Virtual Assistant Portfolio versus Resume: What’s the Difference?

The top question we get asked a lot is what are the difference between portfolio versus resume. In this post, we hope to answer your questions.

A portfolio and a resume are both used to showcase your work experience, skill set, and career goals to potential employers. A portfolio is a document that contains all the information about a particular person’s qualifications, skills, and work experience.

A resume on the other hand is shorter, with less information about the applicant’s qualifications. A resume is usually used for job applications whereas a portfolio is used for more complicated positions.

What Is a Resume?

A resume is a one to two-page document that summarizes your work history and professional skills. It is often accompanied by a cover letter in which you express interest in a specific position, brand and type of employer, or industry.

Resumes should be concise and include relevant details about every position you have held as well as any education and training you have received.

What Is a Portfolio?

A portfolio is a collection of samples – examples of previous work that serves as evidence that the person being considered to fill a job has the necessary skills and experiences. The portfolio can also provide an insight into the qualities an individual displays in their work.

It allows you to gain insight into their previous experience, and helps make sure your hiring process is fair, thorough and accurate.

Portfolio versus Resume: Which One Should a Virtual Assistant Create?

A virtual assistant portfolio is a collection of examples that demonstrate your skills and accomplishments. Your virtual assistant portfolio allows you to demonstrate your best work, showcase technical skills and software experience, include any writing samples or creative pieces that showcase your creativity, and impress the decision-makers at a potential client’s company.

A virtual assistant resume is filled with information about yourself (such as education history), where you are located, and what languages you speak. A resume is typically something a company will ask for after they have already decided to hire you based on your portfolio.

It’s important to note that you don’t need both – only one will work for your situation. If you are starting out as a VA and don’t have much experience yet, then it would make sense for you to use a resume instead of a portfolio because it provides more information about who you are and what kind of person they would be working with if they hired you.

However, once you have more experience under your belt (or if this is your first time applying for a VA position) then it makes sense to use a portfolio instead of a resume because it gives employers an opportunity to see what kind of work of person they would be working with if they hired you.

What Should I Put In My Virtual Assistant Portfolio?

A portfolio is a necessary part of a virtual assistant’s job search. It shows potential clients that you have the skills and experience they need, and it demonstrates your professionalism.

You can use Canva to create your portfolio. A good virtual assistant portfolio includes:

Be Honest About What You Can Do

Your potential clients should know exactly what services you offer and how much experience you have in those areas. Make sure these details are clearly visible on your website so they don’t have to dig around for them.

Include a Cover Photo

The cover photo is the first thing people see when they visit your portfolio. Make sure this photo reflects your brand and gives visitors an idea of what they’ll see inside. You might also include text with links or CTAs that take visitors directly to other parts of your site or social media profiles.

Showcase Your Skills

A virtual assistant portfolio should include samples of your work, such as blog posts, articles or email newsletters you’ve written for previous employers or clients. This gives potential clients an idea of what kind of results you can expect from working together.

It’s also helpful to show off your communication skills through social media profiles and testimonials from past clients. For example, if you’re applying for a writing position, include links to blog posts or articles that showcase your writing skills. If you’re applying for an administrative position, share examples of how you’ve organized projects and manage deadlines.

Highlight Your Personality

It’s important to show your personality in your virtual assistant portfolio whether it’s through photos or writing samples that show off your sense of humor or creativity (like this post!). Your employer wants to know who they’ll be working with on a daily basis — so don’t hide behind bland headshots!

List Your Accomplishments

In addition to including samples of your work, highlight any accomplishments related to your job duties or responsibilities at past positions. For example, if you took over a project that wasn’t making money or growing traffic and turned it around, include the results of your efforts in the portfolio. Or if you managed the operations of a company’s social media accounts and increased engagement by 15%, highlight that as well.

Make Your Portfolio Public

Make sure your portfolio is easy to find after you’ve published it.

If you’re building a personal website, include links in blog posts or send them out via email newsletter. You can also use social media like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to promote your newly published work.

Keep It Up-to-Date

If a client has been happy with your work and wants more, they’ll be able to see how well you perform and what type of services you offer by looking at your portfolio. Be sure to update and add new projects regularly so that potential employers know they can count on you for consistent results!

Use Your Own Words

When describing what you did at each position and listing your responsibilities, use your own words instead of just copying and pasting descriptions from an article or website. This will help employers get a better sense of who you are as an employee, which is important because they want someone who will fit in well with their team and company culture.

Conclusion

In the end, there are clear differences when comparing portfolios and resumes.

While they’re both capable of putting forth your strengths, skills, and accomplishments in a number of different areas, there are some fundamental differences that you should consider before deciding which one is better for you.