A showcase in the Last Mile directory will give you access to a range of creative projects for which the organisers are actively recruiting people from outside their normal channels. This means that you have a better chance of success before you?ve even started ? these employers already know that you have something special to offer them.

Your showcase should contain textual description and audiovisual information about yourself and your work (pictures, sounds, video, etc.), so that anyone looking at your showcase will get a good impression of who you are and what you can do. If they want to know more about you, they will be able to contact you and you can take the relationship from there.

If you use the courses, help and resources on the Last Mile site to put your showcase together, then you should find that you have a balanced and sensible approach to your chosen career, which will enable you to make the most of all the opportunities that come your way. Remember to be flexible and to think creatively ? you may not find the perfect opportunity to get you where you want to be straight away, but there may be several that could be stepping stones along the way.

Don?t forget to use The Last Mile to network ? there may be other creatives in your area trying to do what you are doing ? it?s always good to get together and swap ideas. Who knows, you may come up with a successful project of your own!

You can showcase:

• Your portfolio ? a series of individual items that together make up an audiovisual description of your work. For example, your web designs, your songs, your jewellery, your writing, illustrations of projects you have worked on, examples of your teaching or workshops you run. You can put these up to show people what you can do, or you can offer these items for sale.
• Description ? a short summary of yourself.
• CV ? upload a Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) version of your CV.
• Testimonials ? if people have said good things about you, put it here.
• Interview ? if you want people to know about you, add an audio, video or text-based interview about you and your work.
• Rate card ? upload a Word (.doc), Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) Microsoft Excel (.xls) version of your rate card.

In addition, you need to think of some keywords, which are words to describe you and what you do, by which people will find you when they search.