Every web designer should have a web portfolio as it shows all your abilities and talent in the most vivid way. But what is actually a web portfolio? Web Portfolio means a collection of your accomplished works including screen shots, descriptions of the projects and links to the live documents. You can also have printouts of your projects if necessary.

The main goal of the web portfolio is to show your skills to employers. Because of that you should choose the works carefully and try to present the best of them. So put the main emphasis not on the quantity but on quality, and include the most qualitative and professional projects in your web portfolio. Don’t be shy in your web portfolio but don’t trick people as well. If you have some projects that were done in a team together with other developers don’t claim it as your own creation. But you can afford yourself to brag a little explaining, for example, how difficult it was to work on the project but how successful you’ve managed to deal with it and what bright ideas you have invented.

If you have worked on various projects which differ by their specialization, e.g. web programming, content writing, web design, you may create multiple portfolios presenting each specific piece of work as a subcategory. Thus it will be easier for the employer to make out your every skill at different type of work.

As a rule, web portfolio consists of several key elements which imply:

- Screen shots of the designs. Nothing can speak of your project better than a real appearance of it so be attentive to add your most vivid and professional works which can impress at first sight.

- Links to the pages/websites. If your project is dynamic it is better to provide links to the live pages or sites where your work can be seen in action. You can keep a working copy of the project in case the original site changes its content.

- Your works description and an explanation of your contribution to it. Don’t forget that your work can’t speak for itself so you must provide some descriptions highlighting all special features of the design.

Web portfolio is the best way to aggregate your working experience and make a visual presentation of all your skills and capabilities. So if you don’t have a portfolio yet it is high time to create one and have a personal showcase of your projects!