The Design and Use of a Career Portfolio to Promote Student Career Development Jill Lumsden Katie Meyer Robert Reardon James P. Sampson, Jr. Florida State University March 2006

Presentation Outline Portfolio Goals and Potential Outcomes Process for Successful Portfolio Use Employer Evaluations Student Evaluation

Goals of the FSU Career Portfolio Educate students about workforce skills Connect students with opportunities to develop skills Provide students with a mechanism for students to document their skills Market students’ skills to employers or graduate schools

Goals in Finland Help students in Finland make their individual study plan Evaluate progress in: –Achieving competencies –Setting new goals Provide a means for discussing progress in leaning and completing their program of studies Provide data for quality assurance

Goals in Finland Help faculty in Finland to identify their competencies Provides one element for faculty evaluation for new and existing faculty members

Potential Outcomes Developing strategic career planning skills Using career resources and services when needed Identifying and completing experiences for gaining skills Identifying skills and describing related experiences each semester Documenting the evidence of skills obtained

Process for Portfolio Use Identify Experiences for Developing Skills Document Skills with Artifacts Identify Each Skill and Describe the Related Experiences Complete Experiences Develop Profile Develop Resume Obtain References Identify Employers and Positions Repeat to develop additional skills Provide Employer or Graduate School Access to the Portfolio Obtain Employment or Graduate School Admission

Options for Portfolio Use Self-help use Use with brief staff-assisted support provided by faculty, academic advisors, and career counselors –Courses, academic advising, career planning classes, outreach presentations, and career advising Use with individual case-managed services available from career counselors –Career counseling

Factors Contributing to Successful Portfolio Use Early use of the Portfolio Early identification and use of learning experiences for developing skills Regular updating of experiences, skills, artifacts, and resume Seeking assistance when needed

Portfolio Usage Student Users16,048 Female 8,827 Male 7,221 Active Portfolios* 9,430 Inactive Portfolios* 7,918 *includes non-student users

Portfolio Usage by Classification Freshmen 891 Sophomores2,225 Juniors2,855 Seniors7,114 Graduate2,312 Other 651

Portfolio Usage Skills Cited Communication4,042 Leadership1,859 Teamwork1,657 Creativity1,641 Technical/Scientific1,546 Critical Thinking1,121 Social Responsibility1,112 Research/Project Development 979 Life Management 816

Portfolio Usage Artifacts Average Number of Artifacts2.3 Top Five Artifact Types 1.Word Documents 2.PowerPoint Presentations 3.Image 4.Microsoft Works 5.Rich Text Format

Portfolio Usage Access Keys Created 2002* (May – December) *1, (as of June 4, 2004) 910 *incomplete data

Portfolio Evaluation Employer surveys –Interest in portfolios –Usability and effectiveness –Familiarity, access, and effectiveness –Importance of components Student survey –Evaluation

Employer Survey - Interest in Portfolios Date: September 15, 2000 Participants: Employers participating in Expo, Fall 2000 Method: Survey distributed at Expo –Number of Employers Surveyed: 264 –Respondents: 87 –Percentage: 33%

Interest in Portfolios “Would you be interested in an online portfolio system?”

“Would you use an on-line portfolio to screen candidates?” “Would you use an on-line portfolio to supplement a candidate’s interview?” Interest in Portfolios

“Would you prefer a paper portfolio rather than an on-line portfolio?” “Would access to candidates’ self-reported employability skills be useful in screening potential applicants?” Interest in Portfolios

Implications Employers endorsed an on-line portfolio system - a tool providing evidence of a candidate’s skills would be useful in screening and evaluating candidates.

Employer Survey – Usability & Effectiveness Date: December 2001 Participants: Actively Recruiting Employers Method: Electronic Survey Number of Employers Surveyed: 93 –Respondents: 21 –Percentage: 23%

Usability & Effectiveness 100% of employers agreed or strongly agreed the portfolio was easy to use

Usability & Effectiveness 95% strongly agreed or agreed the design was user friendly

Usability & Effectiveness 100% strongly agreed or agreed that the Career Portfolio was well organized

Usability & Effectiveness 98% strongly agreed or agreed the portfolio validated candidates’ skills

Usability & Effectiveness 95% strongly agreed or agreed that the Career Portfolio was beneficial in assessing candidates

Implications Employers endorsed the Career Portfolio as easy to use and effective in assessing and validating candidates’ skills.

Familiarity, Access, & Effectiveness Date: Fall Spring 2004 Participants: –On-Campus Recruiters –Participants at Career Expos Method: Employer Evaluations Respondents

Survey Return Rates OCR OCR Expo Fall 2003 Expo Spring 2003 Eng. Expo Fall 2003 Number Surveyed Number Responded Response Rate 37%34%38%30%31% Overall: 34%

Familiarity, Access, & Effectiveness 42% were familiar

Familiarity, Access, & Effectiveness 27% were given access

Familiarity, Access, & Effectiveness Those 27% rated the Portfolio as Beneficial

Implications Familiarity of the online portfolio is increasing among employers, yet only 1 out of 11 have been provided access by a student. Employers with access rated the effectiveness of the online portfolio as above average.

Employer Survey - Importance of Components Date: January 2004 Participants: Judges of Career Portfolio Contest Method: Employer Survey & Focus Group Respondents: 7 Judges/5 Participants

At what step in the recruitment process would you find this tool most useful? Importance of Components

Please rank the following items in terms of their usefulness in evaluating candidates. (1=Most Useful, 6=Least Useful) Importance of Components

Implications Employers identified the second interview as the most likely stage they would use the online portfolio; the application process was second. The resume was considered the most important component; followed by skills and artifacts.

Online Evaluation Evaluation of Career Portfolio System Participants: Students Required to Complete Career Portfolio Method: Electronic Survey Number of Responses: 96

Student Evaluation

The Career Portfolio Program Allowed Me To: 70% Strongly Agreed or Agreed Find experiences at FSU that will lead to the development of transferable skills. Not ApplicableStrongly Disagree AgreeStrongly Agree

The Career Portfolio Program Allowed Me To: 63% Strongly Agreed or Agreed Find experiences in the community that will lead to the development of skills. Not ApplicableStrongly Disagree AgreeStrongly Agree

The Career Portfolio Program Allowed Me To: 83% Strongly Agreed or Agreed Understand how my academic and professional skills relate to my career goals. Not ApplicableStrongly Disagree AgreeStrongly Agree

The Career Portfolio Program Allowed Me To: 80% Strongly Agreed or Agreed Show evidence of interpersonal skills needed to work with or for others. Not ApplicableStrongly Disagree AgreeStrongly Agree

The Career Portfolio Program Allowed Me To: 85% Strongly Agreed or Agreed Show evidence of skills developed in my academic program. Not ApplicableStrongly Disagree AgreeStrongly Agree

The Career Portfolio Program Allowed Me To: 85% Strongly Agreed or Agreed Show evidence of skills developed through volunteer experiences, part-time employment, internships, and/or a co-op. Not ApplicableStrongly Disagree AgreeStrongly Agree

The Career Portfolio Program Allowed Me To: 81% Strongly Agreed or Agreed Show evidence of skills that can apply to a variety of occupations. Not ApplicableStrongly Disagree AgreeStrongly Agree

The Career Portfolio Program Allowed Me To: 83% Strongly Agreed or Agreed Show evidence of skills necessary to obtain and maintain employment. Not ApplicableStrongly Disagree AgreeStrongly Agree

The Career Portfolio Program Allowed Me To: 85% Strongly Agreed or Agreed Communicate my skills to potential employers. Not ApplicableStrongly Disagree AgreeStrongly Agree

The Career Portfolio Program Allowed Me To: 80% Strongly Agreed or Agreed Prepare me for job searching and interviewing. Not ApplicableStrongly Disagree AgreeStrongly Agree

Implications Students endorsed the Career Portfolio as Easy to use and effective in evaluating and documenting their skills Important in identifying opportunities for developing skills before graduation Important in relating their skills to their career goals Important in communicating their skills to potential employers

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