How to Ask Permission to Use Shared Work in a Portfolio

To ask permission to use shared work in a portfolio, identify the exact material you want to show, describe who will see it, and ask the person authorized to approve that use. A former colleague can help locate that person. Their involvement in the project does not establish that they can authorize sharing it.

Make the request before uploading or sending the material. Keep approval tied to a particular version and use: permission to show two pages privately to a hiring team does not answer whether you may publish the full project on your website.

Decide what you need permission to show

Start with a short inventory. Use descriptions you can discuss without exposing restricted material; do not attach an internal file to an external email just to ask whether you can share it.

• Identify the artifact: For example, the two-page setup checklist from the customer onboarding project.
• Describe your contribution: You wrote the instructions; a colleague designed the diagrams and the team lead set the process.
• Name the intended audience: One hiring team reviewing an application, or anyone visiting a public portfolio.
• Specify the format: A PDF excerpt, screenshots, a repository, or a case study describing the work.
• Note possible restrictions: Client information, personal data, internal results, unpublished plans, or third-party material.
• Find the approval route: Check the relevant employer policy or project agreement and ask the responsible contact if the route is unclear.

These fields are a preparation checklist, not a way to determine ownership or interpret a contract. If the applicable terms are unclear, get an answer from the responsible organization before using the material.

For a concrete policy example, the University of Toronto's computer science portfolio guidance tells students using projects with instructor-owned starter code to identify what was provided and request instructor permission. That is guidance for that setting, not a policy for every workplace. It illustrates why writing part of a project and having permission to publish the whole thing are separate questions.

Ask a former colleague who can approve the request

If your former teammate is your only contact, ask for the route first. Avoid sending a file they may no longer be permitted to access.

Subject: Approval contact for an onboarding work sample

Hi Sam,

I'm preparing a portfolio example about the setup checklist we worked on at Northstar. Before using any project material, I want to confirm the approval process.

Do you know who currently handles requests to use former project work in a job-search portfolio? I would ask about a specific excerpt and explain the intended audience. I haven't uploaded or sent the material.

Thanks,
Alex

This and the following examples are fictional. Adapt the names and project details to facts you can support. If you are still employed there and your search is confidential, consider whether making this request would disclose it. You can use a separate personal demonstration instead of approaching a current colleague.

Send a request that can receive a specific answer

Once you have the appropriate contact, give them enough detail to approve, narrow, or decline the use. If review requires a copy, use the channel they authorize for that purpose.

Subject: Permission request: two-page onboarding checklist excerpt

Hi Jordan,

Sam directed me to you about portfolio permissions. I'd like to use pages 2 and 3 of the March onboarding checklist, version 4, in my application for a Customer Education Specialist role.

I wrote the setup instructions and troubleshooting steps. Priya created the diagrams; the team lead defined the approval process. I would describe those contributions on the cover page.

My proposed use is a PDF sent only to the hiring team, with no public upload. I propose removing customer examples and internal contact details, subject to your review. I have not shared the excerpt.

Could you confirm whether you can approve this use, or direct me to the required approver? Please let me know which version, attribution, and sharing restrictions would apply. I can provide a review copy through your preferred channel.

If approval isn't possible, I'll use a separate demonstration instead.

Thank you,
Alex

Replace the proposed edits with the actual review needs. Removing a name or adding a password is a proposed handling measure; it does not settle whether the material may be shared. Do not include a client logo, performance figure, or teammate's work on the assumption that it falls outside the request.

For a public portfolio, explicitly name the public destination and ask about public display. Do not reuse the private-review wording while planning to publish a link anyone can open.

What should you do with the reply?

| Reply | Next action | | --- | --- | | The authorized approver clears a named version for the stated audience | Save the approval and use only that version within those limits. | | The contact says it looks fine but their authority is unclear | Ask who can confirm the organization's approval. Keep the sample unshared. | | Approval requires edits or another review | Complete that process before sending the sample. | | Approval covers private review only | Keep it off the public portfolio; confirm any new audience or use separately. | | The request is declined or unanswered | Use another sample. Silence does not establish approval. |

Keep a small record of the artifact version, approver, approved use, conditions, and approval date. If the hiring team later asks for source files or a broader case study, compare that request with the permission you actually received.

Build a separate demonstration when permission is unavailable

Suppose you want to show your ability to explain a setup process. Instead of copying the internal checklist and swapping names, create a new guide for an invented product using fictional inputs. Choose a problem you can describe independently, write fresh instructions, and check that you have not carried over restricted details or assets.

Label it clearly:

Self-directed demonstration: setup guide for a fictional booking tool.
I wrote the instructions and created the example screens. This is new
portfolio work, not a former employer's deliverable or evidence of
measured customer results.

Show the reader what you did: perhaps a confusing step you clarified and how you tested the revised instructions. The guide to describing work without metrics can help you explain that evidence without inventing outcomes.

Once a sample is ready to share, use the work-sample email guide to introduce it and check access. If you are finding relevant opportunities through Personal Reach, review the job-specific draft and include only examples you are cleared to share. Keep the permission record separate so you can check it before sending another version.