Portfolio and Its Importance

Satakunta University of Applied Sciences Findings 1(5)
School of Business, Rauma Business Intelligence Management
IB08/Group 4
Umuerri Ighifewo John 26.11.08


Stimulus 5B
Learning Objectives:

1. What is a Portfolio and what is the importance of it.
2. What is included in a Portfolio?
3. What are the different styles of making a Portfolio?

1.
“A career Portfolio is not a resume, which simply lists your experiences and accomplishments. Nor is it a cover letter in which you write about yourself and your qualifications for a particular job. Instead, it is a collection of actual documents that support and make tangible the things you want to say about yourself in a cover letter, a resume, or a face-to-face interview. Letters of commendation, performance evaluations, certificates, papers, and pictures of things created or of activities led are all examples of items that might be included in a career portfolio” (Satterthwaite, F. 2002, 4.).
“Reflecting on what has been learned and articulating that learning to others is the heart and soul of the Portfolio process. Without reflection, a Portfolio has little meaning” (Rolheiser, C. 2000, 31.).

Another writer defines Portfolio as “a living and changing collection of records that reflect your accomplishments, skills, experiences, and attributes. It highlights and showcases samples of some of your best work, along with life experiences, values and achievements. The personal information that you incorporate into your portfolio can greatly reflect on your abilities as an individual as well as become a useful tool in marketing yourself to employers, corporations, colleges and universities. A portfolio does not take the place of a resume, but it can accentuate your abilities and what you can offer in the chosen field.

Why do I need a Portfolio?
A portfolio can set you apart from other applicants, whether in a professional or academic setting.
• It allows you to be more personal and creative in order to expand on and exhibit your skills, knowledge, projects and experiences.
• A portfolio is a method of self discovery and confidence building.
• It is a multi-faceted way to organize your accomplishments, goals, aspirations, and personal thought. It showcases your personality to potential employers and organizations.
• It is a useful tool to include in an interview. It provides tangible proof of your skills and abilities and demonstrates to the employer that you are qualified for that specific job.
• It can be helpful in applying for bonuses, scholarships, grants and negotiating promotions and raises.
• A portfolio demonstrates prior work or learning experiences that can be useful for educational credit.

How do I create a Portfolio?
First, you need to determine what type of portfolio is best suited for your needs:
a. Student Portfolio—Useful in an academic setting; demonstrates knowledge attained in a given class or throughout your school career. This portfolio can be very helpful if you plan on continuing your education
beyond the undergraduate level.
b. Project Portfolio—Useful in an academic and professional setting; shows the efforts or steps taken to complete a specific project or independent study. For example, if you have the experience of producing a school play, you would create a portfolio that incorporated the materials and research that was involved. If you wanted to apply for a grant in order to do another play then you could use your portfolio as a form of proof that you did a good job and would be a prime candidate to receive the requested grant.
c. Professional Portfolio—Useful in a professional setting; demonstrates your skills, background, accomplishments and experiences. This portfolio is versatile and can be arranged for a specific position. For example, a teaching portfolio would be a type of professional portfolio that would highlight experiences, achievements, goals and ambitions for a position as a teacher within an educational institution.
d. Online Portfolio—Useful in an academic and professional setting; enables your credentials to be more easily accessible via the internet. This should not take the place of a hard copy portfolio, but be created in addition to one. This portfolio can be very helpful for those planning on applying for a job in the field of technology and/or graphic design. Also, an online portfolio can be useful to anyone in any given field. As the

Information Age progresses, prospective employers are beginning to request online portfolios. Bear in mind that several employers may be located afar and with one click of a mouse, they can access your information more readily.
e. Personal Portfolio—Simply for your personal use. This portfolio is a collection or a scrapbook of things that interest you. This portfolio could be used as a stepping block towards understanding who you are and where you would like to be in the future.

2
What should I include in my Portfolio?
As you begin to create your portfolio, there are several different categories that you should consider: Personal Information, Values, Personal Goals and History, Accomplishments and Job History, Skills and Attributes, Education and Training as well as Testimonials and Recommendations.
Important: Always be as specific as possible. Your portfolio can become quite a large collection of materials. For interview purposes, it would be a wise strategy to select items from your portfolio to be included in a smaller interview portfolio. The smaller portfolio can be presented during the interview and would be less overwhelming to the interviewer. Here is a list of possible information to include.
• Letters of reference
• Resume or Vitae
• Lists of accomplishments
• Samples of work (e.g., items produced on internship or co-op experiences, class projects, items produced from previous job)
• Memos and/or reports (optional)
• Designs and Photographs (optional)
• Transcripts
• Licenses or Certifications
• Evidence of specific skills (e.g., writing, graphic design, public speaking, leadership, event management)
Depending upon your profession, certain items can be added to provide a more detailed representation of your knowledge and skills. As with any interview portfolio, you should include the best examples of your skills and abilities that are relevant to the position you are seeking. (See below)

Example of Portfolio additions
Education/Teaching
o Video of your teaching
o Statement of teaching philosophy (1-2 pages)
o Evaluations (e.g., supervisor, student)
o Sample lesson plans
o Classroom Innovations (e.g., new technology, new methods)
o Relevant photographs
o Teaching honors and/or awards
o Evidence of student learning (e.g. graded exams, assignments [1 good/1 bad])
o Continuing Education/Workshops completed

The Arts: Performance or Design
o Work samples or photo images of them
o Video/audio recording of work
o List of competencies mastered
o Course descriptions for classes/workshops completed

Making a Portfolio
First and foremost, it is very important that your portfolio:
o Looks professional and accurately reflects your skills
o Is specific and occupationally focused
o Is easy to update and view
o Is self-explanatory if need be
o Supports information presented in your resume
Second, it is vital to adopt a specific presentation format for the material within your portfolio. For example:
1. Introductory Title Page
2. Table of Contents: Can be organized two ways—chronologically or functionally
3. Work Samples
a. Provide a reflection statement for each sample
b. Reflection statement can be in either paragraph or bulleted format
c. The reflection statements should contain a brief description of the sample item and its background and a detailed list of the competencies developed by the sample. When creating a smaller portfolio for an interview please consider the following:
􀀹 Place items in a loose-leaf binder
􀀹 Use sheet protectors
􀀹 Use copies of your work and keep a master copy available
􀀹 Organize your pages by index tabs and/or dividers
􀀹 Try to keep this portfolio between 5-10 pages in length
􀀹 Avoid page numbers as this allows you to add and move things around more easily
􀀹 Be consistent with headings and placement of items
􀀹 Keep the sections job specific”.
(Website of Addlestone Library, 2008).

3.
“There are three main types of portfolio that you can create: a. Physical (Print version) b. CD or DVD c. An online format. So, what type of portfolio should you have? Well, the answer is all three! People interact and perceive the world in different ways. Some people like to physically touch, feel and interact with the printed media, others want to be able to sit back and view a portfolio from beginning to end via a DVD or CD, and others prefer the convenience of a website. In order to show your level of versatility and commitment and to cater to the different needs of employers it is best to create ALL THREE of the portfolio types.
What to put in a Portfolio: Don’t just put anything in your portfolio. Quantity does not mean quality! As a general rule of thumb choose 12 strong designs. Choose the designs that you are truly proud of, the ones that you remember because you will be spending time discussing them with your potential employer. Create a portfolio that shows the progression of your designs and your creative thought process. Sketches, brainstorms and variations on your final design show your ability to think and create. Both are important skills that employers like. You should have a selection of designs using different mediums - including some traditional pencil/paint designs on paper as well as contemporary Photoshop and/or other computer graphic software. The trick here is to create a balanced portfolio. Don’t be afraid to change your portfolio based on what is required. A web graphics job means more focus on web graphics projects. However, don’t discount traditional mediums as employers like to know the person they are hiring can do more than one job. Versatility is a major asset! Also, when designing your portfolio, remember that people tend to remember the first and the last in a sequence.
Print Portfolio: The print portfolio has been around the longest and is still the preferred visual showcase for employers and clients alike. Use a large folder that has coils/ring-binders so that you may add and take out pages with ease. There is no set color for these folders though black seems to be the default choice and it is a strong color to set your work against. A leather cover or a cover that utilizes some nice material or fabric provides a professional look. The important factor here is that the folder should be large enough so that pages can be easily turned and it
provides enough breathing room for each individual page. Graphic designers usually use A3 size folders, though A4s are acceptable. Individual pages are kept in plastic sleeves for protection.
Online Portfolio: Your online portfolio is the opportunity for you to showcase your professionalism as well as your creativity. Do not make it overly done. Keep it simple and easy to navigate. There is nothing worse than having your potential employer failing to find the samples of your design because your cursor has a panda or some other cute thing attached to it. Navigation should be easy and clear on every page. The viewer should know where they are, how to return to where they were and how to go forward. Use thumbnails of the actual design. It allows greater control for employers so that they can view what they want to see. Image sizes should be no smaller than 300px and not bigger than 800px wide. Images should be kept below 150kb. You don’t want them to give up waiting for your page to load because you decided to upload a 1mb image as your sample. And finally offer 2 viewing options for your website; one that utilizes Flash and another that doesn’t. Some people prefer Flash while others prefer more traditional site layout and using Flash would only irritate them.
DVDs (CDs): The easiest way to make a DVD version of your portfolio is to copy your whole website onto the disk. Just remember to keep all files and images in logical folders and have a very clear starting point, for example, index.html or start.html. One benefit of a DVD portfolio is that you are no longer limited by internet speed, therefore, you can use that 1mb image for the best resolution you can get. Videos and animations are ideal for DVDs as there is less worry about size and download/bandwidth problems.
In conclusion: Your portfolio is a visual representation of your skills, creativity, talent and experience. It is what employers will want to see when you meet them for an interview and it better be up-to-standard or it is out you go” (Website of Australian Experiential Learning Centre, 2008.).

List of Sources:
Satterthwaite, F. 2002. Career Portfolio Workbook [Electronic Version]. Blacklick: McGraw-Hill Trade. Pg 4.

Rolheiser, C. 2000. Portfolio Organizer: Succeeding with Portfolios in Your Classroom [Electronic Version]. Alexandria: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Pg 31

The importance of a Portfolio. Addlestone Library. (On-line Document) Retrieved 28th November 2008.Available at: http://www.cofc.edu/careercenter/portfolio.pdf

The importance of Portfolio in finding a Job. Australian Experiential Learning Centre: (On-line- document) Retrieved 28th November 2008. Available at:http://www.advantage.edu.au/university.html