Portfolio

• 4.1 elements of a good portfolio

• 4.2Preparation of a portfolio
• 4.3Presentation of a portfolio

Portfolio definition:
• From portare (carry) and foglio (sheet of paper). "A purposeful collection of student
work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress and achievements in one or more
areas. The collection must include student participation in selecting contents, the
criteria for selection, the criteria for judging merit and evidence of student self-
reflection." (Paulson, Paulson, Meyer 1991
• ‘ A private collection of evidence which demonstrates the continuing acquisition of
skills,knowledge,understanding and achievement. It is both retrospective and
prospective, as well as reflecting the current
• stage of development and activity of the individual.’ Brown, 1995.
• A career portfolio is an evolving collection of documents showing your professional
development, work history, qualifications and accomplishments. It can be used both as
a self-marketing tool and as a personal reminder of your progress over time.

Career portfolio
• An old job-hunting tool is making a big comeback.
• For years, graphic artists, journalists, teachers, and other creative types have used
career portfolios while job-hunting. But it is only recently that the idea has caught on for
all types of job-seekers.

What is portfolio?
It is a job-hunting tool that you develop that gives employers a complete picture of who you
are ,your experience, your education, your accomplishments, your skill sets and what you have
the potential to become - much more than just a cover letter and resume can provide. You can
use your career portfolio in job interviews to showcase a point, to illustrate the depth of your
skills and experience, or to use as a tool to get a second interview.
• The portfolio has long been used in many professions as a method of recording evidence
of personal and professional skills, knowledge, and competencies.
• In the light of the increasing trend towards providing evidence of lifelong learning,
creating a portfolio is important.

Elements
• Career Summary and Goals: A description of what you stand for (such as work ethic,
organizational interests, management philosophy, etc.) and where you see yourself in
two to five years.
• Professional Philosophy/Mission Statement: A short description of the guiding
principles that drive you and give you purpose.
• Traditional Resume: A summary of your education, achievements, and work experience,
using a chronological or functional format.
 • Skills, Abilities and Marketable Qualities: A detailed examination of your skills and
experience. This section should include the name of the skill area; the performance or
behavior, knowledge, or personal traits that contribute to your success in that skill area;
your background and specific experiences that demonstrate your application of the skill.
•  List of Accomplishments: A detailed listing that highlights the major accomplishments
in your career to date. Accomplishments are one of the most important elements of any
good
• Samples of Your Work: A sampling of your best work, including reports, papers, studies,
brochures, projects, presentations, etc. you can also include CD-ROMs, videos, and
other multimedia formats.
• Research, Publications, Reports: A way to showcase multiple skills, including your
written communications abilities. Include any published papers and conference
proceedings.
• Testimonials and Letters of Recommendations: A collection of any kudos you have
received -– from customers, clients, colleagues, past employers, professors, etc. Some
experts even suggest including copies of favorable employer evaluations and reviews.
• Awards and Honors: A collection of any certificates of awards, honors, and scholarships.
• Conference and Workshops: A list of conferences, seminars, and workshops you've
participated in and/or attended.
• Transcripts, Degrees, Licenses, and Certifications: A description of relevant courses,
degrees, licenses, and certifications.
• Professional Development Activities: A listing of professional associations and
conferences attended -- and any other professional development activities.
• Volunteering/Community Service: A description of any community service activities,
volunteer or pro bono work you have completed,
• You can draw on your career portfolio for performance reviews, or when you are
applying to an internal job posting, requesting a promotion or raise, searching for new
employment or securing consulting contracts. It can also be used as a resource when
preparing or updating your resume. Essentially, it is your career DNA -- a visual,
documented record of the evolution of your career.

Portfolios can be used for a variety of purposes. To:

• market your capabilities in job interviews
• negotiate promotions and raises
• apply for bonuses, scholarships, or grants
• document the quality and quantity of your professional development
• demonstrate prior work or learning experiences for educational credit
• Regardless of purpose, portfolios document skills and accomplishments through
examples of work.
Developing a portfolio helps you prepare for
• Interviews by allowing you to think critically about your life experiences and
accomplishments.
• To highlight specific experiences that led to the development of valuable workplace
skills.
• How well your qualifications match those of the position for which you are applying.
• Identify skills and work samples that best highlight the skills needed for the specific job
you are seeking.
• Targeted portfolios for different types of jobs.

4.1 Preparation of a portfolio

• Your biggest time commitment will be the initial development of your portfolio, but
once you've developed it, keeping it current and up-to-date should be fairly easy. Your
two biggest decisions in developing your portfolio are determining the format of the
portfolio and the organization of the portfolio.
• Most experts agree that the portfolio should be kept in a professional binder . You
should include a table of contents and use some kind of system -– such as tabs or
dividers -– to separate the various parts of the portfolio.
• Besides the traditional portfolio, if you have access to space on the web, you should
also consider developing an online web-based portfolio.

Preparing a portfolio
• put items in loose-leaf binder
• use sheet protectors
• use copies (keep a master copy of all items)
• use index tabs and/or title pages to divide sections
• maintain a manageable size, ideally 5-10 pages
• omit page numbers to make it easier to add and move items around
• use consistent headings and placement of items
• put sections together according to what the employer is looking for (job description)
• proofread to make sure it is error free

Ensure that your portfolio

• looks professional
• reflects your actual skills
• is occupationally focused
• is easy to update
• is easy for the employer to quickly review
• can stand alone without explanation
• supports information presented in your resume
 Presentation
Adopting a presentation format

It is important to choose a presentation format and stick to it throughout the portfolio.

For example:
• Introductory Title Page
• Table of Contents
The table of contents can be organized in two ways:
1. Chronologically: sections are packaged according to job description and dates the
portfolio samples represent (e.g., General Work Performance 1996-1998). This
organizational scheme helps demonstrate increasing improvement and accomplishment
over time in a particular field.
2. Functionally: sections are packaged according to job description only (e.g., Computer
Skills). This organization scheme works when an individual has varied experiences that need
to be pulled together to demonstrate ability in specified areas.

Work/evidence samples
 For each sample, provide a reflection statement in either paragraph or bulleted
format that contains:
a brief description of the sample item and the context in which the item was created
(e.g., “A marketing plan for a nonprofit agency created for Marketing 425”)
 A detailed list of the competencies developed or revealed by the sample (It is this
second part of the reflection statement that makes the portfolio element especially
useful in the interview process).
Electronic portfolios
 Electronic portfolios use interactive multimedia to increase the range and type of
materials that can be included as evidence of learning. They take full advantage of
the advanced capacity of desktop computers to include text, graphics, animation,
sound and video.
 When developing electronic portfolios, remember to update your electronic
portfolio frequently.
 Include only relevant work samples arranged to highlight your best skills
 Keep your portfolio concise, neat, and honest.
 Do not use flashy text, icons, or sound (unless needed) or include work samples that are
difficult to load