How to manage your career with an ePortfolio?
Beyond finding an employer, an employability portfolio can be used:
- Placement and job search — showcase your work as student. The information and skills you have recorded in your ePortfolio will help you match your own skills and experience with those needed for the job.
- Career planning and career change — use the ePortfolio to formulate your career goals, plan the collection of evidence, get feedback from career counsellors; reflect on your current job and possible change.
- Work as a freelancer —if you are self-employed, you can look for prospects and clients by presenting your best work.
- Winning contracts — when responding to requests for proposal it is often required to provide the CV of key members of your staff.
- Manage your continuing professional development, once being employed —collect evidence of learning and reflect with your peers on your professional practice.
Even if some employers will not read your entire Job Application ePortfolio, by building it you will be much better prepared for an interview. It will give you the confidence to tell yourself and others: This is what I can do! This is what I’m good at! When you go to your job interview, your ePortfolio might also help you to talk to your employer more easily giving examples of your abilities and experiences, even those that are not directly required for the job. An ePortfolio also demonstrates your organisational, presentation and communication skills. It will provide a much more rounded view of who you are and how you can contribute to the business of your employer.
Of course, the Career ePortfolio contents and look will be different if you are self-employed or looking for a job as employee. It will also vary, depending on the episode you are in: initial learning, building a job application, searching for work, learning through work activities and career management.
