A portfolio is necessary for any successful job application.
It demonstrates your current skills and potential to an employer, which can even help you land a job interview.
Most of the time, your portfolio is made up of your best work.
However, it’s not always easy to pick and choose which ones to include, especially if your output might contain sensitive or proprietary information.
(You wouldn’t want to reveal any trade secrets, after all.)
So, how do you build a portfolio without breaking your non-disclosure agreement (NDA)?
Read the NDA Thoroughly
Before building your portfolio, be sure to thoroughly review your NDA.
Understand the ins and outs of the agreement so you can figure out how to work around it.
Most of the time, NDAs expire after a certain period so you might be able to include your output from that time after.
Request Permission
Of course, the best thing you can do when building your portfolio is to ask permission.
Inform your previous clients about how you intend to showcase the output you’ve made for them and ask permission to include it in your portfolio.
Always keep your approach professional and respectful, but don’t assume that your previous employers would say yes.
If you’re lucky, they might allow you to include your work with certain details redacted.
Make Mock-Ups
In case you can’t reach out to your previous employers (or if they refuse to grant permission), then create mock-ups instead.
If you’re applying for online writing jobs, you might want to make up names of companies (if necessary) on your write-ups.
Or, let’s say you’re a graphic designer. You can still create similar designs to demonstrate your talent while excluding the original elements from your previous employers.
Remember, what’s important here is to show your skills and potential.
Limit Access to Your Portfolio
You want to limit access to your portfolio to only the hiring manager or the CEO (whoever is evaluating you) when you’re applying for a job.
So, start the habit of adding passwords to all of your files.
Doing so lets you protect your work and prevents the wrong people from being able to see your portfolio.
When In Doubt, Use Disclaimers
Lastly, disclaimers might come in handy when building a portfolio with sensitive data.
You can add a brief background to each file and explain that you’ve obtained permission from your previous employers.
Having disclaimers at the start of your portfolio covers all the bases while still upholding confidentiality.
Solicit Testimonials from Previous Clients
Apart from your previous work, you can also include testimonials when building your portfolio.
This way, clients can hear about your capabilities straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
Having testimonials can also beef up your portfolio, especially if most of your previous work is confidential.
From a client’s perspective, showing the results and impact of your work makes you even more credible. Thus, you’re more likely to get hired.
Always Tread Carefully…
As an employee, you’ll be bound to contracts and agreements one way or another.
It becomes even more complicated when you want to apply for another job.
Yet, don’t let the idea of signing an NDA prevent you from building a strong portfolio.
Just always remember to ask for permission so you do not violate any contract.
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