Portfolios are also common to musicians. Musical portfolios contain samples of work in the form of written original musical scores, adaptations or orchestrations, and such; these portfolios may also include audition tapes or other media (like Elvis' first record with Sun Records: a demonstration tape!).

Models have portfolios of photos.  Architects have portfolios filled with drawings and renderings of buildings on which they have worked.  Writers have portfolios of published works.  Designers of all kinds have portfolios filled with drawings, photos, blueprints, brochures, videotapes of set designs, and showings.

You get the general idea.

Portfolios in Your Major: Your first task is to think about the term 'portfolio' as it applies to your own profession. What would you show in your portfolio if you were asked to produce one for potential employment?

This semester the majors include: public relations, apparel and textiles, consumer sciences, telecommunications and film, early childhood education, criminal justice, restaurant and hospitality management, human development family studies, interior design, history, athletic training, advertising, and others.  For each these there are 'things' or 'products' that might be appropriate for the portfolio.  Let's look at some of these:

• Public Relations:  A portfolio might include examples of PR campaigns, sample materials developed, or photos of events.
• Apparel and Textiles: You might include sample drawings of designs, descriptions of internships with textile designers, or photos or images of products.  Sample fabrics might be included if central to the showcasing of the skills of the student.
• Early Childhood Education:Your portfolio might include products you made in some of your classes, such as activities you designed for children, photos and journals from internships, dioramas you made and used, and illustrations of research in which you participated with faculty.
• History:  A history major's portfolio would probably reflect his/her ultimate career goals. For example, if the student intends to teach history, then the portfolio might include evidence of teaching internships and practice lessons, samples of lesson plan development.  If the major intends to use the degree as a stepping stone to a graduate program, his/her portfolio might reflect research conducted with a faculty member, samples of professional writing, including publications, and perhaps original theses.
• Athletic Training: This person's portfolio would reflect his/her experiences in the field, which is a component of this degree, perhaps showing photos of work with athletes, sample health or rehab programs in which the person assisted, and even examples of papers or projects.
• Interior Design:  These majors already work with designs and displays, therefore the development of their portfolios naturally would include samples of their work, either in class, internships or practica.  Photos, drawings, illustrations, job descriptions, and various media might be involved.

Electronic Portfolios:Obviously every one thinks of a resume when considering job applications or workplace changes.  Well, resumes are an important feature of any showcase effort.  The resume typically is part of the portfolio. The resume is easy to send; the portfolio is another matter.

Models spends hundreds or even thousands of dollars on their portfolios to get their photos into an electronic format so that they can be electronically shared.

Artists buy high-end digital cameras in an effort to accurately portray their work, as they can not always send a piece of their work or multiple pieces to prospective clients.  The ideal is for the client and artist to meet in person, but sometimes there are preliminary steps that involve a portfolio.

So, the idea of offering more than 'just a resume' is expanding into all fields, especially as employers begin to focus more and more on experience and demonstrated skills, as well as classes taken.  In this particular job market, some applicants go to extreme ends to attract the attention of the potential employers

 
(Did you see the news story in July 2002 of the recent graduate who dressed in her best work suits, heels and hose and stood on the corner of a busy street in a major city, holding a sign that extolled her abilities, degrees and interest to passing cars?  It worked; she handed out dozens of resumes and was hired by a big firm within a month.  I am not advocating this!).

Now, an electronic portfolio is NOT a personal photo album or a web page about you, your friends and your hobbies.  It's a professional portfolio. Keep that in mind. Keep using our examples of portfolios without the electronic part as your point of reference.

These portfolios are professional portfolios designed to show that you know what you are doing and that you have appropriate knowledge and experience.  Grade point is one measure of what you know, but in the job market, it is not the only measure used by recruiters. Employers are looking for people with work skills, ethics, motivation, and as much as experience as they can find.  In the case of a human development family studies major, for example, someone looking for a person to establish a family support center in their company would be looking for a person with experience in that or a similar environment, someone who could work with families in a range of situations and settings.  Therefore, the applicant would want to showcase his/her internships, volunteer work, and community service. The portfolio is where you do that evidence.

Yes, an electronic portfolio has the potential to give you a real edge in the job market because you do not have the chance to send a huge portfolio.  Recruiters are busy, on the road a lot, and can not carry huge stacks of 'stuff' from potential employees.  Here's where the 'electronic' part of 'electronic portfolio' comes into play.   Ask yourself if there is a way for you to electronically, on your web site, showcase your products and skills?  If so, then you are over half-way to having an electronic portfolio.  Conceiving it is the hard part; making it is usually easy.

Your Portfolio Planning: Your portfolio is where you showcase what you know and can do so you want to plan carefully in order to show your best efforts to potential employers.  Your next step is to look at some examples so you know how some portfolios look.