What are the best ways to develop a sustainability portfolio?

1 Define your purpose

The first step to developing a sustainability portfolio is to define your purpose and audience. Why are you creating a portfolio? Who will see it? What do you want them to know about you? Your purpose and audience will shape the content, format, and tone of your portfolio. For example, if you are applying for a CSR position, you might want to emphasize your relevant skills, achievements, and values. If you are seeking a promotion or recognition, you might want to highlight your impact, innovation, and leadership.

2 Select your evidence

The next step is to select the evidence that will support your purpose and showcase your sustainability competencies. Evidence can include anything that demonstrates your knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to sustainability, such as reports, presentations, certificates, awards, testimonials, feedback, or media coverage. You should choose evidence that is relevant, recent, and representative of your work. You should also consider the quality, quantity, and diversity of your evidence. You don't want to overload your portfolio with too much or too little information, or with similar or irrelevant examples.

3 Organize your portfolio

The third step is to organize your portfolio in a logical and coherent way. You can use different methods to structure your portfolio, such as chronological, thematic, or competency-based. You should also create an introduction, a table of contents, and a summary for your portfolio. Your introduction should explain your purpose, audience, and goals for your portfolio. Your table of contents should list the sections and evidence in your portfolio. Your summary should highlight your main achievements, strengths, and areas for improvement.

4 Design your portfolio

The fourth step is to design your portfolio in a professional and appealing way. You can use different formats and platforms to create your portfolio, such as paper, digital, or online. You should choose a format and platform that suits your purpose, audience, and evidence. You should also follow some basic design principles, such as consistency, clarity, readability, and accessibility. You should use appropriate fonts, colors, images, and layouts to enhance your portfolio. You should also check your portfolio for spelling, grammar, and formatting errors.

5 Update your portfolio

The final step is to update your portfolio regularly to reflect your growth and development in sustainability. You should review your portfolio at least once a year and add new evidence, remove outdated evidence, and revise your goals and objectives. You should also seek feedback from others, such as mentors, peers, or supervisors, to improve your portfolio. Updating your portfolio will help you keep track of your progress, achievements, and challenges in sustainability. It will also help you prepare for new opportunities, such as interviews, appraisals, or projects.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?