But a well-designed portfolio can give you an edge in any career field, according to career development professionals.

"There's a trend among employers to want to see actual examples of someone's work," says Sandra Bell of ASU's Employee Career Enrichment program. "It's one thing to say, 'I have great organizational skills,' but if you can give actual artifacts you're displaying your work. It's better than saying, 'Believe me, I can do this.'"

By definition, a portfolio is a portable collection of paper and artifacts. These artifacts can include anything from writing samples to award certificates to performance reviews—anything that demonstrates your experience and skills.

Portfolios are especially useful for people seeking a new job, changing career fields, or negotiating for a promotion or raise.

Robin Hammond of ASU's Career Services is building a portfolio because the university is preparing to reclassify her position.

"My job description does not encompass the job I really do. My portfolio shows what I'm actually capable of doing," she says.

Hammond's portfolio reflects not only her job responsibilities, but also her involvement in outside organizations such as UCW and the Classified Staff Council.

Such involvements can be crucial for people trying to break into a new field.

"Your current job may not really relate to the new field, but you might have done volunteer work that would apply. This may not be on your resume," Bell says.

Potential artifacts could include awards, letters of appreciation, writing or design samples, examples of volunteer work, a resume, customer satisfaction surveys, or graphs that chart improvements in products or services based on your contributions. Artifacts should be chosen carefully to highlight your most relevant skills and achievements.

"A huge binder is overwhelming," explains Bell. "You want someone to find what they're looking for."

Once you have selected your artifacts, they should be organized in a coherent manner. Some employees arrange their portfolios functionally, by skill. Others take a chronological approach. Choose the system that works best for you.

Finally, document the artifacts so that a potential employer will understand them.

"A portfolio has to stand alone," says Hammond. "You shouldn't have to stand over the reader's shoulder explaining every artifact."

For instance, if you include a brochure from a training program, the reader won't know whether you designed the brochure, attended the class, or organized the event. A simple caption would clarify your intention. A table of contents and abstracts can add clarity as well.

Have another person review your completed portfolio to confirm that it is clear, concise, and typo-free.

Once you create your portfolio, bring it along to job interviews and performance evaluations. You can slide it into the conversation when asked to describe specific qualifications. For instance, if the interviewer asks about your experience in teaching and training, you could say, "I developed training workshops for our company's new software system. I brought some evaluations from my former students. Would you like to see them?"

Bell adds that you do not have to hand over the entire binder. In some instances it may be better to pull out relevant sections. You can also provide copies of some artifacts for the interview committee to keep.

A well-organized portfolio can give you the professional polish to land you the job or promotion you desire. Even if you're happy in your current position, Bell says it's a good idea to start developing a portfolio now.

"The way things change, you never know. It's good to have so it's ready when you do need it."

Getting Started

• The Career Development Center (Student Services 330) has two books on creating portfolios: Portfolio Power by Martin Kimeldorf and Designing Creative Portfolios by Gregg Berryman.
• Employee Career Enrichment houses a resource center (Agriculture 172) that offers books, videos and computer stations to help you in your job search.
• Employee Career Enrichment also offers a portfolio workshop as part of its "Discovery!" series. Participants can view and critique sample portfolios in this session. Call 965-8232 for more information.
• View a sample portfolio from Career Magazine