Presented by April Legler, Lecturer of Career Education, KSOB Building a Career Portfolio How to Present Yourself to Potential Employers Presented by April Legler, Lecturer of Career Education, KSOB

What is a Portfolio? What is your understanding of a portfolio and its purpose? Who has traditionally created portfolios? Does anyone have a portfolio?

Definition A portfolio is a documentation and demonstration of your accomplishments representing growth in your skills and understanding of those skills over time. The portfolio not only documents your results but also how you got there and what you learned in the process.

Employers are asking… “How much will you cost me to train?” “Can you keep your personal life in order so that it does not interfere with work?”

Employers are seeking… Proof of current relevant soft skills Real work samples

Two Broad Categories of Skills Transferable across careers, jobs, and industries organizational interpersonal work-style Work Content do a specific type of job immediate contribution gained through course work and job experience

Employers Want the “Total Package” Excellent communication skills Technical proficiency Leadership Teamwork Interpersonal skills and personal traits

Portfolio Advantages Clearly shows your individuality, personality, & skills Speaks to your skills without your having to say directly “I’m good” The resume gets you the interview, the portfolio gets you the job

Steps for Assessing Your Major Accomplishments What I Did? What I Learned? What’s Next? (We will be using a group activity to reinforce these steps in a minute.)

#1: What I Did? The first step is documentation of events, activities, and skills that have been accomplished. It is a collection of your most important accomplishments, both personal and professional.

# 1 Artifact Choose a tangible item to exhibit the accomplishment or skill you have just selected to showcase

Activity: What did YOU do? Think of a skill you wish to highlight and an “artifact” from an activity you have done that could showcase it. OR Think of something truly significant you have done and what skill that demonstrates. What artifact can you use to showcase that?

#2: What I Learned? The next step is going back and looking at each entry and writing “statements” identifying and explaining the purpose of each piece of evidence so that the entries are meaningful when reviewed by others. These statements should also contain reflective comments about your learning.

What I Learned-Sample To develop an annual budget of $6000 To keep accurate line-item entry books of income and expenditures To create and maintain excel spreadsheets of monthly finances To create annual financial statements

Activity: What did YOU learn? Write a statement of what you gained from the activity that you selected just now.

#3: What’s Next? Review each entry View as springboard to future learning Revisit and examine work accomplished Professional and personal growth Assimilate information into “skills and achievements” for resume and interview process

What’s next-Sample Add activity and accomplishments to resume Improve organization of records to facilitate creation of annual report

Activity: What is next for YOU? Write what you will do to use or improve what you have begun in this class activity.

Sample Artifacts for a Portfolio Career & professional development goals Resumes/Cover letters Your work philosophy Self-assessment records Transcripts Work history Skill areas Works in progress (activities and projects) Work & learning samples Work term reports Certificates, diplomas, degrees, & awards Professional memberships & service Records of community service/volunteer work (brochures, letters of recognition, etc.) Newspaper clippings featuring you Letters of appreciation Photographs/Media Networking contacts Letters of recommendation/ references

Career Portfolio Sections Management philosophy Professional goals Resume Work samples by skill areas Works in progress Community service (transferable skills) Professional memberships Degrees, certifications & awards References

Sections: Philosophy and Goals Mgmt Philosophy-brief description of your beliefs about yourself and the industry (Career Objective Statement) Career Goals-professional goals for the next 2-5 years

Section: Resume Your resume provides a brief summary of your education and experiences.

Section: Skill Areas Skill areas-tabbed sections containing information on your skills and experiences relating to specific areas Marketing People Management Technology Target skills desired by companies you are interviewing Job advertisements Job descriptions Focus on measurable skills Technical skills Soft skills

Skill areas that employers want from recent graduates. Analytical Communication (Oral & Written) Computer Skills Creativity Decision Making Flexibility Interpersonal Leadership Listening Multicultural Understanding Organizational Problem Solving Research Teamwork Time Management

Work Samples Work sample-physical examples of your work One for every skill Projects, reports Real work samples preferable to school projects How do I get them? What are you good at doing? Rummage through your stuff at home and at work for samples Plan to secure work samples

Propriety on Work Samples Do I need to get permission to take copies of my work? If you signed a confidentiality agreement If you are a contractor or employee Use the templates of your work Do NOT share proprietary or personal information Do share letters, customer comments, class or workshop projects

Section: Additional Proof Works in Progress-brief list of works, activities, projects or efforts that are on-going. Letters of Recommendation-support or reference that verify your abilities in a certain skill area

Section: Transferable Skills Sources Community service Volunteer organizations Avocations (intense hobbies) Intramural activities Artifacts Letters of recognition Photos of projects completed Programs and brochures

Transferable Skills Support… Soft skills Teamwork Presentation skills Communication skills Attitude Leadership Others

Section: Professional Growth Memberships-member cards, citations, letters Certifications Diplomas, Degrees, or Awards-copies of actual recognition received

Section: Reference Materials Academic Plan of Study-list of courses and what you learned in them Faculty and Employer Biographies-descriptions of the people whose signatures appear throughout—who are they, what do they do References-list of people who can verify your character, academic record or employment history

Group Activity Break into small groups and select an individual to “record” for the group. Pick 3 skills from the list provided. Share experiences with your group, in which you each have developed those 3 skill areas. Identify and lists ways to document that experience in your portfolio. Report out to the group.

Skill areas most wanted by employers from recent graduates. Analytical Communication (Oral & Written) Computer Skills Creativity Decision Making Flexibility Interpersonal Leadership Listening Multicultural Understanding Organizational Problem Solving Research Teamwork Time Management

Showcase Tips: Paper Portfolio Include an introduction and table of contents Organize work samples into skill areas Keep to a consistent format Don't include original documents Don't punch holes in your documents Number sheet protectors, not contents Use quality paper & captions to enhance Create all text on computer Use a high-quality printer Don't use too many fonts Be creative Tailor your portfolio to include only relevant information to the opportunity you are seeking Observe a maximum length of 10-15 artifacts Consider having a copy of your portfolio or important parts of it to leave behind with an employer

When Is It Appropriate to Present Your Portfolio In an Interview To illustrate skills you are asked to describe As concrete proof of your accomplishments as they relate to the opportunity at hand (Generally do not send with your application package unless requested.)

And Also… In a Job Performance Evaluation To remind the employer of your contributions and accomplishments Focus on the time since your last review Include career highlights, works in progress, group/individual achievements Give to supervisor 2-3 weeks before review

Hard Copy vs Electronic Introduces oneself Answers questions during interview Summarizes qualifications ELECTRONIC To compete for an interview As additional research for candidates As follow-up

Online Portfolios Idea 1: Online resumes Idea 2: Linked resumes Idea 3: Online portfolio collections

Online Resumes

Linked resume

Close-up view of linked info Period: XX/YY – XX/YY National Agency for Telecommunications (Anatel) Brasília, Brazil Telecommunications Engineer XXX (detailed job assignments) XXX Reason for leaving: resigned for personal reasons. Supervisor Contact: Mr. John Boss, jboss@anatel.gov.br (+55 61) 323 7865

Linked Online Resume

Resume Link to Created Websites

Resume Link to Brochures

Classic Online Portfolio

Online Portfolio Index

Portfolio link - 1

Portfolio link - 2

Portfolio link - 3

Portfolio link - 4

Portfolio link - 5

Online Portfolio Postings http://www.portfolios.com

Portfolios.com Portfolio Sample

Portfolio link -1

Portfolio link - 2

Online Portfolio Postings http://members.tripod.lycos.com/

Tripod.com Portfolio Sample

Online Examples of Career Portfolios Basic Online Resume: http://www.guidesign.com/tammy/index.htm This format is virtually identical to a paper-based resume format. Note lack of internal links. Web Designer's Portfolio: http://www.carteret.com/mikefahy A linked resume with good example of integrating work samples within a web site. Graphic Designer's Portfolio: http://www.6869.com/resume/index.html A classic online portfolio with clean, simple design and great graphics. Portfolio For Self-Employment: http://careerlifeconsulting.com Check out Joan Richard's on-line portfolio that promotes her company, CareerLife Consulting Services.

Purposes of the Portfolio Self-assessment: who you are and what you want to do Repository for necessary documents: keeps everything for the career together Interviewing tool: sell yourself Performance appraisal tool: show supervisor your work strengths

In Summary Everyone can use a portfolio to manage both their professional or career assets and showcase their potential. The very act of organizing your portfolio brings clarity to your career direction. This process requires reflection & analysis. When you sequence your samples in your portfolio, you begin thinking more broadly about your collection of talents. You think more deeply about who you are.

Collect NOW – Sort later Set up your system Calendar Designated collection point Schedule your self-review times Sort later Think Ahead—you are worth it!

Evaluation Questions Use: Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know 1. I found the presentation of material easy to understand. 2. This Discussion session increased my knowledge on the subject presented. 3. I will be able to use some of the information from this Discussion session in the future. 4. The presenter was well prepared for this Discussion session. 5. This presentation should be repeated in future semesters.