The Portfolio

The Purpose of a Portfolio

Sometimes a resume alone is not enough because it cannot tell the whole story of you and your qualifications. This is where the portfolio comes in! A portfolio can help a job seeker or career changer to present his or her talents and accomplishments in a convincing manner- especially during an interview. In a competitive job market, effectively showcasing and providing evidence of skills that relate to a specific job are critical. A portfolio can give you “an edge” over your competition!

• A collection of items that demonstrates your skills, strengths, and accomplishments developed through work, academics, volunteer activities, sports, hobbies, etc.
• Evidence of how you perform/excel on the job or in the classroom
• A reflection of you as a professional person What to Include:
• Evidence of skills, capabilities generated from coursework/fieldwork
• Evidence of independent learning
• Evidence of professional contribution (i.e. membership of committees)
• Be sure to customize your portfolio to the requirements of each specific job for which you are interviewing (change your samples if necessary!)

Samples:

• A copy of your resume
• An official copy of your transcript(s)
• A fact sheet, in list form, that displays your skills and what you like to do
• Samples of items you produced during class or an internship/Co-op
• Certificates, awards and honors, special certifications for special training
• A program from an event you planned or in which you participated as part of a class project or campus organization
• A list of conferences and workshops you have attended and a description of each
• Some samples of your writing that you are proud
• Documentation of technical/computer skills that would be of benefit to the employer
• Letters of commendation or thanks from previous employers, campus organization advisors, or leaders of volunteer projects in which you have been involved
• Newspaper articles that address some achievement
• Internship or Co-op summary report.
• Evidence of professional memberships (PSEA, AMA, etc.)

• Student teaching evaluation materials
• Sample lesson plans
• A videotape of your teaching
• Sample syllabi
• Pictures of bulletin boards you designed
• Teaching tools you have created
• Information about field trips or other events you organized
• Pictures of you working with students
• Statement of teaching philosophy

• Keep in mind that your portfolio displays you to an employer; therefore, it must present you in a professional manner
• Use a professional portfolio or binder and add a supply of plastic page covers to add materials wherever you need
• Other structures, such as CD’s, websites, pamphlets/brochures, may also be included
• You will need to place similar information together
• Note, for those entering business fields, you should have a list of 3-5 references. For education majors, you should have 3 letters of recommendation placed in the same area, not scattered throughout
• You may want to create a table of contents and label the different sections for ease in finding information in the portfolio