How to Prepare a Career Portfolio
A career portfolio contains information about your goals, experiences and education. While putting it together, you examine your work philosophy, document your strengths and identify your weaknesses. You will walk into that interview room and answer those difficult, open-ended questions: "What are your goals for the future?" "What do you bring to the table?" "Tell me about yourself." With a portfolio in hand, you provide physical evidence of your skills and achievements and distinguish yourself from the other candidates.
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Instructions
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Enlist the aid of a reliable friend or relative; she can serve as a sounding board and help with the assembly process. Together, you will decide which items to include and which to discard. Portfolios may contain a work philosophy, career goals, a resume and references, skill areas, works in progress, certificates, diplomas, degrees, awards, professional memberships and certifications, and an academic plan of study.
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Think and reflect upon your work philosophy. Write one to four sentences that represent your key beliefs and values. Include three to five goals that focus on the professional achievements you wish to acquire within the next two to three years. Position your work philosophy and goals on the first page of your portfolio.
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Your resume provides an overview for the portfolio and will help you collect and sort your work samples. Update your resume before each interview and include three to five references on a separate page. Provide detailed information about each reference: name, full title, work address, work telephone, fax and email.
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Focus on three to five skill areas such as communication, management and public relations. Create a tab page for each area and select three or four of your best samples for each one. Whenever possible, choose samples that display skills appropriate to the position for which you are applying. Include letters of recommendation that verify your abilities in the different skill areas.
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Use projects, reports, photographs, letters of recommendation, certificates, newspaper articles and any other materials you have created on the job, in school or during community service. Insert that feasibility study you generated in your marketing class, the poster you created for the fundraiser or a picture of your team volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. Take pictures of any three-dimensional samples and insert them in a photograph holder.
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If you do not have many complete projects, create a "Works in Progress" section on a separate page. Include the expected completion date and what skills or competencies it will demonstrate. If your type of work does not facilitate work samples, ask for letters of recommendation from instructors, supervisors and club presidents.
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List any professional memberships. Include the names of the organizations, date you joined, proof of membership, offices held and committees on which you have served. Insert copies of your degrees, diplomas, certificates and awards. If you wish to stress your course work, include an academic plan of study.
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Ask another friend, mentor or former teacher to carefully proofread your work and help test drive the portfolio. He can set up a "mock" interview and ask questions about the different components of the portfolio. Get comfortable handling the binder and talking about each item. Memorize your work philosophy and goals.
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Your portfolio will change as you acquire more work experience. Every six months, sit down and carefully examine each item. Add new skill areas, work samples and employee evaluations as feasible. Gradually remove work samples from internships and school courses. Keep track of all "Works in Progress." Use your portfolio as a marketing tool during job evaluations and promotion reviews.
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Tips & Warnings
Make multiple photocopies of all diplomas, degrees, certificates and awards.
Place all items in sheet protectors or photograph holders.
Inform the interviewer, within the first 15 minutes that you have a portfolio available.
If you are including a table of contents, make the necessary adjustments whenever you add or remove items.
Consider developing an online, web-based portfolio.
Do not place any original documents in your portfolio.
