Presenting Your Portfolio - Designing a Digital Portfolio - page 286

Email
If you found the name of a specific person, email is probably the best way to
contact them. Even if their email address isn't on their website (although it probably
is), it's usually pretty easy to figure it out. Look at the email addresses for other site
contacts. Chances are they're all in one of these formats:
[e-mail]

[e-mail] [e-mail]

[e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail]

Try them all, one at a time. The incorrect ones will bounce back to you, and
the contact person will never know that you tried them. The correct version will hit
their inbox.
Be sure to have a subject in the email that describes what you want. Good pos-
sibilities are “informational interview request” or “interested in your studio.” Don't
use subjects like “Hi!” or “want a job.” Besides being
unclear, they are headings that spam software reads as
junk mail. The body of your email should also be clear
and direct. Look at Chapter 8, “Creating Written
Content,” for suggestions on how to compose an
appropriate email cover letter.
If the contact person doesn't reply, don't give
up. Wait a few days, then politely acknowledge that
they might be very busy, and ask if there is someone
else at the firm to whom you might direct your email. You want to strike a balance
between showing your interest and being too persistent.

I interview all of the creatives that
join us. I want to be sure that
they're people who will fit well in
this culture. I've always figured that
if I like everybody who works here,
they will like each other.
—Stan Richards

Including your résumé
When you send email, of course you'll include your résumé with your samples.
You'll also include it on a CD or DVD. But these portfolio forms are most useful when
you have a personal contact or know of a specific hiring opportunity. With an online
digital portfolio, you can choose either to include your résumé or replace it with short
descriptive text and contact information.
Some people deal with the résumé question by creating a download link to
their PDFs. This approach has many benefits. It ensures that your name will find its
way into a paper file and encourages viewers to find out more about you while your
portfolio is still fresh in their minds.
In some situations, it's better to use the bio plus contact approach. Separating
your résumé from your portfolio can be useful for these reasons:

• Confidentiality. When you put your résumé on a static web page, its text
will be searchable. This might seem to be a plus, but remember that few peo-
ple will search on your name. Instead, your site will come up most frequently