THE PERSONAL PORTFOLIO

D R A F T

D R A F T

WHY?

    To reflect on your experiences To identify the skills you possess To identify the qualities you possess To draw attention to you so that the potential employer remembers you   Reflecting on your experiences allows you to identify your skills, qualities & interests so that you can use them to seek employment You must be able to put them in writing (Letter of Application, Resume, Portfolio) & talk about them (Interview)

D R A F T

STUDENT’S EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

Business Representatives want students who have:  Academic skills (written, verbal, math, problem solving, etc.)  Soft skills (function in a group, be a leader & follower, listen to other’s views, etc.

 Personal skills (punctuality, meet time lines, have career goals, etc.)  Portfolios document skills acquired!

D R A F T

WHAT IS A PORTFOLIO?

     A collection of student-selected documentation of in-school & out-of-school accomplishments; shows the student’s employability skills A visual resume of the important things  Themes, pictures, drawings, transcripts, technology-related pregrams/documents, etc.

A motivational tool – if you don’t have entries, join a club, get involved, volunteer, etc.

Students develop & manage the portfolio Start with a career plan

D R A F T

ORGANIZATION

Organize based on:  Employability skills (academic, soft & personal) – see slide 4  Career choice requirements  College/university requirements  High school IGP (Individual Graduation Plan)  Core curriculum  Scholarship requirements

D R A F T

WHAT YOU WILL INCLUDE

 Cover  Generates the first impression  Name of student  Picture of the student  Resume – the portfolio will support skills listed on the resume  Documentation – evidence of achievements in each skills area (academic, soft, personal)  Use a divider page for each skills area

D R A F T              

ACADEMIC SKILLS

Transcript Report card Photos List of computer software used & examples of application Test scores (ACT, SAT, other) Checkbook reconciliation Academic certificates, medals, ribbons Awards ceremony programs Acceptance letters from colleges/universities Newspaper clippings Articles written for school newspaper Drawings & artwork Projects Etc.

     Summaries – describe each entry; only a few sentences; box them in, add color, change the font, etc. to make them stand out Pictures of awards, etc.

Certificates - evidence of membership, awards, recognitions The portfolio represents the skills you have   How is your spelling?

What about your grammar?

Continuously update your portfolio

D R A F T

SOFT/TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS

   Sports  Newspaper articles  Programs from sporting events     Certificates Team or individual pictures Ribbons, medals (color copies) or picture of varsity jacket Written performance evaluation from the coach Band Choir          Student council Team class projects Group activities (example: homecoming) Clubs Yearbook Scouts Debate team Participation in political campaigns Student leadership organizations (FBLA, DECA, HOSA, etc.)  Provide BRIEF summaries of entries

D R A F T

PERSONAL SKILLS

 Entries that show that you are reliable, self-disciplined, dependable, flexible, organized & have a career plan         Transcript with absences/tardies noted Chart of chores performed at home Timeline developed for completing a project including pictures of various stages of progress Letters from coaches indicating the student agreed to play sports & be drug, alcohol & cigarette free and fulfilled that pledge Spreadsheet showing how a personal budget was created & implemented Ledger showing payments made toward a debt (senior trip, cheerleading uniform, etc.) Pages from a personal calendar with practice times documented to show organizational skills Copy of Individual Graduation Plan (IGP), Career Plan, etc.

D R A F T

WORK EXPERIENCE

          Demonstrates work readiness skills Paid & unpaid work experience Activities such as ushering at church, volunteering at the library, child care, lawn work cleaning a park or sports field, housework tutoring, gardening or farm work, splitting wood, pet or livestock care, etc.

Summaries: list job duties & skills gained from the experience Collage of business cards of places worked Pictures on the job Co-op or internship training agreement & evaluation forms Letters of experience from employers List of duties & skills gained List of references – people who can verify employment or volunteer work

D R A F T

OTHER INTERESTS

 Out-of-school activities  Church functions  Community fund raisers  Volunteer activities  Participation in political campaigns  Travel  Hobbies  Collections (stamps, coins, sports cards, etc.)  Anything that tells about you

D R A F T

MISCELLANEOUS

 Special poems  Letters of recommendation from teachers, counselors, pastors, etc.

 Pictures of helping at family functions

D R A F T

GRADING

 Cover  Dividers  Documentation with summaries  Of academic skills  Of soft skills  Of personal skills  Of other information

D R A F T

HOW PORTFOLIOS ARE USED

        Job interviews  Serves a tool for communicating your abilities  Serves an an icebreaker for employers 1/3 of resumes are inaccurate – information omitted or embellished Allows the employer to see documentation of the skills listed on the resume When asked a question, you can “show” evidence of skills 1 in every 1,470 jobs gained from a resume; Stand out above the others Colleges & scholarships often request portfolios Membership into organizations Applying for apprenticeship programs

D R A F T

E-PORTFOLIOS

  Artists have portfolios of their art work Why not SHOW what you are capable of  Definition:   Digital or Web-based document that allows you to gather & organize your experiences & accomplishments, reflect on these experiences, & market yourself to colleges & employers in a multimedia format (Orndorff, p. 162) Displays your skills, qualities & interests

D R A F T

CONTENTS OF E-PORTFOLIOS

  Research projects Reflection papers on jobs & activities o Summarize  Your role o o    Outcomes & accomplishments Reflect on: o Your responsibilities A profile of the company/organization the skills & qualities developed o What you like & did not like Include a hyperlink to the company/organization’s Web page

D R A F T

CONTENTS OF E-PORTFOLIOS

 Courses taken  Summarize:  What you learned  What you enjoyed & did not enjoy  Include:  Names of teachers & textbooks (for references)  Links to Web sites you like (football – football section)

D R A F T

CONTENTS OF E-PORTFOLIOS

 Resume  Add links from the first page to second-level pages  Example: football – link to the school’s Web site football page that has your pictures on it  Provides information on the team you played for  Samples of work  Images, videos, etc.

 Animoto, Glogster, Prezi & all programs used in this course

D R A F T

SAMPLE E-PORTFOLIOS

 www.career.fsu.edu/portfolio  From the

Home

page, click on

History

 Click on

Prototype of a Completed Career Portfolio

 Click on each tab & links within the tabs to view a sample Career Portfolio  Click on

PowerPoint

under

Career Portfolio Slideshow

to view a presentation that tells about portfolios

D R A F T NEW TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL NAPA, CALIFORNIA  http://www.newtechhigh.org/  Click on

Student Portfolios

on the left  View numerous portfolios

D R A F T

RESOURCES FOR E-PORTFOLIOS

 School resources & Web space  Blogs  E-Portfolios are ongoing documents  Continue to develop them beyond this course

D R A F T

STEP 1

 Gather documents, etc.

 Items placed on your portfolio MUST be of high quality  Formatted professionally  Correct spelling & grammar  Have others review items  Describe each item  Give each item a title  Categorize items

STEP 2

 www.blogger.com

 www.wordpress.com

 www.visualcv.com

D R A F T

D R A F T

SOURCES

 Orndorff, Bob. Becoming the Best Me. Indianapolis: JIST Works, 2009.

 Hodges, Ph.D., Diane. Portfolio A Self-Learning Guide.