FINAL THOUGHTS
In this chapter we have taken a close look at how you can assem-
ble a master collection of portfolio-worthy documents. The worksheets,
forms, and filing systems that we have suggested are strictly optional.
What’s important is that you begin collecting documents that demon-
strate important things about you, and that you keep doing this.
As long as you are alive and well and have career-related ambi-
tions, there really is no point in time at which you should stop collect-
ing items for your Master Portfolio. The truth is you can never really
know when a document that reveals something important about you
could prove useful.
Continuing to collect items for your Master Portfolio is a good
thing to do. But there’s a danger here. You don’t want to get so involved
in perfecting your Master Portfolio collection, your filing system, sum-
mary lists, and so on, that you never get around to creating a portfolio
you can actually use.
A Master Portfolio is most useful when it is put to use. In Chapter
3, we will show you how to select items from your Master Portfolio that
you can use in specific situations, such as being interviewed for a job.28 Part I: Building, Using, and Maintaining Your Career Portfolio