How to build a professional profile and portfolio that gets attention

More and more employers, clients and organisations look you up before they call you. A professional profile is a single page with your work on it, easy to send on WhatsApp, add to your CV or share on LinkedIn. For designers, developers, photographers and freelancers it is often more important than the CV. For everyone else, it is the place where your projects and skills finally have room.

Profile or CV: what is the difference?

A CV is a short document you send for one job. A profile is public (when you choose to publish it), stays online and can show much more: pictures of your work, links, the services you offer and whether you are available. The best approach is to have both, and to put your profile link at the top of your CV.

A headline people remember

Your headline sits under your name. In a few words it says what you do and for whom. Avoid titles that could mean anything.

An About section in five sentences

1. 1Who you are and what you do now.
2. 2What you are especially good at.
3. 3One piece of proof: a project, a number, a result.
4. 4Who you like working with or what kind of work you want.
5. 5What you are looking for: a job, freelance work, or both.

Write the way you would speak to someone you respect. Short sentences are easier to read on a phone, which is where most people will see your profile.

Projects: the heart of your portfolio

Choose your three to six best projects, not everything you have done. For each one, answer four questions in a few lines:

• What was the problem or the goal?
• What was your part? Be honest if you worked in a team.
• What did you do? Name the tools and steps.
• What happened as a result? A launch, a number, a happy client, a lesson learned.

Add clear pictures: the finished design, screenshots of the app, photos of the event, a page of the report. A good cover picture makes people open the project.

Skills and proof

• List specific skills and tools (Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Cisco IOS, KoboToolbox, Excel), not only general words.
• Add certificates and courses you really completed, with the organisation that gave them.
• Use numbers only when you can stand behind them.
• Add links that support your work: LinkedIn, GitHub, Behance or your own website. Keep them up to date.

Availability and contact

Say clearly whether you are open to work, available for freelance projects, or not looking right now, and from when you can start. Then decide which contact details are public. WhatsApp and a professional email are usually enough. Never publish your home address or ID numbers.

Common mistakes

• A vague headline such as "hardworking professional".
• Empty sections or placeholder text left on the page.
• Only stock photos instead of your own work.
• Showing work that is not yours, or not saying which part you did.
• An old profile: projects from years ago and a status that no longer fits.

Share it everywhere

Put the link at the top of your CV, in your email signature and on your WhatsApp status when you are looking for work. Send it with every application. When someone asks "what have you done?", one link answers for you.