Building an ePortfolio is an excellent way for students to showcase their best work for prospective employers. ePortfolios are web-based, meaning students can more easily reach a broader range of employers to showcase their talents.
ePortfolios are especially helpful for students seeking employment in education, business administration, graphic design, or information technology.
What is an ePortfolio?
An ePortfolio, or web-based portfolio, consists of a body of work and achievements students have accumulated thus far. This collection can be in the form of an online resume, blog, or website, and should showcase the pertinent knowledge and skills students have attained up to this point in their careers or educational journey.
An ePortfolio is also a tool for managing learning experiences over a lifetime, giving students a way to track their personal development and intellectual growth. Web-based portfolios help students broadcast their selling points and accomplishments to the world while going above and beyond the simple list of jobs and accomplishments typically included in resumes. For example, if a student is a web designer, they may have an address of their ePortfolio on the web displaying screenshots of their best work.
ePortfolios in Higher Education: How To Use an ePortfolio to Highlight Student Skills
Showcases, comments, recommendations, skill tags, badges, academic networks, and collaboration are unique features of an ePortfolio. These features allow students to display their accomplishments, experiences, knowledge, and career and academic skills to prospective employers.
Use of Digital Portfolios in Employment Recruiting
Students can use their ePortfolios effectively during a job search by:
- Placing a link to their ePortfolio in their email signature.
- Including a link to their ePortfolio in their cover letters and resumes.
- Connecting their ePortfolio to their social media pages so prospective employers can find them more easily.
- Bringing their smartphone, tablet, or iPad to job interviews. This way, students can share pertinent sections of their portfolio during interviews.
- Referencing specific sections in follow-up correspondence or thank-you emails to employers following interviews. These extra efforts go a long way in reminding hiring managers why the student is the best candidate for the job.
Expand the Use of ePortfolios for Students in Your Career Center
An ePortfolio can help students highlight the skills they learn in school with tangible evidence to back them up. More and more, employers are expanding their use of digital portfolios to get a feel for their candidates. ePortfolios provide a body of evidence and aid in the recruitment process.
Watermark Student Learning & Licensure gives administrators and decision-makers at universities and higher education institutions a full-range view of student learning by analyzing, tracking, and assessing learning from internships, clinicals, or coursework.
The result? An ePortfolio students can use to fuel their future success. Students and evaluators can interact with artifacts in one place, and faculty members can streamline their assessment and grading efforts.
Curious to see what Watermark Student Learning & Licensure can help you accomplish at your institution? Request a customized demo with a member of our sales team today.
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