developing a Portfolium account

PORTFOLIUM

ASHFORD UNIVERSITY Office of Career Services & Alumni Relations

A guide to designing and building an attention-grabbing portfolio

in Portfolium

Proprietary Information of Ashford University. Created by Career and Alumni Services, 5/30/2019. CR#0213061

Table of Contents

Setting a Vision & Communication Strategy …………………………………………………………………………. 3 Tips for Creating your Portfolium …………………………………………………………………………………………. 4 Portfolium Checklist ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5 Frequently Asked Questions ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6

A note from Career

Services:

Hello! Our team created this guide to assist you in developing a Portfolium account that makes you proud. We encourage you to utilize your Portfolium account on your resume to showcase your acquired skills to potential employers. We hope this guide helps you get started with the process.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

About Portfolium Portfolium is your free digital portfolio tool that visually showcases your academic and professional accomplishments and experiences. Portfolium allows you to organize and display your projects, papers, and other samples that will demonstrate your skillset to future employers. Think about Portfolium as your personal branding tool! You can use this tool not only to share your work with employers, but also to search for and directly apply to jobs.

Proprietary Information of Ashford University. Created by Career and Alumni Services, 5/30/2019. CR#0213061

SETTING A VISION &

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

PERSONAL VISION/PURPOSE:

Before you begin building your Portfolium, it’s critical that you consider your audience and the purpose of your Portfolium. Consider asking yourself the following questions: With whom will you share your Portfolium when complete, and what do you hope to communicate with the tool? What artifacts and projects is your audience interested in viewing, and which skills will these resources showcase?

Review these questions as you determine a communication strategy for your Portfolium, and utilize this worksheet to build your vision.

AUDIENCE: TYPES OF PROJECTS TO SHOW:

Proprietary Information of Ashford University. Created by Career and Alumni Services, 5/30/2019. CR#0213061

FOR CREATING YOUR

PORTFOLIUM

TOP 10 TIPS

2. 7. Add Details about your Projects. Tell the project’s story. In your description, share the course during which the project was completed as well as your learning outcomes and other important details.

3. 8.

Add Skills. Update the skills section and tag skills for each project you upload. Think about skills from the employer perspective and include skills that show you are a good fit for the role you desire.

Seek Feedback. As you build your Portfolium, seek feedback from others. Send your Portfolium link to co-workers, faculty members, Career Services, and others who will give you professional advice.

Share your Portfolium. Once you build up your Portfolium, don’t keep it a secret! Share your personal Portfolium link on your resume, LinkedIn profile, and email signature.

4. 9.

Upload your Resume. To make your Portfolium even more appealing, upload your resume for users to view. Be sure to remove personal information such as your address and phone number.

1. 6.

Write an Introduction. Use the introduction section to talk about yourself and include details such as a summary of your professional and educational background, your passion for the field, and other interesting facts.

Update Regularly. Be sure to keep your work experience current and continuously add new projects to showcase. Keeping your Portfolium updated is a critical part of utilizing this platform.

5. 10.

Put your Best Work First. You can move the sections of your profile up and down on the page. Consider your audience to determine which projects should appear first, and move those to the top.

Keep your Audience in Mind. Each resource added to your Portfolium should contribute to the established vision and audience considerations determined at the beginning.

Add your Work Experience. In addition to uploading projects, add your work experience to inform your audience of your professional accomplishments.

Proprietary Information of Ashford University. Created by Career and Alumni Services, 5/30/2019. CR#0213061

PORTFOLIUM CHECKLIST

BASIC

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

� Professional Profile Picture � Strong Introduction (include summary and introduces yourself to the audience) � Comprehensive Work Experience (include dates, titles, company, and details of role) � Viewable School Projects (include skill tags and descriptions of projects) � Complete Skills Section � Complete Education Details (include dates and complete degree details)

� Work Projects Uploaded (remove any proprietary information) � Certificates Added � Accomplishments Added (include publications, presentations, etc.) � Clubs, Affiliations, & Programs Added � Resume Uploaded (no contact information included on resume) � Change Background Photo (try to use an image that is applicable for your industry) � Courses Completed Added (not all, just relevant courses)

� Follow Companies � Build up Connections (connect with peers, faculty, staff, colleagues) � View, Apply, & Save Jobs

Proprietary Information of Ashford University. Created by Career and Alumni Services, 5/30/2019. CR#0213061

FREQUENTLY

What is the purpose of using Portfolium? Portfolium offers a positive online presence where users can create an interactive, compelling catalog of work samples as well leverage a leg-up in the job hunt. Utilizing Portfolium will give viewers a more personalized snapshot of your skills and abilities.

ASKED

QUESTIONS

How do I access my Portfolium account via the internet? To access your Portfolium account anytime, visit: https://portfolium.com/login

Is my Portfolium visible to the public? Portfolium provides its users with the ability to apply privacy settings on each entry within the portfolio. Individual users may designate and change visibility settings at any time.

Career Services is available to review your Portfolium by request. To get started, log into “My Career” within your student portal and schedule an appointment. Additionally, you can email a Career Advisor at [email protected].

Who can review my Portfolium?

I need help with a couple details like adding a project and skills. Who can help me? Portfolio hosts a help page that shares a variety of tips for navigating the platform and instructions for uploading resources. Access the page by visiting https://help.portfolium.com/portfolium. In addition, users can utilize a live chat from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. PT.

Is this meant to replace a traditional resume? No. Portfolium is a supplement to your resume, meant to enhance your audience’s view of you, your skills, and your passions. A resume simply documents your experience in a written form while your Portfolium provides your audience with visual samples of deliverables.