The value of creating a portfolio is that it will help you speak more succinctly about your experiences. It will also enable you to provide the right story to the right person at the right time, in both interviews and casual conversations.

1. Break down your previous work into individual projects and list them. Think as laterally as possible and come up with as many diverse projects as possible, regardless of whether or not they tell a linear story of what you want to be doing.

2. For each project, find an image that captures or symbolizes the work that you did. Match that image with the project name.

3. Write an artist’s statement or short piece of narrative prose about each project.

4. Combine all of these projects to create your portfolio. You can use a website like Cargo, create a Powerpoint presentation, or more simply, turn it into a PDF. If you feel comfortable, send your portfolio to five friends.

Disclaimer: This portfolio is not necessarily the best thing to send to potential employers in its entirety. In fact, if you put it online, protect it with a password so you can control who can see it.