How Interested Are Employers in Career Portfolios?

Anonymous writes:

I believe the career portfolio is an important job search tool; however, many of my co-workers are not convinced. I want to know some statistics that will reveal that many employers are actually interested in interview candidates who come to the interview with a career portfolio. I am a business technology teacher at the secondary level, and I teach my students job readiness skills. We will be creating career portfolios in all of the classes I teach this fall. I would like the other teachers to do this as well. I am the business department chair, and I want to provide some information that explains how powerful a tool the career portfolio really is.

I have visited lots of sites but I do not see info that tells me which businesses in particular are using or want their applicants to come with a career portfolio. Can you help me, help my students and other educators at the secondary level?

The Career Doctor responds:

Unfortunately, I cannot give you the statistics on the number of employers who require or are interested in career portfolios. I can, however, state that I am a big proponent of career portfolios because they are just another selling tool in the job-seeker’s career toolbox. A resume states what someone has accomplished, but a portfolio can actually show it! There is nothing more powerful, in my mind, than pulling out a hefty portfolio of your work and placing it on the interviewer’s desk with a resounding “thump.”

And while career portfolios have traditionally been used by job-seekers in the arts, more and more job-seekers across all disciplines are using them as a way to develop a career focus, document experiences and accomplishments, and as an aid for prepping for job interviews.

In fact, one of my colleagues actually supports the development of two portfolios, an external portfolio used for job-hunting purposes and an internal one, used for career development.

All businesses ideally want job-seekers with experience, and a portfolio is the tool to document that experience. Things that can be included in a career portfolio include:

Resume(s)
Career Goals/Objectives/Summary
List of accomplishments
Samples of work and reports
Awards and honors
Professional development activities
Reference list
Just one final note: Do not send portfolios to employers unsolicited; job-seekers should bring portfolios with you to the interview.