With the world turning digital at a growing rate, it's no wonder that a lot of professional job seekers are now creating online portfolios. An online portfolio makes your work available to anyone at any given time which is a great advantage over the competition. Your work is available to both businesses you've applied to as well as those that might just be hunting around for someone to fill a current position. You may get a job offer without even looking.

What It Entails
An online portfolio is similar to a regular portfolio. If you are an artist, you will have your best artwork features. If you are a web designer, you will have shots of your best web sites featured. If you are a writer, you'll have articles and stories featured. Along with these things you'll also have your resume and anything that may make you stand out in the eyes of a potential employer or clients. Maybe community service work you've done or leadership positions you've held. The only difference is that it's online and accessible to anyone at any time.

Choose your format. You can choose to create an online portfolio using a website, a blog, Flash, or any number of other formats. There are even websites out there that will host, help you create and organize your portfolio so you don't have to know anything about code or design.

Choose your focus. Remember to focus your portfolio. If you are looking for a job as a photographer, but your page is full of written articles and very few pictures, people will be disappointed when they find out that you aren't interested in writing for their paper.

Be careful about your links. If you have the option of linking to outside pages, avoid linking to your personal sites or websites that could be deemed unprofessional.

Show off your talents. If you are a web designer, design the page yourself. If you are a graphic designer, at least design the images used in the layout. Express yourself creatively to catch the interest of potential employers or clients.

Don't make it into a personal page. While some people will opt to use their personal blog or website as a main stage for their portfolio, not all of us are professional enough in our personal lives to associate it with our professional one in such a direct manner. Using a blog for the main page of your portfolio isn't a bad idea; just remember to keep it professional! Don't be tempted to turn your portfolio into your personal home page.

An online portfolio can be a very convenient way to get your name and work out to people. Not only that but with businesses becoming more centered around technology, you're online portfolio will show that you are, indeed, computer literate. It may even save you some time and energy, after all it's easier to make a backup of a website then it is to make a copy of a hardcopy portfolio.