Finally you have cracked the confusion and zeroed in on your perfect career option, pumped up a flattering resume, and created a strong cover letter. But are you ready for the big interview? Not quite, so we guess. Puzzled? Well, only if you thought that a perfect resume, savvy etiquette and a suave attitude was enough to bag you your dream job, you possibly missed out on the importance of having a portfolio. A portfolio is a sophisticated scrapbook of your feats and deeds that elaborates your skills and makes you a worthy contender for a job you are vying for. Business skills portfolios, much like all other portfolios, are easy to compile. Nevertheless, while dealing with a specialized portfolio as such, you need to augment skills and feats that correspond with the current needs of the industry. A business skills portfolio, as the name suggests, reflects comprehensive data on the business skills of the contender, thereby allowing the hiring manager to get the complete dope on the abilities and efficiency of the interviewee. Here is more on how to create a business skills portfolio. Read on to know more on this.
How To Create A Business Skills Portfolio
- You may be the most proficient employee anybody has ever had, but if you can’t find your calling then your skills are pretty much meaningless. Remember, there is more to a career hunt than just an impressive resume and strong cover letter. All your efforts are pretty much useless unless you are armed with a strong portfolio. Before you get on with the task of compiling a sophisticated scrapbook of your feats, deeds, experiences and academic accomplishments, understand that your portfolio is a proud display of your skills and abilities. So don’t forget to play on your strengths when compiling your portfolio.
- Anyone who said that don’t judge a book by its cover was possibly blind to the visual appeal of a tastefully compiled portfolio. Remember, quite contrary to the age-old adage, you are likely to be labeled on the look and layout of your portfolio. Thus, it’s important to size up an attractive and well-organized portfolio to draw the spotlight on your skills and feats.
- Your portfolio is what you are. Jazz it up to flatter your standing. You can opt for a pocket folder or a nice portfolio case. Tuck in copies of your degrees and certificates and all necessary documents and use title pages to divide each section. Also retain your portfolio to a manageable size lest you don’t wish to bore the interviewer with a never-ending account of your accomplishments. Also make sure that all the documents are relevant to the job that you are seeking. Structuring your portfolio well is half the battle won.
- How you organize the contents of your portfolio can make a sizeable difference to your impression. Get on with the content first, followed by your resume, basic skills, thinking skills, qualities, expertise and experience. You can also include a section highlighting your volunteer services, if any. However, refrain from using any personal feats on your portfolio.
- You can go a little techie with your portfolio and present a more convenient electronic version of it using the internet, floppy disk, zip disk or a CD-ROM. In that way your interviewer will be at the convenience of reviewing your portfolio at his own given time and pace. You can attach a link to your portfolio if you wish to make it easy for the employer to contact you when in need. You can use Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat and even a scanner to tot up your e-portfolio. However, refrain from disclosing any personal information and yes, beware of internet predators too.
