What is the most important document you’ll create in your career? Some people might say it is their company’s strategic plan for the next 10 years. Others might say it’s a document that details a new patent developed by their company. 

I believe the most important document you will create in your career is your own career portfolio. Why? Career portfolios can help you get a promotion, a new career, or your dream job. They provide evidence of your knowledge, skills, and competencies to an employer. Today, a portfolio is no longer an optional career tool; it is a requirement.

However, many people don’t know how to compile a career portfolio. They usually have more questions than answers: 

• What items should be in a portfolio? 

• What tools can I use to document my expertise? 

• How can I use my portfolio most effectively? 

• How can I create an electronic portfolio? 

Portfolio Contents

What you include in your portfolio will depend on the job you’re applying for, but in general they contain: 

• course design plans 

• instructor and participant manuals  

• training needs analyses 

• multimedia productions and e-learning modules 

• evidence of your training or teaching ability, such as videos and course evaluations 

• job aids 

• evaluation or assessment tools 

• writing samples. 

Benefits of a Portfolio

Portfolios may be more important than actual experience. You may have worked as an instructional designer for five years, but if you can’t communicate that to a potential employer, then your experience is wasted. Work samples provide evidence of the skills and abilities you claim to have. 

Organizing Your Portfolio

Think of your portfolio as a closet. When you’re organizing it, you don’t throw in items of clothing with no rhyme or reason. Your job is to make your portfolio easy for employers to read. They may not recognize what documents you’ve included or the order in which you’ve placed them, and it’s important that they understand how your work samples made an impact on your organization. Be sure to include a cover page that explains or introduces each work sample. Follow the C-CAR format:  

• Competency: Identify the competency. 

• Context: Describe the situation. 

• Action: Describe what you did and why. 

• Result: Describe the outcome. 

Accomplishments and Work Samples

Portfolios should contain work samples that document your accomplishments. Draft a list of your top 10 career accomplishments. Ideally they should be measurable and easily translate into work samples. Each of your accomplishments also should fit at least one category of The ATD Competency Model. 

If you are stuck, here are some ideas about what organizations like to see in terms of employee accomplishments:  

• increased revenues or resources 

• increased efficiencies 

• decreased time it took to accomplish something 

• decreased costs. 

Sharing Your Portfolio

The reason you have a portfolio is to promote yourself and your career accomplishments. You don’t want to keep all the good work you’ve done a secret, and it’s easier than ever to share your portfolio. You can use simple file-sharing programs, such as Box, Dropbox, and Google Drive. You can also create a website using a number of free tools. But a word of caution: Don’t spend more time on the website than on the work samples themselves. Many hiring managers will tell you they don’t care if you have a website; they simply want to see your work samples.

Using Your Portfolio

Sometimes after people create a portfolio, they are unsure how to use it. First, mention it in your resume and cover letter, and list the link if it’s electronic. 

The next place where you can use your portfolio is in the interview, to support any discussions about your greatest accomplishments and how they made a difference. If you were hiring someone, wouldn’t you be more impressed by a candidate who shows you a work sample that demonstrates her capabilities, instead of one who just talks about them? For professionals in the learning and performance field, portfolios are now a necessity. If done well, they are an effective way to get the promotion or job you want. Check out the April TD at Work issue, “Creating a Career Portfolio,” for more tips and information.