Module 1 · Build Your Student Portfolio
Plan Your Portfolio
Decide what a portfolio is for, what to put in it, and which three pieces of work best show what you can do.
About 20 minutes
Why a portfolio beats a list of skills
A CV says "Skilled in Excel and Canva". A portfolio shows it: the dashboard you built, the poster you designed, the website you made. For students with little work experience, a portfolio is often the strongest thing you can show an employer, internship coordinator or scholarship panel.
It doesn't need to be fancy. A clear page with three good pieces of work beats a flashy site with nothing in it.
Who is it for?
Decide before you build. Your audience shapes what you include:
| If you're aiming for… | Show… |
|---|---|
| Data or analytics roles | Spreadsheets, dashboards, SQL queries, a short analysis write-up |
| Design or content | Posters, social graphics, short videos, a before-and-after redesign |
| Software or web | Websites, small apps, code on GitHub |
| Any internship | Class projects, volunteering, leadership, certificates and badges |
What counts as work
You have more than you think:
- Class projects and assignments you're proud of (check you're allowed to share them, and remove other students' personal details).
- Personal projects: a budget tracker for your hostel, a flyer for a church event, a website for a relative's shop.
- Course projects, including CloudTech Academy projects and badges.
- Volunteering and leadership: a departmental event you organised, a club you run.
Pick your best three
Start small. For each possible piece, ask:
- Does it show a skill my audience cares about?
- Can I explain what problem it solved and what I did?
- Is it finished and presentable?
Choose the three strongest. You can add more later.
Structure each piece the same way
For every project, prepare four short parts. This works on a portfolio page, on LinkedIn and in interviews:
- The problem: what needed doing, and why.
- What I did: the tools and steps.
- The result: a number, an outcome or feedback.
- See it: a link, image or file.
Try it
Task
8 minWrite who your portfolio is for in one sentence on the first line. Then list at least six things you could include, one per line, and mark your best three with * at the start of the line.
Your work is checked for
- First line says who it's for (for, aimed at, recruiters, internships…)
- At least seven lines: the sentence plus six possible pieces
- Exactly three marked with * as your best
- No more than three marked with *
Task
8 minFor one of your best three, write the four parts, one per line: Problem:, What I did:, Result: (with a number or a concrete outcome) and See it: (a link, or where the link will go).
Your work is checked for
- Problem:
- What I did: (with tools or steps)
- Result: with a number or concrete outcome
- See it:
Earn your badge
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Questions on this module. Pass and you earn the Portfolio Planning badge, free.
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