For most careers, most if not all of your portfolio contents will be standard, letter-sized paper. However, for some fields you may want to include over-size or digital media in your portfolio.  Your portfolio can include anything portable. Larger documents can also be folded to fit in the confines of your binder. If you are in the technology field, you can create a CD of your work to include in your portfolio. Physical portfolios typically look neatest in a 3-ring binder. Get a set of tabs to help organize the sections of your portfolio. You may need other inserts, depending on what you've decided to include.  For example, if you have a career in tech and have included a CD, you can get CD holders that fit in 3-ring binders to easily secure your work. You can find the supplies you need online, at office supply stores, and even at discount stores. Generally, you'll find everything you need anywhere office or school supplies are sold. Your title page should have basic information about you, including your name and contact information. Your table of contents sets out the sections of your portfolio and the types of documents included in each section, for quick reference. You can buy sets of tabs with a built-in table of contents page that coordinates the name of each section to the tab behind which that section falls. Your categories may differ somewhat depending on your skills and career field. Generally, however, the easiest way to organize your portfolio is to think about how a typical job interview would go.  For example, most interviewers start off the interview with a question along the lines of "Tell me a little about yourself." Make this question easy by making "About Me" the first section in your portfolio. Include your résumé, information about hobbies and interests, and personal skills such as languages you speak. You can also include reference letters in this section, or you can create another section for them. You may also have separate sections for education, employment, and leadership or community involvement. Inserts with tabs on the outside allow you to quickly jump to the section you need without having to thumb through the pages. They can also protect the pages in your portfolio from too much damage.  Colored tabs with a table of contents typically don't have anything written on the tab itself. Instead, you'll use the table of contents to navigate through the sections. You may also have tabs with inserts where you would write the title of each section. If you use this type of tab, pick a set where you can type the names of the sections on a computer and feed the inserts through a printer. These sets have instructions for formatting your word processing app to print the tabs correctly. Before you put a document in your portfolio, check it several times to ensure it is free of grammar and spelling errors. You might also have someone else look over it to pick up anything you might have missed. Your portfolio should present your best image. A glaring error on any page of your portfolio sends the wrong message to potential employers, and all your hard work may backfire.

Summary: Look at the types of material you want to include. Buy a 3-ring binder or presentation binder and supplies. Start with a title page and table of contents. Categorize your portfolio contents. Create tabs for each of your different sections. Proofread all portfolio documents carefully.


Standing up taller can make you look five pounds lighter, so why wouldn't you do it? Stand in such a way that your pelvis is relaxed and downward with the belt line slanting forward and your backside angled back and behind (not under) you. Line your rib cage up with your stomach. Roll your shoulders back and let them drop down gently. Center your head over your spine and elongate the back of the neck by imagining a string tied to and gently lifting the crown of your head. There are a lot of ways to put your wardrobe to work for you in the battle against the belly.  By choosing the right fabrics and styles, you can create the illusion of a smaller tummy.  Pick fabrics that skim the body.  These include woven cotton, silk or rayon blends and lightweight wool blends.  Stay away from fabrics that cling such as Lycra and lightweight knits; they tend to emphasize every bulge. Divert the eye.  Look for garments with features that draw the eye away from your mid-section.  For example, tops with detailing around the neckline or a ruffle down the center give the eye something else to focus on rather than your stomach.  Wrap tops and dresses are also good choices as long as they're not made from the kind of clingy fabric you're looking to avoid. Add a belt.  Use a wide belt in a dark color to cinch your waist, separating the hips and bust and creating a waistline. Play around with patterns.  Geometric and floral patterns can be a good way to disguise a bit of a belly, but you'll have to experiment at bit with the size of the pattern; make sure it's scaled to your body size. Put color to work for you.  Yes, black is the most slimming color, but it's not your only choice.  Celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch recommends purple, navy, burgundy, eggplant, charcoal gray and deep emerald for a slim look.  You might also want to go monochromatic and dress head-to-toe in just one color--another way to look long and lean. Shapewear can give you the more fashionable figure that you're looking for.  It comes in  many different styles but a high-waisted bike short might be the best for keeping a tummy (as well as hips and thighs) looking slimmer.  Choose a control level--light, medium or firm--that gives you the look you want without causing you great discomfort or outright pain.
Summary: Improve your posture. Choose belly-flattening fashions. Use shapewear.