Quintessential Careers Press:
The Quintessential Guide to Storytelling that Propels Careers
Chapter 7: Portfolios That Tell a Story
Page 86
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A career portfolio, also known as employment portfolio or skills portfolio, can be a versatile workhorse in job-search storytelling. As we’ll see in this chapter, a portfolio can help you tell your story in a number of ways:
- The simple act of creating a portfolio enables you to get to know your own stories better and develop new stories.
- An online portfolio can entice employers to contact you, in part, by presenting your success stories in an appealing manner.
- A print portfolio serves as a tangible and visual guide to describing your accomplishments in narrative form in job interviews.
- Either type of portfolio serves as a repository for all of your critical job-search materials.
Paulson and Paulson write that “a portfolio tells a story. It is the story of knowing. Knowing about things... Knowing oneself... Knowing an audience... Portfolios are [people’s] own stories of what they know, why they believe they know it, and why others should be of the same opinion.”
The Portfolio Explained
What is a career portfolio? It’s a job-hunting tool that job-seekers develop to give employers a complete picture that is much more complete than a cover letter and resume: experience, education, accomplishments, skill sets – and potential contribution to the employer’s organization.
In a time when many employers are skeptical of the claims many job-seekers make on their resumes concerning their experiences and contributions – lying and giving misleading information on a job-seeker’s resume ranked as one of the top recruiter pet peeves in a survey conducted by resumedoctor.com – a career portfolio can be just the tool to use to show your stories to enhance your telling them.
The two main delivery systems for career portfolios are print – a physical portfolio typically contained in a binder – and online – a virtual portfolio that resides on the Web. Each is best used at a distinct time in the job search. An online portfolio is most useful for enabling employers to find you online and for enticing them to invite you for an interview through its media-rich presentation. A print portfolio’s most effective use is once you are in the interview. It enables you to show the interviewer visible examples of your success stories, especially in response to specific interview questions.
Whether print or online, career portfolios should be filled with artifacts and information that clearly show your accomplishments and tell the story of why you are the ideal candidate for the position you are seeking.
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