about yourself at the right moments. To be able to do this effectively, we
suggest that you do the following.Know your portfolio.Be thoroughly acquainted with what’s in
your Can-Do Portfolio, and know why each item is there. In Step 8, we
reviewed the four key strategic criteria for including items in a target-
ed portfolio: (1) to verify high-priority P.E.A.K.S. (2) to demonstrate key
personal characteristics, (3) to lead from strength, and (4) to address
important concerns. Your portfolio will be useless if you can’t remember
what’s in it, why these items are there, and how to find each item quick-
ly. Flipping through the pages of your Can-Do Portfolio, while mum-
bling to yourself why each item is there, is a good way to become fluent
with its contents.
Learn how to effectively show items from your portfolio. If there is
one rule to follow when showing items from your portfolio in a job in-
terview, it is to do so selectively. As stated earlier, your portfolio should
notbe the central feature of the interview. You want the emphasis to be
on you, not on your portfolio. Your portfolio can be a wonderful tool for
enhancing the presentation of your credentials, if used properly.
If you are intending to use your portfolio in a job interview, we sug-
gest that you have a look at Chapter 6. For a quick review of the key
things to keep in mind, be sure to see the “Portfolio Dos and Don’ts.”
If you will be using your portfolio in pursuit of something other
than a job, in addition to the above “Dos and Don’ts”section in Chapter
6, you would do well to consult Chapter 7, since the above “show it se-
lectively”rule does not apply to all situations.
Practice, practice, practice. Once you know what’s in your portfolio
and how you should show items from it, it is very helpful to practice
presenting your portfolio. Do so with someone who can give you good
feedback, or if that’s not possible, practice by yourself, saying out loud
the kinds of things you would like to say about each item. When prac-
ticing, you should go through your entireportfolio, since you can’t know
in advance which items you will actually have the opportunity to show.
A P.E.A.K.S. resume is useful in conjunction with your portfolio.
You should give top priority to practicing using your portfolio. But if
you have some time left over, you might also consider creating a
P.E.A.K.S. resume that sets you up to show key items from your port-
folio during an interview. If you want to learn how to create one of these
resumes, have a look at Chapter 5.FINAL THOUGHTS
If you have worked very quickly, you may be wondering if your portfo-
lio is good enough to use. A portfolio, we should point out, is always a
work in progress. No matter how hard you work at it, there will always
be something that could be improved.
The real issue is not,“How good is my portfolio?”The question to
ask yourself is:“Am I better off having this portfolio than not having
it?”The odds are that, even if you have put your portfolio together152 Part I: Building, Using, and Maintaining Your Career Portfolio