Crafting A Great oDesk Portfolio

Psst...Click on the picture to read the entire series.

The portfolio on your oDesk profile is an extremely important tool. It is a great way of letting prospective clients find out about the work that you have already completed. While the last post detailed setting your hourly rate, this post focuses on designing an effective portfolio that helps you land some customers. Here I review and attempt to answer a few common queries related to oDesk portfolios.

1) Size: This is extremely important! It is also one of the most commonly asked questions. So, what is the ideal number of samples in an oDesk portfolio? Well, frankly, there is no straightforward answer, but most oDesk employers reveal that they find 11 samples in a portfolio to be perfect. A very common mistake that I have seen some freelancers make is to put up tons of samples. Their philosophy seems to be: if you got it, flaunt it! I'm sorry, but this is a terrible philosophy when it comes to an online portfolio. No employer has the time to thumb through hundreds of samples. Any employer would simply not consider looking at a portfolio chock full of samples. Remember, there is a dearth of employers on oDesk, not freelancers. To maintain a competitive advantage, a good portfolio is essential.

2) Diversity: This is another common tripping point for most freelancers. Sure, you're a content writer for websites, but that does not mean that you upload 10 samples of the same type of content you wrote for different companies. A great idea would be to throw in an interesting mix of a large number of different types of writing done for different clients. A well - crafted, diverse portfolio helps your client see that you can adapt to different kinds of writing styles and create custom content that would be great for him or her. Also, in a diverse portfolio, chances are that the person ends up finding a sample similar to the work you have done. This gives you a HUGE advantage over your competition.

Here is an odesk portfolio sample which is very diverse with image thumbnails. Note how the thumbnails add to the beauty of the portfolio. It's a portfolio a client would want to click on.

3) Image Thumbnails: Many freelancers have absolutely brilliant portfolios, but come up short in the attractiveness of a portfolio. A portfolio must make the client WANT to click on it. Then, and only then, is it truly effective. A client should get an idea of what you could do for him or her. In the end, this is what will entice your client to pick you from among the many options. Adding an image thumbnail is easy, quick and very rewarding. Make it a point to take two minutes to upload them. It is time well spent.

4)  Project Description: Yes, you need to write a project description and NO, YOU CAN'T COPY THE JOB POSTING! A good oDesk portfolio project description is one that is concise, sharp and gets the point across. It should succinctly describe what the project was about and your role in it. Finally, it should tell what value your service added to the project, i.e. whether the goal was achieved or not. 

Example: 

I was a regular writer for a busy nursing website.

I was in charge of coming up with topics, performing keyword research and writing SEO articles.

Traffic to the site increased by 500% once the blog went up!

Here, the author clearly outlines the job in the first sentence, his role in the second and the value he added in the third. Short, crisp, clear and beautiful.

5) Skills Used: Many freelancers leave this section blank. This is a HUGE MISTAKE! This section of the portfolio is a great place to add some more tags and break the typical 10 tag limit imposed by oDesk on you. However, it is important to place only relevant tags. This helps clients searching for freelancers find you on oDesk. Like Google uses keywords, oDesk uses tags.

6) Website Link: Again, many freelancers choose to leave this blank. This is never a good idea. Sure, you may have uploaded a document containing the article you wrote/work you did, but visiting the website makes the client feel at ease. It helps a client realize that the work you claim to have done is real and not made up. Many clients are more amenable to visiting a website than downloading a document.

7) Update: While adding new samples just to fatten your portfolio is not a good idea, it is extremely important to keep updating your portfolio. You have to do this in a smart way. The very first portfolio you make is bound to be a little less impressive. However, it leads to more impressive jobs. Replace your less impressive jobs with these more impressive ones. Keep doing this regularly. It will help you develop a great portfolio. Also, clients like to see new work in a portfolio. It always makes a great impression if a blog post you listed in your portfolio is still generating fresh comments and initiating a high quality of discussions.

Keep these points in mind when designing your portfolio and you're sure to start getting interview calls for some good, well - paying jobs. Two days after I reorganized my portfolio, I got three interview calls, two of whom had personally seen my portfolio and used that as the sole basis for considering me.

Keep reading the series on working successfully on oDesk. I will be blogging more about finding a great client. Stay connected to find out more, I would be more than happy to field any and all queries, just post a comment. Also, take a minute to join the Freelance Writer's Club. It's a great way to get periodic mails about new posts, useful resources and also, the occasional writing gig!