Creating a Career Portfolio

What is a Career Portfolio?

A visual way to represent your credentials,

skills and achievements

Port – means portable or transportable

Folio – means packaging your credentials, skills and achievement using a variety of formats (3-ring binders, other covers, electronic, etc.)

Why Create and Use a Portfolio?

Allows you to highlight your skills. Provides the “Big Picture”

Supporting evidence that you are the best candidate for a college or a job!

Provides a sense of direction

Success

When Do You Start Assembling your portfolio?

NOW!!!

What Should Be Included in your portfolio?

Your Cover Should include —

Your name and contact information

Your mission statement – a short comment that gives your goals and abilities and sells you to the reader

Some artwork or picture of yourself – optional

What Should Be Included in your portfolio?

Education Information

Diplomas

Certificates

Relevant course work or training

Ability to use technology

Copy of home page, if you have a website

Academic awards

Special skills and abilities

Special projects you were involved with

What Should Be Included in your portfolio?

Work Experience

Jobs you have held and jobs you currently have

Job descriptions if necessary

Internships or job shadowing experiences

Records of your performance

Special project which you were involved with

Evidence of personal leadership – e.g. community service

What Should Be Included in your portfolio?

Examples of your work — could include multiple pages

Photos

Designs

Sample sales page

Sales brochures you created

Links to or pages from websites

Grants received

Projects you have worked on

Awards you have received

What Should Be Included in your portfolio?

Reference Information

Actual letters from previous employers, teachers, counselors, etc.

Listing of contact information if actual letters are not available

What Should Be Included in your portfolio?

Possible items to include

A table of contents Grant writing samples Military service documents Public mention in the media A copy of your resume

Some Tips

CHECK GRAMMAR AND SPELLING!!!

Appearance is important – neatness counts!

Use page protectors for pages within portfolio

No more than 10 pages

On your resume or cover letter, write “Portfolio Available”

Consider type of binder carefully – 3-ring, plastic, soft plastic binders, etc.

Resources

Preparing a Portfolio http://www.career.fsu.edu/Images/PDFS/Guides/PortfolioPreparation.pdf

How to Create a Career Portfolio http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Career-Portfolio

A Guide to Your Career Portfolio http://www.potsdam.edu/offices/career/prepare/upload/Portfolio-Guide.pdf