Develop Your Portfolio
William S. Webb, M.Ed., NCCC
Your college and career-planning portfolio gathers examples of your work and interests. You can use your portfolio to help you select a major, find a college, organize you marketing campaign for college admissions or job, and even earn college credit for your achievements. The following items may be included in your portfolio:
Transcript: obtain an up-to-date copy of your high school and/or college transcripts
Awards, recognitions, thank you letters, certifications and certificates – Where were you and what were you doing when you received your recognition? What clues does this offer for planning future success? What are you “certified” to do?
Recommendations- Keep a log of comments that people made about your work and talents. What do other people say about your abilities?
A file of interesting ideas you heard from other people- Gather ideas that capture your interest. As the “inspiration file” grows, patterns of interest will emerge.
Success stories- Think back on five to ten “successes”. Describe them and why you thought they were successes.
Memorabilia from events and clipping representing hobbies- What do the clippings tell you about your interests? Show the clippings to others. What do the clippings suggest to others about your interests?
Summary of major projects, work in the community and committee work- What have you accomplished? Are any patterns, evident in how you spend your time?
Odd “meditations” - Keep a journal or diary. Keep track of what you would consider a “dream” jobs whether or not you have the job qualifications. Write down components of jobs that you like. Eventually you will be able to draft an “ideal” job description.
Interest Inventories and personality assessments – Keep inventories and tests from your guidance office or career center; examples include the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), the Career Decision Making System (CDM) or the Strong Interest Inventory. These provide “clues” to your interests and also help you to find terms to describe yourself to others.
Resume of paid and volunteer employment- What parts of your jobs did you enjoy and what parts were not enjoyable? When you go to market yourself, focus on the tasks you enjoy. Include addresses and phone numbers of people you worked for and a list of the tasks and skills you performed. A resume helps you see “patterns of work satisfaction” emerge.
You may want to keep the material you gather in an expandable folder or binder. Your portfolio is a “work in progress” so keep it up-to-date and review the contents on a regular basis.