What Should You Include in a General Contractor Portfolio?
A professional portfolio is a formal collection of work examples, career achievements, and qualifications that can help you land a job or client more easily. You can think of a portfolio as an interactive resume. While a resume alone is effective, some careers are better shown through tangible proof, like videos or images. Writers, animators, and storyboarders are some key careers where a portfolio is ideal. General contractors may also want to show off construction projects in a portfolio as well. Aside from photos or videos of your successful projects, you’ll be able to include a lot of details that a resume can’t. What exactly should general contractors look to include in a professional portfolio?
Licensing Information
Your prospective clients or employers will want to know you’re qualified for the job. The best way to show this is through your licensing. List your licenses and certifications in a short and readable list. Your clients will need to know what and where your licensing covers. You may want to include license reciprocity information if you’re looking to be hired in multiple states. Not all licenses are reciprocal in all locations, so it’s good to know what states your license is valid in.
North Carolina
If you’re a general contractor in North Carolina, you’ll need to list this on your portfolio for transparency. You may want to include where you received your North Carolina general contractor license and exam prep as well. Unfortunately, North Carolina’s general contractor license isn’t reciprocal in any other state. One can get an exam waiver to get licensing in different states, including South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. NC will recognize electrical licenses from a few other states, however.
Florida
Florida’s general contracting license reciprocity rules are a bit unique. While some states have entered into a formal agreement with Florida regarding reciprocity, like Mississippi, you can also “apply” for reciprocity in Florida. If you’re looking for the same level of general contracting license in Florida and have been in business for ten years, you can apply for “endorsement,” which allows your license to be recognized.
California
In California, there are only three states that have entered a reciprocal license agreement: Arizona, Louisiana, and Nevada. If you’re from another state, you will need to take the exam and reapply for a license in California to take on general contracting projects here.
Previous Projects
The major draw of a career portfolio is to showcase your work to potential clients. If there are notable projects you’ve overseen or worked on, it’s time to include them here. You can include some before-and-after photos, videos of the completed projects, or project proposal information. Just make sure the information is easy to parse and accessible for those who aren’t familiar with contracting work. Pictures and videos say a lot about your work! You can list other clients or popular chains you’ve worked with, if applicable.
Client Reviews
While prospective clients will likely look elsewhere for ratings and reviews about your services, it never hurts to include what others have said about your work. Make sure the reviews are genuine and not made up; you don’t want to look unprofessional. If you haven’t received any reviews about your work ethic from employers or past clients, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for some. The worst they can say is no! If you have a lot of reviews, select the best and most detailed ones to include in your portfolio. Only a handful are necessary.
Colleague Recommendations
Similar to client reviews, if you have a solid work history with a particular company, colleague, or professional, consider asking for a portfolio review or recommendation. You’ll only need a few, and including what not just your clients but your coworkers have to say about you can be very telling. These recommendations can also provide a subtle hint to your networking and communication skills.
Education and Work History
You don’t want to bore clients with a full resume, but you’ll want to list any noteworthy educational or work achievements. If you broke records or earned awards during your education or past work, let your portfolio viewers know. If you worked on a major construction project, show it off! Give a brief overview of how long you’ve been doing contracting work and how you trained for the job.
Short Biography
While the most important part of your portfolio is proving your expertise and qualifications, you don’t want to appear uncaring. Let viewers get to know you with a short biography about your hobbies, passions, and family life outside of work. You don’t have to divulge your life story, but a professional photo and a list of your hobbies can go a long way in making you a relatable and desirable prospect for a client. Avoid using polarizing or inappropriate language—remember, you’re still trying to be professional!
Conclusion
A career portfolio is a great way to show off your career achievements, qualifications, and expertise in a digestible format. There are a ton of online portfolio platforms out there; be sure to choose one that is easy to use and allows your life’s work to shine. You may want to include social media profiles if you tend to your online presence; accessibility and availability are huge perks of any professional. With an organized, professional layout and details that impress, you can let your portfolio do the talking better than any interview or resume can.