Managing your career portfolio
Ken Pelczarski | TLT Career Coach July 2013
Give yourself an edge! Start building your career credentials now.
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IF YOU WERE OFFERED AN OUTSTANDING JOB OPPORTUNITY TODAY, would you be able to produce documentation of your complete background and accomplishments? If not, it might be time for you to prepare a career portfolio. You may have worked hard and accomplished a lot in your career, but if you cannot prove your credentials in an organized way to an employer, your chances of being hired are greatly diminished.
A career portfolio can be defined broadly as an organized presentation of one’s experience, education, work samples, skills and accomplishments. Your portfolio can help during the process of (1.) networking, (2.) job interviewing, (3.) college/graduate school applications, (4.) obtaining a higher salary or promotion and (5.) tracking personal development. This article focuses on documents to have handy during a job search.
Career portfolios are ideally created in the early days of your profession and are often used in college and high school. The longer you wait to start building one, the harder it is to catch up and capture all the details of significant items for your portfolio.
To document successes and personal development accurately and completely, update your portfolio several times per year. Maintain hard copies of all portfolio documents in a personal file. Portfolios can be managed online through various hosting Websites, although three-ring binders or folders are still most common. In most job search situations, you will present portfolio information on paper versus on your computer. Always back up documents on your computer and/or online.
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DOCUMENTS
You will often present many items listed below during the networking/interviewing stages of the job search process. In a job interview, having this information handy will show the employer (1.) organization, (2.) preparation, (3.) interest in the job and company, (4.) career focus, (5.) confidence and (6.) self-knowledge.
During a job interview, display portfolio information when context of the discussion dictates. Preface the display of information by letting employers know that you have specific documents available in case there is interest in reviewing and/or keeping copies.
Resume. This is a condensed version of your portfolio and is the main document, along with your cover letter, that opens the door for job interviews. Update your resume at least once a year with new education, job responsibilities, accomplishments and other personal developments.
Cover letter. This is a brief, tailored letter including select items from your portfolio that highlights pertinent experience, accomplishments, skill set, strengths, goals and values. Keep a template cover letter in your portfolio to be modified for each target opportunity.
Education and certifications. Include a list of (1.) undergraduate and graduate degrees, (2.) college coursework, (3.) seminars, (4.) Webinars, (5.) STLE education courses and (6.) STLE certifications (e.g., CLS, OMA I & II, CMFS), all with dates attended, GPA and honors achieved. Substantiate education with diplomas and course completion certificates in your portfolio (I have seen instances where academia did not show attained degrees in their computer system and individuals lost job offers).
College transcripts. Always have multiple copies available. Employers sometimes ask for transcripts many years into your career.
Accomplishments. Record major successes as they occur. Employers look for a track record in the following areas:
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Sales growth
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Increased profitability
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Cost savings
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Project leadership
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Business turnaround & reorganization
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Technology innovations
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Creative problem solving
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Building customer relationships (list customers). Quantify accomplishments, if possible.
Work samples. Provide as much non-proprietary information as possible to show proof of your work capabilities and writing skills. Include strategic plans, research project updates, sales call reports and proposal letters to customers and company management (black out proprietary information).
Entrepreneurial successes. Most employers appreciate entrepreneurialism, so include details of growing your own full-time business, as well as part-time consulting successes.
Business & sales/marketing plans. Employers often ask for a business or marketing plan late in the interview process. Writing these plans takes time, so save plans for future reference, which you have written within your own company, past employers (non-proprietary plans only) and for other interviews.
Awards. Include all achievement honors within your company and your professional field.
List of publications, presentations and patents. Update your portfolio regularly with these bright moments in your career.
Trade association memberships. List society memberships relevant to your career.
Volunteer activities. List volunteer roles with trade associations, industry groups and community groups, including honors achieved and dates of service.
Military history. Record your rank, honors, duties and certificates.
Performance reviews. Maintain copies of performance reviews and utilize the best ones for your portfolio.
Commendations. Anytime you receive a note or formal letter from a customer or company management for a job well done, immediately toss it into your portfolio.
Reference list. Throughout your career, ask approval from individuals who know your work and your character to use them as references. Add these names promptly to your portfolio and stay connected with these professionals to ensure that you always have valid contact information.
Recommendation letters. Obtain written references whenever possible. Print out endorsements and recommendations from your LinkedIn profile.
Salary history. Maintain your salary history for all positions held. This is a handy reference tool when negotiating a job offer, although you usually will not give this document to the employer unless it is requested.
Reasons for leaving jobs. For each employer, record departure reasons in categories such as downsizing, company merger, better growth opportunity and relocation.
Non-compete and confidentiality agreements. I have known many lubricant industry professionals who were not aware if they possess a non-compete agreement or what is in their non-compete agreement. Always request a copy at the time of signing to have as an immediate reference at a later time when needed. It is usually awkward to ask for your agreement years after signing.
Online portfolio. Maintaining an online portfolio on LinkedIn, the primary social Website for professionals, was covered in detail in my
January column (
available digitally at www.stle.org). Building industry status and reputation through a strong online presence, as well as providing easy access to your credentials through a multifaceted online approach, is a major topic that we’ll discuss in another article.
Give yourself an edge over the competition and impress employers with a well-crafted career portfolio!
Ken Pelczarski is owner and founder of Pelichem Associates, a Chicago-based search firm established in 1985 and specializing in the lubricants industry. You can reach Ken at (630) 960-1940 or at pelichem@aol.com.