A career portfolio provides prospective employers with a tangible sample of accomplishments acquired across an individual’s employment life. Presenting a well prepared portfolio during an interview enhances a job candidate’s professionalism, and provides evidence of stated achievements.
Education
Educational items included in a career portfolio must support the job seeker’s candidacy for a given position. Include such items as awards, diplomas, transcripts, and internships, to name a few. Be prepared prior to the interview, and have all documents compiled neatly.
Professional Activities
Joining networking groups or professional associations outside of work can compliment employment skills. The individual should focus on including information about the organizations he or she is currently participating in, and any leadership positions held.
Work-Related Activities
Including work-related information in the career portfolio is the most important element. Make sure the resume is well-designed and the references provided are up to date. Job seekers should include copies of any professional licenses and certifications in this section of the portfolio.
Volunteer or Community Activities
Job seekers who regularly volunteer or engage in the community, set themselves apart from a large portion of their job market competition. When offering service to any organization, always ask for a reference. Data to be included in the career portfolio include such items as certificates of participation, photos of community events involved in, and special merits received.
Benefits
There are three main benefits to creating and using a career portfolio. First of all, it allows the individual to assess his or her career goals, and make adjustments as necessary. Secondly, the portfolio is the most effective means to display skills, abilities and aptitudes, in a visual manner. Third, the career portfolio serves as a record of the individual’s personal and professional accomplishments.
Creating an On-Line Career Portfolio
All of the information to be included in a traditional career portfolio can be uploaded to your personal domain, and made in to an on-line portfolio. To get this process started, choose whether or not the task will be handled by a professional, or whether to take the “do-it-yourself” approach. The next step is to purchase a domain name, and find a reputable hosting service. Finally, it’s time to upload all of your documents, pictures, and information, to be fully accessible by prospective employers and any other colleagues you choose to give access to.
Christina Archer is the owner of I-CareerSearch, helping candidates land their next job faster and more efficiently. An entrepreneur and author of the new book, Landing Your Dream Job In Any Economy, currently available at http://www.publishamerica.net/product88364.html Christina has provided a roadmap to enable job seekers to differentiate themselves from their competition within the job market.
Offering free resume evaluations, I-Careersearch offers a host of free and paid services to job seekers. Premium members receive full job search management services, to save them both time and money. For details, go to http://www.I-CareerSearch.com or contact Chrisina directly, at christina@i-careersearch.com.
