Getting it all Together
Designing your own Career Portfolio
A career portfolio is a piece of art all about one person – you! It's a creative way to package information for potential employers and clients. Your portfolio shows examples of your style and accomplishments. It's also a fun way to track your learning, skills, and experiences.

What's the point?
To create a career portfolio and learn how to package all your information in an attractive, effective way.
1. Get a binder and several clear sleeves – the kind into which you can slide pages.

2. Collect any of the following:

  • A well-written résumé. Your résumé can be creative -- if you want to work in a shoe store, you may want to create your résumé with a shoe box
  • Reference letters from past employers, work experience coordinators, employment programs, and thank-you letters from people you have helped
  • Certificates, diplomas, degrees, awards, scholarships and bursaries
  • Work samples. You can include reports, articles, promotional materials, art, poetry, photos of your woodwork, a picture of a cake you made, programs for school events you've coordinated or screen captures of Websites you've designed.
  • Highlights of your career and educational goals
  • Your skill areas, linked to the field in which you would like to work
  • A list of your community service and volunteer work
  • A list of relevant memberships, e.g. school clubs and or business groups
3. Brainstorm creative ways to put your portfolio together.
4. Think about and then select the items you want to put in your portfolio.
5. Slide reports and pages into the binder sleeves. You can also use construction paper to create pockets for items that wouldn't otherwise fit, such as artwork.  
Have someone you trust – friend, teacher, parent – take a look at your portfolio. Ask them to tell you what they like about the portfolio. Then, ask them how well it reflects who you are. Encourage them to suggest other things you could include.