How to Create My Own Portfolio on My Mac

If you're looking for a job or just looking to impress some potential clients, then you're probably going to need something to show off with. One way to display the work you've done is to create a portfolio. Depending on the type of work you do this can include a resume, photos, video, testimonials and any other examples of what you've done in the past. If you have a Mac you can use iWork's Pages software to get you started on creating a polished-looking portfolio.

Open Pages from your Mac's Dock. If you don't have Pages in your Dock, navigate to the Finder and type "Pages" into the Search box. Then select Pages from the search results.

Select "Resumes" from the left hand side of the Theme Chooser menu that appears when you open Pages. Scroll through the available resumes and select one that fits your style. Click on the resume of your choice, then click "Choose" to open that resume template.

Enter your name at the top of the resume, then fill out the Profile, Experience, Education, Skills and Referrals section of the resume template. Be careful to delete the template information and replace it with your actual information. Since you're using a template, you don't have to worry too much about formatting the resume -- the appropriate look is already set out for you. You do have to be concerned with typos, correct phone numbers, dates and other information. Have another person look over your resume once you've filled in all the appropriate fields.

Click "File," then "Export," then export the document as a PDF. Since you're creating the resume in a program that won't be recognized by many types of computers it's important to save it in a file format that will be easily opened by the greatest number of computer users. Saving your resume as a PDF will accomplish this goal.

Click "File," then "New From Template Chooser" from the Pages menu at the top of your screen. Now that you have created a resume you'll want to create something that displays the type of work that you've done. Select "Brochures" from the list of available templates on the left hand side of the Theme Chooser, then select "Catalog." While this template is set up for those looking to sell their wares it can also serve as a photo-heavy portfolio for those who have a lot of visual images to show off.

Click on the first photos displayed in the Catalog template, then drag your own photo into the box. The photos in the template are just dummy images that are holding a place until you insert your own photos. Repeat this process for all the photos in the catalog. Notice that by clicking on the image an "edit mask" box will appear; by dragging the slider to the left or right you can use this toggle to zoom in or out of the photos.

Click on the boxes of text next to and around the various images of the catalog and enter in information about your own work. Use the text box on the first page to introduce yourself with your name and a short bit of information about your work; use the text boxes on the following pages to go into more detail about the images you're displaying in the portfolio, what type of work they represent, and any other information that may be valuable for your potential clients or employers to know. The last boxes on the Catalog template show prices and other information that may not be relevant for your portfolio; notice that by clicking on any text or image box, you can delete that box. Similarly, you can use Pages' Text Box, Shapes and Charts functions to add in other information that may be pertinent to your portfolio. Simply place your cursor where you want the feature to appear and select the feature from the menu box at the top of the Pages screen.

Select "File," then "Export" and export your new image portfolio as a PDF. This, like the resume, must be in a file format that can be recognized by many types of computers. If you want to email your portfolio and resume, both documents will be easily read by their recipients.