Career Services: Creating an Effective Portfolio
CONTENTS:
What is a portfolio?
- The concept of using a portfolio originated in occupations where
creativity is a necessary skill
- A portfolio is a collection of items organized in a notebook,
file, or a similar format
- It is an excellent way to market your qualifications to an employer
for an internship or full time employment following graduation
- It helps document work experience, achievements and skills in
any field.
- An impressive portfolio catches the eye and helps the viewer
form a good impression of you in his or her mind.
Who uses portfolios?
- Employers seeking to hire persons in jobs related to art, advertising,
and journalism often require a portfolio in the hiring process
to demonstrate their work.
- For individuals with computer-related degrees, creating an electronic
portfolio is an opportunity for you to showcase some examples
of relevant technical work you have completed
Why make an electronic
portfolio?
- Electronic portfolios are typically designed as web pages and
are posted to an internet location or burned onto a CD-ROM to
be used as a tool to SUPPLEMENT the hard-copy version of your
portfolio.
- An electronic portfolio demonstrates to employers that you are
technically savvy, and gives employers the opportunity to receive
further information about you either before or after an interview.
- For individuals with computer-related degrees, creating an electronic
portfolio is an opportunity for you to showcase some examples
of relevant technical work you have completed
When to present my portfolio?
- In an interview, you can mention it during the conversation
to demonstrate points you have made to the employer regarding
your experience, skills, or accomplishments that qualify you for
that specific job
Where do I Begin?
The essentials of a good portfolio are:
This may be as far as a potential employer ever gets, so concentrate
on making these basics your best. Arrange them to have the most
positive impact possible
Resume
- Resume should be included
in your portfolio. This is something that many people, especially
employers, will be looking for. Feature your name in bold or make
it stand out in some way. Your address and phone number should
be easy to find.
- It is a It is a good idea to include different formats of your
resume (HTML, Word, RTF).
- Highlight your long-term career goals, your educational level
and institutions attended, your relevant employment experiences,
and other activities.
- GPA may be used to weed out candidates early in a hiring search,
but often in the final decision, GPA does not play a major role.
Transcript
- A potential employer views your transcript as an indication
of your efforts to learn presented material
- If it does not portray a positive image of you, consider leaving
it out of your portfolio
Letter of Recommendation
- Obtain the most impressive letters you can
- Request letters
from people who are able to comment positively on your character,
scholastic ability, extra-curricular activities, and professionalism.
- If you network effectively, obtaining good, honest letters of
recommendation shouldn't be difficult.
- Allow ample time for your references to write quality letters;
do not ask someone to write a letter over the weekend or even
in one week
- Maintain between three and seven letters of recommendation.
Optional Items that can be included
in a portfolio
Community/Club Activities:
- Certificate of participation in a program
- Evaluation written by a supervisor or other individual
- Outline of a plan you designed to lead a program or presentation
- Pictures of members participating in an event you helped to
plan.
- Invitation/Program/Poster designed for a special event.
- Agenda describing items discussed in a committee in which you
were involved.
- Records you maintained (non-confidential) for accuracy
- Special note or feedback for your help with a project
School/Classroom Experiences:
- Example of assignment with special comments from instructor
- Actual item created through a class project
- Report on a topic of special interest
- Outline of a memorable presentation to a class
- Transcripts of grades highlighting those classes you enjoyed
most
- Certificate of completion of class or assignment
- Letter written to individual you were required to contact for
a class assignment
- Summary of a research project you designed
- Positive evaluation received from instructor or supervisor
Academic Recognition:
- Letter or certificate which recognizes you as a scholarship
recipient
- Letter or certificate which designates you as a Dean's List
member
- Graduation program highlighting designation as Valedictorian
or special honors
- Summary of scholarly research project and/or results
- Newspaper article noting recognition of special honors
- Extracurricular Activities
- Special award for participation in an event
- Trophies/ribbons for winning or placing in a competition
- Newspaper clippings of individual or team accomplishments
- Pictures of team or individual participation in an event
- Letter or commendation from coach, advisor or other individuals
associated with athletic achievement.
Work-Related:
- Special recognition from supervisor or customer for work performed
- Employee of the month award
- Clippings from employee newsletter relating to you
Your Portfolio is a dynamic document,
are you ever done?
- Your portfolio must be maintained and updated regularly.
- Think of your portfolio as a "living" document. It
should grow and change as time goes on.
- As you complete new achievements and receive additional honors,
make sure to include copies in your updated portfolio.
Links to some of the Sample Portfolios
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