Creative Jobs for People with Disabilities: 6 Tips for Professional Portfolios in 2020
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Creative Jobs for People with Disabilities: 6 Tips for Professional Portfolios
One of the main concerns
you should have as a person with a disability is finding the right job. With
all of the different employment opportunities on the market,
it can be difficult to make the right decision. Currently, there are more job
openings that people looking for jobs. This is why you will need to devote some
time and effort into researching the employment opportunities at your disposal.
If you are like many people
with disabilities, you are looking for creative jobs that challenge you on a
daily basis. Creative jobs like web design, marketing or content writing are
both lucrative and hard to get. Landing one of these jobs will require you to
have a great portfolio.
The following are some
of the things you need to consider when trying to create a great portfolio to
showcase your talent.
1. Landing Creative Jobs is Easy With an Appealing Portfolio
When putting together
your portfolio, you need to focus on presentation. You need to realize that the
people who will be looking over your creative work look at hundreds of
portfolios a day. This is why you need to find a way to make your portfolio
unique.
Voluntarily identifying
yourself as a person with a disability may be a good idea if the job you are
applying to is a Federal Contractor. Federal Contractors are companies who do
work with the federal government. They must comply with the US Department of
Labor’s rule to have a workforce consisting of 6% of people with disabilities. By
providing a potential employer with this information, you may be able to
increase your chances of getting hired.
If you are trying to
land a job as a web designer or an online marketing manager, having a digital
portfolio is a good idea. By building a website to showcase your work, you can
make it easy for employers all over the world to take a look at what you are
capable of.
2. It’s Never too Early to Start a Portfolio
If you are going to
college to get a degree in a creative industry like web design, you need to get
an early jump on building your portfolio. One of the biggest misconceptions
most people have is that they have to obtain a degree in order to start a
portfolio.
Often times, you will be
required to complete creative assignments while in college. Using these
assignments in your portfolio is a great way to show a potential employer what
you can do.
The longer you wait to
start and perfect your portfolio, the harder it will be to land the job of your
dreams. You need to remember that your portfolio is not written in stone. This
means you can alter it any time you want with ease.
3. A Portfolio Should Highlight Your Diversity
As a person with a
disability or a disabled veteran of the United States military, you are
probably quite familiar with how beneficial a high level of diversity. The
people who serve this country are from all walks of life and various economic
backgrounds. While putting together your portfolio, you need to utilize the
power of diversity.
Showing a potential
employer how you can use your skills for a number of creative projects can help
you create a competitive edge. If you are seeking out a career as a web
designer, then your portfolio should be filled with website designs for various
businesses.
Most employers are
looking for team members that are creative chameleons. By showing a company how
well you can handle various roles, you can make yourself a desirable employee
candidate.
4. Your Portfolio Should Abide By the Quality Over Quantity
Philosophy
Often times, newcomers
to jobs in the private sector will make mistakes when it comes to the building
of their portfolios. Filling your portfolio with half-baked or uncompleted
designs is a horrible idea.
When it comes to
designing a winning creative portfolio, you need to provide potential employers
with quality over quantity. A potential employer will want to see
well-thought-out designs in your portfolio, even if you only have a few to show
them.
Taking the time to
include your best work in a portfolio is essential. Getting in a hurry when it
comes to the construction of a creative portfolio is a horrible idea that will
make landing a good job difficult.
5. Keep Your Portfolio Organized
If you do have a number
of different designs or projects to put in your portfolio, you need to keep
them organized. The last thing any potential employer wants to do is dig
through pages and pages of designs to find what they are looking for.
Portfolio websites
should have easy to use navigation and pages for each of the different
projects. By making it easy for a potential employer to see your designs, you
can increase your chances of getting hired. Also, as a person with a
disability, you need to ensure that your design is accessible.
Once you have completed
a creative portfolio, you need to let a friend or family member look at it.
Getting an objective point of view is a great way to find out where changes can
be made. Often times, a creative portfolio will go through a number of
incarnations before you are happy with it.
6. Updating Your Portfolio
Using the “set it
and forget it” mentality in relation to your creative portfolio is a
horrible idea. As you grow in your chosen profession, you will need to make
sure your portfolio reflects this growth.
Neglecting to update
your portfolio may lead to it looking outdated or bland. The time and work
invested in these portfolio updates will pay off in the long run.
Persistence is Key
If you are a person with
a disability trying to find creative jobs, you need to avoid giving up when
getting passed over for a position. Being persistent is a must when trying to
get a good job in the creative industry.
Are you looking for more
information about employment opportunities for people with disabilities? If so,
check out our article on the best work from home
jobs for disabled veterans.