creating portfolio site: should I include work for current employer?

[martincrumlish]

Hi,

I am just putting the finishing touches to a new portfolio site. I have reached the stage where I am adding content to the site and i was wondering, should I add work I have done for my current employer? if I do add this work (its mainly PHP web development) should I strip any gfx that associates the work with the firm and make it look generic so people can just see how it works?

I want to use this portfolio site to get freelance work so i am not sure what to do. Also, I am going to put a link to my resume/CV....shoudl I have my current employers details in this?

Any advice with this is appreciated.

Thanks,
Martin

[pheck]

if i were you, i'd keep it real. meaning, keep the look/feel of your php work the same, and post it in your portfolio. adding a link on your cv is a good idea. this is all assuming you're not a competitor of your employer in doing freelance work. if you are, then the whole idea is a bad one imo.

[Gooeysoft]

If the work you did for the former employer is online, a simple link should do. Otherwise, check with the former employer before adding company specific data and images.

[pissant]

If you are in USA then you are probably under a work for hire arrangement and thus may not legally be able to have examples of your work in your portfolio without your employers permission.

There are grey areas in this law (moral rights, fair use, etc) but it isn't very employee friendly

[Agent_Coop]

Since you were not a contract employee (though you may be covered by an employment contract), and probably do not have any sort of agreement with your employer to use any materials you've worked on or created for self-promotional purposes, you risk having your employer use it against you in the future if they discover it.

Might sound a bit far-fetched...

For example... in our Proposal Kit contract, http://www.proposalkit.com/info.htm, contracts (as freelance and small design shops) we stipulate that the developer can use every file they create or contribute to for self-promotion.

If you put that in a contract and the client agrees to it, then you'll never have to worry.

What we've found, is that if you ever have to go back and ASK the client for permission, then they start to get really guarded & sketchy about it.

Since you are an active employee, I'd speak in very general terms and just link to the files...DO NOT put examples on your website...you do not own the files (as pointed out by "pissant" below).

The grey area really only matters if media is being distributed in the public domain such as flyers, brchures, etc...

The web, while public, does not mean you can take files from one place (server) and put them up on your own. Regardless if you own them or not... Regardless if you contributed or not...

So, link...link like the wind... it'd be the safest.

[martincrumlish]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I still work for this company but they do not conflict with any freelance interests I have. They are not an internet company at all.

All of the stuff I have created for them is online but there are backend admin areas and stuff which I would like to have in my Portfolio but cant be made accessibl to the public for obvious reasons, also, there are items that are on the company intranet.

Myself and another person are pretty much it regarding web design and development for this company and our work would reach a large audience. The company has revenue of €400million+ per year so its definitely good to have it in my portfolio.

Do you think I should ask my boss or just go ahead and add the items with a link to them and a screenshot? The chances of people in working seeing my site are slim, the only way they might is because the site is martincrumlish.com (not the site thats there at the moment)

[pheck]

in this case, i would definitely ask permission if i were you.