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Publish Your Portfolio and Use It to Win Work

The capstone project for Portfolio Building for Beginners — a free Business course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.

Start the course free Download the project workbook

The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.

What you will submit

A single public link to a live, published portfolio that contains: (1) a short intro line and clear contact details, (2) at least 3 relevant, honestly-labelled pieces (spec, practice or volunteer), (3) one full written case study (Problem, Goal, Process, Result) with before/after or honest proof for your strongest piece, and (4) a copy of one real tailored application or DM you sent that links the portfolio.

What to do, step by step

  1. Choose a free host that fits your field (Notion, Behance, GitHub Pages, Carrd, Google Sites or similar) and publish a live, public portfolio. Set sharing so anyone with the link can open it, and test the link in an incognito window to confirm a stranger can actually view it.
  2. Include at least 3 portfolio pieces relevant to the work you want — built as spec, practice or volunteer projects (Lesson 2). Each piece must show the actual work clearly (clean images, a working demo link, or readable text) and be labelled honestly (e.g. 'concept project', 'volunteer work for X'). Never present spec work as paid client work.
  3. Write one full case study (Lesson 4) for your strongest piece, using the structure Problem, Goal, Process (with the key decisions you made and why), and Result. Include before-and-after visuals or honest proof (a real number, a quote, or a clear before/after) — and never invent statistics.
  4. Add a short, clear intro line at the top of the portfolio saying who you are and what you do, and put your contact details (a professional email plus WhatsApp or LinkedIn). Make sure the whole thing looks clean and works on a phone.
  5. Actually USE your portfolio (Lesson 7): write and send at least one real, tailored application, proposal or cold DM that links your portfolio and points to the most relevant piece. Paste a copy of the exact message you sent (and where you sent it) into your portfolio or submission.
  6. Review the whole thing for honesty and relevance: every piece truthful and clearly your own, Nigerian-real where applicable (real platforms, naira/USD), and aimed at genuine clients or jobs. Then submit the live portfolio link.

Files to work with

Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 6 KB

How it is graded

CriterionWeight
Live, public, well-presented portfolio — opens for a stranger (tested), has a clear intro line and contact details, and works cleanly on a phone20%
At least 3 relevant pieces, each showing the actual work clearly and labelled honestly (spec/practice/volunteer, never faked as paid client work)25%
One full case study using Problem, Goal, Process (with real decisions and why) and Result, written in clear plain English25%
Honest proof of results — before/after visuals, a real number, or a genuine quote, with no fabricated statistics15%
Real use of the portfolio — a tailored application, proposal or DM that links it and points to the most relevant piece, with the actual message included15%

You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.

Before you submit: make your link public

If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to finish Portfolio Building for Beginners before submitting the project?

Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Portfolio Building for Beginners is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.

How is the project graded?

An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.

Can I resubmit if I fail?

Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.

What do I actually submit?

A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.

Is the certificate real?

Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.

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Ready to earn this certificate?

Portfolio Building for Beginners is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.

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