Tips: Creating A Powerful Portfolio

Creating a powerful portfolio

by Romelda C. Ascutia

With competition for jobs reaching unprecedented highs, an effective marketing tool you can wield to outshine your rivals is the portfolio.

What is a portfolio?
A portfolio is an archive of physical evidence that you present during the interview to show that you are qualified for the post you seek.

Who should use one?
Traditionally, portfolios were used mostly in the fields of art, education and journalism. But now, portfolios are also becoming popular in other disciplines, providing skeptical employers real-life proof of one’s accomplishments and capabilities.

What can it do?
Through concrete examples and instances, specific documents and other verifiable paperwork, a portfolio can provide an overview of your achievements, highlight your experience and training, and showcase your skills and abilities.

What should I use in creating my portfolio?
You can use a professional-looking binder with clear sheets. Include a table of contents and tabs or dividers to separate sections of your portfolio. You may also develop an online web-based version.

What should I put inside it?
There are no strict rules about what to include in your portfolio. You may have to vary the contents depending on the specific requirements of the job you’re applying for. Some of the items you may place inside are:

• Resume
• Career goals, objectives or summary
• List of references
• Transcripts, degrees, licenses, certifications
• Letters of reference/commendation
• List of professional organizations joined
• Honors and awards
• Cleared performance appraisals
• List of conferences and workshops attended
• Work and project samples or pictures

How do I use my portfolio?
Timing is important when presenting your portfolio. Bringing it out at the start of the interview may be premature-it could split the employer’s attention between listening to you and reading the portfolio. Saving it for last could be too late-he may be in a hurry to wrap up the interview and simply set your dossier aside.

The best way to go about it? After the interviewer asks you a question, think about your answer and which item in your portfolio relates to it. Answer the question and then say that you have supporting documents in your portfolio. As gracefully as possible, open your portfolio and find the document concerned.

Here are more useful tips:

• To construct effective career portfolios, you need to know yourself thoroughly and what you want to achieve.
• Keep working on and adding to your collection, even after you get a job. You never know when it might come in handy.
• Practice presenting and describing your portfolio with a friend.
• Do not put the original documents in your portfolio since you may have to leave it with the employer.
• Know the contents of your portfolio like you do the back of your hand so you don’t shuffle papers frantically during your presentation.

sources: Jobstreet.com