If you work in a creative field a video can work as an alternative to a traditional portfolio or CV, it can also be used to provide customers with tips and tricks. All manner of businesses and individuals, from mechanics to media companies, post content to Youtube.
Instagram is a popular social network that caters well to photographers, designers and 'influencers'. In June 2018, Instagram had reached one billion monthly active users and continues to grow rapidly. Businesses and individuals are increasingly using the platform for outreach, advertising, and networking.
These pages were developed in collaboration with the Student Futures. The Student Futures Team support all University of Hull students and graduates with all aspects of their career from finding out what you can do with your degree to practical support with interviews, psychometric tests and assessment centres. For more information, check out their website