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Career Portfolios

Career portfolios are used to plan, organize and document education, work samples and skills. A career portfolio is a reflection of work experience People use career portfolios to apply to jobs, apply to college or training programs, get a higher salary, show transferable skills, and to track personal development. They are more in-depth than a resume, which is used to summarize the above in one or two pages. Career portfolios serve as proof of one's skills, abilities, and potential in the future. A career portfolio is a "personal marketing tool that can give you an edge, not only during a job search, but also during performance appraisals or when you are seeking a promotion" Many school programs will have students create, update, and use a career portfolio. A career portfolio has many benefits. During an interview it can help you: provide examples of accomplishments, increase your authenticity, and stand out among other candidates who do not have a career portfolio.

Career portfolios help with a job or acceptance into higher education institutes. A career portfolio should be personal and contain critical information. Items that should be included include (but are not limited to) personal information, evaluations, sample work, and awards and acknowledgments. Career portfolios are often kept in a simple three-ring binder or online as an Electronic portfolio and updated often. A career portfolio is used as a marketing tool in selling oneself for personal advancement. In some industries, employers or admission offices commonly request a career portfolio, so it is a wise idea to have an updated one on hand.

Online Portfolio

What is an Online Portfolio?

Online portfolios are a collection of work history, educational achievements, and “works in progress” that are housed on the internet. Online portfolios are also known as electronic portfolios (e-portfolios). The term e-portfolio has been around since the early 1990’s. “In general, an e-portfolio is a purposeful collection of information and digital artifacts that demonstrates development or evidences learning outcomes, skills or competencies”. The documents presented in the e-portfolio can be shared in several different formats including, “Microsoft Office files to MPEGS, JPEGS, and other file formats”

Why use an Online Portfolio?

There are several benefits of an e-portfolio over traditional paper portfolios. An e-portfolio can utilize multimedia elements such as audio, visual and photographs. These features can augment the portfolio owner’s achievements. When an e-portfolio is created the owner can allow access to supervisors, potential employers, or anyone the owner allows. This access allows third party members to provide feedback at any time during portfolio development. An e-portfolio has an archive that could “potentially house hundreds of different artifacts that can be used in different contexts”. An e-portfolio also allows the user to insert hyperlinks, so connections can be made through the portfolio to different areas of interest or learning. A blog can also be linked into an e-portfolio. A blog is a website that allows the user to journal, write out opinions, or record information on an ongoing basis. and many institutions find that “one critical feature of all bona fide e-portfolios is author reflection on their work on an ongoing basis.".

Available Online Portfolio Systems

There are several systems online that allow the user to “upload, enter, and share information or evidence related to their experiences”. No statistics were found describing the popularity of one online system over the other. Examples include, but are not limited to:

See Also


 * Electronic Portfolio
 * Blackboard Learning System
 * Elgg (software)
 * Google Sites
 * Online learning community