grafix - 10:57 pm on Jan 25, 2004 (gmt 0)

Due to personal reasons my family and I need to move within the next few months. I know I will be relocating to South-East Virginia in the Norfolk, Hampton-Roads area. From one perspective I'm excited about leaving my current job, but fustrated at having to have to try to find something in another city, let alone state. I'm currently in Ohio, and a friend in Virginia has offered a place to stay while we get settled and look for jobs and somewhere else to stay and that is the only reason why we are considering VA.

My problem is that I've been with the same job for the last 5 years. While I've had a lot of accomplishments at this job, I don't have multiple web sites to show for this. Also the web site that I was the primary designer of has known been taken over by the Marketing Department and I no longer have a lot of control over the look, thus not showing my full capabilities. Also the web site functions off of a CMS that was purchased from an outside contracted company that causes the web site to function little more than just static html with no glitz or glamour that many design firms look for in creative design. Also because of this CMS, everthing is built in a point and click (Word on the web) interface, much like Frontpage, yeah real nice way to create site don't you think?

My question is what I can do to make my portfolio more appealing to a design firm looking to hire?

I found one company that is looking for a designer, and while the company sounds like a fun one to work for, their job ad asks for a resume (no problem) but also 10-20 links to show off the prospects design abilities. I would probably have barely 5 links from other on the side jobs I have done.

What has anyone that has been in a similar spot done to their resume or their portfolio? Have you produced both an online as well as print (printing out various sites) portfolio to take with you on job interviews?

My current job is for a community college, I used to manage, before the CMS, a 1000+ page site with only a part-time person. Making edits, adding new pages, while also maintaining the server, and other webmaster type duties. We also maintained a few other smaller sites that the college owned but wasn't used as much as the main site.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If this isn't an appropriate place, I apologize in advance, moderators please relocate. I'm used to the idea by now ;)