As A Professional, Don’t Be A Dinosaur (Or You’ll Go Extinct!)

Do you have a resume? I bet you do. And so does everyone else.

Are you on Linkedin?  Yes? Well, all of that just doesn’t cut it anymore. If that’s all you got, you’re officially a dinosaur.

We live in a digital age where access to information is fast and easy. But keeping up with it all can be tricky.

For professionals looking to stay up to date, look into an ePortfolio.

More professionals are taking advantage of digital media to create a dynamic resume in the form of an electronic portfolio (ePortfolio).

An ePortfolio can showcase their projects, demonstrate mastery of key skills, and professional accomplishments. With an abundance of free website creator tools, anyone can create one in an afternoon.

So why doesn’t everyone have one?

Maybe they’re unaware. Maybe it’s too daunting a task.

But all professionals need to realize the opportunity an ePortfolio offers.  It offers the opportunity to set yourself apart and show your qualifications, instead of just telling.

Be better than Linkedin.  Go further than a video introduction.  Create an online space to showcase you, your work, and your accomplishments.  Show. Don’t tell.

So how can you, a professional, get started?

Here’s how: at CLU, we teach innovative leadership and professional skills, and all of our graduate students build a professional ePortfolio.

In a standard learning reflection assignment at the end of every course, the students choose examples of their work. Then, they include a rationale explaining how the example relates to the course learning objectives. This rationale proves how they mastered the skills and learning in the course.

In the Capstone Action Project, they collect these rationales and examples and create their personal, professional ePortfolio.  At the end of the Capstone, the students do the same routine to show mastery of the overall learning outcomes for their individual programs.

Now, you may not be a student at CLU. That’s okay. Just follow our ePortfolio model.

• First, think of the skills you want to highlight.
• Next, go through examples of your work that show these skills.
• Then, push the limit and create examples of skills you want to have or know are necessary for a particular career. Don’t worry, it’s still your work. (Graphic, architectural, engineering, and technical designers’ portfolios are filled with examples of work not yet executed!)

What’s the purpose of an ePortfolio?

At CLU, the design of every activity in every course is created to meet learning objectives and the ePortfolio is no different.

In education, it has a dual purpose.  One as a tool for professional use but also as a valuable tool.

The ePortfolio encourages deeper thought and connections to the learning materials and assignments. It also stands as a holistic representation of a learning experience across time. This intuitively sounds right to us, doesn’t it?

If we have a record of what we have learned over time and keep it as a living document for the future, we’ll be able to see our progress of what we’ve learned.

As a bonus, the research on ePortfolios shows that students who engage in these reflection activities improves their learning retention, overall progress, and self-efficacy.

Academically, the ePortfolio reinforces learning and showcases the mastery of the content in each course and the overall program. However, professionally, the students have demonstrable proof of their skills and scholarship for potential employers, investors, or clients.

So, what are you waiting for?

Transport yourself into the 21^st century. Create your own ePortfolio.  Showcase your skills and ability to the world and don’t be a dinosaur.