Choose samples that help the reviewer assess the work requested in the vacancy. Map each sample to a relevant task, confirm your contribution and sharing permission, and provide enough context to interpret it. A small, deliberate selection is usually more useful than a large archive that makes the reader discover the connection.
Translate the vacancy into evidence questions
Read the application instructions before selecting samples. The employer may specify a format, maximum number or kind of work. Then identify the tasks the role emphasizes: research synthesis, clear writing, operational planning or technical implementation. Turn each into a question a sample could answer, such as how you organize uncertain information or how you explain a decision to a nontechnical audience.
List possible artifacts beside those questions. A sample can be visually impressive yet irrelevant to the role, while a modest document may demonstrate exactly the judgment requested. Do not assume that your newest or largest project must lead. Select for the reader’s assessment task, and note where no existing sample provides suitable evidence rather than forcing an unrelated project into the gap.
Check ownership, context and publication conditions
For each candidate sample, establish what you personally did and what the artifact can support. A team deliverable needs a contribution note. A course exercise needs its educational context. A fictional demonstration needs a label that prevents it being mistaken for client work. If a sample requires confidential background to make sense, consider a permitted alternative or another artifact.
Check whether you may share the sample with this recipient and through the proposed channel. Permission for a private review is different from permission to publish on an open website. Confirm any conditions on redaction, attribution or access duration. Avoid attaching a protected source file merely because a polished public version already exists; the source may contain comments or information that was never approved for release.
Package a selection that can be reviewed quickly
Provide a short introduction for each sample: task, context, your role, status and the reason it is relevant. Point to one or two details the reader should inspect, without telling them what judgment they must reach. A useful note might direct attention to how exceptions are handled or how findings are distinguished from recommendations. This makes the evidence accessible without overstating it.
Balance breadth and repetition. Several samples that demonstrate the same skill may be less useful than two complementary ones. On the other hand, a single coherent project can show related abilities if the requested format allows it. Respect the recipient’s limit and avoid sending extra files as a way of bypassing a stated selection requirement.
Test the actual review route: links, permissions, file opening and readable text. Check that a reviewer without your account can reach the intended material, while private folders remain private. Keep a dated record of the exact selection sent. If a sample later changes substantially, you will then know which version the employer saw and can discuss it accurately.
Fictional example: selecting for an operations vacancy
A fictional candidate has a polished photography site, a volunteer rota and a short process guide. The vacancy emphasizes coordinating handovers and documenting exceptions. The candidate selects the rota and guide because they reveal those tasks, even though the photography site looks more elaborate. Each sample uses invented personal details and has permission for sharing. The rota note explains the candidate’s scheduling role; the guide note identifies the sections they authored.
The application includes two links with a brief explanation of relevance. The candidate directs the reader to the rota’s unresolved-clash column and the guide’s exception route. They omit the photography site because it would add review effort without answering a central evidence question. The selection does not claim that the samples prove readiness for every responsibility; it makes two relevant contributions easy to inspect.
A checklist for your next step
- Translate role tasks into evidence questions.
- Select samples for relevance rather than visual polish.
- Confirm contribution and channel-specific permission.
- Introduce status and one useful inspection point.
- Test access and record the version submitted.
Common questions
Should I send my entire portfolio?
Follow the instructions. When a selection is requested, provide the most relevant samples and a clear route to them. A general portfolio link can be supplementary only when appropriate and within the stated limits.
What if my best sample is confidential?
Use an approved summary or clearly labeled fictional alternative if it genuinely demonstrates the relevant method. Otherwise select different evidence rather than treating the application as permission to disclose protected work.
Further reading
These primary resources provide related background. They do not validate the illustrative example or endorse AliveCV.
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