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A
portfolio is a personalized collection of
items that illustrates your skills and experiences.
It is a portable, creatively assembled job
search tool. A portfolio may be used as
a tool for organizing yourself in preparation
for your job search, or as a marketing tool
that is exhibited to a prospective employer
during the interview.
Why
are portfolios becoming more popular and
important? In today’s job market, job
seekers in all fields are often asked to
provide examples of their strengths and
qualifications, and to prove they are the
best candidate for the job or the promotion.
A portfolio gives you a system for keeping
and highlighting accomplishments. Consider
it your portable human resources file.
Your
portfolio materials should be organized
and presented in an attractive, professional
format. The information you include may
vary according to your career field. Following
are materials to consider including:
-
Academic
Materials - transcripts, certificates
of attendance at professional workshops
and conferences, class projects, awards,
scholarships, admission test results,
professional examination results, licenses
or certifications.
-
Evaluations
- letters of recommendation, performance
reviews, notes of appreciation, supervisor
or co-worker feedback.
-
Creations
- publications, workshops or materials
you designed, research or scholarly
papers, presentation outlines and materials,
samples or photographs of artistic work,
original computer programs.
- Marketing
Materials - resume, curriculum vitae,
list of references, formal writing sample.
When
compiling your materials for presentation
at an interview, consider the following
suggestions:
- Be
certain that the materials are neat and
error free. Strive for a professional
appearance.
- Organize
the materials in a logical order reflecting
the relevant skills and knowledge pertinent
to the job.
- Create
a Table of Contents, and use headings
and index tabs so that the reader can
easily find information. Avoid numbering
pages as that restricts your ability to
reorder materials.
- Use
copies of materials, retaining originals
in your personal file.
- Use
sheet protectors and a loose-leaf binder
to allow you to move items around easily.
Electronic
portfolios are also becoming more popular.
They use interactive multimedia to increase
the type of materials that can be included
as evidence of learning and skills. Electronic
portfolios may include text, graphics, animation,
sound, and video.
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Resources in the Career Library, 348,
SUB I
- Creating
Your Skills Portfolio, Carrie
Straub, 1997
- The
Perfect Portfolio for Artists ad
Writers, 1991
- Portfolio
Power: The new way to showcase all
your job skills and experience,
1997
Information
on creating a portfolio available
on the Internet:
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