Your Career Portfolio Here

Portfolios All About You

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. Often overlooked until the last minute A Work in Progress

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

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

*What are Competencies? Competencies are the measurable or observable knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors (KSABs) critical to successful job performance. 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. *What are Competencies?

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. Competency Types 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.

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

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

Benefits of Having a Portfolio 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. 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 Benefits of Having a Portfolio

What goes into a good portfolio? “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 career 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 Resume Narrative description of experiences you want to highlight; for example: Academic Work & Results Leadership Service Publications Designs Media produced Campaigns Clubs and activities Speeches Conference Participation Recognition and Awards Internship Experiences Letters of Recommendation What goes into a career portfolio? Discussion Point

Online vs. Hard Copy… Or Both? Benefits of an online portfolio Readily accessible from anywhere Links to social media LinkedIn 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 Online vs. Hard Copy… Or Both? Discussion Point Kelly Bast

Benefits of a Hard Copy Portfolio Customize your portfolio for each interview 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 Benefits of a Hard Copy Portfolio

Suggested Online Portfolio Resources WordPress Weebly Wix Portfoliogen DoYouBuzz Webs Carbonmade Suggested Online Portfolio Resources

Traditional Printed/ Hard Copy Portfolios General/comprehensive portfolio – The portfolio that represents the varieties of experiences you have. 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 Traditional Printed/ Hard Copy Portfolios

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. Organizing Your Print Portfolio

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 More on Organization

What should a Portfolio Look Like? 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 multi- platform media Special events Presentations/speeches Related extracurricular activities/hobbies Tricky Portfolio Pieces for Hard Copy Portfolios 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. 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. Where do I Start?

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! A Work in Progress

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