Emerging Trend of Online Portfolios
[Part 4 of 7 of
Career Portfolios:
Proof of Performance]
Most of the focus-group participants recognize the value of online
portfolios, but think that the emphasis is -- and should be for the short-term
at least -- on print portfolios, suggesting that job-seekers develop an online
portfolio after they have created the print version. Several reinforced,
however, that online portfolios make the most sense for white-collar
professionals, especially those involved with the Internet.
"I believe online portfolios will likely become more popular than print in the
future… but print will not die out," said a focus-group member who is an
online instructor and trainer specializing in portfolios. "It's a good idea to
use an assortment of methods to promote yourself… and once you have
one version of your portfolio, it takes little added cost and effort to
produce a companion version in another medium."
The alumni career assistant director more specifically clarified the differences
in how print and online portfolios are currently used. "Print portfolios are a way
to provide tangible evidence of achievements and work product during a
face-to-face interview. Online portfolios are something that employers
can review before or after the interviewing process."
But the trend toward online portfolios may be a slow in evolving. "The
recruiters I've talked with say that they first want to see resumes, not
portfolios, that come in the format they specify, because the portfolios take
too much time to download and too much time to look through," states
the university career counselor. "They say they can look at a resume in
seconds and decide whether to look more closely at the candidates,
whereas it takes time to get to the portfolio and too much time to go through it."
Navigation:
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search
terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate
publisher of Quintessential Careers, is an educator, author,
and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers,
edits QuintZine,
an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and blogs about storytelling
in the job search at A Storied
Career. Katharine, who earned her PhD in organizational behavior
from Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, OH, is author of Dynamic
Cover Letters for New Graduates and A Foot in the Door: Networking
Your Way into the Hidden Job Market (both published by Ten Speed Press),
as well as Top Notch Executive Resumes (Career Press); and with
Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters, Write Your
Way to a Higher GPA (Ten Speed), and The Complete Idiot's Guide
to Study Skills (Alpha). Visit her
personal Website
or reach her by e-mail at
kathy(at)quintcareers.com.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of Quintessential Careers,
one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of
EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and
EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of
Quintessential Careers Press,
including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter,
QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a
published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often
quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is
also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his
personal Website or
reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.
