JOBTALKS Creating Your Career Portfolio Indiana University Kelley

JOBTALKS Creating Your Career Portfolio Indiana University Kelley School of Business C. Randall Powell, Ph. D Contents used in this presentation are adapted from Career Planning Strategies and used with the permission of the author. 1

Building a Career Portfolio How to Present Yourself to Potential Employers How would you present a comprehensive view of all of your credentials and achievements?

What is a Portfolio? o What is your understanding of a portfolio and its purpose? o Who has traditionally created portfolios? o Does anyone have a portfolio? 3

Definition o A portfolio is a documentation and demonstration of your accomplishments representing growth in your skills and understanding of those skills over time. o The portfolio not only documents your results but also how you got there and what you learned in the process. 4

Employers are asking… o “How much will you cost me to train? ” o “Can you keep your personal life in order so that it does not interfere with work? ” 5

Employers are seeking… o Proof of current relevant soft skills o Real work samples 6

Two Broad Categories of Skills o Transferable n across careers, jobs, and industries n organizational n interpersonal n work-style o Work Content n do a specific type of job n immediate contribution n gained through course work and job experience 7

Employers of Professional Talent Want the “Total Package” o Excellent communication skills o Technical proficiency o Leadership o Teamwork o Interpersonal skills and personal traits 8

Portfolio Advantages o Clearly shows your individuality, personality, & skills o Speaks to your skills without your having to say directly “I’m good” o The resume gets you the interview, the portfolio gets you the job 9

Steps for Assessing Your Major Accomplishments 1. What I Did? 2. What I Learned? 3. What’s Next? (We will be using a group activity to reinforce these steps in a minute. ) 10

#1: What I Did? o The first step is documentation of events, activities, and skills that have been accomplished. o It is a collection of your most important accomplishments, both personal and professional. 11

# 1 Artifact o Choose a tangible item to exhibit the accomplishment or skill you have just selected to showcase 12

Activity: What did YOU do? o Think of a skill you wish to highlight and an “artifact” from an activity you have done that could showcase it. OR o Think of something truly significant you have done and what skill that demonstrates. What artifact can you use to showcase that? 13

#2: What I Learned? o The next step is going back and looking at each entry and writing “statements” identifying and explaining the purpose of each piece of evidence so that the entries are meaningful when reviewed by others. o These statements should also contain reflective comments about your learning. 14

What I Learned-Sample o To develop an annual budget of $16, 000 o To keep accurate line-item entry books of income and expenditures o To create and maintain excel spreadsheets of monthly finances o To create annual financial statements 15

Activity: What did YOU learn? o Write a statement of what you gained from the activity that you selected just now. 16

#3: What’s Next? o Review each entry o View as springboard to future learning o Revisit and examine work accomplished o Professional and personal growth o Assimilate information into “skills and achievements” for resume and interview process 17

What’s next-Sample o Add activity and accomplishments to resume o Improve organization of records to facilitate creation of annual report 18

Activity: What is next for YOU? o Write what you will do to use or improve what you have begun in this class activity. 19

Sample Artifacts for a Portfolio o Career & professional o Professional o o o development goals Resumes/Cover letters Your work philosophy Self-assessment records Transcripts Work history Skill areas Works in progress (activities and projects) Work & learning samples Work term reports Certificates, diplomas, degrees, & awards o o o memberships & service Records of community service/volunteer work (brochures, letters of recognition, etc. ) Newspaper clippings featuring you Letters of appreciation Photographs/Media Networking contacts Letters of recommendation/ references 20

Career Portfolio Sections o Management philosophy o Professional goals o Resume o Work samples by skill areas o Works in progress o Community service (transferable skills) o Professional memberships o Degrees, certifications & awards o References 21

Sections: Philosophy and Goals o Mgmt Philosophy-brief description of your beliefs about yourself and the industry (Career Objective Statement) o Career Goals-professional goals for the next 2 -5 years 22

Section: Resume o Your resume provides a brief summary of your education and experiences. 23

Section: Skill Areas o Skill areas-tabbed sections containing information on your skills and experiences relating to specific areas n n n Marketing People Management Technology o Target skills desired by companies you are interviewing n n Job advertisements Job descriptions o Focus on measurable skills n Technical skills n Soft skills 24

Skill areas that employers want from recent graduates. o Analytical o Listening o Communication (Oral & Written) o Multicultural o Computer Skills o Creativity o o Decision Making o o Flexibility o Interpersonal o Leadership o o o Understanding Organizational Problem Solving Research Teamwork Time Management 25

Work Samples o Work sample-physical examples of your work n One for every skill n Projects, reports n Real work samples preferable to school projects o How do I get them? n What are you good at doing? n Rummage through your stuff at home and at work for samples n Plan to secure work samples 26

Propriety on Work Samples o Do I need to get permission to take copies of my work? n n If you signed a confidentiality agreement If you are a contractor or employee o Use the templates of your work o Do NOT share proprietary or personal information o Do share letters, customer comments, class or workshop projects 27

Section: Additional Proof o Works in Progress-brief list of works, activities, projects or efforts that are ongoing. o Letters of Recommendation-support or reference that verify your abilities in a certain skill area 28

Section: Transferable Skills o Sources n Community service n Volunteer organizations n Avocations (intense hobbies) n Intramural activities o Artifacts n Letters of recognition n Photos of projects completed n Programs and brochures 29

Transferable Skills Support… o Soft skills n n n Teamwork Presentation skills Communication skills Attitude Leadership Others 30

Section: Professional Growth o Memberships-member cards, citations, letters o Certifications o Diplomas, Degrees, or Awards-copies of actual recognition received 31

Section: Reference Materials o Academic Plan of Study-list of courses and what you learned in them o Faculty and Employer Biographiesdescriptions of the people whose signatures appear throughout—who are they, what do they do o References-list of people who can verify your character, academic record or employment history 32

Group Activity 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Break into small groups and select an individual to “record” for the group. Pick 3 skills from the list in the next slide. Share experiences with your group, in which you each have developed those 3 skill areas. Identify and lists ways to document that experience in your portfolio. Report out to the group. 33

Skill areas most wanted by employers from recent graduates. o Analytical o Listening o Communication (Oral & Written) o Multicultural o Computer Skills o Creativity o o Decision Making o o Flexibility o Interpersonal o Leadership o o o Understanding Organizational Problem Solving Research Teamwork Time Management 34

Showcase Tips: Paper Portfolio o Include an introduction o o o o and table of contents Organize work samples into skill areas Keep to a consistent format Don't include original documents Don't punch holes in your documents Number sheet protectors, not contents Use quality paper & captions to enhance Create all text on computer o Use a high-quality printer o Don't use too many fonts o Be creative Tailor your portfolio to include only relevant information to the opportunity you are seeking o Observe a maximum length of 10 -15 artifacts o Consider having a copy of your portfolio or important parts of it to leave behind with an employer o 35

When Is It Appropriate to Present Your Portfolio o In an Interview n n To illustrate skills you are asked to describe As concrete proof of your accomplishments as they relate to the opportunity at hand (Generally do not send with your application package unless requested. ) 36

And Also… o In a Job Performance Evaluation n n To remind the employer of your contributions and accomplishments Focus on the time since your last review Include career highlights, works in progress, group/individual achievements Give to supervisor 2 -3 weeks before review 37

Hard Copy vs Electronic HARD COPY o Introduces oneself o Answers questions during interview o Summarizes qualifications ELECTRONIC o To compete for an interview o As additional research for candidates o As follow-up 38

Online Portfolios o Idea 1: Online resumes o Idea 2: Linked resumes o Idea 3: Online portfolio collections 39

Online Resumes 40

Linked resume 41

Close-up view of linked info Period: XX/YY – XX/YY National Agency for Telecommunications (Anatel) Brasília, Brazil Telecommunications Engineer XXX (detailed job assignments) XXX Reason for leaving: resigned for personal reasons. Supervisor Contact: Mr. John Boss, jboss@anatel. gov. br (+55 61) 323 7865 42

Linked Online Resume 43

Resume Link to Created Websites 44

Classic Online Portfolio 45

Purposes of the Portfolio o Self-assessment: who you are and what you want to do o Repository for necessary documents: keeps everything for the career together o Interviewing tool: sell yourself o Performance appraisal tool: show supervisor your work strengths 46

In Summary o Everyone can use a portfolio to manage both their professional or career assets and showcase their potential. o The very act of organizing your portfolio brings clarity to your career direction. o This process requires reflection & analysis. o When you sequence your samples in your portfolio, you begin thinking more broadly about your collection of talents. You think more deeply about who you are. 47

Collect NOW – Sort later o Set up your system n n Calendar Designated collection point o Schedule your self-review times o Sort later o Think Ahead—you are worth it! 48

Evaluation Questions Use: Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know 1. I found the presentation of material easy to understand. 2. This Discussion session increased my knowledge on the subject presented. 3. I will be able to use some of the information from this Discussion session in the future. 4. The presenter was well prepared for this Discussion session. 5. This presentation should be repeated in future semesters. 49

If you would like to learn more, Career Planning Strategies textbook will supply additional information on this topic. 50