Seeking a Career Change? Have you thought about a Career Portfolio?

For years, creative professionals such as architects, designers, artists and writers have used career portfolios, sometimes known as the job search portfolio or "the book", to communicate their abilities. These portfolios with be used to display prior work, either done for employment or for leisure and special projects. In today's competitive, knowledge-based labor market, other professionals are discovering the value of a well put together career portfolio.

If well thought out, the act of putting together a career portfolio will help candidates from any industry reflect on their skills and create an occupational focus for future employment. It can help employees develop a marketing tool which is strategically laid out to influence a potential employer's selection. These career portfolios can also help existing employees or the re-entry worker with career transitions or even get a promotion by identifying transferable skills. Not only does the portfolio work well as a marketing tool, it also serves as a reservoir of professional highlights.

Career coaches and vocational counselors are increasingly recommending the career portfolio as an important job search tool to help candidates stand out from the competition in a competitive job market. Of course once you have made the decision to move forward with your career portfolio the next big decision is about what to include. In short, for your first pass - include everything you can find that speaks to your track record as a competent professional. Over time you might choose to retire outdated items from your career portfolio or you may even choose to create one on line.

What to include in the Portfolio?

The overall objective of the portfolio is to provide support for the information included in your resume. In other words you don't just have to speak about what you have done; you can also demonstrate what you have done. To do this effectively, the career portfolio must be conveniently designed for travel and the material must be easy to retrieve and attractively displayed. In selecting items for your portfolio, ensure that the item has a clear purpose and is tailored to suit your audience. In addition, remember that the visual presentation will reflect your professional standards so categories need to be clearly defined and labeled and special attention paid to the fundamentals like font and layout.

Some of the key items to include in an effective career portfolio could include:

1. Current resume which would include details on education, jobs and duties performed. You may choose to use a chronological or functional resume format.

2. Awards, Honors, Diplomas, Degrees, Unofficial transcripts or any other document that verifies education or outstanding work for which you might have been recognized.

3. Membership cards, licenses, training or technical certifications or any other documents that support your qualifications are a great asset to a career portfolio.

4. Letters of recommendation, performance reviews, employment evaluations, "Job well done" emails or letters and customer satisfaction surveys are all perfect examples that will showcase work ethic or express the opinions of others about your work.

5. Work samples and research output that demonstrate skills specific to the job for which you are applying.

6. Sample publications, reports and papers written or presented are always a positive add for your career portfolio as well.

7. Miscellaneous evidence of work and projects completed could include event programs and photos of events you have helped to plan or coordinate.

Now that you know what to include in the career portfolio, the following are some general tips to keep in mind for the completing and presenting your portfolio:

1. Make copies of items for use in your portfolio - Do not use your originals. Heaven forbid that your portfolio gets lost or ruined. Replacing originals of your life's work will not be easy.

2. When displaying or showing your career portfolio - be sure to hold it so the viewer can see it clearly. You already know what's there, so don't keep it directly in front of you. It is a good idea to practice sharing your portfolio with friends, colleagues or career professionals and watch for falling content as you open and display.

3. Explain items in the portfolio by talking about the "why" or the "back story" behind your work. Be sure to place these items not only in the historical context of what you have done, but in context of what you can and will do for this new potential employer.

4. If you opt to create your portfolio offline at first, use a medium sized binder and sheet protectors as an easy way to get started.

5. Remove, reorder or relocate materials as they lose their relevance or your interest changes. Although your career portfolio is about cataloging your past, it is also about relevancy to your future.