Resume Vs Portfolio: What’s the Difference?

During your job search, you’ll probably start writing a resume and building out a portfolio. You may need both to help you present yourself to a hiring manager to showcase your skills and work experience. In this post, we’ll walk you through all the context about what a resume and portfolio entail and ultimately compare resume vs portfolio to determine their differences, similarities, and more.

What is a resume?

A resume is a one-to-two page document that details your work history, education, skills, and more. It’s often presented to an employer to persuade them into providing you an opportunity to interview with them. In an interview, you may be asked to go over your resume, which is essentially a short conversation about your career path before this interview to give them further context into why they should hire you.

What is a portfolio?

A portfolio is a collection of professional materials that showcase your skills and past work. For example, a public relations professional’s portfolio might include newspaper and magazine clips of coverage they helped land for other brands. A graphic designer’s portfolio might include a collection of artwork they’ve designed themselves to show off their artistic style and work. A writer’s portfolio might include past published articles they’ve written.

When should you use a resume?

You should use a resume when applying for a job. In the job application stage, a resume is your go-to document for presenting your work history to prospective employers. A resume is the most important document you’ll create in the job search process as it’s the one that gets your foot in the door.

When should you use a portfolio?

You should use a portfolio when in an interview setting. Portfolios work best when presenting your experience in-person, particularly when you have a physical portfolio, such as a binder of your work. You might talk through your portfolio explaining why something worked well or how something was received. Many people will include a link to their online portfolio in their resume. A portfolio can also be a website that showcases your work and accomplishments. Many people also include portfolio pieces on their LinkedIn profile for recruiters to browse through while screening candidates.

Resume vs Portfolio: What’s the difference?

1. The purpose

The difference between resume vs portfolio is the purpose. The purpose of a resume is to explain your work experience, list your skills, and include your education. Overall, you’re telling people what you did. However, the purpose of a portfolio is to show people what you did. You’ll include actual work examples of projects you worked on, articles you wrote, products you built, media clippings you landed, and more.

2. The content

When comparing the difference between resume vs portfolio it’s important to note that their content is different. The content of a resume focuses on listing your accomplishments in your previous jobs, listing your skills, listing your educational background. Compared to a portfolio, where things are typically more visual. You might have graphic designs you’ve created, ads you’ve made, articles you’ve written, and so on. The content of a portfolio is your work.

3. The length

The length of a resume is another differentiator when looking at the difference between resume vs portfolio. A resume is mostly one page in length, two pages if you’re an executive or have a long work history. A portfolio is often a link with various professional examples. If you create a physical portfolio, you might have a binder full of examples of work you’ve created. Some experienced designers might have multiple binders worth of graphics they’ve designed. So a portfolio can be as long as you’d like. Still, you want to include your best work in it.

4. The format

What’s the difference between a resume vs portfolio? The format. The format of a resume is a standard one, where it starts with the header, then the objective or summary, then work history, then education, and skills. A portfolio is usually a collection of work you’ve done, either in a series of links or on paper in a binder.

5. The audience

The target audience of a resume is different from a portfolio. A resume’s main audience are hiring managers and recruiters who will assess it to decide whether or not they should interview you. A portfolio’s main audience is a client, hiring manager, or company looking to see examples of your work to determine a good fit.

6. The visual components

When comparing a resume vs portfolio, the visual components vary widely. A resume is mostly a text-based document. Some people add a photo of themselves (mostly if they’re outside North America). But for the most part there are limited visual design elements on a resume. A portfolio can be all visual elements. For example, a photography portfolio would likely exclusively be different images. This stark contrast is largely due to the purpose of each document. A resume is a concise summary of your skills and experience, while a portfolio showcases your work and creative abilities. This difference in purpose allows for greater flexibility in design for portfolios, enabling the use of various visual elements and layouts. This is where websites like Canva can be incredibly helpful, providing a user-friendly platform to create visually appealing portfolios without needing extensive design skills.

7. The interactivity

The interactivity of a resume and portfolio vary. For example, a resume is typically a PDF or Word document with no interactivity. Whereas a portfolio might have pages for someone to flip through, clickable links, videos, or even animations.

Resume vs Portfolio: What are the similarities?

1. Used to present skills

Both a resume and portfolio are used to present your skills. Your resume shares your accomplishments and skills you’ve developed. Your portfolio shares your work and illustrates your level of competence within the skill.

2. Can be tailored

Both resume and portfolio can be tailored to the target audience. For example, if you’re tailoring your resume for an employer, you would add skills and experiences that the job posting is looking for. You can use Huntr’s resume tailor to tailor your resume for a job easier and faster. Alternatively, if you’re tailoring a portfolio, you would remove designs or writing pieces that aren’t aligned with the company product. For example, if you design book covers, and an author approaches you with work, they don’t want to see your logo designs.

3. Used in a job search

Both resume and portfolio are used in a job search. A resume is used at the start of the job search to detail work history, maybe even include a link to a portfolio. And a portfolio is often used in an interview or as a final comparison between candidates to ensure you find someone with the exact skills you’re looking for.

4. Showcase your professional experience

Both a resume and portfolio show to an employer what your experience is like. For example, on a resume you would use metrics and data to explain goals you achieved or how much output you did. Whereas, on a portfolio, you’re showing actual examples of work you did to help someone understand why it would be a good fit.

5. Highlight your successes and wins

Both a resume and portfolio highlight your biggest accomplishments. For example, on a resume, you’ll only list about three bullet points per role that detail what you accomplished during your time at the company. Your portfolio are examples of your best work, your final product, something you published. These are all helpful in getting you the job you’re looking for since people can see for themselves that you’ve made progress and achieved things in your career.

Which should I spend more time on: resume vs portfolio?

This is a tricky question. You should spend some time working on your resume to ensure it’s in top form. If you’re actively looking for a job, your resume will be seen more than your portfolio will be. However, you’ll likely spend more time on your portfolio building it up over the span of years. Perfecting your craft. Compiling your best work into a portfolio shouldn’t be too much work. But ultimately, it’ll be the portfolio that makes or breaks you. And the resume that’ll get your foot in the door. So, you’ll spend more time working on your portfolio to compile your best work for it, but your resume still needs some thoughtfulness and attention.

What should I include on a resume?

Resumes follow a set format. These are some of the things you should include on a resume?

• Contact information
• Resume summary or objective
• Work history
• Education
• Skills
• Certifications
• Awards & honors
• Projects
• Volunteer work
• Languages
• Links to LinkedIn or your portfolio

What should I include in a portfolio?

What you include on a portfolio will depend on whether it’s a binder of your work or a website showcasing your work. Regardless, these are some things you can include on a portfolio website or in a binder:

• About me section
• Work samples
• Media clippings
• Client or employer testimonials
• Your philosophy, process, or values
• Case studies of your work
• Contact information
• Links to published content you’ve created
• A downloadable resume

Can I use a portfolio instead of a resume?

The only time you’d use a portfolio instead of a resume would be if you’re looking to land a client rather than apply for a job. If you’re applying for a job you wouldn’t and shouldn’t use a portfolio instead of a resume. A resume is the go-to document most hiring managers prefer when considering people for a role. However, if you’re a freelancer, contractor, or self-employed, you could choose to use a portfolio instead of a resume.

Can I share my portfolio on my resume?

Yes, you can share your portfolio on your resume. Especially, if you’ve gotten positive feedback on your work on a regular basis. You should include a link to your online portfolio that lists links, includes graphics, or whatever is necessary to illustrate your professional experience. For example, a photographer might have a link to their best photos. A writer might include links to their published articles. A graphic designer might include their best designs. An interior decorator might include photos of their decorated homes and offices. If you have a ton of experience in your field, a portfolio would typically work better than if you’re inexperienced. You’re ultimately trying to show that you’ve done a lot of great work and that you have done an endless amount of it. Huntr is a resume builder where you can actually add a portfolio link on your resume.

How to present your resume in an interview

In an interview, the best way to present your resume is by answering questions such as, “Walk me through your resume” or “tell me about yourself.” You would not literally present your resume to them. But you’d talk about the experience on your resume in greater detail to help hiring managers learn more about what you’ve done in previous positions.

How to present your portfolio in an interview

In an interview, the best way to present your portfolio is near the end of the interview. Sometimes, people ask if you have any questions. During this time, you can say, “I’d actually like to show you some of my work examples for you to examine.” Alternatively, you might ask them, “Do you have any reservations about me that I could address or explain further?” Then tie in your portfolio if it’s about your experience or your work. You can showcase different projects you’ve worked on, explain what the results of those projects were, and share real examples to illustrate why you’d be the best hire if selected.

Resume vs Portfolio: Which is better?

When comparing resumes vs portfolios to determine which is better, it’s important to note that they’re both ideal in different contexts. Having a portfolio is a sign that you’ve done the work, created things, and have a track record of producing. That’s really an asset you can show to potential clients and employers. A resume helps you get your foot in the door so that they can even see your portfolio. If you’re trying to get a job a resume is a document that will help you be considered for that role. A portfolio on your website could also be a great asset to help you be considered for clients or employers. So, which one is better? In most contexts, a resume is more important than a portfolio. But a portfolio could give you a great edge when you’re comparing two different candidates. If you’re looking to build a resume so you can find your next job, you can sign up for Huntr today as Huntr has a resume builder and other job search tools that’ll help you on your journey.