Often your job requires you to maintain projects. Meaning, you aren't creating anything new. It may be a job that comes up annually and all you have to do are a few updates and send it on its way.

Basically, it's grunt work. And it's not yours. It's not work just for interns or freelancers, it's often part of our daily duties.

You're always looking for work that's portfolio worthy. You have to. It's how you get jobs. If you want to include this kind of work, it's important that you specify your contribution. Don't try to claim the entire project. For example, I worked on an event that's been going on for years, long before I was attached to the project. Grunt work included changing names and dates on web sites and signage, but not much else. That small contribution is not portfolio worthy. But one year, I created a game for the event that really boost interaction with the audience. That may be worth dropping into the portfolio. So on my resume I would say I worked on this event, but here's what I did.

Sometimes the project is just grunt work. You may not have great samples, but you gain experience – experience that may lead to a better opportunity and the chance to create something from the ground up.

Just be honest about what you do. Once you get caught in that web of lies, there's no getting out of it.



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