PERS 225: Job Search Skills Career Portfolio

PERS 225: Job Search Skills
Career Portfolio
Creating Portfolios

What is a Portfolio?
A professional portfolio is a living
document a document which
will change as your experience
and goals change.
Portfolio Preparation
Tips on Compiling an Interview Portfolio
-put items in loose-leaf binder
-use sheet protectors
-use copies (keep a master copy of all items)
-use index tabs and/or title pages to divide each section
-keep it to a manageable size, ideally 5-10 pages
-omit page numbers to make it easier to add and move items
-use consistent headings and placement of work samples
-put sections together according to what the employer is
looking for (job description)
-make sure it looks professional and error free
Portfolio Preparation
Consider a digital portfolio
Follow the same rules for organization
and artifact selection
What is the standard for your industry?
Which is the best software for your needs?
Interview portfolios should include the best
examples of your skills and abilities from
your professional portfolio that are
particularly relevant to the position you are
seeking. When you customize your
interview portfolio to the requirements of
the specific job, it demonstrates that
youve done your homework and
understand the characteristics the
employer is seeking (Kimeldorf, 1997).
Tips
Keep It Simple: Don't overload your
portfolio with page after page of lengthy
text or repetitive photos. Imagine viewing a
friend's home video...would you rather see
two hours of jerky graduation footage or
five minutes of highlights?

Tips
Say Cheese: Keep a digital camera with
you to use at a moment's notice.
Especially important during your practical
work in the kitchen!
Tips
Make Copies: Where possible, use copies
of originals in your portfolio, keeping the
originals in a safe place. To add a
professional touch to non-digital photos,
tape them to a sheet next to captions
printed from a computer. Run a color copy
of the whole finished sheet to use in the
portfolio, and take the originals back off
the taped-up master.

Tips
Keep It Legible: Use a computer to type
and print out easy-to-read information
sheets or a table of contents. Use 12 point
type where possible for easy readability.
The Career Portfolio
Zippered three ring binder, document portfolio or
surlox the following tabbed sections:

Statement of Originality (A paragraph stating
that this is your work and asking them to keep it
confidential)

This portfolio belongs to Brad McVittie. Please
request permission before copying.
Mission Statement/Work
Philosophy
A work philosophy is a statement of your
beliefs about yourself, people, and your
outlook on life in your industry.

Your work philosophy is often used by an
interviewer to see if you match a
companys corporate culture.
Development of a Philosophy
Statement
With a friend, list five adjectives that
describe who you are and how you want to
be seen in the workplace. Use a friend to
react to your list. Use these adjectives to
guide your work philosophy statement,
serving as the core thoughts and
keywords.
Place your most important belief
first:
Your work philosophy should be unique to
you, communicate who you are and what
makes you different from others who may
want the same position.

It should be one to four sentences in
length, and should address your beliefs
and your outlook on people.
Examples
My mission is to further better myself
as a chef by applying my skills to my
job with enthusiasm and commitment. I
will inspire my co-workers; while at the
same time learning from them.

-former student
Examples
Work Philosophy

The customer always comes first
I want to be part of a winning team
Technology will be critical in reaching the
guests and communicating within the
company.
Skill List
Hard Skills
Practical skills like working with computers
or operating equipment and machinery.

Soft Skills
Related to your personality and attitudes
Communication, Confidence, Teamwork

Resume
Create the correct resume for your
experience:
Chronological Demonstrates Experience
Functional/Combination Newer to
industry
One Page - Professional
Work Samples
Work samples make up the major portion
of the portfolio and become the most
powerful part of your sales pitch.

Work Samples
The more details you can give about a
project the better:
Summary
Why it was generated
Pictures
Multimedia summaries
Professional Memberships and
Services
Proof of membership photocopy cards
A list of organizations to which you belong
Offices, boards, or committees on which
youve served
Appropriate letters of accomplishments
Letters of Recommendations
Letters of recommendation from
employers, instructors, etc., can provide
additional proof of your abilities. Letters
provide personal references from people
who have seen you perform.
Faculty and Employer Biographies
Faculty and employer biographies are
used to give you credibility. The person
who signed your letters of
recommendation is giving his or her word
that you have certain abilities.

Asking for a Letter
You should request your letter of
recommendation in writing long before you
need it.
Your letter needs to help guide the person
writing the recommendation to focus his or
her letter on key skills and areas of your
personality that you want addressed.
(Page 63)
Bio Sheet
A faculty/employer bio sheet should
include the following:

Name and job title
Organization
Contact Information
Areas of Specialty
Date
Short history or bio
Certifications, Diplomas, Degrees,
Awards
Include a copy of the certificate
Include information about the organization
presenting the certificate the certificate
should be dated and have information
about the organization. If it does not, add a
page with the Name, Address and
Certification or License #s given.
References
You will need three to five references that
an employer can check. You should
include character, academic and
employment references.
Character Reference
Someone you have worked with in the
community such as church, synagogue,
mosque, not-for-profit organizations, clubs
or associations.
Academic Reference
Professors, teachers, counselors, coaches
and people who know your academic
abilities and can provide academic
references
Employment Reference
Supervisors, managers, human resource
people at your current and previous
positions can provide employment

It is never appropriate to use a peer, a
subordinate or family member as a
reference.
Details
Consistency
Font
Borders
Colours
Size

Good use of white space
Clean and easy to read

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