How can your interviewing portfolio demonstrate your investigative abilities?

2 Highlight your techniques

The second step is to highlight the techniques you used to conduct your interviews. These include the questions you asked, the tone and style you adopted, the rapport you built, and the follow-up you did. You can do this by adding annotations, captions, or summaries to your interview samples, explaining what you did and why. You can also include feedback from your sources, editors, or peers on your interviewing skills. This will help you showcase your ability to plan, execute, and evaluate your interviews.

3 Show your results

The third step is to show the results of your interviews. This means showing how your interviews contributed to your stories, articles, or reports. You can do this by linking your interview samples to the final products, or by highlighting the quotes, facts, or insights you obtained from your sources. You can also show how your interviews led to further investigation, follow-up stories, or impact. This will help you demonstrate your ability to use your interviews as evidence, analysis, or storytelling.

4 Organize your portfolio

The fourth step is to organize your portfolio in a way that is easy to navigate, understand, and appreciate. You can do this by creating a clear structure, using categories, labels, or tags to group your interview samples by topic, genre, or outlet. You can also use a consistent format, style, and layout to present your interview samples, whether they are audio, video, or text. You can also add a brief introduction, a biography, or a resume to your portfolio, highlighting your interviewing experience and goals.

5 Update your portfolio

The fifth step is to update your portfolio regularly, adding new interview samples as you complete them. You can also review your portfolio periodically, removing outdated or irrelevant samples, or improving the quality or clarity of your presentation. You can also seek feedback from others on your portfolio, asking for suggestions on how to improve your interviewing skills or showcase them better. You can also use your portfolio as a learning tool, reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses as an interviewer.

6 Promote your portfolio

The sixth and final step is to promote your portfolio, sharing it with your potential employers or clients, or with your network of contacts. You can do this by creating a website, a blog, or a social media profile for your portfolio, or by using a platform or service that specializes in journalism portfolios. You can also include a link to your portfolio in your email signature, your business card, or your pitch letter. You can also use your portfolio as a conversation starter, inviting feedback, questions, or opportunities from your audience.

7 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?