What is a career portfolio?
- A career portfolio is a collection of documents used to help individuals market their skills and experiences to potential employers. It is used to give proof to the strengths and abilities that the employer is looking for in potential candidates, and it is typically used during a job interview.
- A portfolio is both a product and a process because it helps employers assess your suitability for a particular job, and it can continue being developed to highlight your most recent achievements.
When is a Portfolio used? And what is it used for?
- During a job interview to highlight professional skills
- When applying to graduate schools or professional programs
- To track professional development and career growth
- During performance evaluations to provide evidence of your work
Why develop a career portfolio?
- Assists you in presenting your skills which gives you an advantage over other job seekers
- It increases your credibility – by providing documentation that backs up your resume
- Draws parallels from what you have done to what will be desired on the job
Who should have one?
Portfolio Myth: Only very experienced, senior
job-seekers should have a career portfolio.
Portfolio Fact: In the
interview, your job is to support the information that is on your resume (the
reason you got an interview in the first place!) Therefore every job seeker has the ability to develop and use their career
portfolio in an interview.
A well-prepared Portfolio should:
- Showcase your achievements
- Document the scope and quality of your experience
- Show your skills and abilities
What do I include in my Portfolio?
There
are many sections that you can choose to include in your portfolio. Remember
that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to develop your portfolio – a portfolio
is meant to showcase your achievements,
so highlight skills and experiences that you think are most applicable to the
job you are applying for.
Sections to Consider for your
Portfolio:
- Education
- Experience
- Community Involvement
- Professional Development
- Characteristics/Attributes/Skills
- Extra-Curricular Activities
What to Include: Education Section
Post-Secondary
education teaches you the theories, methods, and practical skills required for
a particular field or industry. By including academic documents, you can
demonstrate to potential employers that you have participated in developmental
exercises and have received recognition for it.[1] You
may choose to include the following in your education section:
- Academic certificates, diplomas, degrees, and awards
- Transcripts
- Lab reports or term papers
- Syllabi or course descriptions
- Licenses
- On the job training or company training courses
- Workshops or seminars
For Grad Students
The
education section is important for students who wish to either apply to
graduate school or who want to get into research positions. By targeting your
portfolio to specific schools or programs (by including applicable assignments,
transcripts, letters of recommendation from professors or TAs, etc.), you will
demonstrate to the hiring committee that you have the necessary experience - along
with documents to give evidence to your success. (Should we include anything
else here? I thought it would be an important section)
What to
Include: Experience
What
kind of experiential documents should you be including in your portfolio? According
to The Career Portfolio Workbook, employers rank personal characteristics as
one of the most important features when hiring new applicants. This means that
along with your transcripts and other academic documents, you should consider
including letters of recommendation or commendations you have received outside
of school. Your portfolio allows you to give evidence of your initiative so it
may be a good idea to include all or part of the following sections:
Personal Characteristics. An example of this document
would be something that indicates a desired trait, such as a perfect attendance
record or award.
Experiences. This section
can highlight some of the experiences that may be relevant to the position that
you are applying to. An example of this may be a marketing plan that
demonstrates your extensive experience for a marketing position.
Accomplishments. You can include documents that highlight your
ability to do outstanding work in this section. Examples include awards that
you may have received along with a brief summary of the award, or a picture of
you receiving the award.
Knowledge. It may be a
good idea to include a document that demonstrates useful knowledge that would
help you excel in the job that you’re being interviewed for. Include documents
that would help you stand out from the competition.
Skills. This section
includes documents that highlight what you can do rather than what you know.
Examples include language certificates, computer skills, etc.
Your Skills
Knowing
and understanding your skills is an important part of deciding the organization
and content of your career portfolio. Completing a skills assessment can be a useful
way to focus and select your main skills to include in your portfolio. You can
begin a self-assessment on the Career Services website and clicking on Students and Alumni, Careers for
Me, and Self Assessments.
In
today’s competitive job market employers are interested in seeing proof of your
skills. Documents that can be used include performance evaluations that
highlight your skills and accomplishments, self-assessments or interest
summaries, or your Experience Plus transcript.
Experience
Plus
Experience
Plus is a variety of skill development programs that provides students with an
opportunity to showcase all extra-curricular achievements on an official Brock
University transcript. You can use your own Experience Plus Transcript to
highlight on-campus jobs, volunteer positions, internships, workshops, awards,
certificates, professional development opportunities, and skills. Login to your
Brock portal to order your own Experience Plus Transcript. , or stop by Career
Services to ask any questions.
Three
Categories of Skills
1. Self-Management Skills
- These can be called “personal qualities”
- These can be subjective (based on your personal feelings or opinions)
- Examples: Hardworking, loyal, caring, patient, tactful
2. Transferable Skills
- The majority of our skills are transferable skills
- These are skills that are developed in one setting (or job) that are transferable to another setting (or job)
- Are best described by using action verbs
- Examples: Planning, researching, coordinating, communicating
3. Content Skills
- Content skills refer to a specific subject matter that may require specific technical or procedural knowledge
Tips for Developing Your Portfolio
- Have a clear focus
- Ensure that it is attractive and that the visual presentation reflects your professional standards
- Design each section so it is easy to scan (using sufficient white space, consistent font, style and spacing)
- Sequence the contents (in order of importance to your audience)
- Ensure it is grammatically correct and error free
- Use clear sheet protectors to protect the quality of your documents
- Remove materials as they lose their relevance and replace with more current materials
- Remember to keep a backup copy (in case anything is misplaced)
Choosing a
Format
- It is important to choose a format that best reflects your skills and experiences. The three main formats to choose from are:
1. Chronological
2. Functional
3. Thematic
A
portfolio that utilizes the chronological
format will display information in reverse chronological order. This type of
portfolio demonstrates ongoing growth and development of skills and
accomplishments over time. Sections in this kind of format usually include Work
Experience, Education, Awards and Certificates, Special Skills, and Accomplishments.
A
functional portfolio organizes
information into categories or skill sets. This allows you to highlight
accomplishments in specific areas. This format is a good choice for those who
have extensive experience in a particular area. Sections in a functional
portfolio typically include Research, Organization and Planning, Communication,
Problem Solving, Leadership and Teamwork.
If
your intent is to display information based on abstract themes or showing how a
project has developed from start to finish, then a thematic format may be best. When creating a thematic portfolio, it
may be a good idea to subdivide larger topics into subsections in order to
reflect the progression of the project. Sections in a thematic portfolio
include Workshop Design, Program Planning, Mentorship, Entrepreneurship, and
Event Planning.
Bring your Portfolio into the Career Services Resource Centre for a review any time Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm! You can also complete our Portfolio Development workshop online to help further enhance your skills!
Career portfolios have long been popular in
the education and advertising fields, but they are also now becoming more and
more significant to job searchers who aim to be marketable in the job market.
In comparison to a resume where your relevant work experience is briefly
summarized, your career portfolio contains all the necessary documentation in
relation to your qualifications, experience, and achievements. In short, a
career portfolio can be compared to a unique business card that lets potential
employers how your work experience, skills, and education can benefit their
companies or organization.
If you don’t have a career portfolio yet,
here are some tips to help you create an effective one:
Letter
of Introduction
The letter of introduction is a very
important element of your portfolio
because this is where potential employers can get an idea or first
impression of you as well as what you can do for them. What you should do on
this part is to give a brief outline of your relevant skills, reasons you are
applying for the job, your career plans or goals, and good reasons they should
hire you. Keep the tone personal yet informative. Be sure also to emphasize
your best achievements.
Biographical
Information
Your resume should be in the first section
of your portfolio. By including your resume, employers will have an easier
access to the basic information about you, like your employment dates and
contact information. Don’t forget to include at least six references as well,
which may include your former employers, teachers, and even coaches.
Work
Samples
The main section of your portfolio will be
the second part where you should have a one-page letter that summarizes all the
huge projects you’ve handled and whatever accomplishments you’ve had in your
career. It is essential that you show how your abilities and skills will be
relevant to the job you are applying for.
Latest
Accomplishments
In the final section of your career
portfolio, make sure that it reflects how you and your work are valued by other
people. You should include in the last section of your portfolio all the
letters of praise you received from the various organizations you have
volunteered or worked for. Do not hesitate to include also your awards or
honors you have received. If possible, you would also want a former professor
of yours to write a letter about you. Take note, however, that whoever this
person is, he or she should not belong to your references who may be contacted
by employers.
Presentation
After you have prepared your supporting
documents, you can now think about how you should present them. There should be
a table of contents, captions, and tabs that will make it easier for
interviewers to find specific information or materials in your portfolio.
Finally, you would want to include an essay that will outline the main purpose
or objective of your portfolio. Also mention how the materials to be found
inside actually relate to your career goals and career pathways.
Jami Coughler, Senior Career Assistant
4th Year Public Health [Honours] '14
BA: Sociology, Criminology Concentration [Honours] '11
[1] The Career Portfolio Workbook, Frank
Satterthwaite and Gary D’Orsi (2003)
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