Portfolio question

I handle this in two ways:

It's OK to let people know that I worked with Foo Company preparing research reports for new product development. In the resume, I tell what the general topic of the report was and then state "Corporate confidential". I'm careful to not let the resume info give away more info about the research than one might find in the industry gossip ... I never give enough info to identify a product unless it's been formally announced.

Ask the employer if I can show the reports if the proprietary sections are obfuscated (replace all indentifying and quantitative data with XXXX or fake names), and if thge answer is yes, I obfuscate one version and save it as a PDF, being careful to strip all metadata that might give away info.

You can also address this issue by asking the client to write a testimonial about your work when the "clip" is proprietary. If you can't show the actual writing sample, a great reference is the next best thing!

All good suggestions above, and hopefully here's one more:

If you are talking about an in-person meeting, there may be some cases where you can bring the document to an interview and let the potential client/employer see it, but not keep a copy. The doc doesn't leave your sight. Sometimes people just want to see what you've worked on, hold it in their hands and flip through it, but they don't feel the need to read every word. They don't even want to. They just want proof that you've done something, and it's perfectly acceptable to black out the most confidential information.

Edited to Add: I do think it's a good idea to demonstrate your carefulness about showing work that you did elsewhere. It will give the potential client some assurance that you will also treat their company information with the same level of respect and confidentiality.

Portfolio

I wrote some articles several years ago (wel 30 yeas ago) or a mountaineering magazine and then about 20 ears ago for an investment magazine. When I contacted them, they had e-versions from micofishe and sent them to me. I have also maintained an extensive electronic portfolio whereby I can easily print out any scanned copy of printed article if n editor or publishers ass or it. I tried to save tear sheets, but living n the Pacific Northwest, no mater what I did, the moisture always won and they lasted maybe ten years. I find the portfolio useful when I am trying to score some business or technical writing.