Prepare a Portfolio
A professional employment portfolio could be just the thing that sets you apart from other job or graduate/professional school candidates. The material will show what makes you different from the other applicants for a particular position. A well-prepared portfolio provides "evidence" to the reviewer of your accomplishments, skills, and abilities; it documents the scope and quality of your experience and training. It is an organized collection of documentation that presents both your personal and professional achievements in a concrete way. Portfolios can range in scope from being something as simple as a companion page to your resume, to a notebook or folder full of original materials. It can include a videotape or audiotape of your work or of you at work. A portfolio is designed to do one thing - to support you as you market yourself! It is limited only by your imagination. It is possible for someone in any major to successfully develop and utilize this tool!
WHERE TO START
Begin developing a portfolio by starting with self-assessment. Evaluate what you have to offer and what is the best way to market your assets. If you have trouble getting started, talk with a faculty member or the Career Services Center for ideas.
Decide what skills and experiences you have that relate to the needs of your reviewer or that you would most like for the reviewer to see. Then, take time to think about what you have done that will exhibit those skills in the best possible light.
Keep in mind that your portfolio displays you to a reviewer; therefore it must present you in a professional manner. Don't skimp on your portfolio display system as "the book will be judged by its cover!" Buy the best quality cover that you can afford; you will use this tool for a very long time, not just for entry into graduate/professional school and/or your first professional employment. Acetate or plastic sleeves are a good way to display and protect materials. You want to make the best presentation possible. Use a portfolio large enough to handle most of your work but not so large that it is awkward to carry or display.
Arrange your portfolio in much the same way you would organize your resume, to show in priority order, your information that relates to the needs of your reviewer. A well-organized portfolio indicates that you are a serious candidate. Plan to label and index materials, placing like materials together under a labeled tab, so that you can turn to each section easily in the course of conversation with your interviewer.
Remember, your portfolio will not speak for itself; you must explain it. Explain the purpose of each section as you refer to it. If a section does not elicit a good response during the interview, you can easily skip over other material in that section. Be honest about the role you played in each piece you include; indicating that you were part of a team that completed some activity or piece shows your ability to work with others.
INFORMATION TO INCLUDE
· Table of Contents, tabbed for easy reference. · Your resume - Even though you may have sent one to the reviewer, you may want to have copies with you in case you need them for others who may join in the review process. · An official transcript if not included in your credential file. · A fact sheet - This can also be referred to as a "companion page." It is an expansion of your skills/ experiences from your resume that relate specifically to the reviewer's expectations of skills, experience or qualifications. · State certification or licensure documents. · A list of conferences and workshops attended - Be sure to include a short description of each. · Professional testing results, such as NTE, PPST, FE, GRE subject test results. · Certificates of awards and honors or special training. · Letters of nomination - Include letters nominating you for honors and/or academic organizations or awards. · Professional experience evaluation, such as student teaching, co-op or intern evaluations. · Intern or co-op summary report or student teaching evaluation. · Letters of commendation or thank you's - Include those from previous employers, campus organizations' advisors, or leaders of volunteer projects in which you have been involved that are not included in your credential file. · Newspaper clippings - Include articles and/or photos that address your achievements. · Evidence of senior design or capstone projects. · Documentation of technical and/or computer skills - Include samples created from various software. · Evidence of related or creative experience, such as marketing brochures or presentations, technical drawings, or artistic pieces or photos of artistic pieces. · Writing samples - Include anything and everything of which you are proud; reviewers often are interested in the scope of your capability to communicate in writing. Include brochures, newsletters, newspaper articles, news releases, or magazines in which you are published, poems, short stories, plays or other creative writings. If you are in a technical field, include samples of your technical writing. · Evidence of research - Include technical papers, presentations or research results. If any of the samples are unpublished, remove any remarks from professors. · Evidence of involvement in professional or pre-professional organizations. · Evidence of involvement in campus activities - This might include a program from an event you planned or in which you participated; or it might be a performance or a special activity. Be sure to take only partial credit for group efforts. · Photos with brief captions. · A list of references and complete information about how your credential file may be obtained. If you are seeking a teaching position, you will want to add:
· Sample lesson plans. · A videotape of you teaching your best lesson. · Special projects - i.e. a learning activity packet, learning center or teaching tools you created. · Lesson plans, teaching units or tests you have prepared. · Statement of teaching philosophy. · Pictures of bulletin boards you designed. · Extra-curricular activities - i.e. information/photos of a field trip you arranged or of you advising a student group. · Notes from students, co-operating teachers and/or administrators that comment positively about your work. · Photos of yourself working with students.
PRESENTING YOUR PORTFOLIO TO A REVIEWER
You should mention your portfolio in the reference section of your resume or on your graduate/professional school application as well as in your cover letter. Always bring your portfolio to interviews. When the interviewer begins to ask questions about your resume, you can use your portfolio to support your responses. For example, the interviewer might say, "I see that you have worked at your school newspaper. What were your favorite writing assignments?" You might reply, "My favorite assignments include this article (turn portfolio towards the interviewer and show them the article in the portfolio) that required a lot of research and this creative writing piece (show article) that I wrote for a special edition."
Remember, your portfolio is a means, not an end! Don't make the mistake of relying on the portfolio to sell your skills to an interviewer. A good portfolio can be a big help, but in the end it's you, not the portfolio that will need to prove your ability. Showcase examples as you flip through sections of your portfolio that demonstrate the scope of your ability. Always be willing to remove pieces of particular interest to your reviewer for their closer examination.
During some interviews, you may not have the time to show your portfolio to the reviewer in detail. If possible, carry extra copies of pieces of which you are most proud so that you can offer them to the reviewer or offer to send copies of the materials to the reviewer as a follow-up to the interview. It may be in your best interest to provide a scaled-down version of your portfolio in an inexpensive report cover that you can leave behind. In addition to providing something physical to remind the reviewer that you were there, the portfolio also provides you an occasion for an additional contact in a week or so to arrange for its pickup. A word of caution: never include original materials of which you only have one copy. If you have a series of on-site interviews scheduled throughout the day with several representatives of the same employer, offer to leave your portfolio with the key person while, for instance, you go to lunch with several others who might become your peers.
KEEP YOUR PORTFOLIO CURRENT
You need to continue to update and add information to your portfolio. To help you remember to put things in your portfolio, you should review and evaluate your activities each quarter. Choose the best and most appropriate that speak to your highest level of skill and achievement. Include anything that you think might help you in your job/graduate school search.
HAVE YOUR PORTFOLIO CRITIQUED
Have a faculty member and a staff member at the Career Services Center review and critique your portfolio for presentation and content. Then have it reviewed by a professional working in your career area. This is very important; these professionals know from first-hand and current experience, the expectations of professionals in your career field! Possibly, an alumni might be willing to assist or you may wish to contact an employer with whom you would like to develop and foster a relationship for future reference. The key is to ensure that your information and evidence is on-target and that the presentation is impressive.
AS AN EXAMPLE
On pages 149-150, you will find one alum's resume and companion page. His first priority was to seek employment as a health and physical education teacher but he also wanted to coach soccer. He knew that getting hired as "just a coach" was not likely so he focused on his overall teaching ability within his resume knowing that not all teaching opportunities might even provide any opportunity to coach. He then created a companion page to detail his soccer experience to use with those employers where coaching soccer might also be a viable option.
WHERE TO START
Begin developing a portfolio by starting with self-assessment. Evaluate what you have to offer and what is the best way to market your assets. If you have trouble getting started, talk with a faculty member or the Career Services Center for ideas.
Decide what skills and experiences you have that relate to the needs of your reviewer or that you would most like for the reviewer to see. Then, take time to think about what you have done that will exhibit those skills in the best possible light.
Keep in mind that your portfolio displays you to a reviewer; therefore it must present you in a professional manner. Don't skimp on your portfolio display system as "the book will be judged by its cover!" Buy the best quality cover that you can afford; you will use this tool for a very long time, not just for entry into graduate/professional school and/or your first professional employment. Acetate or plastic sleeves are a good way to display and protect materials. You want to make the best presentation possible. Use a portfolio large enough to handle most of your work but not so large that it is awkward to carry or display.
Arrange your portfolio in much the same way you would organize your resume, to show in priority order, your information that relates to the needs of your reviewer. A well-organized portfolio indicates that you are a serious candidate. Plan to label and index materials, placing like materials together under a labeled tab, so that you can turn to each section easily in the course of conversation with your interviewer.
Remember, your portfolio will not speak for itself; you must explain it. Explain the purpose of each section as you refer to it. If a section does not elicit a good response during the interview, you can easily skip over other material in that section. Be honest about the role you played in each piece you include; indicating that you were part of a team that completed some activity or piece shows your ability to work with others.
INFORMATION TO INCLUDE
· Table of Contents, tabbed for easy reference. · Your resume - Even though you may have sent one to the reviewer, you may want to have copies with you in case you need them for others who may join in the review process. · An official transcript if not included in your credential file. · A fact sheet - This can also be referred to as a "companion page." It is an expansion of your skills/ experiences from your resume that relate specifically to the reviewer's expectations of skills, experience or qualifications. · State certification or licensure documents. · A list of conferences and workshops attended - Be sure to include a short description of each. · Professional testing results, such as NTE, PPST, FE, GRE subject test results. · Certificates of awards and honors or special training. · Letters of nomination - Include letters nominating you for honors and/or academic organizations or awards. · Professional experience evaluation, such as student teaching, co-op or intern evaluations. · Intern or co-op summary report or student teaching evaluation. · Letters of commendation or thank you's - Include those from previous employers, campus organizations' advisors, or leaders of volunteer projects in which you have been involved that are not included in your credential file. · Newspaper clippings - Include articles and/or photos that address your achievements. · Evidence of senior design or capstone projects. · Documentation of technical and/or computer skills - Include samples created from various software. · Evidence of related or creative experience, such as marketing brochures or presentations, technical drawings, or artistic pieces or photos of artistic pieces. · Writing samples - Include anything and everything of which you are proud; reviewers often are interested in the scope of your capability to communicate in writing. Include brochures, newsletters, newspaper articles, news releases, or magazines in which you are published, poems, short stories, plays or other creative writings. If you are in a technical field, include samples of your technical writing. · Evidence of research - Include technical papers, presentations or research results. If any of the samples are unpublished, remove any remarks from professors. · Evidence of involvement in professional or pre-professional organizations. · Evidence of involvement in campus activities - This might include a program from an event you planned or in which you participated; or it might be a performance or a special activity. Be sure to take only partial credit for group efforts. · Photos with brief captions. · A list of references and complete information about how your credential file may be obtained. If you are seeking a teaching position, you will want to add:
· Sample lesson plans. · A videotape of you teaching your best lesson. · Special projects - i.e. a learning activity packet, learning center or teaching tools you created. · Lesson plans, teaching units or tests you have prepared. · Statement of teaching philosophy. · Pictures of bulletin boards you designed. · Extra-curricular activities - i.e. information/photos of a field trip you arranged or of you advising a student group. · Notes from students, co-operating teachers and/or administrators that comment positively about your work. · Photos of yourself working with students.
PRESENTING YOUR PORTFOLIO TO A REVIEWER
You should mention your portfolio in the reference section of your resume or on your graduate/professional school application as well as in your cover letter. Always bring your portfolio to interviews. When the interviewer begins to ask questions about your resume, you can use your portfolio to support your responses. For example, the interviewer might say, "I see that you have worked at your school newspaper. What were your favorite writing assignments?" You might reply, "My favorite assignments include this article (turn portfolio towards the interviewer and show them the article in the portfolio) that required a lot of research and this creative writing piece (show article) that I wrote for a special edition."
Remember, your portfolio is a means, not an end! Don't make the mistake of relying on the portfolio to sell your skills to an interviewer. A good portfolio can be a big help, but in the end it's you, not the portfolio that will need to prove your ability. Showcase examples as you flip through sections of your portfolio that demonstrate the scope of your ability. Always be willing to remove pieces of particular interest to your reviewer for their closer examination.
During some interviews, you may not have the time to show your portfolio to the reviewer in detail. If possible, carry extra copies of pieces of which you are most proud so that you can offer them to the reviewer or offer to send copies of the materials to the reviewer as a follow-up to the interview. It may be in your best interest to provide a scaled-down version of your portfolio in an inexpensive report cover that you can leave behind. In addition to providing something physical to remind the reviewer that you were there, the portfolio also provides you an occasion for an additional contact in a week or so to arrange for its pickup. A word of caution: never include original materials of which you only have one copy. If you have a series of on-site interviews scheduled throughout the day with several representatives of the same employer, offer to leave your portfolio with the key person while, for instance, you go to lunch with several others who might become your peers.
KEEP YOUR PORTFOLIO CURRENT
You need to continue to update and add information to your portfolio. To help you remember to put things in your portfolio, you should review and evaluate your activities each quarter. Choose the best and most appropriate that speak to your highest level of skill and achievement. Include anything that you think might help you in your job/graduate school search.
HAVE YOUR PORTFOLIO CRITIQUED
Have a faculty member and a staff member at the Career Services Center review and critique your portfolio for presentation and content. Then have it reviewed by a professional working in your career area. This is very important; these professionals know from first-hand and current experience, the expectations of professionals in your career field! Possibly, an alumni might be willing to assist or you may wish to contact an employer with whom you would like to develop and foster a relationship for future reference. The key is to ensure that your information and evidence is on-target and that the presentation is impressive.
AS AN EXAMPLE
On pages 149-150, you will find one alum's resume and companion page. His first priority was to seek employment as a health and physical education teacher but he also wanted to coach soccer. He knew that getting hired as "just a coach" was not likely so he focused on his overall teaching ability within his resume knowing that not all teaching opportunities might even provide any opportunity to coach. He then created a companion page to detail his soccer experience to use with those employers where coaching soccer might also be a viable option.
posted by Arjun | 9:45 AM
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