Career Portfolio – Essential Ingredient

Journal of College Teaching & Learning – July/August 2009 Volume 6, Number 4

The Career Portfolio:

A Practical Job Search Tool

Denise Woodbury, Southern Utah University, USA

Lon Addams, Weber State University, USA

William Neal, Brigham Young University – Hawaii, USA

ABSTRACT

While resumes and interviews are a part of the typical process of obtaining a job, they are not the

only tools that can be used. A career portfolio is a more complete tool. In the portfolio, the applicant

includes a resume but adds evidence of abilities, knowledge, skills, and potential. These documents

build credibility. A student who is graduating and seeking an entry-level position would likely include

documents produced during academic coursework. Across a career, such documents would be

replaced with projects completed on the job and with the permission of the employer. It can assist the

individual demonstrate qualifications in a performance evaluation or for promotion. Thus, the career

portfolio can be useful in obtaining an internship or entry-level position and throughout a career’s

progression.

Keywords: Career portfolio, performance appraisal, evidence of skills, evidence of abilities, electronic portfolio, work

experience, marketing self, job search tool, interview preparation, credible documents, professional portfolio

INTRODUCTION

usiness communication courses are ideal for teaching practical job search tools. We typically teach

college students how to write a resume and a cover letter. To assist upcoming graduates in their job search

skills, some instructors do even more by providing tips for interviews and requiring mock interview

practice. Is this the total package? Various professionals involved in job search research think otherwise.

In the business curricula, students are taught to communicate and to market goods and services. However,

researchers believe business educators are less diligent in teaching students to market themselves. The job search

research team of McCorkle, Alexander, Reardon & Kling (2003) stressed that marketing educators have the responsibility

to teach students self-marketing/job search skill development; otherwise, good students accept bad jobs, which reflects

not only on the students but also on colleges and universities providing business education. Campbell (2002 and 2006),

McPherson (1998), and Powell & Jankovich (1998) also suggest that students need to be more engaged in marketing their

own skills, knowledge, and abilities.

Educators in all business majors can help students market themselves by teaching their students how to build a

career portfolio—with documents produced in their classes. For example, a finance instructor could require portfolio

inserts, such as a survivor portfolio, investment portfolio, and a ratio analysis. Thus, the students would retain various

class projects as a demonstration of skills and abilities. They might also incorporate the instructor‘s feedback and include

a clean copy in the portfolio.

Recently, the Occupational Outlook Quarterly (2006) describes how employers are better able to determine

the competency of a job seeker when provided with a collection of materials such as a resume, transcripts, letters of

recommendation, and work samples. Earlier, Powell and Jankovich pointed out that the portfolio enhances the student‘s

ability to pass the initial interview screening process.

Journal of College Teaching & Learning – July/August 2009 Volume 6, Number 4

Moody, Stewart, and Bolt-Lee (2002) found that the portfolio demonstrates students‘ written communication

skills, technological ability, and creativity. In a survey to representative employers (provided by the National Association

of Colleges and Employers), these researchers found that 71 percent of respondents agreed that portfolios were

moderately-to-extremely helpful in showcasing students‘ abilities. However, the respondents stressed that portfolios must

be presented in an efficient, concise manner. Recruiters were interested in seeing portfolios that provided concrete

examples of student achievements.

Business educators can help students self-market by creating a career portfolio, which will better prepare a

business student for a successful job search and career.

Specifically, this article answers questions that arise when students prepare a career portfolio. In the remainder

of this article, we answer these typical student questions by demonstrating a possible dialogue between a faculty member

and a student.

WHAT IS A CAREER PORTFOLIO?

Generally, your career portfolio is a visual representation of your abilities, knowledge, and potential. The word

―portfolio‖ is derived from the Latin words ―portare‖ which means ‗to carry‘ and the word ―folium‖, which means

‗document‘ or ‗artifact.‘ The portfolio is a collection of documents that represent events in your life–evidence of your

potential through documented accomplishments. These documents build credibility. Some recruiters refer to the

portfolio as a ―professional portfolio.‖

In an article on portfolio development, Heath (2005) describes the professional portfolio as an organized

collection of self-selected artifacts and self-generated reflections, developed for a specific purpose and audience, which

demonstrate the writer‘s professional knowledge, skills, dispositions, and growth over time.

Creating a career portfolio generates both a process and a product. You communicate your accomplishments

and skills to others–on paper. As you compile your portfolio, you will find yourself focusing on your values, interests,

goals, and strategies, which will help in constructing a marketing package that conveys information about you.

WHY SHOULD I CREATE A CAREER PORTFOLIO?

This is a lot of work! Why should I bother to prepare a portfolio?

Compiling a portfolio is an excellent way to prepare for an interview. You should showcase your skills and

abilities in the portfolio. Start documenting accomplishments and examples of your work. Store them in an organized

manner, such as a portfolio binder. As you gain skills through your career, reexamine and update your portfolio.

Documents build credibility. For example, if you are a finance major, consider the vast difference in these two

responses from you and another candidate applying for the same career position. The interviewer asks about your skill in

capital budgeting. The other candidate says, ―I am good with numbers; I have always liked working with numbers.‖

Conversely, you, the well-prepared candidate, say, ―I learned how to use a spreadsheet for budgeting on an internship

three months ago; I have a copy of a budget I prepared here in my portfolio. May I show it to you?‖

A further benefit of creating your portfolio is the potential realization of areas in your background that need

improvement or that lack substance. Borgen, Amundson, and Reuter (2004) point out that when weak areas are

identified, appropriate actions can be taken to gain needed expertise in a specific area. By finding a job announcement or

internship, volunteering to help a company or agency in your community, or joining a campus club can help to acquire

the skill needed. These are only a few methods students utilize to gain knowledge and specific skills.

Journal of College Teaching & Learning – July/August 2009 Volume 6, Number 4

IN WHAT SITUATION IS A CAREER PORTFOLIO VALUABLE?

Your career portfolio will be valuable as documentation of the abilities you have developed in a variety of

situations. Two common uses for your portfolio would be your (1) internship and career position interviews and (2) job

performance appraisals.

Internship and Career Position Interviews

Internships provide additional expertise, outside of the classroom, in a specific area. Your career portfolio may

make you more attractive as an applicant for an internship. Presenting your work to enhance your credibility makes good

business sense. Your well-designed and documented career portfolio may be the edge you need to secure that prized

internship.

By assembling a career portfolio, you present eye-catching evidence that enhances your ―selling‖ process. You

need to catch the interviewer‘s interest to increase your chance for a job offer. You can communicate your preparation,

professionalism, thoroughness, and commitment through your career portfolio.

Performance Appraisals

Once the job is yours, you should continue to update your career portfolio. This way, you will have examples of

your effectiveness when your supervisor reviews your performance. Your manager will appreciate documented

evidence. Rather than asking the manager to recall your specific piece of work, you can say, ―Here is the latest issue of

our newsletter that my staff and I produced.‖ In this situation, the manager can be reminded of your high quality work;

you can let the evidence speak for itself.

For example, perhaps you designed a new web page for your department, a division, or the entire company.

Instead of saying, ―Ten months ago, I designed our company web page as you probably remember,‖ you simply turn to

your web page example and say, ―I remember that you liked the web page I designed last spring. Here is an extra copy of

the screen design.‖

Most employees go into a performance appraisal with fear and trepidation. Will I be able to articulate my case

so that I can receive a strong evaluation? Will I get a raise? Will I be able to explain past projects so that my manager

will remember my ability? How can I possibly sell myself on my past five projects in less than15 minutes?

The answer is to ―show‖ and briefly ―remind‖ the manager of your value. Your portfolio will generate

additional respect and reinforce his/her perception that you are a ―sharp employee.‖ Assembling high-quality written

and/or visual material will impress your manager. Your boss will see the quality of your work and will be more inclined

to show appreciation for your performance. This evidence may justify increased compensation or a promotion and may

allow you to take on new projects.

WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY CAREER PORTFOLIO?

Naturally, your career portfolio will be different than other career portfolios. You have different skills and

experiences that you should emphasize for the particular job position you are seeking. Consider your target market, your

major, and your acquired relevant skills. You will need to tailor your portfolio to emphasize your skills and abilities for a

particular internship or career position. Below, the general items for all business majors are shown, followed by a list (in

italics) of suggested documents produced by specific business major:

 Title Page (―Career Portfolio‖ and ―Your Name‖)

 Contents Page (items/documents listed in order of appearance)

 Cover Letter (tailored to the job opening)

 Resume (tailored to the job opening)

Journal of College Teaching & Learning – July/August 2009 Volume 6, Number 4

 Academic Plan of Study (relevant courses titles—not course numbers)

 Professional Goals (short term and long term)

 Personal mission statement

 Written and Visual Documents (e.g., a memo, case response, research report, PowerPoint presentation slides,

brochure, client proposal, new product description, etc.)

 Evidence of Skills & Knowledge Acquired from Academic Preparation and Work Experience ** [See specific

documents for business majors below.]

 Leadership Experiences

 Community Involvement

 Performance Appraisals

 Awards/Certificates/Honors

 Letters of Commendation

 Other Evidence of Professionalism

 List of References

 Solicited Letters of Recommendation

**Common Business Majors with Personally-produced, Accompanying Documents

Accounting: (1) Systems Understanding Aid (complete accounting system for a company for two months) and (2) flow

chart of an accounting system.

Business Administration: (1) a production process flow chart, (2) an evaluation of payroll benefits, (3) an analysis of a

computer system potential acquisition.

Economics: (1) analysis of commercial building in a projected market area, (2) population projection for a particular

city for next 20 years, (3) evaluation of a county’s transportation needs for a specific timeframe.

Entrepreneurship: (1) business plan, (2) venture capital funding request, (3) pro forma financial statements.

Finance: (1) survivor portfolio, (2) risk analysis, (3) capital budgeting case, (4) ratio analysis, (5) investment portfolio,

(6) leasehold evaluation.

Human Resource Management: writing a job description, (2) writing a policy statement, (3) writing a newsletter

article, (4) writing a training program.

Information Systems/Technology: (1) program flow chart (2) documents showing ability to design specific systems.

Management and Business Administration: (1) a SWOT analysis for a company, (2) a strategic plan, (3) a policy

statement on cell phone personal use in a firm, (4) a designed performance evaluation form.

Marketing: (1) marketing plan, (2) tri-fold brochure, (3) market research, (4) survey questionnaire instrument, (5)

branding analysis, (6) new logo for a firm.

Supply Chain Management: (1) simulation report on a supply chain management problem, such as (a)

inventory, (b) transportation, or (c) queuing, etc. (2) supplier RFP, selection, and evaluation, (3) negotiation

preparation or negotiation strategy document, (4) supply chain analysis and strategy report.

Documents build credibility. Simply stating that ―I have excellent written communication skills‖ is not

convincing. Documents that show you have utilized good business writing skills is convincing. Likewise, the bullet items

shown above can be powerful examples of various skills and knowledge obtained to date.

Journal of College Teaching & Learning – July/August 2009 Volume 6, Number 4

Letters of recommendation are particularly valuable. These letters provide an objective assessment of your

skills, knowledge, and work ethic by an objective source—such as a past or present manager at work or a professor at

your university. When you solicit these letters, ask the writers to focus on your specific skills and attributes that will

transfer to your new job.

WHAT IS A GOOD FORMAT FOR MY CAREER PORTFOLIO?

Remember that you are marketing yourself; accentuate the positive. Accordingly, invest in an attractive, leather-

look, binder. Organize your material to emphasize your abilities, education, and experience. Use sheet protectors

throughout the binder to emphasize your high-quality work.

Your portfolio will be valuable throughout your career. Add or replace exhibits as you develop your skills.

Tailor your portfolio to your situation. Don‘t send this portfolio in lieu of a resume or application. Instead, carry your

portfolio with you to the interview to demonstrate your skills.

WHY SHOULD I CONSIDER AN ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO?

For recruitment professionals, electronic portfolios are quickly becoming a popular tool in helping select

candidates for interviews and for positions. A portfolio is a portable tool which you can build upon after graduation as

you gain valuable work experiences.

Electronic portfolios have some advantages. According to Heath (2005), electronic portfolios are much easier

to reproduce, distribute, and access. Whereas the portfolio in a binder is limited to physically handing it to interviewers

in a selection process, the electronic portfolio can be duplicated quickly and easily. The use of hyperlinks allows the

writer to organize the portfolio to show relationships among major headings. Supporting documents can be linked to

more than one heading and to each other to indicate more complex relationships. A secondary benefit of building an

electronic portfolio is the evidence itself of your technology skills, which may be quite useful to the interviewer‘s

organization. Most importantly, though, the electronic portfolio, like the physical portfolio, helps you to market yourself.

According to Montgomery and Wiley (2008), electronic documents can be linked to each other and across

standards as the writer feels appropriate. The portfolio serves as proof of the accomplishments achieved during careers.

What do you think the audience would like to see in your website? Research your options through books, web

resources, trade journals, newspapers, etc. Review other career portfolio / industry websites. Consider what you like and

dislike about each site. Examine the navigation, functionality, relevant material, and style.

Some of the documents that were used in the physical version of your portfolio could be included in the

electronic version, including items associated with your education, work, volunteer history, awards, project samples, and

reference letters. In addition, the electronic version may include screenshots, multi-media images, and audio and video

clips.

Once you have created your portfolio, you may wish to store them in one of the following ways:

 CD - A CD is an excellent medium for publishing your final portfolio, as well as for backing up your files. They

are inexpensive, have large capacity (700 mb), and have long- term reliability. A CD-RW (rewritable) can be

erased and re-recorded over and over, as you develop skills and abilities throughout your career.

 Web Server - Publishing your electronic portfolio to the web is the desirable option. A web site allows easy

access to your portfolio by any computer with internet access, and there are no disks or CDs that can be lost.

Numerous web sites can give you free storage space on their servers (accessible via the internet).

Your resume will act as the cornerstone for navigating around your website. The fundamentals of resume writing

still apply; however, your career history becomes more dynamic. As you develop your electronic resume, ensure that your

Journal of College Teaching & Learning – July/August 2009 Volume 6, Number 4

resume is:

 Relevant, concise, and easy to read in an electronic format.

 Gives the reader the option to print/download different versions of the resume, such as PDF, RTF, HTML, or

Word.

 Has embedded links to external websites or other sections of your website. For example, if you worked at ―The

Asian Emporium,‖ you may want to include www.asianemporium.com as a link on your resume.

In providing a rubric for electronic portfolios, Heath (2005) stresses the importance of each page being logically

organized and readable holding to the proper use of color, type size and fonts, and contrast. Graphic files should be the

appropriate format and sized to load quickly. All multimedia, including photos, graphics, video, and audio are used as

artifacts to show evidence of specific skills. There should be no missing graphics, broken hyperlinks, or errors in

spelling, punctuation, or grammar.

In addition to any work experience you may have, employers are interested in the technical and non-technical

skills you have developed while completing your academic program. In this section of a portfolio, you could include:

 One or more project examples that are individually produced and one or more team-produced examples.

 Projects that demonstrate the multiple use of differing technical and non-technical skills.

For each project you present, you should be able to describe:

 the objectives of the project,

 the parameters of the project (e.g., team member responsibilities, timelines, budget considerations, resources

available, etc.),

 the outcomes or results of the project (e.g., what you learned), and

 the business application of the project.

The most frequently visited part of your portfolio will be your work experience. The employer is looking for

evidence that you are a person who understands customer service, teamwork, productivity, and efficiency.

Once an electronic portfolio has been developed, you want others to visit it. Here are some strategies that may

further sell your skills:

 Include the web link on your resume.

 Identify your website on your cover letter.

 Mention your web link during the interview.

 Include your web link on your business card.

 Insert your web link in your follow-up and thank you letter after the interview

Throughout the interview, always look for the moment when the interviewer wants to see a document you have

mentioned. It is a good idea to take a hard-copy version of the portfolio to the interview. Relying only on your electronic

copy may be catastrophic if the interviewer‘s software or hardware is not compatible with your disk. However, be sure to

leave a copy of the disk with the interviewer, in case he or she would like to review your portfolio later. Once the

interviewer holds the portfolio, the likelihood is great that he / she will continue to study other pages in a well-designed

and documented career portfolio.

IS A CAREER PORTFOLIO WORTH ALL OF THIS WORK?

Ryan, who graduated with a bachelor‘s degree eight years ago, recently found that his preparation for his

―dream‖ job was realized: flying for a commercial airline. After graduating, he excelled in the Air Force, training pilots

and logging significant flight experience. He learned that Southwest Airline would be interviewing prospective pilots.

Journal of College Teaching & Learning – July/August 2009 Volume 6, Number 4

He was ready to transition from flying for the military to civilian flying.

Knowing the competition was keen, Ryan consulted with experts on resume writing and attended workshops on

interviewing techniques. Southwest could select from thousands of applicants. All of his preparation paid off and Ryan

was invited for an interview with Southwest. He carefully followed the instructions given by Southwest‘s recruiter. He

was asked for a specific number of copies of two key documents and for numerous specific documents, such as his

passport, flight documentation, test scores, etc. The recruiter gave him one week to prepare for the interview.

Since college, Ryan had been keeping a portfolio of certificates, letters of recommendation, and other

documents. He easily prepared his portfolio for the interview. At the start of a group interview, the chief pilot and the

pilot recruiter asked the ten candidates to hand them the previously requested number of copies of the two key

documents. Ryan and another interviewee promptly handed their copies to the interview team; the other interviewees

rummaged to find the documents. Some were not successful.

Ryan progressed through two more interviews with Southwest. At strategic moments, Ryan opened his portfolio

to show the interviewer a document that related to the interviewer‘s question, even though the document had not been

specifically requested by Southwest. Soon Ryan was offered a position. He learned that many of the other applicants

were not hired.

This example highlights the importance of taking a well-prepared portfolio to interviews. Note that Ryan had

also applied his networking, resume-writing, and interviewing skills. The career portfolio is just one of the important

tools to use in a successful job search.

CONCLUSION

As professors, we help students prepare for their future careers. Now we can provide our students with one

more essential tool for their toolboxes: the career portfolio. This tool may be the hammer that nails down a successful

interview.

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The career portfolio was an emphasis of the late Dr. Kyle Mattson throughout his career. He helped us to

understand the potential impact of career portfolios for our students. We appreciate his early input on our article.

Hopefully, this article is worthy of his memory.

REFERENCES

1. Borgen, W., Amundson, N. & Reuter, J. 2004. Using portfolios to enhance career resilience. Journal of

Employment Counseling, 41(2), 50-59.

2. Campbell, N. 2006. Communicating visually: incorporating document design in writing tasks. Business

Communication Quarterly, 69(4), 399-403.

3. Campbell, N. 2002. Getting rid of the yawn factor: Using a portfolio assignment to motivate students in a

professional writing class. Business Communication Quarterly, 65(3), 42-54.

4. Heath, M. 2005. Rubric for electronic portfolio development. Library Media Connection, 24(3), 11.

5. Heath, M. 2005. Are your ready to go digital? The pros and cons of electronic portfolio development.

Library Media Connection, 23(7), 66-70.

6. McCorkle, D., Alexander, J., Reardon, J. & Kling, N. 2003. ―Developing self-marketing skills: Are

marketing students prepared for the job search?‖, Journal of Marketing Education, 25(3), 196-207.

7. McPherson, W. 1998. Student perception about business communication in their careers. Business

Communication Quarterly, 61(2), 68-79.

8. Montgomery, Kathleen K. & Wiley, David A. 2008. E-Portfolios, 2

edition, Sage Publications, Thousand

Oaks, CA, 27.

Journal of College Teaching & Learning – July/August 2009 Volume 6, Number 4

9. Moody, J., Stewart, B. & Bolt-Lee, C. 2003. Showcasing the Skilled Business Graduate: Expanding the

Tool Kit. Business Communication Quarterly, 65(4), 21-36.

10. Occupational Outlook Quarterly 2006. Career portfolios: Jobseekers show their competencies. 50(2), 26.

11. Powell, K. S., & Jankovich, J. L. 1998. Student portfolio: A tool to enhance the traditional job search.

Business Communication Quarterly, 61(4), 72-82.

NOTES