E-Portfolios: Job Hunting in the Twenty-First Century

In high-tech fields, digital portfolios have been steadily gaining in popularity and now seem to be going mainstream as universities are providing space for student job seekers to profile their qualifications in e-portfolios online. Although digital portfolios are unlikely to become widely used very soon, you would do well to learn about them by viewing many samples-good and bad.

Your Task. Conduct a Google search using the search term student e-portfolios or student digital portfolios. You will see long lists of hits, some of which will be actual digital document samples on the Web or instructions for creating an e-portfolio. Your instructor may assign you individually or as a team to visit specific digital portfolio sites and summarize your findings in a memo or a brief oral presentation. You could focus on the composition of the site, page layout, links provided, colors used, types of documents included, and so forth. A fine site that offers many useful links is maintained by the Center for Excellence in Teaching (CET) at the University of Southern California. Visit http:// www.usc.edu and type student e-portfolios to search the USC Web pages. Click the link to the CET site.

Alternatively, teams or the whole class could study sites that provide how-to instructions, and then combine the advice of the best among them to create practical tips for making a digital port- folio. This option lends itself to team writing; consider using a wiki, collaborative software, or a document-sharing tool such as Google Docs.

Video Library 1, The Job Search

At Clifton-Harding Associates (CHA), owner Ella Clifton realizes that she needs another employee to help run the business. She places a "blind" advertisement, to which her current employee, Stephanie, responds. Ella interviews a promising candidate, Yolanda. She also learns that Stephanie has lied on the résumé she posted to the job site. Not knowing she was applying to her own employer, Stephanie enhanced her qualifications."

In addition to the ethical dilemma, you observe good and bad job search and résumé techniques for both candidates. After viewing the film, be prepared to discuss these questions:

· What action should Ella and co-owner Rob take after learning that Stephanie lied on her résumé?

· Yolanda prepared a functional résumé to de-emphasize her limited work experience and promote her unique skills and potential for success in the new position. Which résumé format is best for you-the functional or the chronological? Why?

· Yolanda customized her résumé to best match the needs of the organization and the open position. She adjusted the career goal and emphasized her foreign language skills to make her résumé stand out from the others. Describe the advantages of customizing a résumé instead of sending the same one to all potential employers.

In each chapter you will find five discussion questions related to the chapter material. Your instructor may assign these topics for you to discuss in class, in an online chat room, or on an online discussion board. Some of the discussion topics may require outside research. You may also be asked to read and respond to postings made by your classmates.

Topic 1: What is your one favorite source for finding information about choosing a career path? Choose a traditional or online source, and share it with your classmates. Why did you choose this source? How can it benefit one's career path exploration?

Topic 2: What do you think are more effective, online or traditional job search techniques? Why? Share your thoughts and personal job search experience with your classmates.

Topic 3: Why do you think it is so important to customize your résumé for each employer and job for which you apply? How do you think employers will respond to a customized résumé versus a generic résumé? Is creating a customized résumé for each position worth your time and effort? Share your opinions with your classmates.

Topic 4: Assume you will prepare a video résumé to apply for positions. What would you say and do in the video? What would you wear? What steps would you take in the video to impress potential employers? Share your ideas with your classmates.

Topic 5: Many employers will not even look at a résumé unless it is accompanied by a cover letter. Why do you think cover letters are so important to potential employers? What would you include in a cover letter to impress employers? Share your thoughts and ideas with your classmates.