Chapter . Case 1: Using the Measures of Excellence in Evaluating a Résumé
Blane C. Holden’s Online Portfolio, Blane C. Holden
ONLINE PORTFOLIO
A professional portfolio is a valuable tool that can help you apply for jobs and network with other people in your field. This kind of portfolio is a collection of examples of your work. While portfolios are useful in a wide variety of professions, they are especially valuable for people who work in fields requiring skills in communication and creativity, such as journalists, technical writers, web designers, and graphic artists. While a hard-copy portfolio is especially helpful when you have an in-person job interview, an online portfolio allows you to show your work to anyone with access to the Internet. An online portfolio allows you to showcase your professionalism and to stand out from other job seekers. Software makes it easy to update your portfolio to show new examples of your work and to reflect your ongoing development in your profession. If your portfolio has examples of work you have been paid to do for a company, always get written permission to use it in your portfolio. Such work is the company’s property, not yours. Follow any non-disclosure agreements you have signed. In some cases, you might choose to include selected parts of a document in your online portfolio rather than an entire document that someone could copy. The work in this portfolio was created by Blane C. Holden. As his résumé shows, Blane worked for many years as a programmer before switching his focus to technical communication. This portfolio contains several documents showing Blane’s technical-communication skills.
Courtesy of Blane C. Holden.
Explore the portfolio and consider the questions below. Then “submit” your response.