Portfolio
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instructionPowerpoint.pptxIT423 Senior IT Seminar Unit 4 Fall 2018
The Senior Portfolio
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Senior Portfolio
Main project in this course is a “Senior Portfolio” which provides evidence of your information technology knowledge and skills
Need to document your technical and other skills that are valuable to you as you graduate:
Written document
Electronic Portfolio with evidence
Personal presentation
Can be considered as an extended resume and a useful source of information when you interview
“Evidence” is important to many employers and so the portfolio is your best evidence
What Do We Mean by Evidence?
Actual documents that you can produce which will substantiate what you may say in an interview
School work:
Transcript, validated by the university
Actual written document that you produced in a class
Other artifact
Certification demonstrating your knowledge in a subject
Internet material
Github
Web site
Mobile app
Components of Senior Portfolio
Professionally presented package with cover page, automated table of contents, main textual documents with links to your “evidence”
Web site containing the electronic versions of the package plus the “evidence” of your work
Presentation highlighting your skills given to class
MS PowerPoint or Prezi slides
Not just links to the web site
Components of Portfolio Package
Transmittal Letter
Executive Summary
Personal Statement
Resume
Senior Activities
Specific Field of Study
Soft Skills
Extra-Curricular Activities
Awards and Honors
Career Plan
Links to applicable resources
Forms tabs or organization of your Web site
Transmittal Letter
Important when communicating with an organization
Letter format with well written text
Tell the reader what the package is about
Thank them for considering it
Provide detailed contact information for additional information
Professional sounding email
In this case, address to me as the professor
What is the correct way of addressing me?
IT IS NOT THE SAME AS ACOVER LETTER FOR A JOB APPLICATION
Executive Summary
A summary of the contents of the document
Must be short and to the point
Written in the third person
Provides a summary of your entire document
Include at least one sentence about each section of the report including a summary of what you have put in that section
Just the highlights
Example of your writing skills and your ability to summarize in a clear and concise manner
1. Personal Statement
The personal statement is your opportunity to sell yourself in an application process:
Scholarship
Graduate school
Job
Two components:
General, comprehensive personal statement
Response to very specific questions
Your general statement should be two to three paragraphs in length and include information on major honors and awards as well as any discriminating information
What makes you “special”?
Answer the following questions:
Why did you choose the one (or more) IT specialty you are in?
What do you expect to be doing in five years time?
Acknowledge one person who has motivated you to be an IT professional in the past?
2. Resume
Acts as a summary of your knowledge, skills, and abilities
1 - 2 pages
Should be current
Should be suitable for sending to an organization from whom you will be soliciting a job that has not been advertised or suitable for posting on a job board such as Monster
The Career Center has resources to assist in the review of the resume
Look at other resumes on job boars to highlight specific IT standards
Make sure everything is accurate and up-to-date
Role of your Resume...
Sets the direction for your search
Modify for each job opportunity
Generalize to post on a job board
Showcases your skills, attributes and interests
Not just your work experience
Highlights your progress, accomplishments and skills
Elicits an interview
Transferable Skills
May not have experience in the specific IT field that you are applying for
Focus on skills that are transferable to any job
Responsibility (babysitting)
Team work (any field)
Supervision (restaurant worker)
Promotion (any field)
Competitive selection (any activity such as a scholarship)
Customer service (retail)
Critical thinking and problem solving
JG
General Focus of Skills and Experience
Action – Active Verb/Skill Employed
Context – Background Information
Result – Results of Actions
Example:
I am currently playing on the Marymount University Men’s Soccer team, in its first year as a varsity sport
Selected to compete with the Marymount University Men’s Soccer Team in its first year as a varsity sport.
JG
Additional Information
Examples:
Avid runner; completed Marine Corps Marathon in 2008 and 2010
Volunteer basketball coach – 2000-2001
President of the university Gaming Club from 2014 – 2016 in which membership increased by 30%
JG
Still working on this one.
Resume Do’s and Don’ts.....
DO
Include core desired skills
Customize according to targeted industry, job function and/or company culture
Quantify your accomplishments
Include interests and hobbies
Send resume with cover letter if possible
-
Resume Do’s and Don’ts.....
Don’t
Include information about health, marital status, or willingness to relocate
Misrepresent work/abilities/education
Use current company/function jargon
Make too fancy
Top Tips
Know the desired skills of your target job
Look closely at job descriptions to identify that terminology is used in field
Research the company and put an insight into the letter
Review resumes of other people on job boards
Use Career Center and its staff for general HR review
Use faculty for an industry specific review
Cover Letters - The Facts
Why bother?
Why bother if no one reads anymore?
Because it is customary and still expected and can also fill in gaps that your resume does not cover
Career objective, connection to whom you are writing etc.
Purpose
To elaborate on specific interests, additional information complimenting skills rather than bulleted format
Provides evidence of writing skills
Cover Letters are sometimes not possible in electronic submissions
Anatomy of a Cover Letter
Short and sweet
OPENING PARAGRAPH - Introduce yourself and your specific interest in the company
Include knowledge of company’s business
Compliment the company
MIDDLE PARAGRAPH - Highlight areas of your background that would be of greatest interest to the company
CLOSING PARAGRAPH - Outline procedure for action. Make specific requests
Cover Letter Do’s & Don’ts
Do
Highlight Accomplishments not Responsibilities
Be Brief
Don’t
Repeat Resume
Make Errors
Make Demands
Conflict with resume itself
Resume Components
Career education is most important and should start your resume
Accurately reflect your degree
BS in Information Technology with Specialization in ………., Marymount University, Expected ….
Add Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE/CDE) important for cybersecurity
Only include community college if you obtained a degree
Indicate experience even if not in the IT field
Explain what you did in general terms (e.g., team leader for wait staff, trained other employees, responsible for welfare of 3 children)
Indicate any promotions: Promoted to Senior Associate responsible for …..
Summarize courses highlighting those most relevant to job that you are seeking
DO NOT list Microsoft Office as your first skill
3. Senior Activities
Marymount IT program has two required senior activities that allow you to learn experientially:
Internship
Capstone Project
Provide a 1 – 2 page description of both of these activities with a reflection on what you did, why you chose that course of action, and what lessons you learned
If you have not done one or the other, then reflect on what you plan to do
Add graphics if available
4. Documentation of Specific Fields of Study
Information Technology is now a very broad field and you are required to have an understanding of many facets including:
Computer Technology (hardware, operating systems)
Programming (Web development, JAVA)
Database Technology
Computer Networking
Cybersecurity
Software Testing and Documentation
Must provide evidence of activities in at least three of these areas
Select those most relevant to the field you want to enter
One must be from your specialty to show your specific knowledge in that field
5. Soft Skills
Document your experience employing soft skills include:
Written communication
Oral communication
Project management
Team work
Problem solving/critical thinking
Information literacy
Must provide evidence of activities in at least three of these areas
Refer to projects at school
Include copies of presentations (might be joint)
6. Extra-Curricular Activities
Document any extracurricular activities that you have participated in since matriculating at Marymount:
Global experiences
Volunteer activities
Leadership activities
Certifications
Summarize the activity and provide a reference as to who would verify your performance in this activity
If possible, provide evidence of one of these activities in the electronic portfolio (e.g., an image, a copy of the certificate)
7. Awards and Honors
Document any awards that you have been awarded since joining Marymount
Dean’s List
Honor Society
Document any competitive scholarships you have received to fund your education including the eligibility requirements, the awarding body, and the length of the scholarship
Include images of any certificates issued
8. Career Plan
What’s next?
Describe your career plans for the next ten years
Graduate school?
Type of jobs you will start with and how you will find that job
What your aspirations for promotion and how will you qualify for such a promotion in the same or a different organization
Electronic Portfolio
Web Site, named IT423name
Contents of site:
Soft copies of portfolio package above
Seven “evidence documents”
3 technical documents
3 soft skills
1 extracurricular
Start looking for evidence now
Site must be attractive and well-designed
Use menu to separate the components
Presentation
Five (5) minute presentation of your portfolio together with Powerpoint or Prezi slides
Must summarize your portfolio as if you were applying for a position
Job
Graduate school
Students must be thoroughly familiar with their package and MUST NOT read the slides
Practice to ensure meet time limits
Interview Questions
Preparing the portfolio will help you prepare for an upcoming job interview
Often ask you to talk about one aspect of your resume in detail
May be technical or it may be more behavioral
Will you fit in the culture of their organization?
So let us explore some questions that might come up in an interview that could be answered from the portfolio
