Well...not necessarily. When first applying, you may end up only e-mailing your resume, or sending a printed copy along with a tape of your demo reel via postal mail. While the demo reel itself may leave some impression, it only lasts for as long as the television is on and the VCR is playing. While it's the best presentation of your work, your demo reel isn't easily accessible media, ready to be viewed at any moment and easy to keep at one's fingertips.
This is where what I call "leave-behinds" come in. This is a term that I picked up in art school, and as the phrase makes obvious, it refers to things other than your resume that can be left behind with potential employers. These can take the form of self-promoting flyers and brochures, or just prints of artwork and stills that can be stapled to your resume. Some prefer to create an interactive compilation of their work, burned to CD with their own custom label applied; while this can look rather cool, it still requires a computer to view, and therefore is just as accessible as your demo reel.
When it comes down to it, old-fashioned paper is still your most tried and true method of visual presentation; it doesn't require any extra equipment to be viewed. So what I'd recommend is composing a set of about three leave-behind sheets, preferably on your own personal letterhead with name, address and phone number: one with stills of your 3D modeling work (if you work in 3D, otherwise scratch this one), one with stills of your 2D or cartoon work, and one with samples of your fine art and sketchwork. Many of these can be samples from your portfolio. Try to arrange them in an aesthetically pleasing way, so that it looks like a well-thought-out visual presentation rather than a third-grade collage.
When printing these, follow the same rules as when printing your portfolio: scan your images at a high resolution, although these will be on a smaller scale, and print them on high-quality paper. I'd recommend glossy photo-quality paper; it gives your leave-behinds a more professional "look". Also, try not to put more than ten images per page; you should be printing these on 8.5" x 11'" paper, and cramming too many images on them could create a cluttered, displeasing look.
So what exactly does this accomplish? Well, when you include your leave-behinds with your resume--whether bound together in a presentation folder or just attached--your leave-behinds will provide a visual reminder of your artistic skills along with your credentials, accessible at the reviewer's fingertps and easily passed around to others, rather than requiring a full presentation. If resumes are being reviewed first to narrow down candidates, your leave-behinds are a good way to encourage potential employers to view your demo reel; a "teaser" of sorts, offering the promise of your animated work. If demo reels were viewed before resumes, however, your leave-behinds will help form a visual memory attaching your credentials to the impressions left behind by your demo-reel, to create a whole picture of you as a candidate rather than two disassociated impressions of reel vs. resume.
Leave-behinds are also a good way to advertise yourself if you're working independently; sometimes you'll have to hit the streets and hoof it to try to recruit potential clients by doing visits and walk-ins. Without an appointment it's unlikely that you'll be visiting with anyone in a position to make decisions, but leaving your resume, business card, and leave-behinds with the receptionist will give you a foot in the door, and the samples of your work could be what gets that potential client to make the decision to contact you.
It may seem like a small thing, but it's all part of the larger package. In the end, what do you have to lose? You'll have made a better impression, and if nothing else, you'll have shown potential employers that you're willing to put in that extra effort to do well. Either way, you'll have marked a few points in your favor.
