The Art of Archiving
By Olivia Mitchell
09 - 24 - 2025
Remember that semester-long group project you completed last semester with your five classmates? Did you display that on your resume or post about it on your professional platforms? What about the five page research essay you poured your heart into? If you can’t answer any of the following, it may mean you have not mastered the art of archiving. Throughout your college career you will complete countless projects, develop brand new connections, unlock new opportunities, and absorb infinite amounts of information. When beginning to apply for internships, part-time or full-time roles, or higher education, you will need to know how to talk about your experience. By learning how to display your achievements, you’ll slowly curate a portfolio of your academic career to refer back to.
What to Begin Archiving
The key to archiving your college career is to begin saving major milestones early on. Save your final projects you have completed at the end of each semester in a labeled folder. That being said, save the projects you’re proud of. Projects where you were able to exercise a few applicable soft skills such as team building, leadership, and problem solving can show future employers that you can take initiative. Take time at the end of each semester to see which projects you can add to your resume. If you were a project leader for a few, highlight the steps you took to manage the group efficiently and effectively. Or if you were assigned a designated role, describe how you fulfilled that role on your resume with key action words and results. Check out our resume guides here and at Career Services.
Build a Portfolio
For some majors, a portfolio is required as a final project for a course to display all of your past assignments. Establishing an efficient archiving method early on ensures a smooth process for when it is time to create a portfolio, whether if that is a website or slideshow deck. As students at Virginia Commonwealth University, we get full access to Adobe portfolio for free. Not sure on how to start a portfolio or if you need one? Book an appointment with a career counselor on Handshake for advice and valuable feedback.
Types of Portfolios You can Create
- Handshake
- Adobe Portfolio
- Canva Portfolio
- Wix
- Squarespace
- ReadyMag
Highlight Your Accomplishments
Remember the hard work you will do each semester by saving the work you’re most proud of. Luckily, I took two classes this semester to help build my portfolio as a communications student, allowing the opportunity for me to learn how to professionally display my projects and skills. Throughout the interview process for obtaining my internship at the Global Education Office at Virginia Commonwealth University, my boss explicitly told me that she loved the materials in my portfolio and the fact that I was able to show off my personality. When creating a portfolio or professional profile depending on the industry you will be going into in the future, make sure you know yourself as an individual. Think about your hobbies, interests, passions, and how those translate into your current career path and skills.
Throughout the interview process for past internships and job positions, such as becoming the Work+ Content Specialist at Career Services, recruiters were able to see how my past experiences translated into the requirements for the current roles I was applying for. Remember to obtain and display the transferable skills you worked hard to obtain throughout undergrad.