Employment Portfolio
A portfolio documents your skills and abilities. It is a collection of work samples that provides evidence of your achievements. Organize your documents and present them on-line or in a notebook. You can individualize into a specific Interview Portfolio, including only items that are related & relevent to the open position. These can be memorable visual aids in proving your skills & abilities.
When deciding which materials to include consider what you want the employer to know about your skills. Then provide examples of your work that will emphasize marketable traits. Arrange your documents as they relate to the needs of the employer. In today's market this level of effort shows that you are a viable candidate. Organize your portfolio into sections that an employer can easily reference. Be honest about the role you played in each piece you include. Provide samples that indicate you can work as part of a team or independently. Keep your portfolio current. This will allow you to choose the best and most appropriate examples that speak to your highest level of achievement.
Examples of items you may include:
- Table of Contents
- Your resume
- Transcripts
- Certifications
- A list of conferences and workshops attended, plus a short description
- Certificates of awards and honors or special training
- Cooperative Education evaluations
- Employer evaluations
- Letters of commendation/recommendation
- Documentation of relevant technologies and/or skills: including samples from various projects and any web sites you've created, designed, or developed.
Have your portfolio reviewed and critiqued for presentation and content. The key is to ensure that your information and evidence is on-target and that the presentation is impressive.
Note: Web students/alumni might want to create your own website to demonstrate your skills & add your portfolio to it. Or, you might consider using an online CV, like VisualCV!