| By Ally Mueller |
While most people know about resumes, cover letters, and potentially even LinkedIn, few people know about career portfolios. What is a career portfolio, you may ask? According to the University of Wisconsin, a career portfolio is “a visual representation of your abilities, skills, capabilities, knowledge, qualities – and it represents your potential.”
A career portfolio is a great way to give employers information that goes beyond a resume and cover letter and directly highlights your accomplishments to employers. Resumes and cover letters are mandatory, and do provide an abundance of information about a candidate, but they fail to completely demonstrate specifics about a candidate that make him/her able to fill a particular position. Having a career portfolio can therefore make you appear more attractive to a potential employer by giving them more information in an organized and visual manner.
What can be included in a career portfolio?
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what to include in your career portfolio. However, most experts agree that you should at least include some of the following (when applicable) in your portfolio:
- your resume
- some of your skills and marketable qualities
- a list of accomplishments
- samples of your work
- research publications
- awards/honors
- a few letters of recommendation
- description of volunteering experiences
- conferences you’ve attended
- transcript records
- a reference list
Additionally, most people recommend that you begin your portfolio with a table of contents, so an employer is easily able to see what is included in the portfolio, and decide what sections of the portfolio particularly appeal to him/her.
Are career portfolios the same for all majors?
Absolutely not! A career portfolio should be applicable to your accomplishments and the type of position that you are pursuing. For example, a business student at UP creates a P4 portfolio that includes a mission statement, description of his/her greatest strengths, an up-to-date resume, informational interview paper, description of site visits, and more. While all of these pieces of the portfolio are generally applicable to multiple majors, the content of these documents will differ drastically between a nursing major and a business major, for example. Moreover, a graphic design or art major will want to include art pieces as samples of his/her work in a portfolio, whereas someone interested in a journalism position will want to include writing samples that best illustrate his/her writing ability. It’s totally up to you to decide how you want to present yourself to an employer.
What is the best way to showcase my career portfolio?
While it may be the most traditional method, you can never go wrong with putting your portfolio in a simple 3-ring binder. However, if you are applying for a more technical/web based position, creating a website with your portfolio components is also an option. If you aren’t interested in either of the two aforementioned options, putting components of your portfolio on LinkedIn is perfectly acceptable. In the end, using a binder, website, or LinkedIn are all great avenues to present your portfolio.
How do I use my career portfolio?
Bring it to an interview! For example, if an employer asks you “How do you work well with other people,” instead of just providing an example, you would be able to direct him/her to a positive performance review or letter of recommendation from someone you worked with in the past. Having definitive written examples leave a much larger mark on an employer than a verbal example. Most of all, though, a career portfolio is a reflection of you, so make sure that you are comfortable with your portfolio, continually update it, and ensure that it is relevant. And even if you don’t use a career portfolio during your interview process, a career portfolio provides an easy and comprehensive reference point when trying to recall your past achievements for resumes and cover letters.
Sources:
For more information on career portfolios, check out these helpful resources from the University of Wisconsin, Quint Careers, and GTCC.