When Social Media Just Doesn’t Cut It

Benefits • Personal Development

• Job search skills and tools

• Career Exploration

• Further Training and studies

What should your Portfolio Contain? Letter of Introduction

Your CV

Letters of Recommendation

Samples of your work

Certified copies of your certificates

Your interests, accomplishments and career goals

Your career portfolio is

about you, your uniqueness

and exclusiveness

What is a Career Portfolio? Your career portfolio contains information about who you are, your interests and accomplishments and samples of your work. From this you can compile your CV, Prepare for interviews and “promote” your brand more effectively. Your career portfolio will stay with you for your entire career and you can add to it as you master new skills or gain new accomplishments.

Your portfolio needs to reflect your brand and who you are

Consider the following when deciding on

the format of your portfolio:

• It must reflect your uniqueness

• It must be fun to create

• It must highlight your skills and

achievements

• It must be easy to use

• You must be able to update it regularly

• Website

• Visual Cv

• File

• PowerPoint

• Social Media

• LinkedIn

Portfolio Ideas and Tips

• Create a personal website or blog FREE of charge

• It is online and easy to use

• Don’t run the risk of losing or damaging your portfolio evidence or

information

• Share your portfolio with easily with others

Example

Visit: www.wix.com or www.yola.com

Visit: http://www.visualcv.com/ Visual CV

• Summarized version of your Portfolio.

• Combines your CV and portfolio on one site

• You can add examples of your work, skills and personal

information

• Site allows you to print your visual CV or save it in pdf. Format

• Allows both internet and non-internet users to view your CV

Ring binder or file • Easy to use during an interview

• Easier to select relevant information

• Bit more difficult to share

• Combination of paper-based and on-line media can

be used

• Store documents on your computer so it is easier to

share

• Easily share your portfolio on-line and via e-mail

• Portfolio can also be printed

• Individuals may feel uncomfortable or self-conscious

about making a presentation about them

PowerPoint

Reflect on who you are and gather relevant information to include in your Portfolio. Happens over time. Reflect on your experiences as you take this journey.

It is a lifelong process

Look at what you have done, analyse your results, measure your successes and adjust your conduct in the future

Formal steps for reflection:

Think –What happened?

Outcome of experience?

Analyse

What did you do?

Gather information

Information about

Your knowledge

Your skills

Your interests

Your strengths

Your Personality

Your achievements

Your Experiences

Proof of the information above

Ref

lect

Gather

Reflect and Gather

Your Portfolio:

Has supporting documents for your CV and Cover letter

Consists of examples that demonstrate your skills

Has proof of your achievements and qualifications

Can be used as a marketing tool

Is never complete

Your Portfolio must be unique to whom you are, but still professional, accurate, useful and logical.

Compiling your Portfolio

Job Search • Interviews

• Establish whether you would like to work for the company and do

the work required.

• Provide employer with visual proof of abilities and achievements.

• Select specific, relevant pieces to prepare for the interview

• Have a copy of your portfolio available

• You can compile a “personal brochure”

• Use your career portfolio to compile job and/ or skills specific CV’s

• Direct employers to electronic portfolio if you have one – this will

make you stand out from the crowd

Career Exploration • Career portfolio can be used to determine what career, specialisation or specific position is most suitable

for you

• Review your strengths, skills, personality traits and values

• Use this information along with career assessments and a career counsellor to determine the next step in

your career

• Update your career portfolio with the different options available to you

• Next step is to choose the best option and then set goals

• Use your career portfolio to keep track of your progress and goals

Further Studies and Training

• Certain study programmes require that you

submit a portfolio of evidence as part of

admission requirements or selection

process- use your career portfolio

• Can make you stand out from the crowd and

highlight your suitability

• Only select the relevant sections of your

portfolio to submit

Using your Portfolio

Use the career portfolio checklist to make sure your portfolio is complete Download the dividers to use in your folder