up in an organization or just starting out, are discovering that a well-
thought-out and presented career portfolio is an effective self-market-
ing tool that enhances their ability to present themselves both clearly
and credibly.
If people are already using career portfolios in your field, you’d be
wise to have one. And if not many people are using portfolios yet in your
organization or field, so much the better for you, if you have one.
Whatever your field or background, a well-targeted portfolio that
is properly presented can be a great self-marketing tool for five main
reasons:- It draws attentionto the key information you want to convey about
yourself. - It provides linksthat connect you with an opportunity.
- It makes the key intangibles tangible.
- It adds to your credibility.
- It builds confidence.
Portfolios get attention.We’ve all known ever since kindergarten that
“show and tell”is more powerful than just tell. The simple act of hand-
ing a potential employer a document from your portfolio not only gets
that person’s undivided attention, it also piques her curiosity.
Portfolios provide links.Once you have a potential employer’s atten-
tion, each item that you present in a well-targeted portfolio helps to
make the link between what you can do and what the other person is
looking for.
Portfolios make key intangibles tangible. As we will see in future sec-
tions, our research indicates that employers and bosses are looking
for certain key intangibles that can be brought to life in a portfolio.
Portfolios add to your credibility.When you present an item from
your portfolio, you are not just sayingyou are something, you are
showingthat your claims about yourself have real substance. In
this way a portfolio that contains the right items adds to your cred-
ibility. Selectively shown items help to answer the question that al-
ways lurks when people are meeting for the first time:“Is this per-
son for real?”There is something to that old adage,“Seeing is
believing.”
Portfolios build confidence.Even if you show up for a job interview
and discover that you have forgotten to bring your portfolio, all is not
lost. If you’ve done your homework and created a great portfolio, you
will know exactly what you bring to this opportunity and will be able
to articulate why you are the right person for the job with great con-
fidence. You will know that what you say about yourself is true, and
the sense that you truly believe what you are saying will come across,
with or without your portfolio. But, of course, you will be more effec-
tive if you do remember to bring your portfolio with you!Chapter 1: Introduction: What Is a Career Portfolio? 5