Promoting Your Professional Achievements

PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIOS:

By Anna Graf Williams, PhD & Diana Adele Wyatt, PhD

©2011 LEARNOVATION™, LLC

WHAT IS A CAREER PORTFOLIO?

Professional Proof

Snapshot of skills, abilities, knowledge

Organized glimpse into your professional direction, goals, memberships and references

A composite of your style, leadership and professionalism

It should answer a very simple question…

Who are you professionally?!?!

PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW- “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?”

Quantify work & skills

More money (motivates)

Starting Salary

Sign on Bonuses

Better opportunities if you can prove your skills

Increase in pay or promotions at review

Proving your value once you have the job

Improved self concept and self confidence©2010 LEARNOVATION™, LLC 3

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A CAREER PORTFOLIO?

Management Philosophy

Professional Bio (optional)

Professional Goals

Résumé

Work Samples by key areas

Works in Progress

Community Service (Transferable Skills)

Professional Memberships

Degrees, Certifications & Awards

References

©2010 LEARNOVATION™, LLC4

©2011 LEARNOVATION™, LLC

TYPES OF PORTFOLIOS

Purpose: Professional Career Portfolio–

(Placement/Promotion)

Performance Career Portfolio

Experiential/Prior Learning Portfolio (Working to Secure Academic Credit)

Formats•ePortfolio•Collateral•eRésumé

©2011 LEARNOVATION™, LLC

FORMATS FOR CAREER PORTFOLIOS

Collateral—hard copy

EPortfolios

eRésumé with Links

Why you need to prepare all three…

•In person

•Set the Stage

•Large Screening

©2011 LEARNOVATION™, LLC

RÉSUMÉ GETS YOU THE INTERVIEW THE PORTFOLIO GETS

YOU THE JOB!

Portfolio(hard copy)

ePortfolio(electronic portfolio)

eRésumé (w/links to work samples)

Used to document skills; certifications; professional memberships; answer questions during interview; summarize skills and abilities

Used to prescreen; pass around for review

Used to screen candidates and prescreen skills and qualifications. Easier to format to major job search engines.

Great prompt for dialogue in face to face discussions; Clean documentation for measuring against standards and review criteria.

Reviewer is launched to a secure site. Links are communicated—samples are not directly released. More secure for all parties involved.

Electronic résumé have a 90% pass-around factor in organizations when they pass the initial screening. (pdf and doc formats are the most popular formats)

Keywords, skill harvesting formats; adjusting to the position one is applying for

Keywords; skill sets; features and focus

Keywords; skill harvesting formats; adjusting to the position one is applying for, fuzzy search

“How much you cost to train” Negotiating tool.

The future employer wants a virus free format. Formats which get past the firewalls and are in standard formats such as Microsoft office; pdfs, html—secure links work best.

Enriched eportfolio—in abbreviated format—used to assist in job screening. “How much you cost to train”7

Fun Facts Plan to scan all

work samples for portfolio (for hard copy or electronic)

Portfolios get you more than the job, they get you the course credit, soft benefits and money!

©2011 LEARNOVATION™, LLC

WORK SAMPLES

Where do I collect work samples from?

Reverse engineer from the description of your job

Use prototypes when originals have confidential info

Do I need permission to include samples from my employer?

Sometimes—depends on the details of your employment

Soft Skills require 3rd party collaboration/documentation.

Who said you could do that—need detailed proof

©2011 LEARNOVATION™, LLC

MORE ON WORK SAMPLES

Check your calendar for samples of reports or summaries; conferences attended; seminars given

Use programs guides; copies of original publications; photos of you receiving an award.

Include community service action shots with letters (photos; newspaper articles)

Request letters of documentation that explain hours, dates of service, skills, description of activity, type of team or event—individual, cooperative, groups, etc.

Samples of learning moments, training materials, curriculum.

Types of :o Executive

summarieso Photoso Prototypeso Certificateso Membership

so Materials

Developedo Letters of

Thankso Letters

documenting soft skills

o Works in progress

MANAGING MY WORLD ELECTRONICALLY

Electronic ( résumé & Portfolio)

Send a link

Scan at 72 dpi (small resolution)

Use accurate descriptions in file name

Watch for straight and clean on scanner

Check margins—all items are present and clear

Collateral or Hard Copy

Never take your original

Never print from a 72 dpi copy—grainy, blurry, etc

Scan everything for print at least 200dpi –300 for solid quality archive print

Save in two places, external drive and back up system

Have a couple ideas in advance for naming conventions…

Description of sample by title, skill, event,

Consider use of your last name and date “Aug-2010”

Source file and pdf. Often times you need to be sure to have ”original” and formatted file.

File

Management

©2011 LEARNOVATION™, LLC

NOW THAT I AM USING THE PROFESSIONAL CAREER

PORTFOLIO…WHAT ABOUT MY STUDENTS?

The better one knows his or her own skills and abilities the better one can respond to the employer

Especially first generation to college—are not likely to be familiar with self promotion and this type of career self management

It is a lifelong strategy, being able to give employers your talent in measurable terms that plug easily into the O*NET measure and other demographic reporting tools as well as the skill harvesting need for the job/position is how we create win/win for ourselves and the employers

©2011 LEARNOVATION™, LLC

THE PROFESSIONAL CAREER PORTFOLIO

Questions? How to’s? Final Thoughts?