Your Career Portfolio Here Portfolios All About You

Your Career Portfolio Here

Portfolios All About You

A Work in Progress A career portfolio is considered a very important tool for any job seeker, whether you are a public relations, advertising, creative media, journalism or speech communication professional. ØOften overlooked until the last minute

A Reflection of You Any portfolio is a creative product, but these guidelines should spark your imagination and help you: ØDevelop a complete and userfriendly final product. ØThink about your portfolio as a collection of artifacts that thoroughly document the work

1. Documents and demonstrates your competency areas* and accomplishments. What is a portfolio? 2. Shows growth in your skills and understanding over time. 3. Documents your results but also how you got there and what you learned in the process.

Competencies are the measurable or observable knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (KSABs) critical to successful job performance. *What are Competencies? Choosing the right competencies allows employers to: Plan how they will organize and develop their workforce. Determine which job classifications best fit their business needs. Develop staff to fill future vacancies.

Competency Types Knowledge Competencies - practical or theoretical understanding of subjects. Skill and Abilities Competencies - natural or learned capacities to perform acts. Behavioral Competencies- patterns of action or conduct. Tip: You can go to the O*NET site and do advance job searches based on competencies. This helps you understand what employers will be looking for.

*Typical competencies that employers Assessing Your Competencies look for in candidates for jobs: teamwork critical thinking leadership personal management social responsibility technical/scientific creativity communication ü Discussion Point

Your Portfolio: Evidence for Employers of Your Competencies 1. Evidence of prior internship and work experience. 2. Specific and relevant pieces. 3. Use in an interview to help tell your story. 4. Mine for cover letter material.

Regardless of how you’ll use the finished product, all portfolios can help you: • Write or update your resume more quickly, since all the relevant information will be in one place. Benefits of Having a Portfolio • Organize information you’ve gathered over the years, such as awards, certificates and records of other accomplishments. • Showcase your achievements, skills and abilities for an interview. • See your career as a collection of skills and talents that you’ve developed, rather than just a list of job titles. -University of Michigan – Career Services Network

“No matter where you are in your education or career, it's not too early to start assembling a portfolio. If you're still in college and don't have a lot of solid work examples to use in the portfolio, you can use your classwork to display your skills and interests. Over time, you'll be able to compile enough to show a body of work that demonstrates where you've been and where you're headed. ” -Nicole Vulcan, Demand Media What goes into a good portfolio?

• Table of Contents • Statement of professional goals, philosophy and competencies you possess. Annotated materials and examples to illustrate or elaborate on your statement of goals, philosophy and the experiences referred to in your narrative description What goes into a career portfolio? • Resume • Narrative description of experiences you want to highlight; for example: • Academic Work & Results üDiscussion Point q. Leadership q. Service q. Publications q. Designs q. Media produced q. Campaigns q. Clubs and activities q. Speeches q. Conference Participation q. Recognition and Awards • Internship Experiences • Letters of Recommendation

Benefits of an online portfolio Readily accessible from anywhere Links to social media ü Discussion Point Linked. In Anyone? Easy to update Great format to showcase social media and blogging skills Easy to place statement of goals, philosophy, competencies and also reflection pieces A photograph is worth a thousand words Showcase for multi-platform media: audio and video Link from resume or cover letter Kelly Bast Online vs. Hard Copy… Or Both?

Customize your portfolio for each interview Benefits of a Hard Copy Portfolio Some interviewers aren’t tech savvy Some interviewers may not have had time to see online portfolio ahead of time Show actual produced print pieces

Word. Press Weebly Suggested Online Portfolio Resources Wix Portfoliogen Do. You. Buzz Webs Carbonmade

General/comprehensive portfolio – The portfolio that represents the varieties of experiences you have. Traditional Printed/ Hard Copy Portfolios Targeted/focused portfolio – This type of portfolio consists of wisely picked samples if you’re applying for a specific job offer. “Give” and “leave” portfolios – This type of portfolio is something that you’re willing to leave after interviews or meetings and never get them back, just like business cards. Note: Depending on your major, you may require a comprehensive hard-copy to turn in as a part of your capstone. -portfoliostart. com

Organizing Your Print Portfolio Include your resume Include a table of contents Include from 10 to 16 samples Include your very best pieces ONLY Diversify the contents If you are showing to finalized projects, show them in real use application by using mock-ups Make it easy to update or customize for specific jobs ALWAYS have a copy to show during an interview.

More on Organization By skill or competency Tailored by the top skills required for a specific position you are applying for Chronologically By item By client/project Best first and last By media type

Traditional Print What should a Portfolio Look Like? More Online Portfolio Examples

Tricky Portfolio Pieces for Hard Copy Portfolios PR/advertising plans Social media Blog posts and multiplatform media Special events Presentations/speeche s Related extracurricular activities/hobbies Adapted from University of Oregon School of Journalism portfolio guidelines

Prepare your resume and draft a cover letter (can you effectively describe examples of what you say you can do on your resume? ) Focus on your competency areas. Where do I Start? Start saving initial assignments such as those specified in this class to the Cloud, Box or a special folder on your computer. Collect and assess what you have available as demonstration pieces. What are your best pieces? What should you write reflections about? . Prepare to do both an online and hard copy portfolio – explore sites and find examples that you can relate to and that fits your personality. Continue to collect and archive your work.

A Work in Progress Periodically update your resume and your portfolio. You will continue to grow and build upon your college experience. Be prepared, as you never know when opportunity will knock!

Career Portfolio Guide, University of Manitoba. http: //umanitoba. ca/faculties/management/progra ms/undergraduate/coop/media/student-careerportfolio-guide. pdf Sources and Resources on Portfolios The Power of an Online Career Portfolio. http: //www. onlinecollege. org/2013/08/05/thepower-of-a-career-portfolio/ Tips for Creating a Digital Portfolio. Washington & Lee University. http: //www. wlu. edu/careerdevelopment/students/professional-onlinepresence/digital-portfolios-and-professionalwebsites/how-to-create-a-digital-portfolio Vulcan, N. How to Make a College Student Career Portfolio. http: //work. chron. com/make-collegestudent-career-portfolio-12837. html