A portfolio link should give the reader relevant evidence without extra searching. Choose a small set of permitted samples and explain the contribution each one demonstrates. A large gallery is not automatically stronger than one clear case study, especially when its ownership, access or relationship to the target role is unclear.
Match the destination to a claim
Start with the experience or skill you want the link to support. A recruiter evaluating research skills needs different evidence from a client assessing implementation work. A generic homepage can be useful as an introduction, but a direct case-study link often reduces the work required to find the relevant example.
Write a short label that explains what is at the destination. ‘Selected case study: support-content redesign’ is more informative than an unexplained URL. The CV should still communicate the essential contribution on its own, because the reviewer may not have time, permission or a suitable device to open every external link.
Explain ownership and project stage
The sample should distinguish what you created from the work of a wider team. A single polished screen may include research, writing, design and engineering by several people. Give your role enough context that the reviewer does not assume the entire artifact is independently authored.
Also identify whether the sample is a delivered service, a prototype, a student assignment or an independent practice project. Each can demonstrate useful skills, but the evidence means different things. A demonstration does not establish customer adoption, secure production operation or a business result unless you have separate evidence for those claims.
Check permission and practical access
Open the destination without your signed-in session. Inspect the page on a narrow screen and confirm that a reviewer can locate the example without requesting access to a private folder. If the work is confidential, use only an approved description or a clearly separate illustrative exercise that does not reveal protected information.
Permission to access material during a job is different from permission to publish it. Removing a logo may not remove identifying or commercially sensitive detail. When you cannot share an artifact, a concise explanation of the method and your responsibility may be more appropriate than an unauthorized screenshot.
Replacing an unstructured gallery
A fictional applicant links to a folder of twenty project files. Several require permission, one contains a client name that should remain private and none explains the applicant’s contribution. The recruiter cannot tell which example relates to the role’s documentation requirement.
The candidate instead links to an approved documentation case study with a short role note, a safe excerpt and an explanation of the task. A second link demonstrates a different required skill. The CV retains a brief account of both contributions, so its meaning does not depend entirely on the external pages being opened.
A checklist for your next step
- Match each link with relevant evidence.
- Label the destination clearly.
- State contribution and project stage.
- Confirm access and sharing permission.
- Keep a record of shared versions.
Common questions
How many portfolio links should I include?
Include enough to add distinct, relevant evidence without making the reader sort a whole archive. Follow any application limit and prefer a few well-explained destinations to a long list of unrelated work.
Can I link to work that is only a concept?
Yes, if it is relevant and explicitly labelled as a concept or prototype. Explain what it demonstrates and what was simulated or unfinished rather than presenting it as a delivered client service.
Further reading
These primary resources provide related background. They do not validate the illustrative example or endorse AliveCV.
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